Estuarine Salinity Zones in US East Coast, Gulf of Mexico, and US West Coast from 1999-01-01 to 1999-12-31 (NCEI Accession 0127396)

Description

These unprojected (geographic coordinates) 3-Zone Average Annual Salinity Digital Geographies are based on analysis of long-term salinity data for 147 estuaries of the contiguous United States. Each estuary is subdivided into three zones between the head(s) of tide, and the seaward boundaries based on annual-averaged and depth-averaged salinities. The salinities used to define the three zones are: (1) Tidal Fresh Zone (0 to 0.5 parts per thousand); (2) Mixing Zone (0.5 to 25 parts per thousand); (3) Seawater Zone (25 parts per thousand or greater). This 3-zone scheme is considered static rather than dynamic, because it does not take into account the seasonal variations in salinity patterns and stratification that occur in most estuaries. Nonetheless, it provides a simple and readily understandable way to depict the long-term salinity characteristics of U.S. estuarine waters. Note that not all estuaries contain all three zones - for example, Baffin Bay, Texas, receives relatively little annual freshwater inflow, and is considered to be entirely Seawater Zone. This 3-zone scheme was originally presented in the National Estuarine Inventory (NEI) Data Atlas, Vol. I (NOAA/NOS 1985) for 92 estuaries of the contiguous United States. In the 1990s, digital geographies were refined and many estuaries were added to become a key layer within the Coastal Assessment Framework (NOAA 2007). These 3-Zone Average Annual Salinity Digital Geography have been used for applications in natural resource science and management. They provided the spatial framework and basis for development of NOAA's Estuarine Living Marine Resources (ELMR) Program (Nelson and Monaco 2000), and also for NOAA's National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment (Bricker et al. 2007).

Resources

Name Format Description Link
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR West Coast Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v5pg1ptj
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR Gulf of Mexico Regional Dataset https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0163992
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Project Webpage https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/projects/detail?key=107
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0127396
0 Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/127396
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2022. GCMD Keywords, Version 15. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 ELMR North Atlantic Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v57w698t
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2022. GCMD Keywords, Version 15. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 ELMR Mid-Atlantic Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v5445jkv
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR Gulf of Mexico Regional Dataset https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0163993
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/127396
0 These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP). ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0074/0127396/
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2022. GCMD Keywords, Version 15. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0127396
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/127396
0 Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/127396
0 These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP). ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0074/0127396/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 ELMR Mid-Atlantic Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v5445jkv
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR North Atlantic Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v57w698t
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR West Coast Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v5pg1ptj
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR Gulf of Mexico Regional Dataset https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0163992
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR Gulf of Mexico Regional Dataset https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0163993
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) project page https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/estuarine-species-database-noaa-estuarine-living-marine-resources-program/
0 Institution web page https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/127396
0 Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/127396
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 ELMR Mid-Atlantic Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v5445jkv
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR North Atlantic Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v57w698t
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR West Coast Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v5pg1ptj
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR Gulf of Mexico Regional Dataset https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0163992
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Institution web page https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0127396
0 These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP). ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0074/0127396/
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR Gulf of Mexico Regional Dataset https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0163993
0 National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) project page https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/estuarine-species-database-noaa-estuarine-living-marine-resources-program/
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0127396
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/127396
0 Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/127396
0 These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP). ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0074/0127396/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 ELMR Mid-Atlantic Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v5445jkv
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR North Atlantic Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v57w698t
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR West Coast Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v5pg1ptj
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR Gulf of Mexico Regional Dataset https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0163992
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR Gulf of Mexico Regional Dataset https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0163993
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) project page https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/estuarine-species-database-noaa-estuarine-living-marine-resources-program/
0 Institution web page https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0127396
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/127396
0 Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/127396
0 These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP). ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0074/0127396/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 ELMR Mid-Atlantic Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v5445jkv
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR North Atlantic Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v57w698t
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR West Coast Regional Dataset https://doi.org/10.7289/v5pg1ptj
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR Gulf of Mexico Regional Dataset https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0163992
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 ELMR Gulf of Mexico Regional Dataset https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0163993
0 Institution web page http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/
0 National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) project page https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/estuarine-species-database-noaa-estuarine-living-marine-resources-program/
0 Institution web page https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/

