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BIOLOGY, habitat, eelgrass, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), coastal, Zostera marina
Eelgrass beds along the Maine coast have been mapped in order to better understand their importance as habitat, to record the present day distribution, and to aid in the identification of this sensitive coastal habitat for protection in the case of an oil spill.
Maine's eelgrass meadows form an important marine and estuarine coastal aquatic habitat for the state. Along with other plants, eelgrass forms the base of food production in the sea. Eelgrass provides shelter for juvenile fish, and invertebrates, is a site for primary settlement of the larvae of some bivalve mollusks, and in certain locations helps to stabilize unconsolidated sediments and shorelines. Between the years 2001 and 2010, sections of the coast were flown and photographed using Kodak 2448 and 2427 film at a scale of 1:12000. Areas in the present study, were flown in the months of June though September during the 2001 to 2010 time period. When possible, photography was at the time of extreme low tides, low wind velocity, good water clarity, and maximum biomass of eelgrass. These factors aid in the detection of the subtidal portion a bed. Polygons delineating stands of eelgrass were screen digitized and coded using a four category scale of percent cover. Verification was carried out by boat, on foot, and by plane. Though dense patches of eelgrass approximately 6 meters in diameter and less can be identified under good conditions and in some cases were mapped, a conservative estimate of the minimum mapping unit is 150 square meters. This represents a stand of approximately 14 meters in diameter.
This data was produced by the Maine Department of Marine Resouces, Bureau of Resource Management. Credit should always be given to the data source and/or originator when the data is transferred or printed.
Users must assume responsibility in determining the usability of this data for their purposes. Digital maps retain the accuracy of their source materials. The best use of data mapped at scales of 1:500,000 and 1:250,000 is in statewide planning and studies; at 1:100,000 in regional planning and studies; at 1:62,500 and 1:24,000 in detailed studies and local planning; and at 1:12,000 and 1:5,000 or larger scales in parcel level studies and detailed local planning. In the use of Maine GIS data, please check sources, scale, accuracy, currentness and other available information. Please confirm that you are using the correct copy of both data and metadata from the Maine GIS Data Catalog. Updates, corrections, and feedback, incorporated in the Maine GIS database are made in accordance with "Data Standards for Maine Geographic Information Systems", 2002, and coordinated by MEGIS.
Extent
| West | -70.880356 | East | -66.966782 |
| North | 45.112744 | South | 43.055169 |
| Maximum (zoomed in) | 1:5,000 |
| Minimum (zoomed out) | 1:150,000,000 |
This data was produced by the Maine Department of Marine Resouces, Bureau of Resource Management. Credit should always be given to the data source and/or originator when the data is transferred or printed.
Coastal Maine
Users must assume responsibility in determining the usability of this data for their purposes. Digital maps retain the accuracy of their source materials. The best use of data mapped at scales of 1:500,000 and 1:250,000 is in statewide planning and studies; at 1:100,000 in regional planning and studies; at 1:62,500 and 1:24,000 in detailed studies and local planning; and at 1:12,000 and 1:5,000 or larger scales in parcel level studies and detailed local planning. In the use of Maine GIS data, please check sources, scale, accuracy, currentness and other available information. Please confirm that you are using the correct copy of both data and metadata from the Maine GIS Data Catalog. Updates, corrections, and feedback, incorporated in the Maine GIS database are made in accordance with "Data Standards for Maine Geographic Information Systems", 2002, and coordinated by MEGIS.
Additional on-site investigations may be required for the Maine NRPA , aquaculture lease applications, or other permitting.
This file is a compilation of shape files that were generating in the mapping process. The data file "Eelgras05" has been updated and replaced by this file.
Monday through Friday
polygon attribute table
Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI)
Internal feature number.
ESRI
Area of polygon in acres
user calculated
Eelgrass percent cover based on crown cover categories as adapted by Orth et al and described in Orth, R.J., J.F. Nowak, D.J. Wilcox, J.R. Whiting, and L.S. Nagey. 1998. Distribution of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay and Tributaries and the Coastal Bays –1997. VIMS Special Scientific Report Number 138. 351 pp.
user defined
Area of polygon in hectares
user calculated
Recalculated prior to publication. OBJECTID = FID + 1
ESRI
Calendar year that photography was aquired.
Date of photography
Feature geometry.
ESRI
Location vertically along the shore. Intertidal locations are exposed at mean low water. This was applied only from Schoodic Point, east.
Monday through Friday
eelgrass05 POLYGONS are attributed with percent of eelgrass COVER.