Coastal Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) v. 3

Christopher J. Madden, Kathleen Goodin, Dennis Grossman

NatureServe

Rebecca Allee, Mark Finkbeiner

NOAA

NASA Coastal Habitats Workshop August 2008

•NOAA-NatureServe partnership

•Six year process (so far)

•FGDC review

•Draws on a consortium of experts

•Integrates other classifications- e.g. SCHEME, Dethier

•Articulates with “adjacent” classifications- e.g. Cowardin, Greene

•Provides umbrella framework and common terminology

•Continental and global perspective

Madden et al. 2008

Applications of the StandardApplications of the Standard

• Identification, inventory and mapping of: – Critical Habitat– Endemic species distributions– Threatened species– Biodiversity Hot Spots– Marine Protected Areas– Essential Fish Habitat

• Monitoring thereof

• Facilitation of Ecosystem-Based Management

• Ecological Research Mode

CMECS III Hierarchy w/in CMECS III Hierarchy w/in EcoregionEcoregion

Biotope

L3

L5

L7

L8BiotopeBiotopeBiotope

Estuary

Bare/Colonized/Vegetated

NearshoreMarine L1

Biotope

Estuarine-Influenced

Neritic Oceanic

Biotope

Biotope Complex

Cover

System

Subclass

ClassVagile Species & Biological Associations

L4

PI2MarineFresh Water Influenced

Regime

Ecological Region

Ecological Region PI1

L2Intertidal/Benthic Subsystem

Bare/Colonized/Vegetated

Bare/Colonized/Vegetated

Bare/Colonized/Vegetated

Bare/Colonized/Vegetated

Intertidal/Benthic Intertidal/Benthic Intertidal/Benthic Intertidal/Benthic

L6 Group

Aquatic Bed Faunal Bed

Rooted Macrophyte

Mussel Bed

Mollusc Community

Coral Reef and Coral Communities

Coral Garden

CMECS Suite of Classification CMECS Suite of Classification ToolsTools

Benthic Cover Classes

Water Column Classes

Formation Classes

CMECS CMECS Ecological Ecological ClassificatiClassificati

onon

BiophysicsBiophysics

Sub-benthic Cover Classes

Classification Units vs. Map Classification Units vs. Map UnitsUnits

• Ecological classification Ecological classification units are units are conceptual conceptual entities entities that try to describe that try to describe all existing habitats. all existing habitats. – Their circumscription represents an Their circumscription represents an

“average expression” of a habitat “average expression” of a habitat across it’s entire range. --Similar to across it’s entire range. --Similar to species taxonomyspecies taxonomy

– When mapping an ecological When mapping an ecological classification, the map units may classification, the map units may have a one to one, one to many, or have a one to one, one to many, or many to one relationship to the many to one relationship to the ecological classification units --ecological classification units --Similar to species collections Similar to species collections

• Mapping classifications Mapping classifications describe only habitat units describe only habitat units that that can be seen on can be seen on existing imagery and existing imagery and binned according to binned according to defined criteriadefined criteria..

Nearshore Marine SystemNearshore Marine System

        Nearshore Marine Intertidal SubsystemNearshore Marine Intertidal Subsystem

              Nearshore Intertidal Colonized CoverNearshore Intertidal Colonized Cover

                        Nearshore Intertidal Mollusc ReefNearshore Intertidal Mollusc Reef

Nearshore Marine Intertidal Oyster ReefNearshore Marine Intertidal Oyster Reef

Classification Units

Map units

Subclass

Biotope

System

Cover

Biotope Complex

Class

Salinity/Geomorphological Enclosure/Total Depth

Vegetated/Colonized/Mixed Cover/BareBiophysical Structure/Dominant CoverBiophysical Fine Structure, Substrate/Specific Cover

Groups of Similar Biotopes Co-occurring

Dominant, diagnostic species, sessile, encrusting or semi-motile

Benthic Hierarchy Level ThemesBenthic Hierarchy Level Themes

Spatial Scale is an implicit classifier at each level

Modifiers for Form, Energy, Light, Physico-Chemistry, Anthropogenics

Ecoregion Climate Regime, Biogeography

Subsystem Intertidal/Benthic

Group Energy/Ecological function/ Modification/Subtype

CM

EC

SG

EO

SS

pl

ug-

in

Formation ClassificationFormation Classification

• Determined by geomorphology Determined by geomorphology and substrateand substrate

