1 1.10 Application of estuarine and coastal classifications in marine ...

In a hierarchical framework for the Scotian Shelf, Roff et al. (2003) classified pelagicbenthic
seascapes by combining a classification of benthic seascapes (based on temperature,
bottom temperature, exposure, slope and sediment types), with a classification of pelagic
seascapes (based on water temperature, depth classes and stratification classes) (Figure 2A).
These layers were then used to calculate a derivative map to show relative seascape
heterogeneity (Figure 2B) in order to identify areas with high heterogeneity as potential focal
areas for marine conservation. Further utility can be gained by quantifying the seascape
composition of existing or proposed marine protected areas, for linking to key faunal populations
or behavioral patterns such as migratory corridors for megafauna and addresses questions about
habitat use and preferences at scales that may be more meaningful to the highly mobile
organisms (Box 3). Furthermore, such information can help understand marine species
distributions and characterize essential fish habitat including nursery and spawning areas.
Using similar organizational frameworks, seascapes have been classified and delineated in
Australia (Harris 2007); the Gulf of Maine (CLF/WWF 2006); the Irish Sea (Vincent et al.
2004), and the Baltic Sea (Al-Hamdani et al. 2007). In the UK, four main categories of seascape
types (or marine landscapes) have been defined (Connor et al. 2006). These are:
1.) Coastal (physiographic) features, such as fjords and estuaries, where the seabed and water
body are closely interlinked.
2.) Topographic and bed-form features, occurring away from the coast and forming distinct
raised or deepened features of the seabed at various scales;
3.) Broad-scale seabed habitats, defined through modeling and broadly equivalent to EUNIS
higher level habitat classes;
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