Large-scale bathymetrio maps covering the 

 northern two-thirds of the Middle Atlantic Con- 

 tinental Shelf (fig. 1) have recently been pub- 

 lished by Stearns and Garrison (1967). These 

 maps are contoured in 1-fm. intervals from the 

 shore to 100 fm. and in 10-fm. intervals from 100 

 to 500 fm. and ai-e drawn on a Meroator projection 

 at a nominal scale of 1 : 125,000. 



The present maps can be used in a variety of 

 ways, such as (1) interpolation aids when map- 

 ping physical data, (2) foundations for the 

 analysis of relations between physical features and 



biological distributions, and (3) sources of infor- 

 mation for the efficient planning of stratified 

 sampling programs and surveys. 



The purpose of this paper is to describe these 

 maps, their construction and reliability, and to 

 discuss the geomorphology of the mapped region. 



PART 1. BATHYMETRIC MAPS 



The proper use of bathymetric maps requires 

 some knowledge of how they were made, as well as 

 an estimate of their reliability. These topics are 

 discussed in this part of the report. 



FiGUKE 1. — Generalized bathymetry of the Middle Atlantic Continental Shelf and locations of major features dis- 

 cussed in the text. Depth contours in fathom.s. Sources: USCGS Chart 1000 (13th ed., 1949) and Stearns and 

 Garrison (1967). 



38 



U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



