National Enironmental Sensitivity Index Shoreline: GULF/ATLANTIC ESI, PACIFIC ESI, GREAT L

A national geospatial dataset of shoreline and coastal habitat lines for the contiguous United States and Great Lakes states. Line segments are classified according to the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) system, which characterizes sensitivity to oil spills. The data is a compilation from the most recent ESI atlas publications produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Use Cases

• Modeling potential oil spill trajectories and impacts based on shoreline sensitivity classifications.
• Prioritizing coastal protection and cleanup resources based on ESI habitat classifications.
• Integrating shoreline sensitivity data with biological and human-use resource maps for comprehensive environmental risk assessment.

Strengths

• National coverage includes the contiguous Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific, and Great Lakes shorelines.
• Data is compiled from the most recent official ESI atlas publications.
• Line segments are classified using a standardized Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) system.

Limitations

• The dataset contains only the shoreline (ESIL) layer, not the associated biological or human-use resource data.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Compilation from the most recent Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) atlas publications.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 22:28:47.567887; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Shorelines of the contiguous United States (Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific coasts) and states bordering the Great Lakes.