Eastern Lake Erie Benthic Habitat 2020
These data represent benthic habitats in a coastal area of eastern Lake Erie. The area extends approximately 200 kilometers between Conneaut, Ohio, and Buffalo, New York, and covers approximately 289 square kilometers. Benthic biota and substrates were classified using the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS).
The classification process involved object-based image segmentation of lidar bathymetry, cross-referencing geospatial data with the CMECS hierarchy, and expert interpretation. Biotic and substrate components were classified to the CMECS group or community level, with additional detail provided by co-occurring elements and modifiers. Mapping confidence was higher in areas with Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), as geomorphometric details from digital elevation models could often be directly linked to substrate types through professional geologic judgment. In areas lacking DEM coverage, object-based segmentation was not possible, leading to lower confidence and requiring manual interpretation of substrate and biotic data from available source and ancillary data. In some instances, with support from geologic judgment and imagery, CMECS Substrate Component classifications at DEM boundaries were linearly extrapolated across gaps in DEM coverage.
The layers available within the data download include area, biotic, confidence, and substrate.
Partners: Coastal States Organization
Complete Metadata
| @type | dcat:Dataset |
|---|---|
| accessLevel | public |
| contactPoint |
{
"fn": "NOAA Office for Coastal Management",
"@type": "vcard:Contact",
"hasEmail": "mailto:coastal.info@noaa.gov"
}
|
| describedByType | application/octet-steam |
| description | These data represent benthic habitats in a coastal area of eastern Lake Erie. The area extends approximately 200 kilometers between Conneaut, Ohio, and Buffalo, New York, and covers approximately 289 square kilometers. Benthic biota and substrates were classified using the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS). The classification process involved object-based image segmentation of lidar bathymetry, cross-referencing geospatial data with the CMECS hierarchy, and expert interpretation. Biotic and substrate components were classified to the CMECS group or community level, with additional detail provided by co-occurring elements and modifiers. Mapping confidence was higher in areas with Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), as geomorphometric details from digital elevation models could often be directly linked to substrate types through professional geologic judgment. In areas lacking DEM coverage, object-based segmentation was not possible, leading to lower confidence and requiring manual interpretation of substrate and biotic data from available source and ancillary data. In some instances, with support from geologic judgment and imagery, CMECS Substrate Component classifications at DEM boundaries were linearly extrapolated across gaps in DEM coverage. The layers available within the data download include area, biotic, confidence, and substrate. Partners: Coastal States Organization |
| distribution |
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|
| identifier | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:78461 |
| issued | 2026-01-15T00:00:00.000+00:00 |
| keyword |
[
"EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC",
"EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > COASTAL",
"benthic",
"biotic",
"coastal",
"seafloor",
"substrate",
"Great Lakes",
"New York",
"Ohio",
"Pennsylvania",
"United States of America",
"DOC/NOAA/NOS/OCM > Office of Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
"MarineCadastre"
]
|
| landingPage | https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/78461 |
| language |
[]
|
| license | https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ |
| modified | 2026-01-15T00:00:00.000+00:00 |
| publisher |
{
"name": "Office for Coastal Management",
"@type": "org:Organization"
}
|
| references |
[
"https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nos/ocm/dmp/pdf/78461.pdf"
]
|
| spatial | -78.823837,41.937287,-80.612613,42.91887 |
| title | Eastern Lake Erie Benthic Habitat 2020 |
