Survey lines along which swath backscatter data were collected south of Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket by the U.S. Geological Survey offshore of Massachusetts in 2013 (2013-003-FA_BackscatterTracklines, Esri Polyline Shapefile, Geographic, WGS84)

These data were collected under a cooperative agreement between the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC). Initiated in 2003, the primary objective of this program is to develop regional geologic framework information for the management of coastal and marine resources. Accurate data and maps of sea floor geology are important first steps toward protecting fish habitat, delineating marine resources, and assessing environmental changes due to natural or human impacts. The project is focused on the inshore waters of coastal Massachusetts, primarily in water depths of 5 to 30 meters (m) deep. Data collected for the mapping cooperative have been released in a series of USGS Open-File Reports (http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/coastal_mass/). The geophysical data were collected during a survey in 2013 during USGS Field Activity 2013-003-FA (http://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fa=2013-003-FA) and cover approximately 185 square kilometers of the inner continental shelf.

本数据集依据马萨诸塞州海岸带管理办公室（Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, CZM）与美国地质调查局（U.S. Geological Survey, USGS）海岸与海洋地质学计划、伍兹霍尔海岸与海洋科学中心（Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, WHCMSC）达成的合作协议采集。该计划于2003年启动，核心目标是构建区域地质框架信息，以支撑海岸与海洋资源的管理工作。精准的海底地质数据与地图，是保护鱼类栖息地、划定海洋资源范围、评估自然或人类活动引发的环境变化的重要前置环节。本项目聚焦马萨诸塞州沿海近岸海域，作业水深主要集中在5至30米区间。本次制图合作采集的数据已以系列美国地质调查局公开文件报告（USGS Open-File Reports）的形式发布，详情可访问http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/coastal_mass/。本次地球物理数据采集于2013年的科考作业中，对应美国地质调查局野外活动编号2013-003-FA（详情可访问http://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fa=2013-003-FA），覆盖约185平方千米的内陆架海域。