|
description:
|
Thirteen mutually exclusive zones can be identified from shore to shelf edge corresponding to typical insular shelf and coral reef geomorphology. These zones include: Land, Salt Pond, Shoreline Intertidal, Reef Flat, Lagoon, Back Reef, Reef Crest, Fore Reef, Bank/Shelf, Bank/Shelf Escarpment, Channel, Dredged, and Unknown.Zone refers only to each benthic community’s location and does not address substrate or biological cover types that are found within. For example, the lagoon zone may include patch reefs, sand, or reef rubble; however, these are considered structural elements that may or may not occur within the lagoon zone and therefore, are not used to define it at this level in the scheme. |