USGS Geoscience Data Catalog
Additional USGS Geoscience data can be found by geographic location or by publication series.
Manheim, Frank T. , and Hayes, Laura, 2002, Sediment Database and Geochemical Assessment of Lake Pontchartrain Basin: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper PP-1634.Online Links:
Frank T. Manheim (editor), and (editor), Laura Hayes , 2002, Lake Pontchartrain Basin: bottom sediments and related environmental resources: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper PP-1634, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.Online Links:
This is a Point data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.
The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference System 80.
The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.
The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257.
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 1 |
| Maximum: | 2811 |
This is a complex text containing sample identification codes. Frequently several codes are given in each field, separated by commas. Several different sample identification schemes are represented among the samples.
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| "SED_CHEM, SEDGRAIN" | |
| (empty) |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 29.2 |
| Maximum: | 30.37343245 |
| Units: | decimal degrees |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 29 |
| Maximum: | 30 |
| Units: | degrees of arc |
| Resolution: | 1 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 0 |
| Maximum: | 59 |
| Units: | minutes of arc |
| Resolution: | 1 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 0 |
| Maximum: | 59 |
| Units: | arc-seconds |
| Resolution: | 1 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| ddmm.mm | degrees and decimal minutes, to 0.01 minutes |
| ddmm.mmm | degrees and decimal minutes, to 0.001 minutes |
| ddmmss | degrees, minutes, and seconds |
| (empty) | Location specified in the original report as decimal degrees |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | -88.67 |
| Maximum: | -92.76417 |
| Units: | decimal degrees |
| Resolution: | 0.000001 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| -90 | probably supposed to be 90 degrees W |
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 88 |
| Maximum: | 92 |
| Units: | degrees of arc |
| Resolution: | 1 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 0 |
| Maximum: | 59 |
| Units: | minutes of arc |
| Resolution: | 1 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 0 |
| Maximum: | 59 |
| Units: | arc-seconds |
| Resolution: | 1 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| ddmm.mm | degrees and decimal minutes, to 0.01 minutes |
| ddmm.mmm | degrees and decimal minutes, to 0.001 minutes |
| ddmmss | degrees, minutes, and seconds |
| (empty) | Location specified in the original report as decimal degrees |
Most values contain two numbers that cannot be latitude and longitude, two contain descriptive textual information.
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| "the LORAN C coordinates in fields 8 & 13 were e-mailed to AGM by G.Flowers on 4-28-97. the coordinates in fields 7 & 12 were calculated by AGM from a faxed copy of figure 1 of Sarkar's thesis (see file""SSCONVERT.DOC"" for full details)" | |
| (empty) | not known |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 0 |
| Maximum: | 14 |
| Units: | meters |
| Resolution: | 1 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 0 |
| Maximum: | 26 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| feet | |
| ft | feet |
| (empty) |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| LDEQ | Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality |
| LDEQ-OWR-WPCD | Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality - Office of Water Resources - Water Pollution Control Division |
| LDNR-CZMD | Louisiana Department of Natural Resources - Coastal Zone Management Division |
| LSU | Louisiana State University |
| UNO | University of New Orleans |
| USEPA | United States Environmental Protection Agency |
| USACE | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| USGS | United States Geological Survey |
| USGS - WRD | United States Geological Survey - Water Resources Division |
Attribute values are the source citation abbreviations given in the Lineage of this report; each refers to the corresponding data source.
self-explanatory text
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| "EMAP-Estuaries Province Level Database, Louisianian Province 1991-1994" | |
| (empty) |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| EMAP | Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| Louisiana | |
| (empty) | information not provided |
Common name given as text.
Self-explanatory text describing geographic location with reference to named places.
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| BLaBr | Bayou LaBranche |
| BretS | Breton Sound |
| BTrep | Bayou Trepagnier |
| CMent | Chef Menteur |
| EngCa | Engineers Canal |
| ICW | Intracoastal Waterway |
| IHNC | Inner Harbor Navigation Canal |
| LBorg | Lake Borgne |
| LMaur | Lake Maurepas |
| LP | Lake Pontchartrain |
| LP-BC | Lake Pontchartrain, Bonnet Carre Region |
| LP-CE | Lake Pontchartrain, central region east of Causeway |
| LP-CW | Lake Pontchartrain, central region west of Causeway |
| LP-NO | Lake Pontchartrain, New Orleans region |
| LP-NS | Lake Pontchartrain, north shore region |
| LP-PH | Lake Pontchartrain, Pointe aux Herbes region |
| LP-RG | Lake Pontchartrain, Rigolets region |
| LP-WS | Lake Pontchartrain, west shore region |
| MissB | Mississippi Bayou |
| MRGO | Mississippi River Gulf Outlet |
| Rigol | Rigolets |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 1 |
| Maximum: | 88 |
Self-explanatory text.
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 1 |
| Maximum: | 31 |
| Units: | day |
| Resolution: | 1 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1 | January |
| 2 | February |
| 3 | March |
| 4 | April |
| 5 | May |
| 6 | June |
| 7 | July |
| 8 | August |
| 9 | September |
| 10 | October |
| 11 | November |
| 12 | December |
| (empty) | date not specified |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 1972 |
| Maximum: | 1998 |
| Units: | year |
| Resolution: | 1 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| 23 | 23rd day of the month? |
| (empty) |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| 6 | June |
| 10 | October |
| (empty) | date not specified |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 1980 |
| Maximum: | 1984 |
| Units: | year |
| Resolution: | 1 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| No date stated for sediment analysis | |
| (empty) |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 11 |
| Maximum: | 13 |
| Units: | hour of day |
| Resolution: | 1 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) | time not available |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 0 |
| Maximum: | 55 |
| Units: | minutes |
| Resolution: | 1 |
Dates are given as dd/mm/yy where dd and mm may consist of only one digit.
