Bio Unit

Table A-7. Data dictionary for BIOUNIT table

The BioUnit Table is the biological complement to the Unit table. It houses biological information related to the entire unit, including biological wave exposure and habitat class. Administrative information is also included in the BioUnit table, including biomapper and editor names, digital photos for the unit, ground station number, and the sources of information used in the biological interpretations.

Field Name	Type	Description
UnitRecID	N	Automatically-generated number field; the database primary key required for relationships between tables
PHY_IDENT	T	Unique physical identifier; an alphanumeric string comprised of the Region, Area, Unit, and Subunit separated by slashes (e.g. 12/03/0552/0)
BIOAREA	T	Geographic division used to describe regional differences in observed biota and coastal habitats (*additional note follows)
EXP_BIO	T	Biological Exposure, estimated on the basis of observed indicator species (see Section 3.2 for details)
HAB_CLASS	T	Primary Habitat Classification determined by the biological mapper that combines the exposure (EXP_BIO) and the geomorphic features of the shoreline (see Table A-8 and A-9)
HAB_OBS	N	Original categories used to classify habitat type; not used in current protocol but kept for backward-compatibility with earlier projects; replaced by HAB_CLASS
HAB_CLASS_LTRS	T	Habitat Class in alphabetic code, derived from the HAB CLASS lookup table
BIO_SOURCE	T	The source used to interpret coastal zone biota: Videotape, (V2) lower quality video imagery, Slide, Inferred
HAB_CLASS2	N	Secondary Habitat Classification determined by the biological mapper used to denote lagoon habitat types (**additional note follows)
HC2_SOURCE	T	Source used to interpret the Secondary Habitat Class (HC2) lagoon: OBServed as viewed from video, LooKUP referring to Form Code (Table A-11) Lo or Lc in across-shore physical component table (XShr)
HC2_Note	T	Comment field for Secondary Habitat Class (HC2)
RIPARIAN%	N	Estimate of the percentage of alongshore length of the intertidal zone, in which the shoreline is shaded by overhanging riparian vegetation; all substrate types (***additional note follows)
RIPARIAN_M	N	Length in meters, of the unit shaded by overhanging riparian vegetation; all substrate types; calculated using LENGTH_M field of UNIT table
BIO_UNIT_COMMENT	T	Biological comments regarding the entire along-shore unit
BIO_MAPPER	T	The initials of the biological mapper that provided the biological interpretation of the imagery
BIO_MAP_DATE	D/T	Date of biological mapping
PHOTO	Y/N	Identifies if there is a photo (digital or slide) associated with the unit (see BIOSLIDE table)

* Further description of the BIOAREA attribute:

BIOAREA NAME (Alaska ShoreZone mapping to date)	BIOAREA Code	SUFFIX used in database to identify bioarea
Outer Kenai	KENA	8
Cook Inlet	COOK	9
Kodiak Island	KODI	10
Katmai / Shelikof Strait side of Kodiak Island	KATM	11
Aniakchak	ANIA	11
Southeast Alaska -- Lynn Canal (fjord)	SEFJ	12
Southeast Alaska -- Sitka	SESI	12
Southeast Alaska -- Icy Strait	SEIC	12
Southeast Alaska -- Yakutat	SEYA	12
Southeast Alaska -- Misty Fjords	SEMJ	12
Southeast Alaska -- Craig	SECR	12
Prince William Sound	PRWS	13

** Further description of the HabClass2 attribute:

The ‘Secondary Habitat Class’ was added as an attribute in the BioUnit Table during biological mapping of the Kodiak Archipelago in order to specifically identify lagoon habitats. Many backshore lagoons were observed in the Kodiak region, and they represent an unusual coastal habitat that differs from other estuaries and marshes.

Units classified as lagoons contain brackish or salt water contained in a basin with limited drainage. They are often associated with wetlands and may include wetland biobands in the upper intertidal. Single units classified as lagoons often have the lagoon form in the A zone; however, some lagoons are large and may encompass several units when the lagoon form is mapped as the C zone. Further detail is provided in the Physical Mapping section.

*** Further description of the Riparian% attribute:

As an attribute in the BioUnit table, this category is intended to be an index for the potential habitat for upper beach spawning fishes.

The value recorded in the ‘Riparian%’ field is an estimate of the percentage of the unit’s total alongshore length in which riparian vegetation (trees and shrubs) shades the upper intertidal zone. Shading of the highest high water line is a good estimate of riparian shading; therefore, shading of wetland herbs and grasses is not included in the estimate, nor is any shading of the splash zone alone.

Shading must be visible in the upper intertidal zone, and the shading vegetation must be woody trees or shrubs. Riparian overhanging vegetation is also an indicator of lower wave exposures, in which the splash zone is narrow. Shading may occur in on sediment-dominated or in rocky intertidal settings.