<descriptor thcode="62"><thesaurus thcode="62" name="Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard" scope="Categories of ecosystems for coastal, estuarine, and marine environments." creator="FGDC" rights="public domain" date="2017-05-10" codetype="alpha" prefix="cmecs" uri="https://www2.usgs.gov/science/CMECS" tblname="cmecs" root_code="root" contact="pschweitzer"><category><term thcode="25" code="16" name="hierarchical" parent="11" scope="Substantive broader-narrower relationships exist among the terms."/><term thcode="25" code="16" name="hierarchical" parent="11" scope="Substantive broader-narrower relationships exist among the terms."/></category><altlabel><altlabel>CMECS</altlabel><altlabel>CMECS</altlabel><altlabel>Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS)</altlabel><altlabel>Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS)</altlabel></altlabel></thesaurus><term thcode="62" code="BC-388" name="Floating/Suspended Microbes" parent="BC-384" scope="Biotic Class: Aggregations of microbes that are floating or suspended in the water column and not attached to the bottom or to any benthic substrate."/><bt><term thcode="62" code="BC-384" name="Planktonic Biota" parent="BC-C002" scope="Biotic Setting: Planktonic Biota includes biota that drift, float, or remain suspended in the water column in aggregations that are big enough to be (a) detected by the human eye (or with mild magnification) or (b) sampled with a fine-plankton net. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="BC-C002" name="Biotic" parent="root"/><term thcode="62" code="root" name="CMECS" scope="Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard: Category terms encompassing waters from the head of tide or inland incursion of ocean salinity to the splash zone of the coasts to the deepest portions of the oceans and the deep waters of the Great Lakes."/></bt><nt><term thcode="62" code="BC-417" name="Films and Strands" parent="BC-388" scope="Biotic Subclass: Aggregations of microbes in a very thin layer (millimeters or less) on the water's surface or at a discontinuity layer within the water column. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="BC-419" name="Microbial Aggregation" parent="BC-388" scope="Biotic Subclass: Aggregations of microbes within the water column that have detectable, visible color. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="BC-418" name="Microbial Foam" parent="BC-388" scope="Biotic Subclass: Aggregations of microbes within the foam matrix that forms on the water's surface. ..."/></nt></descriptor>