Ecosystem classification and mapping of the Laurentian Great Lakes
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Abstract
Owing to the enormity and complexity of the Laurentian Great Lakes, an ecosystem classification is needed to better understand, protect, and manage this largest freshwater ecosystem in the world. Using a combination of statistical analyses, published knowledge, and expert opinion, we identified key driving variables and their ecologically relevant thresholds and delineated and mapped aquatic systems for the entire Great Lakes. We identified and mapped 77 aquatic ecological units (AEUs) that depict unique combinations of depth, thermal regime, hydraulic, and landscape classifiers. Those 77 AEU types were distributed across 1997 polygons (patches) ranging from 1 to >48 000 km2 in area and were most diverse in the nearshore (35 types), followed by the coastal margin (26), and then the offshore (16). Our classification and mapping of ecological units captures gradients that characterize types of aquatic systems in the Great Lakes and provides a geospatial accounting framework for resource inventory, status and trend assessment; research for ecosystem questions; and management and policy-making.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Ecosystem classification and mapping of the Laurentian Great Lakes |
| Series title | Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |
| DOI | 10.1139/cjfas-2017-0242 |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Year Published | 2018 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Canadian Science |
| Contributing office(s) | Great Lakes Science Center |
| Description | 20 p. |
| First page | 1693 |
| Last page | 1712 |
| Country | Canada, United States |
| Other Geospatial | Laurentian Great Lakes |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |