Integrated Models of Coastal Relief

NGDC Coastal DEM Development Best Practices

Seamlessly integrating bathymetric and topographic data to support tsunami modeling and forecasting efforts. Ocean Globe, Chapter 2.

NGDC builds and distributes high-resolution, coastal digital elevation models (DEMs) that integrate ocean bathymetry and land topography to support NOAA's mission to understand and predict changes in Earth's environment, and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation's economic, social, and environmental needs. They can be used for modeling of coastal processes (tsunami inundation, storm surge, sea-level rise, contaminant dispersal, etc.), ecosystems management and habitat research, coastal and marine spatial planning, and hazard mitigation and community preparedness. Learn more from our DEM Fact Sheet.

Coastal Inundation (high-resolution, 1 arc-second or finer)

NOAA Tsunami Inundation DEMs High-resolution DEMs of select U.S. coastal communities used to support NOAA's tsunami forecast and warning system. NOAA VDatum DEMs High-resolution DEMs of select U.S. coastal communities along the central coast of the Gulf of Mexico used to evaluate and support NOAA's Vertical Datum Transformation Tool (VDatum). New Orleans DEMs                                 Gulf of Mexico KML NTHMP DEMs High-resolution DEMs of select U.S. coastal communities used to support the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program. NOAA HFIP DEMs High-resolution, companion structured and unstructured DEMs of Southern Louisiana to support NOAA's Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program. NOS North Carolina Sea-Level Rise Project A high-resolution DEM of North Carolina built for studying the impacts of long-term sea-level rise on coastal ecosystems.

Regional (low-resolution, 3 arc-second or coarser)

Coastal Relief Model A 3 arc-second comprehensive view of the conterminous U.S. coastal zone, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii. International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO) An initiative of the IASC, IHO, and GEBCO to model the Arctic Ocean north of 64° N at 500-m resolution. Irish Bathymetry DEM Multibeam and Lidar DEM coverage of the Irish sea floor generated by the Geological Survey of Ireland. Southern Alaska Coastal Relief Model A 24 arc-second model of Southern Alaska, spanning the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska.