File:Dethier 1990 puget sound shoreline classification.pdf

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Dethier, M.N. 1990. A Marine and Estuarine Habitat Classification System for Washington State. Washington Natural Heritage Program, Dept. Natural Resources, Olympia, Washington. 56 pp.

Abstract[edit]

A classification system for marine and estuarine habitat types in Washington State is described. It builds on the National Wetland Inventory scheme of Cowardin, but (1) adds an “Energy” level in the hierarchy to incorporate the critical importance of waves and currents in structuring marine communities; and (2) removes the “Aquatic Bed” categories from all levels, making substratum type (by itself) one of the highest levels in the hierarchy. Definitions generally concur with those of Cowardin, although a geographic (not salinity-based) line for the marine-estuarine boundary had to be drawn for the northern Puget Trough.

Marine and estuarine habitats are thus defined by their depth, substratum type, energy level and a few modifiers. For each combination of these physical variables, species (plants and animals) that are diagnostic of the habitat are described based on surveys from around the state. Other species commonly found in each community (including fishes and birds) are listed also, as are locations where such habitats have been surveyed. Approximately 60 intertidal and subtidal habitats are described in this fashion. An extensive bibliography is appended.

Notes[edit]

• A seminal work describing the relationship between sediment texture, tidal inundation depth, and wave exposure and biotic community composition in Puget Sound shorelines.
• Used to characterize shoreline segments in the ShoreZone Geodatabase