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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NOAA/NESDIS)
Lake Ontario Bathymetry

Bathymetry of Lake Ontario CD-ROM
On-line sample

Geomorphology and ImagesGrids and ImagesVector Data Info

Introduction

The new bathymetry of Lake Ontario has been compiled as a component of the NOAA Great Lakes Data Rescue Project. This CD-ROM is the third in a series of five containing bathymetric data of the Great Lakes - following Lake Michigan (1996) and Lake Erie (1998). Preparation of the Great Lakes bathymetry has been a collaborative effort between scientists at the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center's Marine Geology and Geophysics Division (NGDC/MGG), the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS), the University of Colorado Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), and the University of Michigan Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research (CILER). Credits for the compilation of this CD-ROM data can be found on the contributing scientists and organizations page.

A high quality bathymetric map is of great value for geological and limnological studies. Modeling of lake circulation and sediment transport, and predicting the effects of climate change and toxic waste remediation on lake physiography are only a few examples of tasks that can be done more accurately with the availability of a high quality base map. Surface area and volume information for many of these applications are included on this CD-ROM in the dat/ont_area.txt file. The calculations for these values were done using the coastline and contour files found also in the "dat" directory. The bathymetric contours extend a short distance into the Saint Lawrence River to ~44.2N, as seen in the Duck Galloo Ridge image. The supporting data for this bathymetry are referenced on this CD-ROM with a data coverage map. The density of the data is represented in an image at the bottom of the vector page. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names has approved Lake Ontario feature names mentioned in the text and on the images.

A gridded and a coastline dataset have been provided on this CD-ROM and they have become a part of the GEODAS Great Lakes Bathymetry dataset. GEODAS (GEOphysical DAta System) software on this CD-ROM includes the Grid Translator and Hydroplot software that allow the generation of custom area grids in several formats, color viewing of the grids, viewing of the coastline, and editing of the grid data. GEODAS help is also provided on the CD-ROM.

Geomorphology | Grids | Vectors

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