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Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Total Sediment Thickness of the World's Oceans & Marginal Seas, Version 2

browse graphicImage of total sediment thickness of the world's oceans and marginal seas, Version 2
NGDC's global ocean sediment thickness grid (Divins, 2003) has been updated for the Australian-Antarctic region (60° -155° E, 30° -70° S). New seismic reflection and refraction data have been used to add detail to the conjugate Australian and Antarctic margins and intervening ocean floor where previously regional sediment thickness patterns were poorly known. On the margins, sediment thickness estimates were computed from velocity-depth functions from sonobuoy/refraction velocity solutions ground-truthed against seismic reflection data. For the Southeast Indian Ridge abyssal plain, sediment thickness contours from Géli et al. (2007) were used. The new regional sediment thickness grid was combined with NGDC's original ocean sediment thickness grid (Divins, 2003) to create an updated global grid of ocean sediment thickness. Even using the minimum estimates, sediment accumulations on the extended Australian and Antarctic continental margins are 2 km thicker across large regions and up to 9 km thicker in the Ceduna Basin compared to NGDC's original sediment thickness grid (Divins, 2003), which has been deprecated but is still available.
Cite this dataset when used as a source.
  • ID not available.
gov.noaa.ngdc.mgg.geophysics:G01065_v2
Download Data
Distribution Formats
  • netCDF (Version: 2)
    • File Specification: binary grid created using GMT (Generic Mapping Tools)
    • File Compression: gzip
  • ASCII xyz (Version: 2)
    • File Specification: ASCII text version, XYZ file contains the position of the center of each cell
    • File Compression: zip
  • geotiff (Version: 2)
    • File Specification: geotiff
    • File Compression: zip
  • ArcGIS (Version: 2)
    • File Specification: ArcGIS
    • File Compression: zip
Distributor User Services
DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
303-497-6826
ngdc.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact Joanne Whittaker
Marine Geoscientist
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
+61 (0) 3 6226 6367
jo.whittaker@utas.edu.au
Time Period 2003-12-31 to 2013-05-20
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: 0
East: 360
South: -70.0000
North: 80.0000
Spatial Coverage Map
Associated Resources
  • Global Sediment Thickness Dataset updated for the Australian-Antarctic Southern Ocean
Publication Dates
  • publication: 2013-05-20
Edition Version 2
Data Presentation Form Digital model - multi-dimensional digital representation of a feature, process, etc.
Dataset Progress Status Complete - production of the data has been completed
Data Update Frequency As needed
Purpose To update NGDC's global sediment-thickness database for use by researchers and interested public.
Originators
  • Joanne Whittaker
    Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
Distributors
  • User Services
    DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Publishers
  • NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Theme keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
  • EARTH SCIENCE>OCEANS>Marine Sediments
Uncontrolled Keywords
  • Sediment Thickness
NASA/GCMD Data Resolution Keywords
  • H : 1 km - < 10 km or approximately .01 degree - < .09 degree
  • V : 1 meter - < 10 meters
Data Center keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC > National Geophysical Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Place keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
  • Ocean>Atlantic Ocean
  • Ocean>Indian Ocean
  • Ocean>Pacific Ocean
  • Ocean>Southern Ocean
  • Vertical Location>Sea Floor
Use Constraints
  • Use Constraints: None
Access Constraints
  • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
  • Access Constraints: None
Fees
  • None
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • 2013-01-01T00:00:00 - We compute new, regional 5-minute resolution sediment thickness grids using seismic reflection and refraction derived sediment thicknesses for the southern Australian and conjugate Antarctic Wilkes Land margins, merged with sediment thickness data from Géli et al. (2007) for the intervening abyssal plains. Values from the NGDC global sediment thickness grid (Divins, 2004) were used for areas not covered by the other data sets.
Source Datasets
  • Thermal regime of the Southeast Indian Ridge between 88ºE and 140ºE: Remarks on the subsidence of the ridge flanks
    • Description of Source: Thermal regime of the Southeast Indian Ridge between 88ºE and 140ºE: Remarks on the subsidence of the ridge flanks
  • Geological framework of the continental margin in the region of the Australian Antarctic Territory
    • Description of Source: Geological framework of the continental margin in the region of the Australian Antarctic Territory
  • A revised structural framework for frontier basins on the southern and southwestern Australian continental margin
    • Description of Source: A revised structural framework for frontier basins on the southern and southwestern Australian continental margin
  • Nature of the continent-ocean transition on the non-volcanic rifted margin in the central Great Australian Bight
    • Description of Source: Nature of the continent-ocean transition on the non-volcanic rifted margin in the central Great Australian Bight
Lineage information for: repository
Processing Steps
  • 2015-04-22T00:00:00 - NOAA created the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) by merging NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), and National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), including the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), per the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Public Law 113-235. NCEI launched publicly on April 22, 2015.
Last Modified: 2017-09-25
For questions about the information on this page, please email: jo.whittaker@utas.edu.au