Belize Aquatic Ecosystems Map
Table of Contents
IDENTIFICATION_INFORMATION
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Esselman, P.
Originator: Boles, E.
Originator: Meerman, J.
Originator: Myvett, G.
Originator: Higgins, J.
Originator: Fitzhugh, T.
Originator: Warner, A.
Publication_Date: 20050903
Title: Belize Aquatic Ecosystems Map
Edition: 3 September 2005
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Map
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Belmopan, Belize, Central America
Publisher: Esselman, P.C.
Other_Citation_Details:
Online_Linkage: HTTP://biological-diversity.info
Larger_Work_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator:
Publication_Date:
Title:
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place:
Publisher:
Online_Linkage:
Description:
Abstract:
Aquatic Ecological Systems of Belize is the end product of
an experts workshop held on 18-19 January 2002 in Punta
Gorda, Belize to classify aquatic ecosystems of the
country. We used The Nature Conservancy's aquatic
classification framework, which is a hierarchical spatial
framework for classifying aquatic ecosystems where smaller
classification units are defined within larger units at
four nested scales (from largest to smallest): (1)
zoogeographic subregion, (2) ecological drainage unit
(EDU), (3) aquatic ecological system, and (4) macrohabitat.
This shapefile focuses on aquatic ecological systems
(macrohabitats were not classified). We distinguished AESs
by populating a matrix of river reaches by major
environmental factors thought to control the structure and
function of aquatic ecosystems. Thus, the map reflects
variation in dominant physical/environmental factors in
rivers rather than actual biological systems. These factors
included stream size, underlying geology, water source
(surface, ground, or mixed), elevation, water clarity
(clear vs. blackwater), saltwater intrusion, and
connectivity to downstream and upstream habitats. Any
unique combination of these factors was considered a
distinct AES. Forty-five distinct AESs were defined for the country.
Purpose:
To display unique combinations of physical factors in
stream and river ecosystems of Belize that are likely to
influence the composition, structure, and function of
biological communities.
Supplemental_Information:
Lentic water ecosystems are inadequately dealt with here
and may be dealt with in future iterations. This should be
largely considered a stream and river data layer.
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date: 19 January 2002
Ending_Date: 3 September 2005
Currentness_Reference: workshop date to publication date
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: Irregular
Spatial_Domain:
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -89.2727
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -88.0829
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 18.5029
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 15.8788
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: rivers
Theme_Keyword: streams
Theme_Keyword: aquatic ecosystems
Theme_Keyword: habitat classification
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: Belize
Place_Keyword: Central America
Access_Constraints:
None
Use_Constraints:
Any errors or problems associated with the use of this
product are the sole responsibility of the user, not the
authors or publishers of this work.
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization:
Contact_Person: Peter Esseelman
Contact_Position: Independent Consultant
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 220 Third St.
City: Ann Arbor
State_or_Province: MI
Postal_Code: 48103
Country: United States of America
Contact_Voice_Telephone:
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone:
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: pesselman@hotmail.com
Hours_of_Service:
Native_Data_Set_Environment:
ArcView version 3.3 shapefile format
h:\belizeaquaticecosystemmap\bze_aquatic_10.8.05\gis\aqu_ecol_sys.shp
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DATA_QUALITY_INFORMATION
Attribute_Accuracy:
Attribute_Accuracy_Report:
Attribute accuracy was tested by comparing theme overlays
of the data with source data. The accuracy of the aquatic
ecological system classes has not yet been assessed with
field data on physical or biological factors. Thus, while
the system breakpoints accurately represent the underlying
source material, the physical and biological basis of the
shape file remain unvalidated with field data.
Logical_Consistency_Report:
Completeness_Report:
This dataset deals primarily with stream and river (lotic)
habitats and does not adequately address lentic water
habitats. Discrepencies in the source hydrography layer are
obvious on screen by a strong difference between drainage
network densities between rivers of the eastern versus
western portions of the Maya Mountains. When the apparent
drainage networks in the shape file were compared with
georeferenced 1:50,000 topographic maps that are thought to
be the base layer for the initial hydrography source data,
digitization errors were obvious for the western rivers,
where small stream segments were not digitized, whereas the
eastern river drainage networks were relatively complete.
