<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="GC-217" name="Anthropogenic" parent="GC-C052" scope="Geoform Origin: In many coastal and deep oceans, artificial structures (such as piers, breakwaters, bulkheads, berms, drilling rigs, and artificial reefs) are a significant part of the environment. ..."/><bt><term thcode="62" code="GC-C052" name="Geoform (levels 1 and 2 subcomponents)" parent="GC-C005"/><term thcode="62" code="GC-C005" name="Geoform" 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="GC-218" name="Aquaculture Structure" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: These structures can take many forms: lines suspended over the sediment, floating wooden frameworks sub-tidal structures attached to the benthos such as wooden piers and platforms, and pens and enclosures (both at the surface and submerged). ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-219" name="Artificial Bar" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: Shoal or bar constructed by human activity to influence the movement of water and tides?or reduce surface wave activity within an area."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-221" name="Artificial Dike" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: A raised, linear barrier intended to contain or hold back water in order to prevent flooding of adjacent land. These may be concrete or fill structures."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-223" name="Artificial Reef" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: An artificial structure placed on the ocean floor to provide a hard substrate for sea life to colonize. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-224" name="Artificial Scar" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: A gouge or deformation of the bottom, or an area where the surface of the substrate, vegetation, or other colonizing organisms have been removed by abrasion or impact. These may be temporary or permanent features."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-230" name="Breachway" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: The shoreline that is created along the channel formed by jetties."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-228" name="Breakwater/Jetty" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: Structures extending more or less perpendicularly from the shore into a body of water, which are designed to direct and confine the current or tide, to protect a harbor, or to prevent shoaling of a navigable inlet by littoral materials."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-231" name="Bulkhead" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: An artificially reinforced section of the shoreline (or the structure itself). ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-227" name="Buoy" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: Anchored objects that float in a relatively fixed position at the water surface. Most buoys are used as navigational aids and markers for channels, but many buoys also contain scientific or other observational instruments."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-233" name="Cable" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: Structures that serve as linear conduits for electricity or as supporting lines for other in-water or above-water infrastructure."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-232" name="Cable Area" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: An area through which one or more cables have been placed in (or on) the substrate. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-234" name="Canal" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: (a) Man-made channels produced to facilitate navigation between water bodies. (b) Generally linear, dredged, closed-ended ditches that have been dug between housing units along the coast."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-235" name="Dam" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: An obstruction across a flow that produces a lake, pond, or other widening."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-236" name="Dock/Pier" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: A landing place for vessels normally oriented perpendicular to the shore with a flat surface for off-loading materials. Docks may be fixed in position through anchors or piles, or be supported by pilings or other structures."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-238" name="Dredge Deposit" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: A subaqueous area that is substantially shallower than the surrounding area, which resulted from the deposition of materials from dredging and dumping."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-240" name="Dredge Disturbance" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: An area of the seafloor impacted by dredging activities. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-237" name="Dredged/Excavated Channel" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: A roughly linear, deep area within an existing water body formed by a dredging operation for navigation purposes (after Wells et al. 1994)."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-241" name="Drilling (Oil and Gas) Rig" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: Large structures built to house workers and machinery needed to drill wells in the ocean bed in order to extract oil or other natural resources. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-242" name="Fill Area" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: A topographically low area into which unconsolidated material has been placed in order to raise the ground level as part of development or expansion of coastal infrastructure."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-244" name="Fish Pond" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: These are mostly enclosed basins, usually along the shore used to trap fish. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-245" name="Harbor" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: A small bay or a sheltered part of a sea, lake, or other large body of water. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-246" name="Lock" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: A chamber designed to lift vessels?from one water body to another?by adjusting the level of water in the chamber."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-247" name="Lost/Discarded Fishing Gear" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: This consists of nets, floats, weights and cabling associated with fishing activities, usually at a commercial level. This type of debris forms a serious hazard for marine life and can persist in the environment for long periods."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-248" name="Marina/Boat Ramp" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: A series of docks, walkways, slips, and support infrastructure (such as cables and small pipelines) for in-water storage of yachts and boats. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-249" name="Mooring Field" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: These are anchorages with many small, fixed buoys in place for securing yachts and other vessels."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-250" name="Mosquito Ditch" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: Straight, narrow channels that were dug to drain the upper reaches of salt marshes in order to control the populations of mosquitoes that breed there. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-251" name="Outfall/Intake" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: Outfalls are pipelines or tunnels that discharge municipal or industrial wastewater, storm water, combined sewer overflows, cooling water, or brine effluents to a receiving water body. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-252" name="Pilings" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: A structure formed by piles that are long, slender columns?usually made of timber, steel, or reinforced concrete (see Figure 6.10)."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-253" name="Pipeline Area" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: A corridor through which one or more pipelines have been placed."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-254" name="Rip Rap Deposit" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: An accumulation of rock or boulders placed along a waterway or shoreline to reduce erosion."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-256" name="Salt Pond" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: Usually enclosed areas just landward of the shoreline with a permanent-to-intermittent flooding regime of saline-to-hypersaline waters."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-255" name="Salt Pond Complex" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: A series of shallow ponds separated by berms or levels, designed to produce salt from marine water or other brines through the process of evapotranspiration. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-257" name="Seawall" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: A man-made wall or embankment of stone, reinforced concrete, or other material along a shore that was built to prevent wave erosion. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-258" name="Tidal/Wave Energy Structure" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: Structures that consist of long booms deployed at the surface or turbines placed on the seafloor or other structures. Some portions of these structures may form attachment surfaces for sessile fauna."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-259" name="Trash Aggregation" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: Aggregations of submerged, floating or suspended trash. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-260" name="Wharf" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: A structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. ..."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-261" name="Wind Energy Structure" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: Structures deployed in the marine environment in order to produce energy from the wind. These structures often consist of piling, cabling supports, and associated anchoring devices."/><term thcode="62" code="GC-262" name="Wreck" parent="GC-217" scope="Geoform: Any of a variety of man-made structures (such as sunken ships or collapsed drilling rigs) that have fallen to the seafloor. ..."/></nt></descriptor>