CMECS HABITAT CLASSIFICATION FRAMEWORK 2005-08-09T08:33:56 Habitat classification taken from COASTAL MARINE ECOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION STANDARD (CMECS): HABITAT CLASSIFICATION FRAMEWORK - Madden and Grossman 2004 Luis Bermudez MMI habitat classfication Thalassia, Zostera, Halodule, Syringodium vegetated softbottom isopods, polychaetes bare carbonate mud e. high limestone island 25. Seamount 14. Stratified layer 1. Downwelling 14. Downwelling 3. Open shoreline 2. Submarine slump 5. Island b. rocky shore sand-bedrock shore boulder shore Balanus, boring polychaete hardpan shore Littorina Littorina, Fucus, Ascophyllum bedrock shore foredune c. dune system backdune dune crest Uniola, ammophila, hudsonia i. rocky shore cobble shore d. cliff cliff cave cliff bioerosion notch f. cliff fracture bioerosion notch rubble zone cave notch cliff rubble zone cliff notch cliff fracture 2. Fresh water lens WU-Water Col. WU- Water Col. counter current upper water column a. marine water column benthic boundary layer 2- Embayment 6. Delta b. deltaic mudflat L 4. Surface channel bare carbonate mud-shell hash softbottom backreef reef halo pinnacle patch reef platform bare carbonate mud softbottom forereef bare mineral mud softbottom bare gravel hardbottom Fucus e. hardbottom bare bedrock hardbottom boulder hardbottom oyster shell midden live oyster reef relict oyster reef j. oyster reef submerged oyster reef periodically emergent oyster reef Crassostrea virginica colonized tidal creek bottom cobble hardbottom horse mussel (Modiolus), Balanus bedrock hardbottom polychaetes, isopods gravel hardbottom d. hardbottom vegetated rock and boulder hardbottom Macrocystis kemp (Macrocystis) bare limestone pavement hardbottom c. hardbottom patch reef with halo carbonate sediments bare organic mud softbottom aggregated patch reefs reef remnant b. coral reef reef rubble linear reef bare carbonate sand softbottom sand channel spur and groove individual coral head fringe reef d. unconsolidated sediments WU see classes for Nearshore Marine Lagoon WU 1. Island a. interior lagoon clear water column a. inter-island pass turbid water column 3. Atoll 2. Island arc d. deltaic unconsolidated sediments mussel reef worm reef worm reef bed c. reef coral head mussel bed see classes for Nearshore Marine Lagoon B 6. Marine Delta b. riverbank b. unconsolidated sediments 4. Iceberg a. rocky shore c. riverbed 19. Anchialine Lake 4. Surface channel (River) 17. Ice a. riverbank rocky organic debris b. sediment wave f. sink softbottom scour hole a. riverbed organic deposition zone hardbottom g. sink c. bar sand mud vegetated see classes for Nearshore Marine Lagoon LI a. deltaic mudflat 11. Reef 7. Wetland a. oyster reef B- Bottom live worm reef Sabellaria relict worm reef k. worm reef Mytelis live mussel reef k. mussel reef relict mussel reef b. worm reef 2. Embayment WB- Water Col. 1. Lagoon (upper layer) phytoplankton bloom anoxic bottom water salt wedge Pink shrimp hyperhaline water column epipelagic zone sea surface groundwater seep surf zone phytoplankton maximum, Acartia pycnocline oxic bottom water Eichornia floating vegetation mat Sheepshead minnow a. estuarine water column hyperhaline estuarine water column small fresh water lens tributary discharge zone estuarine turbidity maximum 1. Estuarine plume a. turbid estuarine water column floating mat I- Fresh Influenced B. Estuarine-Influenced 4. Chenier LS-Littoral Supratidal a. dune e. mangrove swamp prop root zone Rhizophora g. mangrove swamp Laguncularia basin swamp swamp creek mixed scrub mangrove Conocarpus erectus, Crabs Uca pugnax, Callinectes sapidus Conocarpus buttonwood ridge basin pond scrub black mangrove (Avicennia) pneumatophore zone Avicennia c. pool b. hammock A. Estuarine 13. Upwelling 12. Downwelling 19. Coastal water mass 9. Slough 11. Open Water 14. Wave zone 6. Shoal 15. Ice 8. Bank 