Submerged Habitat Mapping: Filling a data gap and facilitating resource stewardship following Hurricane Sandy
Fisher A and Gottschalk Druschke C. 2015. Submerged Habitat Mapping: Filling a data gap and facilitating resource stewardship following Hurricane Sandy
Research teams from four institutions have been mapping the underwater habitats of four coastal National Parks in the northeast. This submerged habitat mapping effort provides researchers and National Park Service (NPS) staff with a unique view of seafloor features and habitats. The NPS is charged with protecting vast submerged areas, yet the current information base about those areas is limited. Managers need to better understand the ecosystem structure and function within National Parks - including submerged areas - and how these habitats are changing in response to storms like Hurricane Sandy, sea-level rise, ocean warming, pollution, and other factors in order to initiate effective protection and management strategies.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- Fisher, Alison; Gottschalk Druschke, Caroline
- Date of Issue
- 2015-08
- Units
- NCBN
- Keywords
- ASIS, Assataegue Island National Seashore, bathymetry, CACO, Cape Cod National Seashore, ecosystem-based management, GATE, Gateway National Recreation Area, Hurricane Sandy, NCBN, Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network, ocean warming, seafloor, seagrass, sea-level rise, sidescan sonar, submerged habitats, submerged mapping