Observed Eelgrass Beds is a 1:24,000 scale, polygon feature-based layer that depicts the locations of observed eelgrass beds in Long Island Sound, in major rivers, and within bays, harbors and other waterbodies along Connecticut's coast.  The layer is based on information from the Eelgrass Sample Points layer.  It represents conditions at a particular point in time (1993 to 1995).  During the 1993-95 field seasons a team of researchers from the University of Connecticut Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology led by Charles Yarish, equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS), SCUBA, and a 20' boat surveyed over 800 potential eelgrass locations.  Their GPS coordinates and field notes were used to create a point coverage entitled Eelgrass Sample Points, which was plotted and checked on a 1:24000 scale base map of the Connecticut shore.  These point locations, observations, and the nearshore bathymetry were then used to delineate areas representing both observed and potential eelgrass beds.  Eelgrass beds were initially digitized at 1:24,000 scale, but have been edited and revised on screen at higher resolution.  Keeping in mind the temporal and spatial variability of eelgrass, beds may vary in size, shape, and density from year to year.  

Feature locations may not always be exact due to equipment failure or lack of satellite reception.  In those cases, points were estimated from field notes.  It should be noted that the Observed Eelgrass Beds layer is not a complete dataset of all observed eelgrass sites in Connecticut and/or Long Island Sound.  This layer was published in 1997 and is not updated.  It does not represent current conditions.  

There are 101 polygon features representing observed eelgrass beds in this layer.  Geographic locations are as follows:  westernmost areas:  Clinton Harbor;  easternmost areas:  Little Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island waters.  Observed beds range in size from .003 acre (131 sq. ft.) to 49 acres (2,136,608 sq. ft.).  The total area of observed beds is 632.6 acres.

Observed Eelgrass Beds is 1:24,000-scale data.  The purpose of this datalayer is to depict the locations of observed eelgrass along Connecticut's coast.  The polygons in this layer were created from the Eelgrass Sample Points layer.  This layer is not intended for maps printed at map scales greater or more detailed than 1:24,000 scale (1 inch = 2,000 feet.)

For more information, refer to the Eelgrass Sample Points and Potential Eelgrass Beds layers.

ground condition

None. The data is in the public domain and may be redistributed.

None. No restrictions or legal prerequisites for using the data.  Note, the data is not intended for maps printed at map scales greater or more detailed than 1:24,000 scale (1 inch = 2,000 feet.)  Once acquired, any modification made to the data must be noted in the metadata. When printing this information on a map or using it in a software application, analysis, or report, please acknowledge the State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection as the source for this information.

Includes Observed Eelgrass Bed polygon features such as eelgrass density (AV_LEGEND), code for eelgrass density (TYPE), point frequency within each polygon (FREQUENCY), size of the feature in acres (ACREAGE), size of the feature in square feet (SHAPE_AREA), and perimeter of feature area (SHAPE_LENGTH).  Use the AV_LEGEND attribute to symbolize features by density on a map.  The AV_LEGEND attribute decodes the TYPE attribute.  

Observed Eelgrass Areas stored as digital vector data

State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection

Logical consistency for this layer is not known.

The completeness of the data reflects the feature content of the data sources, which includes the GPS data files and field notes.  This layer is complete in the sense that it accurately reflects the contents of the above referenced source information available at the time the State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection created the layer. However, compared to current conditions, this layer is incomplete and is not updated.

Attribute accuracy is unknown.

The horizontal positional accuracy of this data is unknown.

Observed Eelgrass Beds

Geographic information sytem (GIS), computer-aided drawing or other mapping software is necessary to display, view and access the information.

The data distributor does not provide custom GIS analysis or mapping services. Data is available in a standard format and may be converted to other formats, projections, coordinate systems, or selected for specific geographic regions by the party receiving the data.