Type Shapefile
The North American Blue Carbon map shows the distribution of salt marsh, mangrove, and seagrass habitats in North America. Although this dataset represents the most comprehensive North American spatial distribution of blue carbon to date, many seagrass and salt marsh habitats have yet to be mapped.
The North American Blue Carbon map shows the distribution of salt marsh, mangrove, and seagrass habitats in North America.
Data were compiled from approximately 50 source datasets, including international (UNEP-WCMC), national (Conabio, US Geological Survey and the US National Wetlands Inventory), as well as state and provincial sources and information from individual investigators. This 2021 release represents the third update to the CEC’s mapping of blue carbon habitats, and was a priority within the Strengthening Adaptation Capacity in Marine Protected Areas project under the CEC’s 2019–2020 Operational Plan.
Although this release presents the most comprehensive picture of North American blue carbon spatial distribution at the time of publication, many seagrass and salt marsh habitats have yet to be mapped and efforts to do so are ongoing, with several pending updates underway.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). 2021. “North American Environmental Atlas - Blue Carbon (Salt Marsh)”. Ed. 2.0, Vector digital data [1:10,000,000]
This material is licensed under CC BY 4.0, allowing non-exclusive rights to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator.
| West | -180 | East | -50 |
| North | 85 | South | 14 |
| Maximum (zoomed in) | 1:5,000 |
| Minimum (zoomed out) | 1:150,000,000 |
The North American Blue Carbon map shows the distribution of salt marsh, mangrove, and seagrass habitats in North America. Data was compiled from approximately 50 source datasets, including international (UNEP-WCMC), national (Conabio, US Geological Survey and the US National Wetlands Inventory), as well as state and provincial sources and information from individual investigators. This 2021 release represents the third update to the CEC’s mapping of blue carbon habitats and was a priority within the Strengthening Adaptation Capacity in Marine Protected Areas project under the CEC’s 2019–2020 Operational Plan. Although this release presents the most comprehensive picture of North American blue carbon spatial distribution at the time of publication, many seagrass and salt marsh habitats have yet to be mapped and efforts to do so are ongoing, with several pending updates underway. Details on the sources are provided in the attached metadata documentation.
En este mapa se muestra la distribución de hábitats de marismas, manglares y lechos de pasto marino de América del Norte. Los datos con base en los cuales se elaboró se compilaron de alrededor de 50 conjuntos de datos de fuentes internacionales (como el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente [PNUMA-CMCM]), nacionales (el Servicio Geológico de Estados Unidos [US Geological Survey], el Inventario Nacional de Humedales [National Wetlands Inventory] de Estados Unidos y la Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad [Conabio] de México) y estatales o provinciales, además de información aportada por investigadores a título individual. Esta versión correspondiente a 2021 constituye la tercera actualización a la cartografía de la Comisión para la Cooperación Ambiental (CCA) de hábitats que captan y almacenan carbono azul, y responde a una de las prioridades del proyecto Fortalecimiento de la capacidad adaptativa de áreas marinas protegidas, del Plan Operativo 2019-2020 de la misma CCA. Si bien el mapa actualizado representa la imagen más completa de la distribución espacial del carbono azul a escala regional lograda a la fecha, todavía quedan numerosos hábitats de lechos de pasto marino y marismas por cartografiarse, de manera que los esfuerzos para completar esta tarea siguen en marcha, y se prevén varias actualizaciones pendientes del material. Los detalles sobre las fuentes se proporcionan en la documentación sobre metadatos adjunta.
La carte du carbone bleu en Amérique du Nord illustre la répartition des habitats de marais salés, de mangroves et d’herbiers marins sur le continent nord-américain. Les données ont été compilées à partir d’une cinquantaine de sources internationales et nationales, dont le Programme des Nations Unies pour l’environnement (PNUE-CMSC), la Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (Conabio, Commission nationale sur la connaissance et l’utilisation de la biodiversité), l’United States Geological Survey (USGS, Service géologique des États-Unis) et le National Wetlands Inventory (NWI, Inventaire national des zones humides) des États-Unis, ainsi qu’à partir de sources étatiques et provinciales, mais aussi grâce à des informations fournies individuellement par des chercheurs. Cette version de 2021, qui représente la troisième mise à jour des travaux de la CCE en matière de cartographie des habitats de carbone bleu, constituait une priorité du projet intitulé Renforcement de la capacité d’adaptation des aires marines protégées, entrepris dans le cadre du Plan opérationnel pour 2019 et 2020. Bien qu’au moment de sa publication cette version présente l’illustration la plus complète qui soit de la répartition spatiale du carbone bleu en Amérique du Nord, de nombreux habitats d’herbiers marins et de marais salés ne sont pas encore cartographiés. Des travaux à cette fin sont en cours, et plusieurs mises à jour sont en instance de publication. La documentation ci jointe sur les métadonnées donne de plus amples détails au sujet des sources de données susmentionnées."
