gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:51675 eng UTF8 dataset GIS Files Office of Response and Restoration resourceProvider ESI Program Manager 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle WA 98115 orr.esi@noaa.gov pointOfContact 2026-03-04T19:17:18 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata Part 2 Extensions for imagery and gridded data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) geometryOnly complex 1390 Massachusetts and Rhode Island 2016 BENTHIC (Benthic Polygons) Massachusetts and Rhode Island 2016 BENTHIC (Benthic Polygons) 2016 publication NOAA/NMFS/EDM 51675 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/51675 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Full Metadata Record View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. information https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi_guidelines WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link ESI Guidelines Guidelines for developing ESI data content and overview of ESI data structure. Useful for data collectors and users requiring more in depth information on the ESI process. download https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link ESI Overview Overview of ESI data content and uses. download mapDigital This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for benthic species in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Vector polygons in this data set represent a few different species of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and macroalgae. Species-specific abundance, seasonality, status, life history, and source information are stored in associated data tables (described below) designed to be used in conjunction with this spatial data layer. This data set is a portion of the ESI data for Massachusetts and Rhode Island. As a whole, the ESI data characterize the marine and coastal environments and wildlife by their sensitivity to spilled oil, and include information for three main components: shoreline habitats, sensitive biological resources, and human-use resources. See also the BENTHICPT (Benthic Points) data layer for additional benthic information. The ESI data are intended to provide baseline environmental data for oil spill planning and response. The Clean Water Act with amendments by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requires response plans for immediate and effective protection of sensitive resources. The ESI data may be appropriate for many other coastal management efforts, though the original intent should be kept in mind. This project was supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R), Emergency Response Division (ERD), Seattle, Washington. completed ESI Program Manager 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle WA 98115 orr.esi@noaa.gov pointOfContact ESI Program Manager 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle WA 98115 orr.esi@noaa.gov custodian asNeeded Data content is considered static once published. However, if issues with the Geodatabase linkages or table contents are identified, the Geodatabase and/or the associated Map Document may be updated. Assure most current data is being used by downloading from https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi_download and/or comparing modification dates provided at this site. https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/ESI-Browse-Graphic.pdf Depicts the relationships between the spatial data layers and the attribute data tables for the Massachusetts and Rhode Island ESI data. pdf EARTH SCIENCE > HUMAN DIMENSIONS > ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS > OIL SPILLS theme Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords 17.0 CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > MASSACHUSETTS CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > RHODE ISLAND place Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords 20.8 Benthic Coastal Zone Management Coastal resources ESI Environmental Monitoring Oil spill planning Sensitivity maps Wildlife theme DOC/NOAA/NOS/ORR > Office of Response and Restoration, National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce dataCentre Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords 2017-04-24 publication 8.5 Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords GCMD Keyword Forum Page Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords information custodian Massachusetts and Rhode Island, 2016 project InPort otherRestrictions Cite As: Office of Response and Restoration, [Date of Access]: Massachusetts and Rhode Island 2016 BENTHIC (Benthic Polygons) [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/51675. NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose. otherRestrictions Access Constraints: None otherRestrictions Use Constraints: DO NOT USE MAPS FOR NAVIGATIONAL PURPOSES. Management boundaries are not to be considered legal boundaries. Edges may have been altered for cartographic processes. Note that the ESI database should not be used to the exclusion of other pertinent data or information held by state or federal agencies or other organizations. Likewise, information contained in the database cannot be used in place of consultations with environmental, natural resource, and cultural resource agencies, or in place of field surveys. Recognize that the information contained in the ESI database represents known concentration areas or occurrences of natural, cultural, and human-use resources, but does not necessarily represent the full distribution or range of each species or resource. This is particularly important to recognize when considering potential impacts to protected resources, such as endangered species, wetlands, etc. Besides the above warnings, there are no use constraints on these data. Acknowledgment of the originators, publishers, contributors, and sources listed would be appreciated in products derived from these data. otherRestrictions Distribution Liability: Although these data have been processed and used successfully on a computer system at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. NOAA warrants the delivery of this product in computer-readable format. If problems are encountered in downloading the ESI data or with file corruption, contact NOAA (see