WONG, FLORENCE L., STEPHEN L. EITTREIM, CAROLYN H. DEGNAN, and WILSON C. LEE

Abstract: USGS GIS for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Seafloor mapping in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary by sidescan sonar and multibeam bathymetry has revealed new details about the sanctuary's geology, morphology, and active geologic processes. Collaborative data from physical samples, current moorings, and photographs of the sea bottom are integrated with the new seafloor maps and other existing maps in a GIS. Data themes include base maps (coastline, regional bathymetry), onshore and offshore geologic maps, navigation, sonar imagery, multibeam bathymetry, geology interpreted from sonar and multibeam data, and sample analyses. The spatial data are developed in Arcinfo and assembled for access as an ArcView project. The in-progress GIS provides research project members a view of the relationship between individual data sets and those that are being developed by other project members. A subset of the GIS will be published in a CD-ROM to make the data available to support economic and social policy-making in this protected environment.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90920©1999 AAPG Pacific Section Meeting, Monterey, California