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an international organization created by Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), which came into force at the same time as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The CEC was established to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts, and to promote the effective enforcement of environmental law. As of 2020, the CEC operates in accordance with the Environmental Cooperation Agreement, which entered into force at the same time as the CUSMA/T-MEC/USMCA trade agreement. This dataset was created as part of a collaborative effort between the Mexican Carbon Program that conducted an exhaustive search for data updates or new datasets available, as well as coordinate three national workshops with Blue Carbon experts from Canada, the United States and Mexico to retrieve feedback on the best practices to map Blue Carbon ecosystems across North America; and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation that conducted the review and evaluation of the datasets collected, as well as the map integration process and cartographic refinement. The goal of this datasets is to serve as a geospatial tool to estimate Blue Carbon Sink potential of North America in ecosystems such as Saltmarshes, as well as provide a standardized and publicly available input dataset for various Carbon Budget analyses. The extent of Saltmarshes in North America was estimated by combining datasets from different sources using different methods. These include global, national, and local datasets that were generated from ground surveys, and remote sensed imagery. The current dataset serves as an updated of the previously North American Saltmarshes distribution map published by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation in 2016. North America’s Blue Carbon: Assessing Seagrass, Salt Marsh and Mangrove Distribution and Carbon Sinks (http://www3.cec.org/islandora/en/item/11664-north-america-s-blue- carbon-assessing-seagrass-salt-marsh-and-mangrove-en.pdf) A more detailed description of all the datasets used, as well as the preprocess performed to extract Saltmarshes information is available in the accompanying document “Blue Carbon Map source data notes 2021.pdf” Information related to the Blue Carbon legacy maps produced by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation can be found in the following reports: 1) CEC. 2014. North America’s Blue Carbon: Assessing Seagrass, Salt Marsh and Mangrove Carbon Sinks A Final Report. Montreal, Canada: Commission for Environmental Cooperation. 219 pp 2) CEC. 2017. Blue Carbon Seagrass Mapping in Canada and The United States: British Columbia Washington and Oregon, Developing an Algorithm and Quantifying Eelgrass Extent A Final Report. Montreal, Canada: Commission for Environmental Cooperation. 82 pp This data set is available in several formats, including Shapefile, Map package, and a PDF Map, along with other files appropriate to particular format, such as .lyrx and .qlr files.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). 2021. “North American Environmental Atlas - Blue Carbon (Salt Marsh)”. Ed. 2.0, Vector digital data [1:10,000,000]
This dataset includes salt marshes distribution for all of North America
This material is licensed under CC BY 4.0, allowing non-exclusive rights to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator.
This material is licensed under CC BY 4.0, allowing non-exclusive rights to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator.
This analysis uses international, national, and local datasets that have known gaps. To the best of our knowledge, the most recent and wide-ranging salt marsh datasets were used. Future updates are planned as new data becomes available and additional providers share spatial information for areas not included in the current map.
Attribute values were manually reviewed; however, no additional tests were conducted to verify their accuracy in this dataset.
No checks for logical consistency have been performed on this dataset.
The North American Blue Carbon map shows the distribution of salt marsh, mangrove, and seagrass habitats in North America. Data were compiled from approximately 50 source datasets, including international (UNEP-WCMC), national (Conabio, US Geological Survey and the US National Wetlands Inventory), as well as state and provincial sources and information from individual investigators. This 2021 release represents the third update to the CEC’s mapping of blue carbon habitats, and was a priority within the Strengthening Adaptation Capacity in Marine Protected Areas project under the CEC’s 2019–2020 Operational Plan. Although this release presents the most comprehensive picture of North American blue carbon spatial distribution at the time of publication, many seagrass and salt marsh habitats have yet to be mapped and efforts to do so are ongoing, with several pending updates underway. The extent of Saltmarshes in North America was estimated by combining datasets from different sources using different methods. These include global, national, and local datasets that were generated from ground surveys, and remote sensed imagery. The current dataset serves as an updated of the previously North American Saltmarshes distribution map published by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation in 2016. * Datasets used in the North American 2021 Saltmarshes Distribution Map. A more detailed description of all the datasets used, as well as the preprocess performed to extract Saltmarshes information is available in the accompanying document “Blue Carbon Map sources data notes 2021.pdf”
Preprocesses conducted with the Saltmarshes datasets were performed between December 2020 and March 2021. NOTE: A more complete and detailed report of the North America 2021 Saltmarshes Distribution map is available in the accompanying report “NA Saltmarsh Cartographic Integration Process.pdf”
WCMC Saltmarshes Distribution Map The original data set was acquired from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) that integrates two vector layers: polygons and points. A “selection by attributes process” was performed to isolate all saltmarshes polygons corresponding to Canada, the United States and Mexico territories. All polygons located in the USA territories over the Pacific Ocean as well as Puerto Rico were deselected. A final saltmarshes layer was exported from the remaining polygons selection.
National Wetlands Inventory, Version 2 Based on Cowardin Classification (http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/Documents/Wetlands-and-Deepwater-Habitats- Classification-chart.pdf) used to delineate salt marshes in the 2015 CEC North America Blue Carbon Map, a SQL selection was set up to isolate saltmarshes in the 2020 USA National Wetlands Inventory. USA National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) Code Definitions table was downloaded from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (https://www.fws.gov/wetlands/data/wetland-codes.html) and used to join all polygon features descriptions to the state-level wetlands shapefiles available through the NWI. The SQL expression selected all polygons defined as “Estuarine –Intertidal – Emergent – Persistent – Saltwater Tidal” WHERE “SYSTEM_NAME” == Estuarine AND “SUBSYSTEM_NAME” == Intertidal AND “CLASS_NAME” == Emergent OR “SUBCLASS_NAME” == Persistent AND “WATER_REGIME_SUBGROUP” == Saltwater Tidal. All saltmarshes polygons identified at state-level based on the predefined SQL selection were finally merged into a national saltmarshes distribution file (Alaska and CONUS).