Categorical definitions were used to populate our
arc-by-environmental parameter matrix as follows:
Size: headwater/stream (1st-3rd order); small river
(4th-5th order); medium river (6th order); large river
(7th); savanna stream; brackish lagoon complex; freshwater
lagoon complex; freshwater mangrove swamp; oxbow lakes;
needs verification (significant uncertainty requiring info
collection/expert consultation). Stream order was
calculated manually for each river size category.
Geology: Limestone; Pleistocene (recent alluvial and marine
deposits); Toledo beds (mudstone/shale); Santa Rosa
(granites/mtemorphic sedimentary); Bladen volcanic member.
These geologic types were aggregated to reflect broad
geologic categories (e.g., Santa Rosa versus sandstone plus
+ granite + metasediments.
Source: groundwater (GW), surface water (SW), mixed,
wetlands; estimated from local knowledge of the systems
Elevation: Low (0-39 meters); Moderate (40-79 meters);
Medium (80-119 meters); High (120-1,100 meters); calculated
from topographic maps.
Water Clarity: clear, black; based on local knowledge
Saltwater Intrusion: yes/no; estimate of position
Downstream connectivity to: small, medium, or large rivers,
saltwater intrusion into river, open water brackish lagoon
complex, cave, coastal
Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
Horizontal accuracy was qualitatively assessed by verifying
the location of the river arcs on screen relative to
georeferenced 1:50,000 British Airforce topographic maps of
the same geographic area. River locations generally
deviated less than 70m from the river courses represented
in the topo maps.
Vertical_Positional_Accuracy:
Vertical_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
Vertical accuracy was qualitatively assessed by verifying
the location of the river arcs on screen relative to
georeferenced 1:50,000 British Airforce topographic maps of
the same geographic area. River locations generally
deviated less than 70m from the river courses represented
in the topo maps.
Lineage:
Source_Information:
Source_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator:
Publication_Date:
Title:
Edition:
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: map
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place:
Publisher:
Other_Citation_Details:
Online_Linkage:
Larger_Work_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator:
Publication_Date:
Title:
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place:
Publisher:
Online_Linkage:
Source_Scale_Denominator:
Type_of_Source_Media:
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date:
Ending_Date:
Source_Currentness_Reference:
Source_Citation_Abbreviation:
Source_Contribution:
Source_Information:
Source_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Land Information Center
Publication_Date:
Title: Belize geology
Edition:
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: map
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Belmopan, Belize
Publisher: Land Information Center, Ministry of Natural Resources
Other_Citation_Details:
Original source of geology data unknown; source metadata
unavailable from publisher.
Online_Linkage:
Larger_Work_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator:
Publication_Date:
Title:
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place:
Publisher:
Online_Linkage:
Source_Scale_Denominator:
Type_of_Source_Media: CD-rom
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date:
Ending_Date:
Source_Currentness_Reference:
Source_Citation_Abbreviation:
Source_Contribution:
Geological types used to identify geology and connectivity.
Source_Information:
Source_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Land Information Center
Publication_Date:
Title: Belize geology
Edition:
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: map
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Belmopan, Belize
Publisher: Land Information Center, Ministry of Natural Resources
Other_Citation_Details:
Original source of geology data unknown; source metadata
unavailable from publisher.
Online_Linkage:
Larger_Work_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator:
Publication_Date:
Title:
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place:
Publisher:
Online_Linkage:
Source_Scale_Denominator:
Type_of_Source_Media: CD-rom
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date:
Ending_Date:
Source_Currentness_Reference:
Source_Citation_Abbreviation:
Source_Contribution:
Geological types used to identify geology and connectivity.
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
1. The hydrography of Belize was projected onto the wall
using an LCD projector.
2. Local experts evaluated each of the classification
variables for each stream and wetland arc for the entire
country .