Distributor). These data represent a snapshot in time and temporal changes may have occurred. The data are not intended to include all biological or human-use resources present in an area; they focus on species and resources particularly sensitive to oiling. In the event of a spill, they should be used for a first assessment only. The data providers are the experts with regard to individual resources. They should be contacted to confirm if more current data exist or if in-depth information is needed about a particular resource. unclassified NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA/NMFS/EDM 51675 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nos/orr/dmp/pdf/51675.pdf WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. information crossReference vector textTable eng; US biota environment The software packages used to develop the atlas are Environmental Systems Research Institute's ArcGIS for Desktop 10.2(R) . The hardware configuration is PCs with Windows Operating System 7. -71.8944 -69.6609 40.9459 42.8876 | Currentness: Publication Date 2014 2016 false eng false BENTHIC 2019-02-19 publication BIOFILE 2019-02-19 publication BREED_DT 2019-02-19 publication SOURCES 2019-02-19 publication ESRI File Geodatabase Zip Office of Response and Restoration 1305 East-West Highway Silver Spring MD 20910 https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/ WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link ORR Home Page Website listed for Office of Response and Restoration information distributor https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi_download WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link MA_RI_ESI_2016.gdb This feature class is part of the downloadable Esri Arc Geodatabase. download dataset Accuracy A multi-stage error checking process is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. The process includes a standardized data entry methodology, data review by in-house and external resource experts, a final Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) process, and multiple automated logical consistency checks. Quantitative data (such as densities, counts, abundances, or concentrations) provided by resource experts for inclusion in the data set may vary widely in attribute accuracy, depending upon the methodology used to collect and compile such data. For a more detailed evaluation of source data attribute accuracy, contact the sources listed in the Lineage section. Completeness Report These data represent a synthesis of expert knowledge and digital data on submerged aquatic vegetation and macroalgae habitats. These data do not necessarily represent all benthic occurrences in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. See also the BENTHICPT (Benthic Points) data layer for additional benthic information. The following species are included in this data set: X00003, Hornleaf riverweed, Podostemum ceratophyllum; X00163, Cutleaf watermilfoil, Myriophyllum pinnatum; X00001, Eelgrass, Zostera marina; X00010, Rare aquatic/wetland plant; X00011, Green macroalgae, Chlorophyta; X00012, Red macroalgae, Rhodophyta; X00080, Widgeon grass, Ruppia maritima; X00085, Seagrass; X01036, Macroalgae. Conceptual Consistency A multi-stage error checking process, described in the above Attribute Accuracy Report, is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. This process includes multiple automated logical consistency checks that test the files for missing or duplicate data, rules for proper coding, GIS topological consistencies, and SQL SERVER(R) to ArcGIS(R) consistencies. A final review is made by the GIS manager, before the final Geodatabase and metadata are created. After the data are delivered to NOAA, they are again subjected to several consistency checks, and processed into the final delivery format. Developing ESI data for Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV). The most common SAV species in Massachusetts and Rhode Island is eelgrass (Zostera marina), but widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima) can be found as well in areas of less salinity. All SAV were assigned the mapping qualifier of “High Ecological Value”. Polygons depicting SAV in Rhode Island are primarily based on the 2012 dataset developed by the Rhode Island Eelgrass Mapping Task Force that utilized aerial survey and ground truthing as production methods. These areas of SAV were mapped with a concentration value of “Present”. Two SAV datasets produced by the URI Environmental Data Center in 2006 and 2009 were also used where they did not overlap the 2012 data, and these polygons were mapped with a concentration value of “Potential” based on local resource expert input. Jim Turenne, USDA-NRCS, provided input for additional widgeon grass coverage in coastal ponds in Little Compton and Sachem Pond on Block Island. Polygons depicting SAV in Massachusetts are based on datasets developed by the MassDEP Wetlands Conservancy Program Eelgrass Mapping Project in 2010, 2012, and 2013, all three layers of which together cover the entire Massachusetts coastline. MassDEP has been surveying since 1995 and relies on remote sensing of aerial imagery supplemented by underwater video data to acquire SAV extents. Additional eelgrass coverage was provided by Kathryn Ford, MDMF, for the Town of Sandwich, and by Todd Callaghan, Mass CZM for Boston Harbor and Salem Sound. All of these areas of SAV were mapped with a concentration value of either “Present”, “Patchy”, or “Dense”. Mass CZM produced a dataset for the 2015 Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan that augmented the MassDEP data by adding eelgrass patches from state and federal divers, and also historic and buffer data to include areas that might not have eelgrass currently but should be protected. Where these latter data did not overlap existing eelgrass polygons, they were mapped with a concentration of “Potential”. Two rare freshwater plants species, cutleaf watermilfoil (Myriophyllum pinnatum)(state threatened) and hornleaf riverweed (Podostemum ceratophyllum)(state species of concern) were also mapped as SAV in Rhode Island with a mapping qualifier of “Vulnerable Occurrence” and a concentration of “Present” using the 2016 RI DEM Natural Heritage Areas data. MADFW NHESP provided a single dataset for ten coastal and estuarine plant species that depend on the dynamic interface of land and water that changes on the coast with regularity. The areas of these data located in water were mapped as “Rare aquatic/wetland plant” (SAV) with the mapping qualifier “High Ecological Value” and a concentration of “Present”. 