OCS Area Polygons

Tags  BOEM, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Federal, Outer Continental Shelf, Extended Continental Shelf, OCS, ECS, Jurisdiction, Leasing, Territories, Cadastre

Summary

These polygon features represent the areas comprising the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) as defined by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

Description

These polygon features represent the areas comprising the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) as defined by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). In the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), the term "Outer Continental Shelf" is defined as "(1) all submerged lands lying seaward and outside of the area of lands beneath navigable waters as defined in the Submerged Lands Act, and of which the subsoil and seabed appertain to the United States and are subject to its jurisdiction and control or within the exclusive economic zone of the United States and adjacent to any territory of the United States; and (2) does not include any area conveyed by Congress to a territorial government for administration (43 USC 1331)."
Under international law, the continental shelf extends to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to 200nm from the baseline, whichever is greater. Where the outer edge of the continental margin extends beyond 200 nm from the baseline, the outer limits of the continental shelf are determined in accordance with Article 76 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The outer limits of the U.S. continental shelf, in areas beyond 200 nm, are established by the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) Project led by the Department of State, the Department of the Interior, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
These data are not NOT an OFFICIAL record of exact boundaries and should be used for cartographic purposes only.  These data should not be used to calculate areas.

Credits

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Office of Strategic Resources (OSR), Geospatial Services Division (GSD); Department of State (DOS); National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Use limitations

https://www.usa.gov/publicdomain/label/1.0/

Extent

Scale Range