Contours--Offshore Pigeon Point, California

This part of DS 781 presents data for the bathymetric contours for several seafloor maps of the Offshore Pigeon Point map area, California. The vector data file is included in "Contours_OffshorePigeonPoint.zip", which is accessible from http://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F7513W80
10-m interval contours of the Offshore Pigeon Point map area, California, were generated from bathymetry data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and by California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). Mapping was completed between 2006 and 2009 using a combination of a 244-kHz Reson 8101 multibeam echosounder and a 234-kHz SEA SWATHplus bathymetric sidescan-sonar system. The mapping missions collected bathymetry data from about the 10-m isobath to beyond the 3-nautical-mile limit of California’s State Waters.
Bathymetric contours at 10-m intervals were generated from a modified 2-m bathymetric surface. The original surface was smoothed using the Focal Mean tool in ArcGIS and a circular neighborhood with a radius of 20 to 30 meters (depending on the area). The contours were generated from this smoothed surface using the ArcGIS Spatial Analyst Contour tool. The most continuous contour segments were preserved while smaller segments and isolated island polygons were excluded from the final output. The contours were then clipped to the boundary of the map area.