Benthic community samples in Long Island Sound collected by P.L. McCall (1975), USGS OFR 00-304

This GIS layer, which focuses on benthic communities, was developed as part of a cooperative project between the University of New Haven, the Connecticut DEP, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Benthic communities are an integral component of the ecology of Long Island Sound. Understanding the role that spatial heterogeneity plays in the dynamic of benthic landscapes may be a key to developing a better understanding of the estuarine ecology and the impacts of human activity. The purpose of providing this data layer is to help establish a regional framework for developing a more extensive GIS for benthic communities in Long Island Sound that can be used for education, research, and environmental management. This GIS layer provides the location where samples were taken in a survey conducted by P.L. McCall (1975).