Great Bay Estuary Eelgrass_Kappa, 2013

Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Spatial_Data_Organization_Information
• Spatial_Reference_Information
• Entity_and_Attribute_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Seth Barker, Independent Contractor

Publication_Date: 20140630

Title: Great Bay Estuary Eelgrass_Kappa, 2013

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data

Online_Linkage:

<URL:http://www.granit.unh.edu/data/search?dset=eelgrass_kappa2013/nh>

Description:

Abstract:

The dataset shows the locations where eelgrass was observed in the Great Bay Estuary based on photointerpretation of orthophotography collected on August 24, 2013. The study area includes the following waterbodies: Great Bay, the mouth of the Squamscott River, the tidal portion of the Lamprey River, the tidal portion of the Oyster River, the tidal portion of the Bellamy River, the Piscataqua River and Portsmouth Harbor and its associated creeks. Vertical aerial photograph was collected as digital 4-band imagery with a nominal 1 foot resolution using a Intergraph Digital Mapping Camera. Environmental conditions included a low sun angle, low spring tide, low cloud cover, calm winds, no preceeding rain events, and low turbitiy in the water column. The eelgrass habitat mapped from the aerial imagery was verified using the ground truthing data from preselected locations and ad hoc locations chosen during the course of the filed work. Ground-truthing was done from a small boat during the same season as the photographs are taken. Ground-truth observations were made on all tides using a drop camera with video recoding capabilities and at low tide when visual observations were recorded. Positions are determined using high accuracy Trimble GeoXH and GeoXT GPS units.

Purpose:

The dataset was developed to monitor the distribution of eelgrass within the Great Bay Estuary over time. The surveys have been completed yearly since 1986 to track trends over time. A quality assurance project plan is available at: <http://http://prep.unh.edu/resources/qapps/PREP_Eelgrass_Monitoring_QUAPP_completed.pdf>.

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 20130824

Ending_Date: 20130824

Currentness_Reference: Ground Date

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: Annually

Spatial_Domain:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.911297

East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.677157

North_Bounding_Coordinate: 43.153869

South_Bounding_Coordinate: 43.049923

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category

Theme_Keyword: biota

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Theme_Keyword: Eelgrass

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Theme_Keyword: Estuary

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Theme_Keyword: Estuarine

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category

Place_Keyword: oceans

Place_Keyword: Northeast

Place_Keyword: New England

Place_Keyword: New Hampshire

Place_Keyword: Great Bay

Place_Keyword: Little Harbor

Place_Keyword: Piscataqua River

Place_Keyword: Lamprey River

Place_Keyword: Oyster River

Place_Keyword: Bellamy River

Place_Keyword: Portsmouth Harbor

Place_Keyword: Squamscott River

Place_Keyword: New Castle

Place_Keyword: Rye

Place_Keyword: Portsmouth

Place_Keyword: Newington

Place_Keyword: Greenland

Place_Keyword: Stratham

Place_Keyword: Newfields

Place_Keyword: Newmarket

Place_Keyword: Durham

Place_Keyword: Dover

Place_Keyword: Madbury

Place_Keyword: Eliot

Place_Keyword: Kittery

Place_Keyword: Maine

Access_Constraints: None

Use_Constraints:

User is required to read metadata completely before using the data. The information provided in this coverage is a subset of spatial databases developed by the University of New Hampshire and used by the NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES). Development of these databases is an ongoing project; they may not contain all existing and potential sites, stations, or threats. The NHDES is not responsible for the use or interpretation of this information, or for any inaccuracies in the site names, tax map and lot information, or locations. All information is subject to verification. These data are to be used for planning purposes only; distribution is discouraged.

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Phil Trowbridge, P.E.

Contact_Organization: New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

Contact_Position: Coastal Scientist

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: 29 Hazen Drive, PO Box 95

City: Concord

State_or_Province: New Hampshire

Postal_Code: 03302

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 603-271-3503

Native_Data_Set_Environment:

Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 2; ESRI ArcGIS 10.0.4.4000

Data_Quality_Information:

Logical_Consistency_Report:

Note that yearly variations in collection methods exist. Following is a summary of methods that have been used.

The eelgrass habitat mapped from the aerial imagery is verified using the ground truthing data by placing the ground-truthing locations onto the digital image using GIS software. Ground-truthing is done from a small boat during the same season as the photographs are taken. Ground-truth observations are made at low tide or at other tide stages using a drop camera. Positions are determined using GPS. Gaps, overlapping polygon areas and duplicate polygons are identified and removed.

Completeness_Report: The dataset is complete. There are no known omissions.

Lineage:

Source_Information:

Source_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Seth Barker, Independent Contractor

Publication_Date: 20140630

Title: Great Bay Eelgrass 2013

Type_of_Source_Media: Digital

Source_Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 20130824

Ending_Date: 20140630

Source_Currentness_Reference: Publication Date

Source_Citation_Abbreviation: NULL

Source_Contribution: NULL

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

The final photomosaics were received in January, 2014, from Kappa Mapping. These were added to a GIS along with field information and other data layers to aid in photointerpretation. Eelgrass beds were first outlined and screen digitized using the GIS software package, QGIS and saved to a ESRI shape file. Digitizing was generally done at a screen scale of 1:1000 or less. The projection used was New Hampshire State Plane, NAD83, and the units were feet.