C-CAP Saltmarshes USA Northeast Polygons describing classes related to salt marsh habitats in both New Hampshire and Rhode Island files were selected and exported to new spatial layers. Classes selected were: Brackish Marsh, Dieoff Depression, High Marsh; J.gerardii, High Marsh; Mix, High Marsh; S.alterniflora, High Marsh; S.patens-D.spicata, Low Marsh, Panne, Salicornia spp., Salt Shrub, Short form S. alterniflora, Terrestrial border, Wrack. New layers were merged in a new spatial layer combining salt marshes polygons from Rhode Island and New Hampshire and names were standardized to avoid different spelling refereeing to identical classes.
PEI 2000 Wetlands Inventory This layer contains different types of wetland areas across Prince Edward Island, including “salt or brackish marshes”. A “select by attributes” tool was used to select all “salt or brackish marshes” within the WETL_TYPE (Wetland Type) attribute. A final layer of saltmarshes of PEI was generated from the selected features.
New Brunswick Hydrographic Network (NBHN) This layer was indicated by Bernie Connors (Land Information Infrastructure Secretariat, Service New Brunswick) as the one that contains more specific information on the wetland types, including coastal marsh attribute. The codes for the attribute description are in a “xlsx” file delivered by Bernie Connors (DNR_DataDictionary.xlsx). According to the reference xlsx file, CM (Coastal Marsh) = wetlands dominated by rooted herbaceous plants that drain directly into coastal waters and have the potential to be at least partially inundated with salt or brackish water. As a first processing step, the wetlands layer within the Hydrographic Network set of files was selected (NBHN_0000_03_wl.shp). The WC attribute describes “wetland class”, all “Coastal Marsh” polygons were selected and exported to a new feature dataset.
Nova Scotia Forest Inventory This layer is a combination of county forest inventories of Nova Scotia, all the layers were merged to generate a province-level forestry inventory layer. Saltmarshes are described in the “wetland type” (WC_TYPE) field, code for saltmarsh = S. Individual files were acquired for Annapolis, Antigonish, Cape Breton, Colchester, Cumberland, Digby, Guysborough, Halifax East, Halifax West, Hants, Inverness, Kings, Lunenburg, Pictou, Queens, Richmond, Shelburne, St. Marys, Victoria, and Yarmouth. Saltmarshes were extracted from all forest inventories by individual files, that created a collection of individual files of saltmarshes. Those individual files by section were then integrated in a single file of saltmarshes for Nova Scotia.
BC ShoreZone Observed Habitat Polygons This is an updated layer from the BC_ShoreZone dataset used in the CEC 2015 Blue Carbon map. The data was downloaded from the BC Geographic Warehouse Custom Download. By means of a selection by attributes, all polygons with SPECIES_NM equal to “marsh grasses and sedges” and “Salicornia virginica” were exported to a final BC saltmarshes layer.
St. Lawrence wetlands classification The layers used to generate the St. Lawrence saltmarshes distribution were delivered by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The shapefiles used to generate this layer correspond to the estuarine section of the St. Lawrence river. Based on feedback from Guy Letourneau from Environment and Climate Change Canada, some of the shapefiles of the sections used in the 2015 Blue Carbon Map should be omitted as they are not considered as part of estuarine region of the St. Lawrence river. Sections of Quebec, Cap Tourmente, Montmangy, and Orleans that were included in the previous Blue Carbon Map of North America are omitted in this updated version. Different years in the shapefiles correspond to different mapping efforts based on the date when the source orthoimages were taken. Due to geometry problems reported by Environment and Climate Change Canada, files from 2000 were not used when there were files from 2002 for each section of the River. The process to prepare the final layer of the salt marshes in the St. Lawrence reiver is described below. 1. A new attribute field describing the year of origin of each polygon was added to each shapefile of the preselected river sections. 2. Merge of 12 shapefiles that encompass the estuarine section of the St. Lawrence river. 3. Dissolve all polygons based on their legend description. 4. Selection by attributes of polygons containing the text string “marsh” and export to a final St. Lawrence saltmarshes layer.
