St. Marys River 2021 ESI Benthic Data for Submerged Aquatic Vegetation

These vector polygons and points represent benthic data, specifically submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), for the Great Lakes St. Marys River System. The data is part of the 2021 Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) study characterizing sensitivity to oil spills, created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The study area covers the St. Marys River from near Lake Superior to the headwaters of Lake Huron.

Use Cases

• Modeling oil spill sensitivity and impact zones based on benthic habitat data.
• Mapping the distribution of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) for conservation planning.
• Analyzing species-specific abundance and seasonality for benthic resources using associated attribute tables.

Strengths

• Data is part of a standardized Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) framework for oil spill response.
• Includes associated tables with species-specific attributes like abundance and seasonality.
• Spatially covers a defined study area of the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Primary file format is PDF, which may complicate direct geospatial analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Part of the 2021 Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) study for the Great Lakes St. Marys River System.

Time Range

2021

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:27:07.039978; freshness should be verified.

Geography

St. Marys River, from near Monocle Lake and Iroquois Island (Lake Superior) to the headwaters of Lake Huron, Michigan, North America.