NEPR Geographic Zone Map 2015

This geographic zone map was created by interpreting satellite and aerial imagery, seafloor topography (bathymetry model), and the new NEPR Benthic Habitat Map (2015). The area of interest includes the nearshore shallow waters (0-35m) of Fajardo and Luqillo to the Former Roosevelt Roads Navy Base, the Vieques Sound, La Cordillera Reserve, the Luis Pena Reserve, and the waters around Culebra Island. A zone refers to each benthic community's geographic location and geomorphological structure. The geographic zone map was manually digitized the shoreline and the zone features for the entire area of interest in ArcGIS at the 1:6000 scale. The map was classified into 12 geographic zones based on the schema that has been developed by the Biogeography Branch, and which also match the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS).