The median of bottom shear stress for the Gulf of Maine south into the Middle Atlantic Bight, May 2010 to May 2011 (GMAINE_median.shp, Geographic, WGS 84)

The U.S. Geological Survey has been characterizing the regional variation in shear stress on the sea floor and sediment mobility through statistical descriptors. The purpose of this project is to identify patterns in stress in order to inform habitat delineation or decisions for anthropogenic use of the continental shelf. The statistical characterization spans the continental shelf from the coast to approximately 120 m water depth, at approximately 0.03 degree (2.5-3.75 km, depending on latitude) resolution. Time-series of wave and circulation are created using numerical models, and near-bottom output of steady and oscillatory velocities and an estimate of bottom roughness are used to calculate a time-series of bottom shear stress at 1-hour intervals. Statistical descriptions such as the median and 95th percentile, which are the output included with this database, are then calculated to create a two-dimensional picture of the regional patterns in shear stress. In addition, time-series of stress are compared to critical stress values at select points calculated from observed surface sediment texture data to determine estimates of sea floor mobility.美国地质调查局（U.S. Geological Survey）一直通过统计描述符，刻画海底剪切应力与沉积物活动性的区域差异。本项目旨在识别剪切应力的分布模式，以期为栖息地划定或大陆架的人类开发决策提供参考依据。本次统计刻画覆盖了从海岸至约120米水深范围的大陆架，空间分辨率约为0.03度（依纬度不同，对应2.5至3.75千米）。研究团队通过数值模式构建波浪与环流的时间序列，并利用近底输出的稳态与振荡流速数据，以及底床粗糙度估算值，以1小时间隔计算海底剪切应力的时间序列。随后将计算中位数、95百分位数等统计量（为本数据集的配套输出项），以此生成刻画剪切应力区域分布模式的二维图像。此外，本研究将选取点位处由实测表层沉积物粒度数据计算得到的临界剪切应力值，与对应的应力时间序列进行对比，以此估算海底沉积物活动性。