Eelgrass Beds, Northeast United States, 2014

Alternative Title:

Maine Eelgrass Distribution, 2001-2010

Description:

This polygon shapefile represents eelgrass beds in the Northeastern United States. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds are critical wetlands components of shallow coastal ecosystems throughout the region. Eelgrass beds provide food and cover for a great variety of commercially and recreationally important fauna and their prey. Eelgrass and other seagrasses are often referred to as "Submerged Aquatic Vegetation" or SAV. This distinguishes them from algae, which are not classified as "plants" by biologists (rather they are often placed in the kingdom protista), and distinguishes them from the "emergent" saltwater plants found in salt marshes. In addition to the term SAV, some coastal managers use the term SRV or submerged rooted vegetation. EelgrassBeds was created from five separate datasets for the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. Where possible, polygon datasets depicting the most recent eelgrass surveys were used. Attributes with common themes for each dataset were integrated in order to better represent eelgrass density and year sampled. The data user is encouraged to read this and the metadata of each individual state’s data carefully, as geometry, attribute details, and timeliness are not necessarily consistent among datasets used to develop this layer. Details of each state’s data source are described in the data processing section of the metadata. The purpose of mapping the distribution of eelgrass (Submerged Aquatic Vegetation - SAV) is to determine areas where eelgrass is present throughout coastal New England waters. This dataset is based on best available information as of July 1, 2014; however, the timeliness of the dataset varies by state. Due to the biological characteristics of eelgrass, the user should not assume that all sites are up to date, and should consult each state’s metadata for more detailed information as to the timeliness of the data. Data is presented as is. Users are responsible for understanding the metadata prior to use. Additional on-site investigations may be required for the Maine NRPA , aquaculture lease applications, or other permitting. This layer is presented in the WGS84 coordinate system for web display purposes. Downloadable data are provided in native coordinate system or projection.

Resource Link:

https://purl.stanford.edu/dr590rv2950

Identifier:

https://purl.stanford.edu/dr590rv2950

Language:

eng

Creator:

SeaPlan

Publisher:

Northeast Regional Ocean Council

Provider:

Stanford

Resource Class:

Datasets

Resource Type:

Polygon data

Subject:

Eelgrass, Biology and Ecology, Environment, and Oceans

Theme:

Environment and Oceans

Temporal Coverage:

2014

Date Issued:

2014

Spatial Coverage:

Atlantic Ocean, Block Island (R.I. : Island), Blue Hill Bay (Me.), Buzzards Bay (Mass. : Bay), Boston Harbor (Mass.), Cape Cod Bay (Mass.), Casco Bay (Me.), Cobscook Bay (Me.), Connecticut, Duxbury Bay (Mass.), Fishers Island Sound (Conn. and N.Y.), Frenchman Bay (Me.), Gouldsboro Bay (Me.), Great Bay (N.H.), Ipswich Bay (Mass.), Little Narragansett Bay (R.I. and Conn.), Long Island Sound (N.Y. and Conn.), Machias Bay (Me.), Muscongus Bay (Me.), Maine, Maine, Gulf of, Massachusetts Bay (Mass.), Massachusetts, Nantucket Harbor (Mass.), Nantucket Sound (Mass.), Narragansett Bay (R.I.), New Hampshire, New York (State), Passamaquoddy Bay (N.B. and Me.), Piscataqua River (N.H. and Me.), Penobscot Bay (Me.), Plymouth Bay (Mass.), Rhode Island Sound (Mass. and R.I.), Rhode Island, Saco Bay (Me.), Sakonnet River (R.I.), Vineyard Sound (Mass.), and Westport River (Mass.)

Rights:

This item is in the public domain. There are no restrictions on use.

Rights Holder:

This work is in the Public Domain, meaning that it is not subject to copyright.

Access Rights:

Public

Format:

Shapefile

Georeferenced:

false