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U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Data

The mission of the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) Project is to establish the full extent of the U.S. continental shelf, consistent with international law. 

Data collected for the project include bathymetric, subbottom, gravity, magnetic, seismic, and geologic sample data from the U.S. coastal waters to the deep ocean. U.S. ECS project data are in the public domain. 

Contact ecs.info@noaa.gov for more information.

Photograph of joint U.S.- Canada ship operations in the Arctic Ocean.

All Cruise Data

The complete ECS cruise data table is available in CSV format.

Download Cruise Table

Data Collected for ECS Areas

Arctic ECS Data
Cruise ID Platform Year Subbottom Profiles Multi-Channel Seismic (linear km) Bathymetry
(sq km)
Gravity & Magnetics Water Column Sonar (WCS) Geologic Samples
HE0302 Healy 2003 Chirp Data   10,000     Core Data and Images
HE0405 Healy 2004 Chirp Data   20,000      
HE0703 Healy 2007 Chirp Data   70,000      
OF5818 Louis S. St-Laurent 2007   2,987        
HE0805 Healy 2008 Chirp Data   34,600     Dredge Data and Images
HE0806 Healy 2008 Chirp Data   29,158      
L-1-08-AR Louis S. St-Laurent 2008   4,217        
L-7-09-AR Louis S. St-Laurent 2009   4,069        
HE0905 Healy 2009 Chirp Data   66,135     Dredge Data and Images
L-1-10-AR Louis S. St-Laurent 2010   3,600        
HLY1002 Healy 2010 Chirp Data   47,663     Core Data and Images
HLY1102 Healy 2011 Chirp Data   58,000 MGD77 Data WCS Data  
L-39-11-AR Louis S. St-Laurent 2011   1,437        
HLY1202 Healy 2012 Chirp Data   68,600 MGD77 Data WCS Data Preliminary Dredge Information
HLY1603 Healy 2016 Chirp Data   14,000 Data Forthcoming   Data Forthcoming
OF8239 Louis S. St-Laurent 2016   629        

Atlantic ECS Data
Cruise ID Platform Year Subbottom Profiles Multi-Channel Seismic (linear km) Bathymetry  (sq km) Water Column Sonar (WCS) Gravity & Magnetics Water Column Sonar (WCS) Geologic Samples
HEN04-1 Henson 2004 Chirp Data   HEN04 1-3
255,000 total
1   2   3
  MGD77 Gravity Data    
HEN04-2 Henson 2004 Chirp Data     MGD77 Gravity Data    
HEN04-3 Henson 2004 Chirp Data     MGD77 Gravity Data    
PF0501 Pathfinder 2005 Chirp Data   PF05 01-02
148,500 total
01  02
       
PF0502 Pathfinder 2005            
KNOX17RR Roger Revelle 2008 Chirp Data   124,216   MGD77 Gravity Data    
RB12-02 Ronald H. Brown 2012 Chirp Data   69,287        
MGL1407 Marcus G. Langseth 2014 Chirp Data 2760 56,536 WCS Data MGD77 Magnetic Data    
MGL1506 Marcus G. Langseth 2015 Chirp Data 3,000 47,452 WCS Data MGD77 Magnetic Data    
MGL1512 Marcus G. Langseth 2015 Chirp Data   157,166 WCS Data MGD77 Gravity Data    
EX1810 Okeanos Explorer 2018 Chirp Data   58,000 WCS Data      

Bering Sea ECS Data
Cruise IDPlatformYearSubbottom ProfilesMulti-Channel Seismic (linear km)Bathymetry  (sq km)Gravity & MagneticsWater Column Sonar (WCS)Geologic Samples
DA0301Davidson2003  20,900   
MGL1111Marcus G. Langseth2011Chirp Data2,20049,581MGD77 Gravity and Magnetic Data Small CTD Sediment Sample Info

Gulf of Mexico ECS Data
Cruise ID Platform Year Subbottom Profiles Multi-Channel Seismic (linear km) Bathymetry  (sq km) Gravity & Magnetics Water Column Sonar (WCS) Geologic Samples
NR07-1 Northern Resolution 2007 Chirp Data   32,300       

Mariana ECS Islands
Cruise ID Platform Year Subbottom Profiles Multi-Channel Seismic (linear km) Bathymetry  (sq km) Gravity & Magnetics Water Column Sonar (WCS) Geologic Samples
BD06-1 Bowditch 2006 Chirp Data   92,111  MGD77 Gravity Data    
BD07-1 Bowditch 2007 Chirp Data   92,151       
SU10-1 USNS Sumner 2010     187,503       
SU10-2 USNS Sumner 2010     156,023       
FS1601 Fugro Supporter 2016 Chirp Data   102,440       

