Modeled Sand Shoal Distribution for Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coast

2019 data from NOAA NCEI provides a geospatial model of sand shoal distribution along the Gulf of Mexico and US Atlantic Coast. The dataset contains polygon features representing hypothesized shoal locations, characterized using a classification scheme based on the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS). It was created by NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS).

Use Cases

• Analyze the relationship between modeled shoal polygons and underlying seafloor characteristics variables.
• Classify sand shoal types using the CMECS-based scheme applied to polygon attributes.
• Assess the proximity of modeled shoals to shoreline distance variables for coastal impact studies.
• Validate the hypothesized distribution model against field observations of sand ridges and banks.

Strengths

• Model covers a major geographic region spanning the Gulf of Mexico and US Atlantic Coast.
• Polygon features are characterized using a standardized ecological classification (CMECS).
• Dataset is published by the authoritative NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Limitations

• Data is modeled (hypothesized distribution), not directly observed, introducing uncertainty.
• The last update was in 2019, potentially making the model temporally stale for current analysis.
• Specific sample size (row count) and data volume are unknown, limiting assessment of statistical power.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) via NOAA NCEI.

Collection Method

Modeled distribution based on seafloor characteristics and distance to shoreline variables.

Time Range

Publication date is 2019; temporal coverage of underlying model inputs is null.

Freshness

Last updated 2019-12-31.

Geography

Gulf of Mexico and US Atlantic Coast.