Contaminant Levels in Gulf of Maine Sediments Database

A database of contaminants in sediment for the Gulf of Maine region, compiled for scientific and management purposes. The project was conducted by multiple principle investigators and agencies, including CEOS_EXTRA, through a cooperative approach to ensure thorough data collection. The temporal coverage of the compiled historical data is unspecified.

Use Cases

• Map sediment contaminant distributions using geospatial coordinates to identify pollution hotspots.
• Analyze the transport and fate of specific inorganic and organic contaminants over time.
• Establish contaminant baselines by synthesizing historical sediment sample data for the region.
• Guide future sampling strategies by identifying data gaps in the inventory of sediment contaminants.

Strengths

• Compiled through a cooperative multi-agency approach to ensure thorough data identification and collection.
• Database designed to include both inorganic and organic contaminant measurements from sediment samples.
• Data intended for interactive, user-friendly, and readily exchangeable forms such as via FTP.

Limitations

• The specific number of data points, rows, or sediment samples is unknown.
• The exact temporal range of the compiled historical data is not provided.
• Potential for geographic bias is present as data collection focuses solely on the Gulf of Maine region.

Provenance

Source

CEOS_EXTRA and multiple cooperating agencies and organizations.

Collection Method

Identification of existing data sources, entry into a database format, and validation through scientific editing.

Geography

Gulf of Maine region.