Process_Date: 20140630

Process_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Phil Trowbridge

Contact_Organization: New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

Contact_Position: Coastal Scientist

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: 29 Hazen Drive, PO Box 95

City: Concord

State_or_Province: New Hampshire

Postal_Code: 03302

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 603-271-8872

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:

Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector

Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:

SDTS_Terms_Description:

SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: G-polygon

Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 240

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Planar:

Grid_Coordinate_System:

Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: State Plane Coordinate System 1983

State_Plane_Coordinate_System:

SPCS_Zone_Identifier: 2800

Transverse_Mercator:

Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.999967

Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -71.666667

Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 42.500000

False_Easting: 984250.000000

False_Northing: 0.000000

Planar_Coordinate_Information:

Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: coordinate pair

Coordinate_Representation:

Abscissa_Resolution: 0.002048

Ordinate_Resolution: 0.002048

Planar_Distance_Units: survey feet

Geodetic_Model:

Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1983

Ellipsoid_Name: Geodetic Reference System 80

Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.000000

Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257222

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Detailed_Description:

Entity_Type:

Entity_Type_Label: eelgrass2013

Entity_Type_Definition:

Each polygon of eelgrass habitat is assigned an attribute in the density field of the attribute table. The values in the density field are qualitative assessments of the eelgrass density in each polygon.

Entity_Type_Definition_Source: NHDES

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: FID

Attribute_Definition: Internal feature number.

Attribute_Definition_Source: ESRI

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain:

Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Shape

Attribute_Definition: Feature geometry.

Attribute_Definition_Source: ESRI

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain: Coordinates defining the features.

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: DENSITY

Attribute_Definition:

Qualitative assessments of the eelgrass density in each polygon

Attribute_Definition_Source: UNH

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Enumerated_Domain:

Enumerated_Domain_Value: d

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition:

Dense. Eelgrass covers 90-100% of the bottom. The bottom is not visible in the aerial photos. The shoot density or biomass level for eelgrass of this density is approximately 250 grams per square meter.

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: UNH

Enumerated_Domain:

Enumerated_Domain_Value: sb

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition:

Some bottom. Eelgrass covers 60-90% of the bottom. Some bottom is visible in the aerial photos but the majority is covered by eelgrass. The shoot density or biomass level for eelgrass of this density is approximately 85 grams per square meter.

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: UNH

Enumerated_Domain:

Enumerated_Domain_Value: h

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition:

Half. Eelgrass covers 30-60% of the bottom. Approximately half the bottom is visible in the aerial photos. The shoot density or biomass level for eelgrass of this density is approximately 55 grams per square meter.

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: UNH

Enumerated_Domain:

Enumerated_Domain_Value: p

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition:

Partial. Eelgrass covers 10-30% of the bottom. Eelgrass is present but the majority of the bottom is still visible in the bed. The shoot density or biomass level for eelgrass of this density is approximately 25 grams per square meter.

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: UNH

Enumerated_Domain:

Enumerated_Domain_Value: NULL

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition:

No eelgrass. Polygon represents an island or area without eelgrass.

Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: UNH

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: HECTARES

Attribute_Definition: Eelgrass area in hectares.

Attribute_Definition_Source: UNH

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain: Calculated value.

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: ACRES

Attribute_Definition: Acreage of the eelgrass area.

Attribute_Definition_Source: UNH

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain: Calculated value.

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: YEAR_

Attribute_Definition: The year that the data was collected.

Attribute_Definition_Source: UNH

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain: Calculated value.

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: Complex Systems Research Center, University of New Hampshire

Contact_Person: GRANIT Database Manager

Contact_Position: GRANIT Database Manager

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical address

Address: Morse Hall, University of New Hampshire

City: Durham

State_or_Province: NH

Postal_Code: 03824

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 603-862-1792

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 603-862-0188

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: granit@unh.edu

Hours_of_Service: 8:30AM-5PM. EST

Resource_Description: Downloadable Data

Distribution_Liability:

Digital data in NH GRANIT represent the efforts of the contributing agencies to record information from the cited source materials. Complex Systems Research Center, under contract to the NH Office of Energy and Planning, and in consultation with cooperating agencies, maintains a continuing program to identify and correct errors in these data. OEP, CSRC, and the cooperating agencies make no claim as to the validity or reliability or to any implied uses of these data.

Standard_Order_Process:

Digital_Form:

Digital_Transfer_Information:

Format_Name: ESRI shapefile

Transfer_Size: <1 MB

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name: URL:<http://www.granit.sr.unh.edu>

Fees:

No charge when downloaded from the Internet. Cost of reproduction for provision on CD/ROM of other media.

Ordering_Instructions:

Email GRANIT (granit@unh.edu) or order from web site (www.granit.sr.unh.edu).

Turnaround: Two weeks

Technical_Prerequisites: None

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20130827

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: NH Department of Environmental Services

Contact_Person: George Hastings

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical address

Address: 29 Hazen Drive, PO Box 95

City: Concord

State_or_Province: New Hampshire

Postal_Code: 03302

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 603-271-3503

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-2001

Metadata_Time_Convention: local time

Metadata_Extensions:

Online_Linkage: <http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html>

Profile_Name: ESRI Metadata Profile

Metadata_Extensions:

Online_Linkage: <http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html>

Profile_Name: ESRI Metadata Profile