Benthic and Landcover Characterization of Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve

Habitat maps were created as part of a larger ecological assessment conducted by NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS), Biogeography Branch, 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 Branch. A classification scheme was set up with 20 benthic habitat types, 19 land cover types, and 13 mangrove habitat types. These habitats were mapped directly into a GIS system through visual interpretation of orthorectified aerial photographs.