GL_StClair_Detroit_River 2019 ESI: Benthic Polygons for Submerged Aquatic Vegetation

Vector polygon data representing benthic resources, specifically submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), for the St. Clair and Detroit River system in southeastern Michigan. The dataset is part of the 2019 Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) for the Great Lakes, characterizing sensitivity to oil spills. It was created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling oil spill impact sensitivity based on benthic habitat data.
• Mapping the distribution of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) for ecological studies.
• Integrating biological resource data with shoreline and human-use layers for comprehensive environmental assessments.

Strengths

• Data is part of a standardized Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) framework for oil spill sensitivity.
• Includes associated tables with species-specific attributes like abundance and seasonality.
• Covers a defined study area including Lake Huron, St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, Detroit River, and Lake Erie.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Likely collected and compiled as part of the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) mapping program.

Time Range

2019

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:27:01.661358; freshness should be verified.

Geography

St. Clair and Detroit River system, southeastern Michigan, including portions of Lakes Huron and Erie.