Final Project

     For my final project, I chose to focus on the shipwrecks within the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.  This particular area spans 2,408 square nautical miles off of the coast of Washington State. The weather conditions of the coastline are known to be fierce and contain extremely rugged terrain. 

"The combination of fierce weather, isolated and rocky shores, and heavy ship commerce established, early on, the Olympic Coast as a graveyard for ships. More than 180 wrecks have been historically documented in the vicinity of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, an amount proportional to the commercial development in the region and the region's significance in the economic lives of the United States and Canada. However, due to the destructive forces of wave and current, very few ships remain intact, particularly near the shore" (NOAA.gov).

     For the purpose of this project, I will focus on the 19 remaining wrecks in the sanctuary and try to show any correlations that suggest that the terrain of the area has influenced shipwrecks as well as show any areas that should be further researched.

Map #1 shows the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Boundary. I chose this particular ocean basemap, as it highlights differences on the ocean floor. 

Map #2 shows both the sanctuary boundary and the 19 shipwrecks found within. 

 Map #3 is a digitized Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC), boundary, and shipwrecks. 

Map #4 is a basic map with a 300m buffer zone added around the shipwrecks. It was hard to show the buffers with such a large space.

 Map#5 is a digitized historical map from 1853.

Map #6 is a benthic map.  I had a tough time locating this data, but had some luck after contacting USGS. They were able to provide me with everything necessary to continue my project.   Most of the shipwrecks were found in the areas classified as nearshore and shelf.   These areas contain most of the rugged anomalies found along the coast and prove extremely hazardous for any ships passing in the area. 

Map #7 is a benthic reclassification.  I found it interesting that the shelf is at the highest range on the map.  

Map #8 shows a weighted overlay.  Weighted overlays can help provide useful information that depicts areas that are more likely to have shipwrecks. Red and orange areas should be further researched, green areas are unlikely to hold any wrecks. 

 Map#9 shows a 25m contour map that has been clipped to the park boundary. 

Map #10 displays a Kernel Density map.  The densest areas of shipwrecks are found near the shoreline. This area is known to have many dangerous obstacles that would prove to be too much for vessels traveling in harsh weather conditions that are known to plague the area.

The final project was definitely time-intensive, but I enjoyed using the skills I learned to perform data analyses.