| Title: | Applying Habitat Mapping Schemes to Massachusetts Bay |
| Authors: | Marie Evans Esten, Drew Carey, Greg Berman, Chris Woods, Tony Wilbur, Dan Sampson |
| Date/Time | Tuesday, November 6 ~ 10:30 am - 12:00 pm |
| Abstract: | The Massachusetts seafloor mapping program, a partnership between the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and USGS, has made considerable progress in collecting acoustic data (bathymetry and sidescan sonar), grab samples and video data within MA state waters to provide habitat information for a wide variety of ocean management needs. Using these data and tools created by the project team, habitat areas based on geomorphic features were digitized to serve a basemap for subsequent habitat classification. Four specific habitat classification schemes were applied to these mapped areas and results were entered into the project database. Significant challenges were inherent in the application of four habitat classification schemes due to the diverse data types and data collection schemes. The goals of this study were to: 1) compare the relative strengths and weaknesses of the classification results, 2) evaluate which classification framework best applied to Massachusetts waters and 3) evaluate the adequacy of the available datasets. The results and challenges encountered in creating an accurate and useful seafloor habitat will be presented. |
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