This line shapefile contains bathymetric contours at 10 and 50 meter intervals for the offshore area of Ventura, California. This layer was generated from bathymetry data collected by Fugro Pelagos and California State University, Monterey Bay, Seafloor Mapping Lab (CSUMB) and by the U.S. Geological Survey. Most of the offshore area was mapped by CSUMB in the summers of 2006 and 2007, using a 244-kHz Reson 8101 multibeam echosounder. The seafloor west of Ventura Harbor was mapped by the USGS in 2006 and 2010, using 117-kHz (2006) and 234.5-kHz (2010) SEA (AP) Ltd. SWATHplus-M phase-differencing sidescan sonars. These mapping missions combined to collect bathymetry from about the 10-m isobath to beyond the 3-nautical-mile limit of California's State Waters. A smooth arithmetic mean convolution function applying a weight of one-ninth to each cell in a 3-pixel by 3-pixel matrix was then applied iteratively to the grid ten times. Following smoothing, contour lines were generated at 10-m intervals, from -10 m to -100 m, and at 50-m intervals, from -100 m to -400 m, then the contours were clipped to the boundary of the map area. The map that shows these data is published in Scientific Investigations Map 3254, "California State Waters Map Series--Offshore of Ventura, California." This layer os part of USGS Data Series 781. In 2007, the California Ocean Protection Council initiated the California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP) to create a comprehensive seafloor map of high-resolution bathymetry, marine benthic habitats and geology within the 3-nautical-mile limit of California's State Waters. CSMP has divided coastal California into 110 map blocks, each to be published individually as United States Geological Survey Open-File Reports (OFRs) or Scientific Investigations Maps (SIMs) at a scale of 1:24,000. Maps display seafloor morphology and character, identify potential marine benthic habitats and illustrate both the seafloor geology and shallow (to about 100 m) subsurface geology. Data layers for bathymetry, bathymetric contours, acoustic backscatter, seafloor character, potential benthic habitat and offshore geology were created for each map block, as well as regional-scale data layers for sediment thickness, depth to transition, transgressive contours, isopachs, predicted distributions of benthic macro-invertebrates and visual observations of benthic habitat from video cruises over the entire state. Part of the marine habitat mapping data for the California North Central Coast Mapping Project (NCCMP), this coverage can be used to to aid in assessments and mitigation of geologic hazards in the coastal region and to provide sufficient geologic information for land-use and land-management decisions both onshore and offshore. These data are intended for science researchers, students, policy makers, and the general public. This information is not intended for navigational purposes.The data can be used with geographic information systems (GIS) software to display geologic and oceanographic information. This layer is presented in the WGS84 coordinate system for web display purposes. Downloadable data are provided in native coordinate system or projection.