Tags

  • umpqua river
  • sheepscot bay
  • mobile bay
  • breton/chandeleur sound
  • yaquina bay
  • indian river
  • salinity
  • tomales bay
  • barataria bay
  • south san francisco bay
  • cape fear river
  • mississippi river
  • laguna madre
  • eastern bay
  • muscongus bay
  • choctawhatchee bay
  • delaware
  • atchafalaya/vermilion bays
  • altamaha river
  • newport bay
  • massachusetts bay
  • merrimack river
  • chesapeake bay mainstem
  • drakes estero
  • chester river
  • west coast
  • broad river
  • long island sound
  • apalachicola bay
  • patuxent river
  • connecticut river
  • ten thousand islands
  • 1999
  • sabine lake
  • perdido bay
  • rappahannock river
  • delaware bay
  • choptank river
  • mid-atlantic
  • elk/sassafras rivers
  • san antonio bay
  • klamath river
  • environmental monitoring
  • new hampshire
  • casco bay
  • pamlico sound
  • south puget sound
  • virginia
  • united states
  • potomac river
  • san pedro bay
  • tangier/pocomoke sound
  • north carolina
  • mississippi
  • galveston bay
  • tampa bay
  • southeast
  • santa monica bay
  • chincoteague bay
  • puget sound
  • south atlantic
  • narraguagus bay
  • oceanography
  • pacific
  • south carolina
  • passamaquoddy/cobscook bays
  • york river
  • mississippi sound
  • suwannee river
  • gulf of maine
  • pensacola bay
  • severn river
  • mission bay
  • aransas bay
  • englishman/machias bay
  • james river
  • hudson river/raritan bay
  • sarasota bay
  • brazos river
  • wells bay
  • maine
  • new york
  • coastal
  • st. andrew bay
  • st. andrew/st. simons sounds
  • baffin bay
  • coterminous
  • gulf of mexico
  • grays harbor
  • nehalem river
  • netarts bay
  • alamitos bay
  • tides and currents
  • hampton harbor
  • mermentau river
  • texas
  • skagit bay/whidbey basin
  • estuary
  • new jersey
  • delaware inland bays
  • zones
  • hood canal
  • waquoit bay
  • pennsylvania
  • connecticut
  • apalachee bay
  • penobscot bay
  • pamlico/pungo rivers
  • piankatank river/mobjack bay
  • st. johns river
  • winyah bay
  • siuslaw river
  • san diego bay
  • great bay
  • maryland
  • new jersey inland bays
  • california
  • new river
  • willapa bay
  • lake pontchartrain
  • tijuana estuary
  • rookery bay
  • savannah river
  • buzzards bay
  • washington
  • north atlantic
  • tillamook bay
  • terrebone/timbalier bays
  • boston harbor
  • siletz bay
  • florida
  • virginia eastern shore
  • florida bay
  • elkhorn slough
  • st. marys river/cumberland sound
  • patapsco/gunpowder rivers
  • albemarle sound
  • poquoson/back rivers
  • bogue sound
  • north/south santee rivers
  • st. catherines/sapelo sounds
  • peconic/gardiners bay
  • eel river
  • contiguous
  • kennebec/androscoggin rivers
  • monterey bay
  • coquille river
  • louisiana
  • district of columbia
  • corpus christi bay
  • rhode island
  • coos bay
  • charleston harbor
  • alabama
  • columbia river
  • morro bay
  • u58wl4
  • rogue river
  • cape cod bay
  • charlotte harbor
  • narragansett bay
  • caloosahatchee river
  • great south bay
  • st. helena sound
  • ossabaw sound
  • georgia
  • damariscotta river
  • port orchard sound
  • stono/north edisto rivers
  • pacific ocean
  • alsea river
  • humboldt bay
  • estuaries
  • biscayne bay
  • lake borgne
  • central san francisco/san pablo/suisun bays
  • barnegat bay
  • matagorda bay
  • lynnhaven river
  • oregon
  • plum island sound
  • massachusetts
  • saco bay
  • blue hill bay
  • neuse river
  • ingram/fleets bays
  • new england
  • anaheim bay
  • honga river
  • maryland inland bays
  • calcasieu lake
  • gulf coast

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