Regional Scale Benthic Habitat Mapping at Northeast Region Coastal Parks Using the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS)

Project Description: Knowing the condition of natural resources in national parks is fundamental to the National Park Service’s ability to manage park resources. The NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program is a key component in the Service’s strategy to provide scientific data and information needed for management decision-making and education. The goal of this project is to provide four ‘Northeast Region coastal parks with maps and associated species and habitat information for their submerged lands. These lands comprise a significant portion of the total area of each park (60-70% at Fire Island NS, Gateway NRA, and Assateague Island NS, arid 40% at Cape Cod NS). Therefore, this habitat mapping and species inventory study aims to improve NPS understanding and knowledge of the condition and health of these important public lands. Such understanding will promote scientifically sound management and spatial planning decisions within park marine boundaries.

The primary objective of this proposed study is to develop maps of benthic habitats using a consistent methodology for portions of bayside, NPS submerged lands at Cape Cod National Seashore (CACO) in Massachusetts, Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS) in New York, Assateague Island National Seashore (ASIS) in Maryland, and Gateway National Recreation Area (GATE) in New Jersey. Specifically, this process will describe and delineate the distribution of benthic habitats that are, identified as statistically significant and ecologically relevant. The habitats will be classified according to the FGDC adopted CMECS framework. The study will also investigate spatial patterns in macrofaunal characteristics and examine these with respect to various abiotic factors (e.g. sediment type, geological setting, water depth), the presence of seagrass, and total organic content (TOC). The findings from each of the four parks will be compared to provide a broader understanding of NPS submerged lands in the northeast region.

Lead Principal Investigator: Dr. John King, University of Rhode Island

Partner Institution: University of Rhode Island

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Federal Agency Technical Contact: Jim Comiskey

Project Type: Research

Project Discipline: Natural Resources

Project Sub-Discipline(s): Water (FW & Marine)

Start Year: 2019

End Year: 2022

Initial Funding Amount: $75,000.00

Federal Grant Number: P19AC00812

Amendments

  • Amendment Number: 02, Year: 2023, Amount: $-27.62

Location: Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network

Products Associated with this Project:

  • No products found.
Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.