3. As any of the classification variables changed in our
data matrix a new system type was defined, and the GIS
technician simultaneously classified the new type by number
in the shapefile. 4.
After the initial classification of stream and wetland
segments, the shapefile was groomed for errors.
Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation:
Process_Date: 19 September 2002
Source_Produced_Citation_Abbreviation:
Process_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Organization:
Contact_Person: Peter C. Esselman
Contact_Position: Independent Consultant
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 220 Third St.
City: Ann Arbor
State_or_Province: MI
Postal_Code: 48103
Country: United States of America
Contact_Voice_Telephone:
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone:
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: pesselman@hotmail.com
Hours_of_Service:
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SPATIAL_DATA_ORGANIZATION_INFORMATION
Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector
Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:
SDTS_Terms_Description:
SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: Complete Chain
Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 13266
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SPATIAL_REFERENCE_INFORMATION
Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:
Planar:
Grid_Coordinate_System:
Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator
Universal_Transverse_Mercator:
UTM_Zone_Number: 16 north
Transverse_Mercator:
Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.999600
Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -87.000000
Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.000000
False_Easting: 500000.000000
False_Northing: 0.000000
Planar_Coordinate_Information:
Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: Coordinate pair
Coordinate_Representation:
Abscissa_Resolution: Preferred Scale 1
Ordinate_Resolution: Preferred Scale 1
Planar_Distance_Units: Meters
Geodetic_Model:
Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1927
Ellipsoid_Name: Clarke 1866
Semi-major_Axis: 6378206.4000000
Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 294.98
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ENTITY_AND_ATTRIBUTE_INFORMATION
Overview_Description:
Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
Categorical definitions were used to populate our
arc-by-environmental parameter matrix as follows:
Size: headwater/stream (1st-3rd order); small river
(4th-5th order); medium river (6th order); large river
(7th); savanna stream; brackish lagoon complex; freshwater
lagoon complex; freshwater mangrove swamp; oxbow lakes;
needs verification (significant uncertainty requiring info
collection/expert consultation). Stream orders determined
by the Strahler ordering systems by manual examination of
maps.
Geology: Limestone; Pleistocene (recent alluvial and marine
deposits); Toledo beds (mudstone/shale); Santa Rosa
(granites/mtemorphic sedimentary); Bladen volcanic member
Source: groundwater (GW), surface water (SW), mixed,
wetlands
Elevation: Low (0-39 meters); Moderate (40-79 meters);
Medium (80-119 meters); High (120-1,100 meters)
Water Clarity: clear, black
Saltwater Intrusion: yes/no
Downstream connectivity to: small, medium, or large rivers,
saltwater intrusion into river, open water brackish lagoon
complex, cave, coastal
AES: Aquatic Ecological System numeric class.
Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
Esselman, P., E. Boles, J. Meerman, G. Myvett, J. Higgins,
T. Fitzhugh, and A. Warner. 2005. Belize Aquatic Ecosystems
Map: HTTP://biological-diversity.info>.
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DISTRIBUTION_INFORMATION
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: Belize Tropical Forest Studies
Contact_Person: Jan Meerman
Contact_Position: Director
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: P.O. Box 208,
City: Belmopan
State_or_Province: Cayo District
Postal_Code: N.A.
Country: Belize
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 501-820-4017
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone:
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: meerman@biological-diversity.info
Hours_of_Service:
Resource_Description:
Aquatic Ecological Systems of Belize.
Distribution_Liability:
Users must assume responsibility to determine the
appropriate use of these data. Authors, publisher, and
distributors are not responsible for any problems or
liabilities accrued to others because of the use of these data.
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METADATA_REFERENCE_INFORMATION
Metadata_Date: 20050903
Metadata_Review_Date: 20050903
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization:
Contact_Person: Peter Esselman
Contact_Position: Independent Consultant
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: Mailing and physical address
Address: 220 Third St.
City: Ann Arbor
State_or_Province: MI
Postal_Code: 48103
Country: United States of America
Contact_Voice_Telephone:
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone:
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: pesselman@hotmail.com
Hours_of_Service:
Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC CSDGM
Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998
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