Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Program 2005 1 vector digital data Silver Spring, MD NOAA's Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/sari_cd/about.aspx Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Program 20050430 Habitat maps were created as part of a larger ecological assessment conducted by NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS), Biogeography Program, for Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve (National Park Service). Aerial photographs were obtained for 2000 from the National Geodetic Survey, and were orthorectified by the Biogeography Program. A classification scheme was set up with 20 benthic habitat types, 19 land cover types, and 13 mangrove habitat types. For this map of seagrass and mangrove habitats during 1992 only the 3 seagrass, and 14 mangrove classification categories were used. These were mapped directly into a GIS system through visual interpretation of orthorectified aerial photographs. These maps were created to support current and future monitoring and management efforts of the National Park Service (NPS) for this site, and support the programmatic objectives of the NPS service-wide Inventory and Monitoring Program. In particular, maps created from the time series of the photographs cover periods both before and after Hurricane Hugo (1989), providing insight to habitat changes that occurred following the disaster. Coordinate Units are decimal degrees Geodetic Model Horizontal Datum Name is North American Datum of 1983 Ellipsoid Name is Geodetic Reference System 80 Semi-major Axis is 6378206.400000 Denominator of Flattening Ratio is 294.978698 20000120 ground condition Complete None planned -64.765150 -64.746527 17.796164 17.757953 CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Benthic Habitat EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Mangroves > Monitoring > Remote Sensing EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Mapping > Base map > Aerial Photography EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Plants > Seagrass > Monitoring > Remote Sensing CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus Geographic Information > Habitats None National Park Service Coastal Ecosystem Science ISO 19115 Topic Category environment 007 CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > Caribbean Sea > Virgin Islands > St. Croix > Salt River Bay (17N064W0022) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > U. S. Virgin Islands > St. Croix > Salt River Bay (17N064W0022) None U.S. Virgin Islands St. Croix Salt River Bay Salt River Bay Historical Park and Ecological Preserve CoRIS Region USVI None Not for Navigation Department of the Interior (DOI), National Park Service (NPS), Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve mailing address

National Park Service (NPS)