Cartographic Integration Process: As some of the datasets show spatial overlaps, some criteria were defined to deal with overlapping polygons from different data sources and keep as much spatial information as possible. In order to define the criteria to prioritize sources datasets on areas where information overlaps, the Mexican Carbon Program conducted a series of three national workshops with experts from Canada, the United States and Mexico. Experts were asked to rank the sources datasets features that should be considered when selecting the sources of information that must prevail over areas with overlapping polygons. Six quality features were evaluated by the experts, comprising: > Most updated datasets > Fine spatial resolution over coarse spatial resolution > Datasets reporting accuracy > National or regional datasets over global datasets > Independent research studies over institutional datasets > Most complete metadata A group of eleven experts participated in a survey to rank the criteria ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name -- Institution -- Email Nate Herold -- NOAA -- nate.herold@noaa.gov Margot Hessing-Lewis -- Hakai Institute -- margot@hakai.org Gail Chmura -- McGill University -- gail.chmura@mcgill.ca Dan Mulrooney -- Parks Canada -- dan.mulrooney@canada.ca Anna Hilting -- NOAA -- anna.hilting@noaa.gov Ma. Teresa Rodríguez -- CONABIO -- mrodrig@conabio.gob.mx Joanna Acosta Velázquez -- Aura Manglares y costas -- joanna.acosta@gmail.com Iliana Pérez Espinosa -- CONABIO -- iperez@conabio.gob.mx Carlos Troche -- CONABIO -- ctroche@conabio.gob.mx Beatriz Corral Osuna -- INECC -- beatriz.corral@gmail.com Zulia Sánchez Mejía -- ITSON -- zulia.sanchez@itson.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- As a result of the experts-defined criteria and the characteristics of the information provided by each source dataset, we defined each dataset as authoritative over its corresponding region. All polygons from the most spatially extent dataset (WCMC global saltmarsh distribution map), that intersected areas already mapped by regional or national datasets were omitted in the integration process. In the United States, regional data from NOAA C-CAP in Rhode Island and New Hampshire were prioritized at regional level over the USA National Wetlands Inventory. Polygons from the latest dataset that intersected with regional data from the C-CAP product data were removed. These criteria were defined as in most cases, the data from local or regional data sources refer to a latest date than the sources data reported by WCMC global saltmarsh distribution map, and in some other cases, the local or regional datasets are the same used in the WCMC global saltmarsh distribution map. All polygons from each local or regional datasets and the remaining polygons from the that do not overlap with already mapped areas were merged in a final North America saltmarshes distribution map. Step 01 Selection of all polygons from the WCMC global saltmarsh distribution map that do not overlap other input datasets and generation of a new spatial layer. Output = WCMC_saltmarshes_laea_final.shp Step 02 All the layers previously prepared and preprocessed with no overlapping areas between source data sets were merged in a new spatial layer. > WCMC_saltmarshes_laea_final.shp > CAN_BC_saltmarshes_laea_final.shp > CAN_NB_saltmarshes_laea_final.shp > CAN_NS_saltmarshes_laea_final.shp > CAN_PEI_saltmarshes_laea_final.shp > CAN_StLawrence_saltmarshes_laea_final.shp > USA_NWI_saltmarshes_laea_final.shp > USA_CCAP_saltmarshes_laea_final.shp > CCAP_coastal_saltmarshes_laea_final.shp Output = NorthAmerica_saltmarshes_layers_merge.shp Step 03 A process of “Multipart to Single part” was applied to the output layer from the previous step. This way, all polygons are individually accounted as single polygons, which will allow to dissolve spatially connected polygons that share the same values in all the attribute fields. Output = NorthAmerica_saltmarshes_layers_singlepart.shp Step 04 A “Dissolve” process was applied to the output layer from the previous step. All individual polygons that are spatially connected and share the same values across the thirteen common attributed fields (except area) will break down into new polygons. This way, the number of polygons and the size of the final spatial layer file is reduced. No multipart features creation is allowed in this step. Output = NorthAmerica_saltmarshes_polygons_dissolve.shp Step 05 A new field “AREA_SQMT” is created and the area in squared meters is calculated for this field. The area is calculated based on the map coordinate reference system, 1 decimal point and thousands separated by comas are defined. Step 06 After a final check of attribute table consistency and data display on different GIS platforms, a spatial data file in ESRI “shp” format is generated to provide the final CEC North America saltmarsh distribution map. Note that, although there are no overlapping areas from different data sources, overlapping polygons within the same input datasets are preserved. (e.g., WCMC in the Baja California peninsula or Environment Canada in the Saint Lawrence wetlands classification).
This dataset represents the current extent of our knowledge about the global distribution of salt marshes, based on both field surveys and remote sensing data. It was developed to serve as a baseline inventory of these ecosystems, which are found in the intertidal zones of sheltered marine and estuarine coastlines. Salt marshes are characterized by brackish, shallow waters and salt-tolerant vegetation, including herbs, grasses, and shrubs, and are typically located in temperate and high-latitude regions. Ecologically, salt marshes play a crucial role in supporting estuarine food webs. They provide vital nesting, nursery, and feeding habitats for a wide range of birds, fish, mollusks, and crustaceans, including commercially valuable species like herring (Clupea harengus), and are home to several Endangered and Critically Endangered species. > Preprocessing The original dataset was acquired from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) that integrates two vector layers: polygons and points. A “selection by attributes process” was performed to isolate all saltmarshes polygons corresponding to Canada, the United States and Mexico territories. All polygons located in the USA territories over the Pacific Ocean as well as Puerto Rico were deselected. A final saltmarshes layer was exported from the remaining polygons selection.
