Delaware Bay Land Cover and Sociopolitical Baseline Study

A 1972 University of Delaware study for the Delaware River Basin Commission provides a foundational sociopolitical and scientific overview of Delaware Bay. Its dual focus on land cover classification and regional planning documents establishes a historical benchmark for coastal management. The dataset's cross-platform presence on government and scientific portals signals its continued relevance for environmental policy research.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical land cover change in Delaware Bay based on the 1972 classification.
• Assessing sociopolitical factors for coastal regulation planning, as referenced in the Governor's Task Force materials.
• Establishing a baseline for environmental impact studies of the bay and its contiguous shore areas.
• Researching the integration of engineering and sociopolitical data in regional resource management.

Strengths

• Provides a specific historical snapshot from a single year (1972).
• Synthesizes distinct data types: geospatial land cover and sociopolitical analysis.
• Commissioned by an authoritative body (Delaware River Basin Commission) with academic execution (University of Delaware).

Limitations

• Critical metadata conflicts: last updated date is listed as both 1972-12-31 and 2026-03-06.
• Sparse technical details: column names, row counts, and specific file formats are unknown.
• Relies on an unpublished report and supporting materials whose current accessibility is unclear.

Provenance

Source

University of Delaware, under contract to the Delaware River Basin Commission, with funding from Sea Grant and the National Geographic Society.

Collection Method

Study divided into sociopolitical (subcontracted to Natural and Historical Resource Associates) and engineering/scientific portions.

Time Range

1972-01-01 to 1972-12-31

Freshness

1972-12-31

Geography

Delaware Bay and its immediate environs, bounded by New Jersey and Delaware from Capes Henlopen and May to Liston Point, including contiguous shore areas.