usSeabed: A series of digital data of seabed characteristics

• Based on an integration of existing numeric and verbal seabed data, including cores, grabs, and photographic descriptions
• Where verbal descriptions are quantified using fuzzy set theory
• Data held as point-value ASCII, comma-delimited, and field defined, suitable for most RDB's and GIS's
• Useful as is, or when combined with bathymetry &/or other geophysical data
• In use by the USGS for benthic habitat, marine aggregates, and other research topics
• An ongoing and expanding project, actively add data
• A collaborative project between the US Geological Survey, the University of Colorado, and NOAA National Marine Fisheries

Most output data to be publicly available on the web (under construction); email; usseabed@octopus.wr.usgs.gov

Grainsize distributions [output in %GSMc]

gravel sand mud

Purples denote fuzzy membership to rock class