This dataset shows the global distribution of seagrasses, and is composed of two subsets of point and polygon occurence data. The data were compiled by UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre in collaboration with Dr Frederick T. Short (University of New Hampshire, USA).

This dataset represents Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of the world. Up to now, there was no global public domain cover available. Therefore, the Flanders Marine Institute decided to develop its own database. The database includes two global GIS-layers: one contains polylines that represent the maritime boundaries of the world countries, the other one is a polygon layer representing the Exclusive Economic Zone of countries. The database also contains digital information about treaties. Please note that the EEZ shapefile also includes the internal waters of each country http://www.marineregions.org/eezmethodology.php

FAO Major Fishing Areas for Statistical Purposes are arbitrary areas, the boundaries of which were determined in consultation with international fishery agencies on various considerations, including (i) the boundary of natural regions and the natural divisions of oceans and seas; (ii) the boundaries of adjacent statistical fisheries bodies already established in inter-governmental conventions and treaties; (iii) existing national practices; (iv) national boundaries; (v) the longitude and latitude grid system; (vi) the distribution of the aquatic fauna; and (vii) the distribution of the resources and the environmental conditions within an area. For various historical reasons the Areas in the Pacific were not so developed, with the exception of Area 87 corresponding to the CPPS area of competence. Initiatives for closer cooperation between agencies in the interest of better data, not only in the field of tunas, have suggested that some changes are necessary to the present FAO fishing areas/boundaries in the Pacific. The boundaries of fishing areas could be modified and adjusted according to new requirements, but it is inadvisable to introduce too frequent amendments to the already established areas. Revisions to boundaries should only be introduced after consultation with all the national fishery authorities and fishery agencies concerned with the areas under revision. Unless there are other over-riding reasons, boundaries lines should be drawn along 5° lines of longitude and latitude.

The original World Vector Shoreline (WVS) was a digital data file containing the shorelines, international boundaries, and country names of the world. WVS data were processed into NGA’s Vector Product Format in 1995, resulting in the highest resolution demarcation of coastline globally available, the World Vector Shoreline Plus. Six libraries exist, within this single worldwide database, at scales ranging from 1:250,000 to 1:120,000,000. Each library contains a Countries/Coastlines/Oceans (COC) coverage, including both line and area features such as coastlines, political boundary lines, and other lines of separation, administrative areas, and oceans. Each library also contains the following reference coverages: library reference (LIBREF), which gives an overview of the library; tile reference (TILEREF), which defines the tiling scheme for each library; and names placement (GAZETTE), which contains point features that represent the approximate centroid of each locality in the WVS Plus database. The maritime boundaries (MAB) and maritime boundaries supplemental (MBS) coverages contain maritime claims for each country as derived from the Maritime Claims Reference Manual, DOD 2005.1M, 2001. MAB and MBS are found only in the WVS250K library (1:250,000 scale). The bathymetry (BAT) coverage exists only in the WVS003M, WVS012M, and WVS040M libraries and contains depth contours and depth areas derived from the digital bathymetric database product. See the Vector Product Format (VPF) World Vector Shoreline (WVSPLUS) Draft Specification (MIL-PRF-89012A dated August 24, 1999) for a detailed product definition, and the VPF Military Standard (MIL-STD-2407) for more descriptions of VPF. Tidal Datum: Mean high water (MHW)

This dataset shows the global distribution of seagrasses, and is composed of two subsets of point and polygon occurrence data. The data were compiled by UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre in collaboration with Dr Frederick T. Short (University of New Hampshire, USA). The boundaries do not represent actual ranges as seagrass are distributed in waters shallow enough for sunlight to penetrate. No surface area calculations should be attempted.

Since 1984, the NOAA Fisheries Service's Large Marine Ecosystems (LME) Program has been engaged in the development and implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to support assessment and management of marine resources and habitats. Five linked program modules have been developed for introducing the LME approach: productivity, fish and fisheries, pollution and ecosystem health, socioeconomics, and governance. Taken together, these modules provide time-series measurements used to support actions for the recovery, sustainability, and management of marine resources and habitats. A global effort is underway by NOAA in partnership with the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the UN's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), and other UN agencies to improve the long-term sustainability of resources and environments of the world's 66 LMEs and linked watersheds. Scientific and technical assistance is provided to developing countries committed to policies and actions for eliminating transboundary environmental and resource-use practices that lead to serious degradation of coastal environments and their linked watersheds, and to losses in biodiversity and food security. LMEs are natural regions of ocean space encompassing coastal waters from river basins and estuaries to the seaward boundary of continental shelves and the outer margins of coastal currents. They are relatively large regions of 200,000 km2 or greater, the natural boundaries of which are based on four ecological criteria: bathymetry, hydrography, productivity, and trophically related populations. The theory, measurement, and modeling relevant to monitoring the changing states of LMEs are imbedded in reports on ecosystems with multiple steady states, and on the pattern formation and spatial diffusion within ecosystems. The concept that critical processes controlling the structure and function of biological communities can best be addressed on a regional basis has been applied to the ocean by using LMEs as the distinct units for marine resources assessment, monitoring, and management.

This dataset represents the Longhurst provinces (1998) of the world

Undersea feature names The GEBCO Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names (SCUFN) maintains and makes available a digital gazetteer of the names, generic feature type and geographic position of features on the sea floor. The gazetteer is available to view and download via a web map application, hosted by the International Hydrographic Organization Data Centre for Digital Bathymetry (IHO DCDB) co-located with the US National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). The data are available in a number of formats including spreadsheet, shapefile, KML, WMS and ArcGIS layer and can be accessed as a REST-style API. IHO-IOC GEBCO Gazetteer of Undersea Feature Names, www.gebco.net