Coastal GIS for Geomorphology , Habitat Mapping ,

This sixth special issue on Marine and Coastal Geographic Information Systems (M&CGIS) 11 is the first to be based on an organized series of presentations at a conference, the 2008 12 Association of American Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, 13 USA. The papers were selected and peer reviewed for publication in this special issue 14 under the theme “Marine Geomorphology as a Determinant for Essential Life Habitat: 15 An Ecosystem Management Approach to Planning for Marine Reserve Networks” (see 16 presentations and resources online at http://marinecoastalgis.net/aag08). The sessions were 17 cosponsored by the Coastal and Marine, Geographic Information Science and Systems, 18 and Biogeography specialty groups of the AAG. The unifying goal of these sessions was 19 to examine critically the growing body of data suggesting that the underlying geology and 20 geomorphology of marine environments dictate the location of critical life habitat for a 21 variety marine species. For example, it is becoming clearer that spawning aggregations of 22 many species of commercially important reef fishes commonly occur at the windward edge 23 of reef promontories that jut into deep water (e.g., Heyman et al. 2007; Heyman et al. 2005). 24 As another example, seamounts serve as attractors for pelagic fishes and as stepping stones 25 for transoceanic species dispersal (e.g., de Forges et al. 2000; Stocks et al. 2004). The broad 26 implications of these findings suggest that geomorphology might be used as a proxy for (or 27 at least help to identify) critical life habitat for marine species and thus serve to advance