2100 Church St.

Christiansted St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands 00820-4611 (340) 773-1460 zandy_hillis-starr@nps.gov Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Program Microsoft Windows 2000 Version 5.0 (Build 2195) Service Pack 4; ESRI ArcCatalog 8.3.0.800 Methods used to create this map were similar to those used to maps of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by the same office ("Benthic Habitat Maps of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands", 2001). An accuracy assessment conducted for the original maps was designed to determine the accuracy of maps generated from on-screen digitizing using the ArcView Habitat Digitizer Extension. Benthic habitat maps exhibited an overall accuracy of 93.6 percent (Kappa 0.90-0.93) for on-screen digitizing. In comparison, the map described here was created from higher resolution imagery (25 microns), finer minimum mapping unit (MMU) (100 square meters), and habitat delineation occurred at a smaller image scale (1:1500). A greater number of ground truth points over more habitat types were verified for the year 2000 mapping data, in a study site of much smaller area. Methods were otherwise the identical to those used previously. Attribute accuracy was therefore presumed to be equivalent to or better than that of the previous map, although an assessment was not conducted on the current map directly. Individual color aerial photographs from 2000 were georeferenced and mosaiced. Approximately 10-15 ground control points were used to orthorectify the mosaic. During the digitizing process, image stretches and manipulating image contrast, brightness and color balance were performed in the ArcView Image Analysis Extension to enhance features in the processed imagery. Additional, collateral information including previously completed habitat maps, NOS nautical charts, and other descriptive references dealing with benthic and coastal habitats of St. Croix were used to assist with image interpretation. Over 200 ground truth points were also checked to verify photographic signature with habitat interpretation. GIS topologic quality was established by executing ArcView extension routines that check for: overlapping polygons, multipart polygons, sliver polygons and void polygons. Additionally, checks for adjacent polygons with the same habitat attributes were completed. All errors were identified and corrected. This file is believed to be logically consistent. Delineation of all habitat boundaries was conducted with the image scale at 1:1500. All polygons were digitized at this scale except when subtle habitat boundaries were not easily discernable at 1:1500 and zooming out to a more broad scale was required to place boundaries correctly. Digitizing at a uniform scale ensures that the level of detail produced by the photointerpreter is consistent throughout the project. The Minimum Mapping Unit (MMU) for identifying habitats or features was 100 square meters for visual photointerpretation. The software utilized in this project was designed to alert the photointerpreter each time a polygon was drawn smaller than the MMU. When this occurred, the photointerpreter has the choice of weather to include the polygon in the dataset or not. The Minimum Mapping Unit (MMU) restriction was set to 100 square meters and digitizing was conducted at 1:1500 scale. Polygons were digitized directly from georegistered orthophotos with spatial accuracy approximately 1.0 meter. These maps represent conditions at the time the aerial photographs were obtained. When considering horizontal map accuracy, it is important to keep in mind that the ocean floor is a dynamic environment. Physical factors such as currents, erosion, and hurricanes and biological factors such as seasonal growth and die-off, affect the distribution and stability of terrestrial, mangrove and benthic habitats in this environment. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Program 2001 1 vector digital data Silver Spring, MD NOAA's Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) This project is a cooperative effort between the National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, the United States Geological Survey, the National Park Service, and the National Geophysical Data Center, to produce benthic habitat maps and georeferenced imagery for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This project was conducted in support of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. Twenty-one distinct benthic habitat types within eight zones were mapped directly into a GIS system using visual interpretation of orthorectified aerial photographs. Benthic features were mapped that covered an area of 1600 km^2. In all, 49 km^2 of unconsolidated sediment, 721 km^2 of submerged vegetation, 73 km^2 of mangroves, and 756 km^2 of coral reef and colonized hardbottom were mapped. http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/benthic/welcome.html CD-ROM 1999 2001 ground condition Benthic Habitats of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands This document identifies the benthic habitat types attributed in this data set. Ken Buja 2001 3.1 Silver Spring, MD NOAA's Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/digitizer/welcome.html computer program 2001 publication date Habitat Digitizer This ArcView extension was used to digitize and attribute benthic zones and habitats for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Geodetic Survey (NGS) 2000 remote-sensing image These photographs were mosaicked and georeferenced by NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS), National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Program aerial photography and scanned photographs 20000120 ground condition NGS aerial photos Benthic features were interpreted and mapped from NGS aerial photos of the Salt River Bay region of aerial photographs of St. Croix, U.S.V.I. Benthic habitat maps were digitized by delineating habitat boundaries from georeferenced imagery loaded into ArcView 3.2 GIS software with the Image Analysis extension and NOAA Coral Reef Habitat Digitizing extensions both activated. On-screen digitizing was conducted with the minimum mapping unit (MMU) set to 100 square meters and the image scale at 1:1500. During the digitizing process, image stretches and manipulation of image contrast, brightness and color balance were performed in the ArcView Image Analysis Extension to enhance features in the processed imagery. Additional collateral information, including previously completed habitat maps, NOS nautical charts, and other descriptive references dealing with benthic and coastal habitats of Salt River National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve was used to assist with image interpretation. A first draft map was completed and features in the imagery where uncertainties existed, due to confusing or difficult to interpret signatures, were identified for future ground validation effort. An ArcView GIS point theme was generated with points positioned on the features of uncertain habitat type or along transects through gradients between habitat types. The GIS points were converted to GPS waypoints, and were visited for on the ground habitat validation. Benthic habitat characterization was conducted at each site by snorkeling, free diving, or via observations from the surface where water depth and clarity permitted. Mangrove habitat characterization was conducted by driving, kayaking or hiking to points and visually identifying mangrove type and cover. GPS data was collected at each location, and site ID, depth, habitat type, and the method used to make the assessment were recorded. The ground validation data was incorporated into the second draft of each map. 2004 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Program Biogeography Team Leader, Mapping Manager mailing and physical address