Pacific ECS Data
Cruise ID Platform Year Subbottom Profiles Multi-Channel Seismic (linear km) Bathymetry  (sq km) Gravity & Magnetics Water Column Sonar (WCS) Geologic Samples
EX0903 Okeanos Explorer 2009 Chirp Data   14,136       
AT26-21 Atlantis 2014 Chirp Data   103,074       

Data Collected for Possible ECS Areas

Gulf of Alaska Potential ECS Area Data
Cruise ID Platform Year Subbottom Profiles Multi-Channel Seismic (linear km) Bathymetry  (sq km) Gravity & Magnetics Water Column Sonar (WCS) Geologic Samples
KM0514 Kilo Moana 2005 Chirp Data   321,466  MGD77 Gravity Data    
MGL1109 Marcus G. Langseth 2011 Chirp Data 3,200  69,060  MGD77 Gravity and Magnetics Data    
KM1811 Kilo Moana 2018 Data Forthcoming   98,777 (Data Forthcoming)      

Hawaiian Islands Potential ECS Data
Cruise ID Platform Year Subbottom Profiles Multi-Channel Seismic (linear km) Bathymetry  (sq km) Gravity & Magnetics Water Column Sonar (WCS) Geologic Samples
EX0909 Leg1 Okeanos Explorer 2009     EX0909 total
Expedition Multibeam Data (18,207)
     
EX0909 Leg2 Okeanos Explorer 2009          
KM1121 Kilo Moana 2011 Chirp Data   Multibeam and Backscatter Data (47,394) MGD77 Gravity Data    
EX1603 Okeanos Explorer 2016 Chirp Data   Multibeam and Backscatter Data     Data Forthcoming
KM1718 Kilo Moana 2017     Multibeam and Backscatter Data (149,770)      

Johnston Atoll Potential ECS Area Data
Cruise IDPlatformYearSubbottom ProfilesMulti-Channel Seismic (linear km)Bathymetry  (sq km)Gravity & MagneticsWater Column Sonar (WCS)Geologic Samples
KM1417Kilo Moana2014Chirp Data 97,250    

Palmyra Atoll Potential ECS Area Data
Cruise ID Platform Year Subbottom
Profiles
Multi-Channel Seismic (linear km) Bathymetry (sq km) Gravity Magnetics Water Column Sonar (WCS) Geologic Samples
KM1009 Kilo Moana 2010 Chirp Data   107,435       
KM1520 Kilo Moana 2015 Chirp Data   164,200  MGD77 Gravity Data    
RB1601 Ron Brown 2016 Chirp Data   166,756       

Data Rescue Efforts by Area

Atlantic ECS Data Rescue Missions
Cruise ID Platform Year(s) Data Access
GulfSeal 1973  Gulf Seal 1973
GulfSeal 1974  Gulf Seal 1974

Bering Sea ECS Data Rescue Missions
Cruise ID Platform Year(s) Data Access
W1174bs Dabney E. Petty 1974-1977
L-4-75-BS Samuel P. Lee 1975

Johnston Atoll ECS Data Rescue Mission
Cruise IDPlatformYear(s)Data Access
F-1-91-CPFarnella1991

Pacific ECS Data Rescue Missions
Cruise ID Platform Year(s) Data Access
L-5-77-WO Samuel P. Lee 1977
H-1-75-CC Hollis Hedberg 1975
F-2-84-NC Farnella 1984
F-3-84-NC Farnella 1984
U-20-90-SC Unknown 1990

Palmyra Atoll ECS Data Rescue Mission
Cruise IDPlatformYear(s)Data Access
F-3-91-CPFarnella1991

NCEI's Role

Determining the outer limits of the U.S. ECS requires large amounts of data that describe the depth, shape, and geophysical characteristics of the seabed and sub-sea floor. NCEI serves as the data management lead for the U.S. ECS, and provides archive and access services for all data related to the project. 

NCEI partners with federal agencies and academic partners to manage, document, and deliver scientific data. Our collaborations foster modern, standards-based oceanic data management and documentation practices, providing exceptional science and data reuse.

ECS Fact Sheet 

Partners

The work to determine the outer limits of the U.S. ECS is coordinated by the ECS Task Force, an interagency body of the U.S. government. The ECS Task force is chaired by the U.S. Department of State, with co-vice chairs from the Department of Interior and NOAA. For more information, visit the State Department's ECS Project Page

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Archive of Marine Seismic Surveys (NAMSS) provides seismic data collected by USGS, private industry, and others. The USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center is the designated repository for physical samples collected for the U.S. ECS Project and coordinates all outside sample requests. The University of New Hampshire's Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center (UNH CCOM-JHC) collects and processes ECS-funded bathymetric products.