1. Current system 9. Reef 8. Reef 16. River plume 17. Deposition site 18. Turbidity current 7. Subsurface Channel 3. Open Shoreline brackish fringing wetland tidal pass brackish wetland inland basin marsh Juncus d. brackish fringing wetland (marsh) brackish wetland hammock Salix Eleocharis, Juncus, Spartina patens brackish fringing wetland tidal creek bank brackish wetland streamside marsh Spartina Cynoseroides Crassostrea virginica, C. rhizophora brackish fringing wetland tidal creek a. intertidal oyster reef d. mangrove swamp Macoma mud beach mixed-fine sediment beach Scirpis, Carex rock and boulder beach Zostera, Gracilaria, Macoma Salicornia, Distichlis, Carex mixed-coarse sediment beach Zostera gravel beach sand beach Salicornia, Distichlis cobble beach h. coastal beach mixed-fine sand and mud beach h. beach a. infratidal wave zone l. coral reef relict coral reef benthic microalgae, Limulus, Ilyanassa bare saline mudflat bare brackish mudflat fringing vegetated brackish mudflat Juncus, Eleocharis, Spartina patens Ranunculus, Spartina fringing vegetated saline mudflat b. mudflat e. fringing marsh b. saline fringing wetland (marsh) LI- Littoral Intertidal saline wetland streamside marsh saline fringing wetland tidal pass saline wetland hammock saline fringing wetland tidal creek c. saline fringing wetland (marsh) saline fringing wetland tidal creek bank Spartina alterniflora, Distichlis saline wetland inland basin marsh a. brackish fringing wetland (marsh) 23. Submarine slump 22. Coastal water mass 15. Upwelling 16. Wave zone II. Marine 13. Open Water 2. Deposition site 1. Subsurface Channel 9. Shoal A. Nearshore Marine 12. Current system 21. Major turbidity current 7. Plunging current W 16. Benthic boundary layer 13. Gyre 5. Mixed layer 32. Wave zone c. pier 27. Ice a. interlobe pass 11. Current system 6. Frontal boundary a. turbid water column a. divergence zone a. deeply flooded wetland water column deeply flooded wetland water column 9. Upwelling 8. Density current a. convergence zone 29. Coastal water mass a. river current clear upper water column turbid upper water column 12. Mesoscale eddy 28. Turbidity current a. wave zone 13. Ice 15. Open Water 18. Vent b. turbid water column c. base a. clear water column 17. Sea surface 3. Submarine slump 22. Seabed 21. Fissure 19. Ridge 25. Artificial structure 24. Submarine canyon 23. Bank B. Neritic 26. Deepwater Reef 18. Plain 17. Trench 31. Deposition site 2. Seep 19. Midocean Ridge Oceanic I. channel d. moraine h. debris field g. debris field gravel pebble cobble boulder mixed e. cave e. crevice lava f. crevice j. channel l. wall k. ledge j. ledge coral h. groove i. groove m. pinnacle k. wall bedrock b. subtidal oyster reef o. slabs b. hardbottom b. upper n. slabs a. wreck d. lower n. mound a. head a. top b. flank l. pinnacle o. terrace c. deltaic chenier a. deltaic chenier c. coral reef relict coral c. middle p. terrace b. deltaic unconsolidated sediments m. mound q. vent lava tube compression ridge a. lava field lava flow crater p. vent B b. breakwater b. basalt pinnacle/rock/stack d. high basalt island LI c. low coral islet vegetated softbottom- rooted (seagrass bed) bare carbonate sand a.unconsolidated sediments vegetated organic sediments Salicornia, Distichlis, Typha,Deschampsia, Juncus vegetated organic softbottom vegetated mineral sediments bare carbonate sediment Green ulvoid algae, Macoma vegetated softbottom- holdfast (macroalgae bed) a. unconsolidated sediments bare carbonate sediment softbottom bare organic mud surfgrass, zostera bare mixed-coarse sediment softbottom bare gravel softbottom vegetated mud and mixed-fine softbottom Zostera marina Zostera, Red algae c. unconsolidated sediments colonized softbottom vegetated colonized softbottom surfgrass, Zostera, Macoma bare sandy softbottom Ptilosarcus guerneyi colonized mixed-fine softbottom bivalves Psephidia, Mysella