• Quasi-Scale independentQuasi-Scale independent

• Non-hierarchichalNon-hierarchichal

• Geoform Eg: delta, lagoon, Geoform Eg: delta, lagoon, seamount, rubble field, shoal, seamount, rubble field, shoal, basin, trench, fissure, canyon basin, trench, fissure, canyon

Water Column ClassificationWater Column Classification

• Determined by hydroformDetermined by hydroform

• Quasi-Scale independentQuasi-Scale independent

• Non-hierarchichalNon-hierarchichal

• Hydroform Eg: upwelling, ocean Hydroform Eg: upwelling, ocean gyre, river plume, stratified layer gyre, river plume, stratified layer phytoplankton bloom, turbidity phytoplankton bloom, turbidity plumeplume

Integrated Benthic, Water Column Integrated Benthic, Water Column and Formation Componentsand Formation Components

• Benthic Cover is determined by Benthic Cover is determined by downlooking mapping toolsdownlooking mapping tools

• Formation and Water Column Formation and Water Column add vertical dimension to add vertical dimension to Benthic Cover and are depth-Benthic Cover and are depth-specificspecific

• Three components are Three components are represented as three (or more) represented as three (or more) separate GIS layersseparate GIS layers

Florida Bay Example-Benthic ClassFlorida Bay Example-Benthic Class

Florida Bay Example-Benthic SubclassFlorida Bay Example-Benthic Subclass

Florida Bay Example-GeoformFlorida Bay Example-Geoform

Florida Bay Example-Water ColumnFlorida Bay Example-Water Column

Eastern Florida Bay Algal Bloom with Dataflow

Chlorophyll a (g/l)2006-2007 average

Chlorophyll a (g/l)Jan 8-10, 2008

5 km

Large Marine Ecosystems 0-Large Marine Ecosystems 0-200m200m

Biogeochemical Ecoregions Biogeochemical Ecoregions > 200m> 200m

Census of Marine Life and OBIS Census of Marine Life and OBIS Data Model Linkages to CMECSData Model Linkages to CMECS

• OBIS will add CMECS habitat OBIS will add CMECS habitat designation for each designation for each data set.data set. (short (short term)term)

• OBIS incorporating CMECS into its data OBIS incorporating CMECS into its data model to allow habitat designations for all model to allow habitat designations for all data recordsdata records. (long term). (long term)

• The OBIS portal will have a direct link to The OBIS portal will have a direct link to CMECS website.CMECS website.

• OBIS-NatureServe working to unify OBIS-NatureServe working to unify terminology across IMCRA, EUNIS and terminology across IMCRA, EUNIS and CMECSCMECS

SDSC Ontology Mapping SDSC Ontology Mapping Project Project • OBIS-CMECS integrationOBIS-CMECS integration

• Translation and crosswalk via the Translation and crosswalk via the “Wrapper”“Wrapper”

Ecologicalspecies & biology

ClassificationHierarchy

Physicalmulti-dimensional

environment

classificationunits

A useful tool for comparing classifications

ClassClass• Mollusc Reef and Mollusc Mollusc Reef and Mollusc

CommunitiesCommunities• Worm Reef and Worm CommunitiesWorm Reef and Worm Communities• Coral Reef and Coral CommunitiesCoral Reef and Coral Communities• Vent Communities Vent Communities • Aquatic BedAquatic Bed• Faunal BedFaunal Bed• Rock BottomRock Bottom• Unconsolidated BottomUnconsolidated Bottom• Rocky ShoreRocky Shore• Unconsolidated ShoreUnconsolidated Shore• Shrub/Emergent WetlandShrub/Emergent Wetland• Forested WetlandForested Wetland

SubclassSubclass

• ExamplesExamples– Bivalve ReefBivalve Reef– Spur and Groove Coral ReefSpur and Groove Coral Reef– Microalgal MatMicroalgal Mat– Rooted Vascular CommunityRooted Vascular Community– Macroalgal CommunityMacroalgal Community– BedrockBedrock– SandSand

• System:System: EstuarineEstuarine

• Subsystem:Subsystem: IntertidalIntertidal

• Cover:Cover: VegetatedVegetated

• Class:Class: Forested WetlandForested Wetland

• Subclass:Subclass: MangroveMangrove

• Grupo:Grupo: DwarfDwarf MangroveMangrove

• Biotope Complex:Biotope Complex: Mangrove Basin FringeMangrove Basin Fringe

• Biotope:Biotope: Rhizophora mangle - Rhizophora mangle - Avicennia Avicennia germinans - germinans - Laguncularia racemosa Laguncularia racemosa SwampSwamp

Finale-Mangrove Example