2016-01-01T00:00:00 ESI Program Manager orr.esi@noaa.gov processor Developing ESI data for Macroalgae. Macroalgae mapped for Rhode Island includes both red (Rhodophyta) and green (Chlorophyta). Both species have a year-round presence, but green algae have a strong seasonal component and are only present in large abundances in the summer and fall (Green and Deacutis, personal communication). Distribution polygons in Narragansett Bay based on data from summer and fall aerial surveys conducted by RI DFW between 2007 and 2012, and along coastal ponds and rocky shores by expert input from Lindsay Green and Carol Thornber, URI. Only high density accumulations were mapped with a concentration value of either 41-70% or 71-100% of total cover. Macroalgae depicted in Massachusetts consist of aquatic vegetation beds mapped as points using three data layers developed by Mass CZM for the 2015 Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan: Attached Mussel Beds, Canopy-forming Algal Beds (Kelps), and Soft Corals. These datasets indicate locations where benthic biota was observed in analyzed seafloor photographs from 2013, and the biological information was classified according to a modified version of the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS), Version 4.0, Benthic Biotic Component (Federal Geographic Data Committee, January 2012). The biotic subclass of macroalgae were extracted from these data and mapped with a concentration value of “Medium” based on density of cover. All digital data received from MA and RI for the Benthic Layer were edited as necessary to match NOAA ESI Shoreline layer included in this atlas. 2016-01-01T00:00:00 ESI Program Manager orr.esi@noaa.gov processor 12000 EELGRASS, 2015 MASSACHUSETTS OCEAN MANAGEMENT PLAN 2015-01-06 publication THE MASSACHUSETTS OFFICE OF COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT (CZM) http://www.mass.gov/eea/mop WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Source Citation URL Source Citation URL information 1995 2013 12000 EELGRASS, TOWN OF SANDWICH, 2015 KATHRYN FORD, MASSACHUSETTS DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES 2015-08-01 5000 MACROALGAE LOCATIONS IN RHODE ISLAND LINDSAY GREEN AND CAROL THORNBER, UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2016 12000 MASSDEP 2010 EELGRASS MAPPING 2013-07-01 publication MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (MASSDEP) WETLANDS CONSERVANCY PROGRAM, EELGRASS MAPPING PROJECT http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/it-serv-and-support/application-serv/office-of-geographic-information-massgis/datalayers/layerlist.html WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Source Citation URL Source Citation URL information 2010 12000 MASSDEP 2012 EELGRASS MAPPING 2013-07-01 publication MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (MASSDEP) WETLANDS CONSERVANCY PROGRAM, EELGRASS MAPPING PROJECT http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/it-serv-and-support/application-serv/office-of-geographic-information-massgis/datalayers/layerlist.html WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Source Citation URL Source Citation URL information 2012 12000 MASSDEP 2013 EELGRASS MAPPING 2014-09-01 publication MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (MASSDEP) WETLANDS CONSERVANCY PROGRAM, EELGRASS MAPPING PROJECT http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/it-serv-and-support/application-serv/office-of-geographic-information-massgis/datalayers/layerlist.html WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Source Citation URL Source Citation URL information 2013 5000 NARRAGANSETT BAY MACROALGAE FALL AND SUMMER HIGH DENSITY 2007-12 CHRIS DEACUTIS, RHODE ISLAND DIVISION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE, MARINE FISHERIES 2007 2012 5000 NATURAL HERITAGE AREAS 2016 SPATIAL DATA AND SUPPLEMENTAL SPECIES LIST 2016-05-11 publication PAUL JORDAN, RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT http://www.rigis.org/data WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Source Citation URL Source Citation URL information 2016-05-11 5000 SENSITIVE COASTAL SPECIES: BIRD, FISH, INVERTEBRATE, PLANT, AND REPTILE SPATIAL DATA MASSACHUSETTS DIVISION OF FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE, NATURAL HERITAGE ENDANGERED SPECIES PROGRAM (NHESP) 2016 5000 SOIL DATA COLLECTION POINTS FOR STATE OF RHODE ISLAND- SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION DATA JIM TURENNE, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SCIENCE (NRCS) 2015 5000 SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION (SAV) IN RHODE ISLAND COASTAL WATERS MIKE BRADLEY, UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND ENVIRONMENTAL DATA CENTER 2016 5000 SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION (SAV) IN RHODE ISLAND COASTAL WATERS (2006) 2013-02-14 publication UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND ENVIRONMENTAL DATA CENTER http://www.rigis.org/data WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Source Citation URL Source Citation URL information 2006 5000 SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION (SAV) IN RHODE ISLAND COASTAL WATERS (2009) 2013-02-14 publication UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND ENVIRONMENTAL DATA CENTER http://www.rigis.org/data WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Source Citation URL Source Citation URL information 2009 SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION (SAV) IN RHODE ISLAND COASTAL WATERS (2012) 2013-02-14 publication RHODE ISLAND EELGRASS MAPPING TASK FORCE http://www.rigis.org/data WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Source Citation URL Source Citation URL information 2012 12000 SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION IN MASSACHUSETTS COASTAL WATERS TODD CALLAGHAN, MASSACHUSETTS OFFICE OF COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT (CZM) 2016-07