Citation: Mcowen, C. J., Weatherdon, L. V., Van Bochove, J. W., Sullivan, E., Blyth, S., Zockler, C., Stanwell-Smith, D., Kingston, N., Martin, C. S., Spalding, M., & Fletcher, S. (2017). A global map of saltmarshes. Biodiversity Data Journal, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.5.e11764 Source metadata: https://data.unep-wcmc.org/pdfs/43/WCMC_027_Global_Distribution_of_Saltmarsh.pdf?1617122640
Global
This dataset depicts the extent, approximate location, and classification of wetlands and deepwater habitats across the United States and its territories. It is based on definitions provided by Cowardin et al. (1979) and reflects the spatial coverage of wetlands and surface waters. The National Wetlands Inventory – Version 2 (Surface Waters and Wetlands Inventory) was developed by retaining the wetland and deepwater polygons from the original NWI digital spatial data layer and restoring linear wetland and surface water features that were omitted during digitization. These linear features, originally present in the hard copy NWI maps, were converted into narrow polygons to be reintegrated into the dataset. To supplement areas where the NWI did not map single-line streams or where connections were segmented, hydrography data from the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) was incorporated. This data was buffered and converted into polygonal features to ensure spatial continuity. Wetland mapping projects conducted in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, and Idaho after 2012, and most other projects mapped after 2015, include all surface water features from the outset and are not derived from previous datasets. > Preprocessing Based on Cowardin Classification (http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/Documents/Wetlands-and-Deepwater-Habitats-Classification-chart.pdf) used to delineate salt marshes in the 2015 CEC North America Blue Carbon Map, a SQL selection was set up to isolate saltmarshes in the 2020 USA National Wetlands Inventory. USA National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) Code Definitions table was downloaded from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (https://www.fws.gov/wetlands/data/wetland-codes.html) and used to 5 join all polygon features descriptions to the state-level wetlands shapefiles available through the NWI. The SQL expression selected all polygons defined as “Estuarine – Intertidal – Emergent – Persistent – Saltwater Tidal” WHERE “SYSTEM_NAME” == Estuarine AND “SUBSYSTEM_NAME” == Intertidal AND “CLASS_NAME” == Emergent OR “SUBCLASS_NAME” == Persistent AND “WATER_REGIME_SUBGROUP” == Saltwater Tidal All saltmarshes’ polygons identified at state-level based on the predefined SQL selection were finally merged into a national saltmarshes distribution file (Alaska and CONUS).
Citation: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2020). National Wetlands Inventory - Version 2 - Surface Waters and Wetlands Inventory, 1:24,000 and 1:25,000, U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington D.C., USA. Source metadata: https://www.fws.gov/wetlands/Data/metadata/FWS_Wetlands.xml
United States of America
New Hampshire: This dataset establishes a baseline for monitoring long-term changes in tidal wetlands across the state, with an emphasis on how salt marsh systems are responding to relative sea level rise. It captures both the extent and condition of these habitats. The data were derived from high-resolution multispectral orthoimagery collected on August 24, 2013, through the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership, and LiDAR data obtained from the 2011 LiDAR for the NorthEast project. Draft maps were produced in 2015, with accuracy assessments continuing through 2018. Rhode Island: This dataset represents salt marsh habitats across Rhode Island, derived from high-resolution (0.5 m) multispectral imagery captured in June 2012. It was produced using four-band aerial orthoimagery contributed to RIGIS by the Rhode Island Eelgrass Mapping Taskforce ©2012 RIGIS, along with LiDAR data from the 2011 LiDAR for the NorthEast project.onducted in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, and Idaho after 2012, and most other projects mapped after 2015, include all surface water features from the outset and are not derived from previous datasets. Preprocessing Polygons describing classes related to salt marsh habitats in both New Hampshire and Rhode Island files were selected and exported to new spatial layers. Classes selected were: Brackish Marsh, Dieoff Depression, High Marsh; J.gerardii, High Marsh; Mix, High Marsh; S.alterniflora, High Marsh; S.patens-D.spicata, Low Marsh, Panne, Salicornia spp., Salt Shrub, Short form S. alterniflora, Terrestrial border, Wrack. New layers were merged in a new spatial layer combining salt marshes polygons from Rhode Island and New Hampshire and names were standardized to avoid different spelling refereeing to identical classes.
Citation: NOAA C-CAP (2020). New Hampshire Salt Marsh Habitats 2013, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management, USA; RIGIS (2017). Salt Marsh Habitats; saltmarsh12, Rhode Island Geographic Information System (RIGIS) Data Distribution System, Environmental Data Center, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA. Source metadata: https://coast.noaa.gov/htdata/raster1/landcover/bulkdownload/marshhabitat/
Regional
The wetlands of Prince Edward Island were delineated digitally from 1 : 17 500 colour-infrared (CIR) aerial photographs collected for the 2000 Corporate Land-Use Inventory. Boundaries first interpreted on the 1990 combined forest-and-wetland inventory photos (also at 1 : 17 500) were traced by hand onto clear film, then converted to digital form. Polygon features were heads-up-digitised onto current orthophotos in MapInfo and further refined on a CARIS digitising table. The resulting dataset constitutes part of the 2000 Corporate Resource Inventory. Preprocessing This layer contains different types of wetland areas across Prince Edward Island, including “salt or brackish marshes”. A “select by attributes” tool was used to select all “salt or brackish marshes” within the WETL_TYPE (Wetland Type) attribute. A final layer of saltmarshes of PEI was generated from the selected features.
