Fire Island National Seashore Coastal/Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) Classification
LaFrance Bartley M and Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island (GSO-URI). 2017. Fire Island National Seashore Coastal/Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) Classification
Benthic habitat maps were developed for the Otis Pike and Sunken Forest study areas following the top-down mapping approach, for which habitat map units are geologically defined based on the presumption that geologic environments or features contain distinct biological assemblages. The resulting habitats are classified according to the CMECS framework and are referred to as “biotopes.” The term “biotope” is specific in that it integrates biotic-abiotic characteristics to offer more ecologically meaningful information. In this study, biotopes reflect the relationship between macrofaunal communities and geological features of their associated environments within the defined map units. The resulting biotopes are considered preliminary because the relationships identified have not been repeatedly demonstrated over time, as this study represents the first of its kind within FIIS.
- Type
- Geospatial Dataset
- Authors
- LaFrance Bartley, Monique; Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island (GSO-URI)
- Date of Issue
- 2017-04-19
- Units
- FIIS , NCBN
- Keywords
- benthic habitat, benthic habitat mapping, CMECS, FIIS, Fire Island, Fire Island National Seashore, grain size, Hurricane Sandy, HxSandy, NCBN, Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network