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| 6/1/80 | June 1, 1980 |
| 10/23/84 | October 23, 1984 |
| (empty) |
Many of the values are integer numbers, but some are codes with letters and numbers, or comments.
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| """a coring device""" | |
| "0.1 m^2 box corer, subsampled using a 4.25 inch polycarbonate core liner" | |
| Box corer | |
| Eckman mechanical grab sampler | |
| Peterson dredge | |
| Petite ponar | |
| Petite Ponar dredge | |
| Petite ponar dredge | |
| Petite ponar grab | |
| piston corer | |
| scoop sampler | |
| spade corer | |
| unknown | |
| unknown corer | |
| Van Veen Grab | |
| Vibracore | |
| (empty) |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| none | not available |
| sediment | sediment sample |
Many of the fields contain a number, but some contain comments such as "bottom" or a depth range indicated by two numbers separated by a hyphen. Some fields contain units as well. Some fields are empty.
Values contain a number followed by "m" (meters) or "inches". Some lack units.
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 0 |
| Maximum: | 144 |
| Units: | centimeters |
| Resolution: | 1 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 7 |
| Maximum: | 505 |
| Units: | centimeters |
| Resolution: | 1 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| inches | |
| (empty) |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| Core | |
| Surface | |
| Surface of core | |
| (empty) |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| """Three samples were taken at each location and homogenized by mixing using plastic utensils.""" | |
| sample is a homogenate composed of the surficial 2 cm from several grabs (see methods field in grain size table for additional comments) | |
| (empty) | sample not combined with others |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| BASE | Stations that were randomly selected based on EMAP sampling design (grid). |
| INDEX | Stations that were paired with small estuary and tidal river base sites. They were intended to represent the area of sediment deposition with the estuary or river. Not random. |
| ITE | Indicator Testing and Evaluation Sites - only for 1991. Selected specifically to test indicators' ability to discriminate between degraded and reference sites. |
| SUPPL | Stations that were randomly selected by using the EMAP grid design and reducing it to fit within a single estuary. |
| QA/QC | The replicate sampling of a base station (exact location) within a short time span. (Collection methods quality reference.) |
| REP-91 | Between-year replicates of 1991 base sites. These 1991 sites were sampled every year to represent variation and long term trends. (No within-year replicates, see next definition.) |
| REP-9? | Randomly selected sites that are "near-by" to one another to evaluate variability within a given area (for example, within a hexagon or small estuary). Used to test the EMAP design. |
| VARIANCE | Trend sites selected to evaluate variation and long term trends (selected in addition to the REP-91 sites). |
This is a long text field intended to be self-explanatory.
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| """at least 200cc" | |
| (empty) |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| n | no |
| no; see Byrne | qualified no |
| y | yes |
| (empty) |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| n | no |
| no: see McFall et al | qualified no |
| y | yes |
| (empty) |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| n | no |
| y | yes |
| (empty) |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| n | bioassay data not collected |
| y | bioassay data were collected |
| (empty) |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| n | no other analyses were found |
| y | additional analyses were found |
| (empty) | we do not know whether other analyses are documented in the reference |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| "6 water microbiology parameters, 5 sediment microbiological parameters, benthic invertebrate analysis, 60 species of fish collected" | |
| "Toxicity Test Data, Water Quality Vertical Profile, Benthic Data, Fish/Invertebrate Data" | |
| benthic fauna counts | |
| (empty) |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| (empty) |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 4 |
| Maximum: | 31 |
| Units: | day of the month |
| Resolution: | 1 |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1 | January |
| 2 | February |
| 4 | April |
| 5 | May |
| 8 | August |
| 9 | September |
| 10 | October |
| 11 | November |
| 12 | December |
| Range of values | |
|---|---|
| Minimum: | 1996 |
| Maximum: | 2000 |
| Units: | year |
| Resolution: | 1 |
Dates are given as dd/mm/yy where dd and mm may consist of only one digit.
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| agm | Andrew G. McIntire |
| LH | Laura Hayes |
| Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| <DL | Less than detection limit. (Concentration reads "0" because the measurement fell below the detection limit). |
| DV | Discriminant value (For discussion of discriminant functions see Analytical Methods and Quality Control). |
| DVS | 25% of samples for this component and source show unresolved anomalies in discriminant values. |
| HA | High Alert (see table 8 for alert levels). |
| LA | Low Alert (see table 8 for alert levels). |
| Leach | Leachate method was used for metal analysis. Values resulting from this type of analysis have valid uses but are not comparable to those resulting from total dissolution methods. See Discussion and Inorganic Chemistry sections for more explanation. |
| LW | Source reports data on a wet-weight basis, which gives lower apparent values than dry-weight basis. mean (n = *) Multiple samples were collected from the same location and analyzed; the value reported is the mean (n = number of replicates). |
| ND | Not detected. |
| Repl. DL | A replicate value is below detection limit (the value reported is the mean of the others). |
| W | Warning: unresolved questions (no quality-control corroboration or causal relationships for anomalous data are available). |