Citation: Dibblee, Randy (2000). Digital outline of PEI freshwater wetlands taken from 1: 17 500 CIR aerial photography during the 2000 Corporate Landuse Inventory, 1:17,500, PEI Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada. Source metadata: http://www.gov.pe.ca/gis/index.php3?number=1008003&lang=E
Regional
To delineate surface drainage features across New Brunswick, including rivers, streams, lakes, islands, and watershed boundaries. The dataset also includes names for many rivers and streams. Preprocessing This layer was indicated by Bernie Connors (Land Information Infrastructure Secretariat Unit, Service New Brunswick) as the one that contains more specific information on the wetland types, including coastal marsh attribute. The codes for the attribute description are in a “xlsx” files delivered by Bernie Connors (DNR_DataDictionary.xlsx). According to the reference xlsx spreadsheet, CM (Coastal Marsh) = wetlands dominated by rooted herbaceous plants that drain directly into coastal waters and have the potential to be at least partially inundated with salt or brackish water. As a first processing step, the wetlands layer within the Hydrographic Network set of files was selected (NBHN_0000_03_wl.shp). The WC attribute describes “wetland class”, all “Coastal Marsh” polygons were selected and exported to a new feature dataset.
Citation: ERD (2018). New Brunswick Hydrographic Network (NBHN), New Brunswick Department of Energy and Resource Development, Fredericton, NB, Canada. Source metadata: http://www.snb.ca/geonb1/e/DC/NBHN.asp
Regional
Current Forest Data (Cycles 2, 3 and 4 with additional updates). This version of the forest inventory is a combination of Interpretation Cycles 2, 3 and 4 with additional updates based on satellite imagery and field data in Halifax East. This data is dynamic and different areas of the province are in different stages of completion. This version of data is updated as work in individual counties is completed. Photography years: 1992-Present. All counties now contain VOLUME, BASAL AREA and AVERAGE DIAMETER attribute data. Please refer to the metadata for more information. Preprocessing This layer is a combination of county-level forest inventories of Nova Scotia, all the layers were merged to generate a province-level forestry inventory layer. Saltmarshes are described in the “wetland type” (WC_TYPE) field, code for saltmarsh = S. Individual files were acquired for Annapolis, Antigonish, Cape Breton, Colchester, Cumberland, Digby, Guysborough, Halifax East, Halifax West, Hants, Inverness, Kings, Lunenburg, Pictou, Queens, Richmond, Shelburne, St. Marys, Victoria, and Yarmouth. Saltmarshes were extracted from all forest inventories by individual files, that created a collection of individual files of saltmarshes. Those individual files by section were then integrated in a single file of saltmarshes for Nova Scotia.
Citation: NSDLF (2020). Nova Scotia Interpreted Forest Inventory - Current Forest Data, 1:10,000- 1:12,500, Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry, Halifax, NS, Canada. Source metadata: https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestry/gis/pdf/Forest_metadata_web_attrib.pdf
Regional
The Observed Habitat Polygons show the various types of particular habitat that have been observed or calculated by biologists as well as an expectation of different species found in the habitats. Each bio area has several observed habitats, and it is the combination of the bio area and habitat observed number that identifies each unique observed habitat. This dataset was formally a depiction of the SHZN_HAB_OBS_POLYS_SVW warehouse layer. Preprocessing This is an updated layer from the BC_ShoreZone dataset used in the CEC 2015 Blue Carbon Map (BC_ShoreZone 2014). The data was downloaded from the BC Geographic Warehouse Custom Download. By means of a selection by attributes, all polygons with SPECIES_NM equal to “marsh grasses and sedges” and “Salicornia virginica” were exported to a final BC saltmarshes layer.
Citation: BC FLNRORD (2018). British Columbia Shorezone Observed Habitat Polygons, BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development – GeoBC, Victoria, BC, Canada. Source metadata: https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/shorezone-observed-habitat- polygons/resource/995afa79-05d4-4c68-8d30-a81e0bf2b67d#edc-pow
Regional
The Saint-Lawrence Wetlands Mapping Project is a multi-year project that mapped portions of shores of the St-Lawrence river. The 64 land use categories, including wetland classes were mapped using remote-sensed imagery from 1990/1991, 1996/97, 2000, and 2002. The data and associated reports are published by Environment Canada's Saint-Lawrence Centre. Preprocessing The layers used to generate the St. Lawrence saltmarshes distribution were delivered by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The shapefiles used to generate this layer correspond to the estuarine section of the St. Lawrence river. Based on feedback from Guy Letourneau (Environment and Climate Change Canada), some of the shapefiles of the sections used in the 2015 Blue Carbon Map should be omitted as they are not considered as part of estuarine region of the St. Lawrence river. Sections of Quebec, Cap Tourmente, Montmangy, and Orleans that were included in the previous Blue Carbon Map of North America are omitted in this updated version. Different years in the shapefiles correspond to different mapping efforts based on the date when the source orthoimages were taken. Due to geometry problems reported by Environment and Climate Change Canada, files from 2000 were not used when there were files from 2002 for each section of the River. The process to prepare the final layer of the salt marshes in the St. Lawrence river is described below. 1. A new attribute field describing the year of origin of each polygon was added to each shapefile of the preselected river sections. 2. Merge of 12 shapefiles that encompass the estuarine section of the St. Lawrence river. 3. Dissolve all polygons based on their legend description. 4. Selection by attributes of polygons containing the text string “marsh” and export to a final St. Lawrence saltmarshes layer.