1305 East West Highway

Silver Spring MD 20910 301-713-3028 301-713-4388 steve.rohmann@noaa.gov 0 Vector G-Polygon 747 SARI_2000_habitats Shapefile Attribute Table User defined FID Internal feature number. ESRI Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated. Shape Feature geometry. ESRI Coordinates defining the features. UNIQUEID ID assigned to each habitat type software defined 1 Benthic/Artificial User Defined 2 Benthic/Coral Reef and Hardbottom/Coral Reef and Colonized Hardbottom/Aggregated Patch Reefs User defined 3 Benthic/Coral Reef and Hardbottom/Coral Reef and Colonized Hardbottom/Colonized Bedrock User defined 4 Benthic/Coral Reef and Hardbottom/Coral Reef and Colonized Hardbottom/Colonized Pavement User defined 5 Benthic/Coral Reef and Hardbottom/Coral Reef and Colonized Hardbottom/Colonized Pavement with Sand Channels User defined 7 Benthic/Coral Reef and Hardbottom/Coral Reef and Colonized Hardbottom/Linear Reef User defined 8 Benthic/Coral Reef and Hardbottom/Coral Reef and Colonized Hardbottom/Scattered Coral/Rock in Unconsolidated Sediment User defined 9 Benthic/Coral Reef and Hardbottom/Coral Reef and Colonized Hardbottom/Spur and Groove User defined 10 Benthic/Coral Reef and Hardbottom/Uncolonized Hardbottom/Reef Rubble User defined 11 Benthic/Coral Reef and Hardbottom/Uncolonized Hardbottom/Uncolonized Bedrock User defined 12 Benthic/Coral Reef and Hardbottom/Uncolonized Hardbottom/Uncolonized Pavement User defined 14 Benthic/Submerged Vegetation/Macroalgae/Patchy (Discontinuous) - 50% to less than 90% cover User defined 15 Benthic/Submerged Vegetation/Macroalgae/Patchy (Discontinuous) - 10% to less than 50% cover User defined 16 Benthic/Submerged Vegetation/Macroalgae/Continuous - 90% to 100% cover User defined 32 Benthic/Unconsolidated Sediments/Mud User defined 33 Benthic/Unconsolidated Sediments/Sand User defined 34 Benthic/Unknown User defined 37 Land/Bare Areas/Other User defined 38 Land/Bare Areas/Rock User defined 39 Land/Bare Areas/Sand/Beach User defined 40 Land/Bare Areas/Soil User defined 41 Land/Developed/Commercial User defined 46 Land/Inland Water Bodies/Freshwater Pond User defined 47 Land/Inland Water Bodies/Saltwater Pond User defined 49 Land/Natural & Semi-Natural Areas/Forest/Trees/Sparse - 1%-15% canopy coverage User defined 50 Land/Natural & Semi-Natural Areas/Forest/Trees/Open - 15%-65% canopy coverage User defined 51 Land/Natural & Semi-Natural Areas/Forest/Trees/Closed - >65% canopy coverage User defined 52 Land/Natural & Semi-Natural Areas/Shurbs/Bushes/Sparse - 1%-15% canopy coverage User defined 53 Land/Natural & Semi-Natural Areas/Shurbs/Bushes/Open - 15%-65% canopy coverage User defined 54 Land/Natural & Semi-Natural Areas/Shurbs/Bushes/Closed - >65% canopy coverage User defined 55 Land/Natural & Semi-Natural Areas/Vegetated Field User defined 56 Land/Roads/Paved User defined 57 Land/Roads/Unpaved User defined 58 Mangrove/Avicennia germanis/Closed - >65% canopy cover User defined 59 Mangrove/Avicennia germanis/Open - 15%-65% canopy coverage User defined 60 Mangrove/Avicennia germanis/Sparse - 1%-15% canopy coverage User defined 61 Mangrove/Dead User defined 62 Mangrove/Laguncularia racemosa/Closed - >65% canopy cover User defined 63 Mangrove/Laguncularia racemosa/Open - 15%-65% canopy coverage User defined 64 Mangrove/Laguncularia racemosa/Sparse - 1%-15% canopy coverage User defined 65 Mangrove/Mixed/Closed - >65% canopy cover User defined 66 Mangrove/Mixed/Open - 15%-65% canopy coverage User defined 67 Mangrove/Mixed/Sparse - 1%-15% canopy coverage User defined 68 Mangrove/Rhizophora mangle/Closed - >65% canopy cover User defined 69 Mangrove/Rhizophora mangle/Open - 15%-65% canopy coverage User defined 70 Mangrove/Rhizophora mangle/Sparse - 1%-15% canopy coverage User defined 71 Benthic/Submerged Vegetation/Seagrass/Patchy (Discontinuous) - 10% to less than 50% cover User defined 72 Benthic/Submerged Vegetation/Seagrass/Patchy (Discontinuous) - 50% to less than 90% cover User defined 73 Benthic/Submerged Vegetation/Seagrass/Continuous - 90% to 100% cover User defined 74 Land/Developed/Residential User defined LOCATION Top level habitat classification category User defined refer to classification scheme HABITAT Second level habitat classification category user defined refer to classification scheme TYPE Third level habitat classification category user defined refer to classification scheme MODIFIER1 Fourth level habitat classification cateogry user defined refer to classification scheme REC Unique ID given to each individual polygon user defined Sequential unique whole numbers. AREA Area of each polygon in square meters ESRI defined variable Department of the Interior (DOI), National Park Service (NPS), Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve mailing address

National Park Service (NPS)

2100 Church St.

Christiansted St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands 00820-4611 (340) 773-1460 zandy_hillis-starr@nps.gov downloadable data The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) produced this data for Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve (NPS). NCCOS Biogeography Program does not guarantee the accuracy of the geographic features or attributes. Please see the metadata records for each data set for complete information on the source, limitations, and proper use. Disclaimer- While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. shapefile http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/products/biogeography/sari_cd/data/ free 20121218 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Program Matt Kendall mailing address

1305 East-West Highway

Silver Spring MD 20910 301-713-3028 301-713-4388 FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata FGDC-STD-001-1998 Local Time 20050720015709 None 20000120 20000120 http://www.coris.noaa.gov/metadata/records/html/salt_river_bay_st_croix_seagrass_mangroves_2000.html 983