Northwest Atlantic Marine Ecoregional Assessment (NAM ERA)

Abstract

To better facilitate and locate use and conservation of Long Island Sound, it is critical to understand its underwater and seafloor worlds—particularly geographic areas of ecological importance. Currently, decisions are made in Long Island Sound without a full picture of these factors.

The Long Island Sound Ecological Assessment (LISEA) enhances the spatial understanding of the Sound’s submerged habitats and in so doing contributes to the body of knowledge needed to help reduce potential future conflicts between and among human uses and ecologically significant resources. The LISEA identifies Ecologically Notable Places (ENP) derived from the collection, organization and spatial analysis of biological and physical data across the Sound using a state-of-the-art methodology. This methodology is based on the Northwest Atlantic Marine Eco-Regional Assessment, a large-scale marine assessment from North Carolina to the Bay of Fundy (NAM ERA Greene et al. 2010; Anderson et al. 2010).

A principal product of the LISEA is a Sound-wide map of the Ecologically Notable Places which was created using two complementary assessments:

1. analysis of biological data (emphasizing the persistence of fish and invertebrates)
2. areas of seafloor complexity (complex bottom structure used as a proxy for marine life and habitats)

Additional Resources

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Citation

Anderson M.G. and Frohling N., eds. (2015). The Long Island Sound Ecoregional Assessment. The Nature Conservancy, Eastern U.S. Division, Boston, MA.