Citation: Létourneau, G. and M. Jean (2005). Mapping the Wetlands of the St. Lawrence using Remote Sensing (1990–91). Scientific and Technical Report ST-232E. Environment Canada – Quebec Region, Environmental Conservation, St. Lawrence Centre. 98 pages. ISBN 0-662-42415- 8; Létourneau, Guy et Martin Jean (2006). Cartographie par télédétection des milieux humides du Saint-Laurent (1996-1997). Environnement Canada, Direction générale des sciences et de la technologie, Monitoring et surveillance de la qualité de l’eau au Québec. Rapport scientifique et technique ST-237, 126 pages. ISBN 0-662-71919-0 (French only); Létourneau, Guy et Martin Jean (2006). Cartographie par télédétection des milieux humides du Saint-Laurent (2000). Environnement Canada, Direction générale des sciences et de la technologie, Monitoring et surveillance de la qualité de l’eau au Québec. Rapport scientifique et technique ST-238, 212 pages. ISBN 0-662-72218-3 (French only); Létourneau, Guy et Martin Jean (2006). Cartographie par télédétection des milieux humides du Saint-Laurent (2002). Environnement Canada, Direction générale des sciences et de la technologie, Monitoring et surveillance de la qualité de l’eau au Québec. Rapport scientifique et technique ST-239, 130 pages. ISBN 0-662-72219-1 (French only). Source metadata: To come as soon as data are published on ouvert.canada.ca/en Source file name: mh1991_riv_ouelle_UTM19.shp, mh1991_kamouraska_UTM19.shp, mh1991_riv_du_loup_UTM19.shp, mh1991_isle_verte_UTM19.shp, mh1991_trois_pistoles_UTM19.shp, mh1997_kamouraska_UTM19.shp, mh2000_la_pocatiere_UTM19.shp, mh2000_riv_ouelle_UTM19.shp, mh2000_riv_du_loup_UTM19.shp, mh2000_trois_pistoles_UTM19.shp, mh2002_kamouraska_UTM19.shp, mh2002_isle_verte_UTM19.shp" Contact Person: Guy Letourneau
Regional
Vector polygons representing Saltmarsh areas in North America.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Internal feature number.
Esri
Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
Feature geometry.
Esri
Coordinates defining the features.
Country where the Saltmarsh polygon is located.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
State or province code defining the location of each saltmarsh polygon (two letters country code + two letters state/province code).
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Name of the features described by each polygon, as reported by the source of each dataset.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
> Brackish Marsh > Coastal Marsh > Coastal Saltmarsh > Dieoff Depression > Estuarine and Marine Wetland > Estuarine Emergent Wetland > Halophilous Vegetation > High Marsh dominated by Common Glasswort and Canada Sandspurry > High Marsh dominated by Common Reed > High Marsh dominated by Prairie Cordgrass > High Marsh dominated by Saltmeadow Cordgrass > High Marsh dominated by Saltmeadow Cordgrass and Cosmopolitan Bulrush > High Marsh dominated by Saltmeadow Cordgrass and Goose Tongue > High Marsh dominated by Saltmeadow Cordgrass and Vanilla Grass > High Marsh dominated by Sedges > High Marsh used for Agriculture > High Marsh; J.gerardii > High Marsh; Mix > High Marsh; S.alterniflora > High Marsh; S.patens-D.spicata > High Saltmarsh > Low Marsh > Low Marsh dominated by Baltic Rush > Low Marsh dominated by Cattails > Low Marsh dominated by Common Glasswort > Low Marsh dominated by Common Threesquare > Low Marsh dominated by Purple Loosestrife > Low Marsh dominated by Smooth Cordgrass > Low Marsh dominated by Smooth Cordgrass and Common Glasswort > Low Marsh dominated by Wild Rice > Marsh Grasses and Sedges > Panne > Salicornia spp. > Salicornia Virginica > Salt or Brackish Marsh > Salt Shrub > Saltmarsh > Short form S. alterniflora > Terrestrial border > Wrack
Description of the original dataset used to acquire each polygon.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
> British Columbia ShoreZone Observed Habitat Polygons > New Brunswick Hydrographic Network > Nova Scotia Forest Inventory > Prince Edward Island Wetlands Inventory > St. Lawrence Wetlands Database > UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) > United States National Wetlands Inventory > NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP)
Year of the publication of the last update of the dataset used as input.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Name of the entity responsible on providing each dataset.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
> CAN: BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development > CAN: Department of Energy and Resource Development > CAN: Environment and Climate Change Canada > CAN: New Brunswick Dept. of Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife Branch > CAN: Nova Scotia Dept. of Lands and Forestry > CAN: Nova Scotia Dept. of Natural Resources, Wildlife Division > CAN: PEI Dept. of Agriculture and Forestry > CAN: PEI Dept. of Environment, Energy and Forestry > CAN: The British Columbia Marine Conservation Analysis (BCMCA) > MEX: National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) The Nature Conservancy > USA: Dept. of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Coastal Services Center (CSC) > USA: Fish and Wildlife Service > USA: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Center for Spatial Analysis) > USA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management > USA: Rhode Island Geographic Information System (RIGIS) Data Distribution System
Year of origin of data reported by the source of each dataset (this can be year when data was taken or when the data was originally published by the source).
