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Marine habitats

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English name Marine habitats Key navigation    Open tree navigation    Diagram icon

EUNIS habitat type code   A Level   1
Edition   EUNIS Habitat Classification 2012 - a revision of the habitat classification descriptions.

Description ( English )

Marine habitats are directly connected to the oceans, i.e. part of the continuous body of water which covers the greater part of the earth’s surface and which surrounds its land masses. Marine waters may be fully saline, brackish or almost fresh. Marine habitats include those below spring high tide limit (or below mean water level in non-tidal waters) and enclosed coastal saline or brackish waters, without a permanent surface connection to the sea but either with intermittent surface or sub-surface connections (as in lagoons). Rockpools in the supralittoral zone are considered as enclaves of the marine zone. Includes marine littoral habitats which are subject to wet and dry periods on a tidal cycle including tidal saltmarshes; marine littoral habitats which are normally water-covered but intermittently exposed due to the action of wind or atmospheric pressure changes; freshly deposited marine strandlines characterised by marine invertebrates. Waterlogged littoral saltmarshes and associated saline or brackish pools above the mean water level in non-tidal waters or above the spring high tide limit in tidal waters are included with marine habitats. Includes constructed marine saline habitats below water level as defined above (such as in marinas, harbours, etc) which support a semi-natural community of both plants and animals. The marine water column includes bodies of ice.

Source

Hill, M.O., Moss, D. & Davies, C.E. (2001)

External links


Relationships with other classifications

Classification Code Title Relation type
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410 A Marine habitats same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308 A Marine habitats same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202 A Marine habitats same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910 A Marine habitats same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199811 A Marine habitats same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199712 A Marine habitats same
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 200112 1 Coastal and halophytic communities wider
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 200112 11 Ocean and seas, marine communities narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905 1 Part of Coastal and halophytic communities wider
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997 1 Part of Coastal and halophytic communities wider
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996 1   wider
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1993 1   wider
CORINE Biotopes Classification 1991 1   wider
CORINE Biotopes Classification 1989 1   wider
EUNIS

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