PhysicalOceanographicAndMarineHabitat

Weather Radar Impact Zones (0)

These data represent an inventory of the national impacts of wind turbine interference with NEXRAD radar stations. This inventory was developed by the NOAA Radar Operations Center (ROC) to establish variable zones that delineate the possible impacts that wind turbines may have on radar operations. The inventory scheme includes four zones that take in to account terrain, distance, and the number of elevation angles impacted. ROC requests various degrees of consultation with the developer depending on the zone. No Build - No wind turbines permitted. Mitigation Zone - Significant impacts likely. Consultation Zone - Significant impacts possible. Notification Zone - Impacts not likely.

Pacific Groundfish EFH Areas with Fishing Restrictions (2)

This layer depicts Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Areas with fishing restriction to protect Pacific Coast groundfish habitat. There are different gear restrictions within these areas, please use the identify tool to see the gear types associated with an individual closure. See NOAA Fisheries Service Final Rule, 71 FR 27408, for complete description of closed areas. More information can also be found within the source info link.

Critical Habitat Designations (4)

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires the Federal government to designate "critical habitat" for any species it lists under the ESA. This dataset combines both the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service species listed as critical habitat as well as the coastal species from US Fish & Wildlife Service. Critical habitat is defined as: 1. Specific areas within the geographical area occupied by the species at the time of listing, if they contain physical or biological features essential to conservation, and those features may require special management considerations or protection; and 2. Specific areas outside the geographical area occupied by the species if the agency determines that the area itself is essential for conservation.

Ocean Sediment Thickness Contours (6)

Ocean sediment thickness contours in 200 meter intervals for water depths ranging from 0 – 18,000 meters. These contours were derived from a global sediment thickness grid distributed by the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC). The NGDC grid was compiled from various existing sediment thickness maps and drilling cores, and has a cell resolution of 5 arc seconds. Sediment thickness data is typically acquired through two methods. Seismic (or sub-bottom) profile technologies rely on powerful pulses of low-frequency sound which penetrate the substrate and return information about substrate thickness, character, and stratification. The data are collected along transect lines and require interpolation to create comprehensive maps. Sediment thickness is also determined by direct measurement through coring, which provides more detailed information but only at discrete sites. Coring data can also be interpolated to form area maps, and to help interpret the seismic data.

National Seafloor Sediment (usSEABED) (8)

The usSEABED database contains data for the entire U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and is an ongoing task of the Marine Aggregates Resources and Processes and National Benthic Habitats Studies (Pacific) projects, USGS Coastal and Marine Geology teams in Santa Cruz, CA, Woods Hole, MA, and St. Petersburg, FL, and the University of Colorado. This data layer is a point coverage of known sediment samplings, inspections and probings from the usSEABED data collection and integrated using the software system dbSEABED. This data layer represents the extracted (EXT) output of the dbSEABED mining software. The EXT data is usually based on instrumental analyses (probe or laboratory) but may apply to just a subsample of the sediment (eg. no large shells).

Pinniped Haul Outs (California) (10)

Seal and sea lion haul-out sites in California, including offshore islands.

High Frequency Radar Locations (12)

This dataset show the point locations (as of October 2014), of High Frequency (HF) radar systems across the US. HF radars measure the speed and direction of ocean surface currents in near real time. These radars can measure currents over a large region of the coastal ocean, from a few kilometers offshore up to 200 km, and can operate under any weather conditions. They are located near the water’s edge, and need not be situated atop a high point of land. Dozens of institutions own and operate HF radars within the United States, and a majority are coordinated through the US Integrated Ocean Observing System. Ocean surface current data from these radars are shared on national servers -- the National Data Buoy Center and Scripps Institution of Oceanography -- who deliver the data to anyone who needs it.

Undersea Feature Place Names (14)

There are approximately 5100 undersea features with names approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN). The BGN approves undersea feature names based on the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Undersea Features (ACUF). ACUF is charged with recommending BGN policy for totally-submerged undersea features which lie outside the territorial sea (as recognized by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) of all coastal states. Undersea features within the territorial sea of the United States are handled by the BGN Domestic Names Committee (DNC) in coordination with ACUF. Some of these names will have overlaps with the Esri Oceans basemap. Please select a different basemap if you want to view this layer without interference with Esri Oceans basemap reference information.