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
> 1977-2020 > 1991 > 1995 > 1997 > 1999 > 2000 > 2001 > 2002 > 2003 > 2004 > 2005 > 2007 > 2008 > 2009 > 2010 > 2011 > 2012 > 2013 > 2014 > Not Reported
Reported method of data acquisition as reported by the source of each dataset.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
> Field Survey > Not Reported > Remote Sensing > Remote Sensing, Field Survey > Remote Sensing, Ground-Truth
Scale of the input data used in each polygon or general dataset as reported by the source.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
> 1:10,000 > 1:10,000 - 1:12,500 > 1:17,500 > 1:24,000 > 1:24,000 - 1:25,000 > 1:60,000 > Not Reported
Resolution of the input data used in each polygon or general dataset as reported by the source.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
> 0.5 m > 12 m > 30 m > 5 m > Not Reported
General description of the source dataset used to derive each polygon.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
> A derivative of the PEI Corporate Land Use Inventory 2010 - Digital Aerial Photography. > Case Study: Shoreline habitat classification for Northern California Current (NCC), Pacific Northwest Coast (PNWC), Northwest Atlantic Coastal and Marine (NAC-marine) Ecoregional Assessments. > Combination of county level sections of the Nova Scotia Forest Inventory and extraction of saltmarshes classes. > Data Prepared by NSDNR from 1:10,000 air photos and Landsat imagery. > Digital outline of PEI wetlands taken from 1: 17 500 CIR aerial photography during the 2000 Corporate Land Use Inventory. > Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission - Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (1999-2010). > New Brunswick wetland classification for 2003-2012 photo cycle. > Not Reported > Province of British Columbia, BC Physical and Biophysical ShoreZone Mapping System 1989-2004. Data from British Columbia Marine Conservation Analysis (BCMCA). > Province of British Columbia, BC Physical and Biophysical ShoreZone Mapping System. Data from Coastal Resource Information Management System (CRIMS). > Province of New Brunswick, Hydrographic Network containing information on wetland types and describing the location of coastal marshes. > The Saint-Lawrence Wetlands Mapping Project is a multi-year project that mapped portions of shores of the St-Lawrence river, using remote-sensed imagery from 1990/91, 1996/97, 2000, and 2002. > This data set consists of salt marsh habitats for the state of Rhode Island derived from high resolution (0.5m) imagery collecting during June 2012. > This data set is intended to establish a baseline to document statewide tidal wetland change over time. It focuses on salt marsh system response to relative sea level rise, documenting both changing quality and quantity of this habitat. > This data set represents the extent, approximate location and type of wetlands and deep-water habitats in the United States and its Territories. These data delineate the areal extent of wetlands and surface waters as defined by Cowardin et al. (1979). > U.S. Department of the Interior, 2012. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wetlands Inventory.
Full citation of the used data source. Modified APA 7th citation style to fit in a maximum of 254 characters.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
> BC FLNRORD (2018) ‘British Columbia ShoreZone Observed Habitat Polygons’, BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development – GeoBC, Victoria, BC, Canada. > Dibblee, Randy (2000) ‘Digital outline of PEI freshwater wetlands taken from 1: 17 500 CIR aerial photography during the 2000 Corporate Landuse Inventory’, 1:17,500, PEI Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada. > ERD (2018) ‘New Brunswick Hydrographic Network (NBHN)’, New Brunswick Department of Energy and Resource Development, Fredericton, NB, Canada. > Létourneau, G. & M. Jean (2005) ‘Mapping the Wetlands of the St. Lawrence using Remote Sensing (1990–91)’, Environment and Climate Change Canada. > Létourneau, G. & M. Jean (2006) ‘Mapping the Wetlands of the St. Lawrence using Remote Sensing (1996–97)’, Environment and Climate Change Canada. > Létourneau, G. & M. Jean (2006) ‘Mapping the Wetlands of the St. Lawrence using Remote Sensing (2000)’, Environment and Climate Change Canada. > Létourneau, G. & M. Jean (2006) ‘Mapping the Wetlands of the St. Lawrence using Remote Sensing (2002)’, Environment and Climate Change Canada. > Mcowen, C. J. et al. (2017) ‘A global map of saltmarshes’, Biodiversity Data Journal, 5 (1). > NOAA C-CAP (2020) ‘New Hampshire Salt Marsh Habitats 2013’, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management, USA. > NSDLF (2020) ‘Nova Scotia Interpreted Forest Inventory - Current Forest Data’, 1:10,000 - 1:12,500, Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry, Halifax, NS, Canada. > RIGIS (2017) ‘Salt Marsh Habitats; saltmarsh12’, Rhode Island Geographic Information System (RIGIS) Data Distribution System, Environmental Data Center, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA. > U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2020) ‘National Wetlands Inventory - Version 2 - Surface Waters and Wetlands Inventory’, 1:24,000 and 1:25,000, U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington D.C., USA.
Identification code of the datasets reported in the data sources full description document.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
> SM_01 > SM_02 > SM_03 > SM_04 > SM_05 > SM_06 > SM_07 > SM_08
The size of the shape in square meters.
ESRI
None. Acknowledgement of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation would be appreciated in products derived from these data.
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