Ecological Systems

Due to the complexity and variety of ecological systems (often referred to as habitat) within the northern Gulf of Mexico, a common nomenclature is warranted to facilitate and standardize communication among stakeholders, partners and decision makers.  To this extent, GoMAMN has adopted the ecological systems nomenclature used by NOAA’s Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) with modifications to better reflect / define marine systems and upland open pine systems.  Modifications are based upon marine classifications identified within the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (2012) and open pine classifications identified by Nordman et al. (2016).