Great Lakes Bathymetry

The Great Lakes Bathymetry collection provides comprehensive lake floor geological and geophysical data, compiled for public accessibility. This valuable resource includes detailed bathymetry and topographic maps for each of the Great Lakes. The data originates from over a century of soundings, gathered by key organizations such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA National Ocean Service (NOS), and the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS), ensuring a broad historical and geographical scope.

These datasets are crucial for researchers and local communities addressing significant issues related to Great Lakes science. They support studies on topics including pollution, coastal erosion, climate changes, threats to ecosystems, and the health of the fishing industry, offering foundational insights for environmental management and policy-making.

The collection offers data through an interactive Grid Extract map for spatial subsets, alongside direct downloads in various formats like Shapefile, ARC ASCII, GeoTiff, NetCDF, and XYZ. The compilation process involved converting digital soundings to metric units, with geomorphologists hand-rendering contours to achieve superior accuracy and detail compared to automated methods, particularly given the density of available data.