Shoreline habitat classifications
Search habitat classifications and diagnostic species for the shorelines of Puget Sound and the Washington coast. Classifications are adapted from the Washington State ShoreZone Inventory linear shoreline data.*
Select a class name below to view more detail. To re-sort table data, select a column heading. ID numbers are based on a scale of habitat units determined by the Shorezone mapping system. Numbers for habitats not occurring in the state of Washington are not included.
*This 2014 update was conducted by Megan Dethier, author of the original 1990 publication A marine and estuarine habitat classification system for Washington State created for the Washington Natural Heritage Program. The 2014 fish species analysis was conducted by Charles Simenstad. The project was commissioned for the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound by the University of Washington Puget Sound Institute. Read more about this update.
| ID | Class name | km | Primary Substrate | Stability | Substrate key details |
Wave exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marine, intertidal, bedrock, exposed, eulittoral | 72.0 | Bedrock | Stable | No sediment except sand scour at some sites | Exposed |
| 45 | Marine, intertidal, artificial, exposed, eulittoral | 7.0 | Rock, concrete, wood | Stable | Human-placed, hard | Exposed |
| 5 | Marine, intertidal, boulder, exposed, eulittoral | 13.0 | Bedrock | Stable | No sediment except sand scour at some sites | Exposed |
| 25 | Marine, intertidal, sand, exposed, eulittoral | 190.0 | Sand | Mobile | Sand, no stable features | Exposed, Semi-exposed |
| 17 | Marine, intertidal, mixed coarse, exposed, eulittoral | 30.0 | Gravel | Semi-stable surface features | Cobble, pebble, sand (some stable surface features) | Exposed, Semi-exposed |
| 22 | Marine, intertidal, gravel, partially exposed, eulittoral | 67.0 | Gravel | Mobile | No stable surface features | Exposed, Semi-exposed, Semi-protected |
| 55 | Estuarine, intertidal, boulder, lagoon, eulittoral | 0.3 | Bedrock | Stable | No mobile sediment | Prot, Very Prot |
| 51 | Estuarine, intertidal, bedrock, lagoon, eulittoral | 2.0 | Bedrock | Stable | No mobile sediment | Prot, Very Prot |
| 28 | Marine, intertidal, sand, protected, eulittoral | 19.0 | Sand | Mobile | Pebble, sand, mud (few stable surface features) | Protected |
| 59 | Estuarine, intertidal, hardpan, lagoon, eulittoral | 2.0 | Hardpan | Stable | Semi-solid rock, some overlying sand | Protected |
| 71 | Estuarine, intertidal, gravel, lagoon, eulittoral | 3.0 | Gravel | Mobile | Few stable surface features | Protected |
| 48 | Marine, intertidal, artificial, protected, eulittoral | 8.0 | Rock, concrete, wood | Stable | Human-placed, hard | Protected |
| 72 | Estuarine, intertidal, gravel, channel/slough, eulittoral | 0.6 | Gravel | Mobile | Few stable surface features | Protected |
| 24 | Marine, intertidal, gravel, protected, eulittoral | 3.0 | Gravel | Mobile | No stable surface features | Protected |
| 20 | Marine, intertidal, mixed coarse, protected, eulittoral | 76.0 | Gravel | Semi-stable surface features | Cobble, pebble, sand (some stable surface features) | Protected |
| 88 | Estuarine, intertidal, organic, channel/slough, eulittoral | 103.0 | Organic | Stabilized by vegetation | No stable surface features | Protected, Very protected |
| 83 | Estuarine, intertidal, mud, lagoon, eulittoral | 126.0 | Mud | Mobile | Few stable surface features | Protected, Very protected |
| 8 | Marine, intertidal, boulder, protected, eulittoral | 8.0 | Bedrock | Stable | No sediment except surface siltation | Protected, Very protected |
| 67 | Estuarine, intertidal, mixed coarse, lagoon, eulittoral | 16.0 | Gravel | Semi-stable surface features | Some stable surface features (cobbles) | Protected, Very protected |
| 87 | Estuarine, intertidal, organic, lagoon, eulittoral | 31.0 | Organic | Stabilized by vegetation | No stable surface features | Protected, Very protected |
| 68 | Estuarine, intertidal, mixed coarse, channel/slough, eulittoral | 3.0 | Gravel | Semi-stable surface features | Some stable surface features (cobbles) | Protected, Very protected |
| 4 | Marine, intertidal, bedrock, protected, eulittoral | 119.0 | Bedrock | Stable | No sediment except surface siltation | Protected, Very protected |
| 86 | Estuarine, intertidal, organic, partly enclosed, eulittoral | 69.0 | Organic | Stabilized by vegetation | No stable surface features | Protected, Very protected |
| 85 | Estuarine, intertidal, organic, open, eulittoral | 6.0 | Organic | Stabilized by vegetation | No stable surface features | Protected, Very protected |
| 75 | Estuarine, intertidal, sand, lagoon, eulittoral | 39.0 | Sand | Stabilized by vegetation | Marsh vegetation | Protected, Very protected |
| 95 | Estuarine, intertidal, artificial, lagoon, eulittoral | 107.0 | Stable | Human-placed, hard | Protected, Very protected | |
| 36 | Marine, intertidal, mud, protected, eulittoral | 3.0 | Mud | Mobile | No stable surface features; sediments mostly fine | Protected, Very protected |
| 32 | Marine, intertidal, mixed fine, protected, eulittoral | 78.0 | Sand | Mobile | Pebble, sand, mud (few stable surface features) | Protected, Very protected |
| 76 | Estuarine, intertidal, sand, channel/slough, eulittoral | 32.0 | Sand | Stabilized by vegetation | Marsh vegetation | Protected, Very protected |
| 90 | Estuarine, intertidal, reef, partly enclosed, eulittoral | 429.0 | Organic | Stabilized by vegetation | No stable surface features | Protected, Very protected |
| 79 | Estuarine, intertidal, mixed fine, lagoon, eulittoral | 149.0 | Sand | Mobile | Few stable surface features | Protected, Very protected |
| 82 | Estuarine, intertidal, mud, partly enclosed, eulittoral | 192.0 | Mud | Mobile | Few stable surface features | Protected, Very protected |
| 2 | Marine, intertidal, bedrock, partially exposed, eulittoral | 114.0 | Bedrock | Stable | No sediment except sand scour at some sites | Semi-exposed |
| 6 | Marine, intertidal, boulder, partially exposed, eulittoral | 3.0 | Bedrock | Stable | No sediment except sand scour at some sites | Semi-exposed |
| 49 | Estuarine, intertidal, bedrock, open, eulittoral | 76.0 | Bedrock | Stable | No mobile sediment | Semi-exposed |
| 14 | Marine, intertidal, cobble, partially exposed, eulittoral | 8.0 | Cobble | Mobile | Sand under (unstable) cobbles at some sites | Semi-exposed |
| 18 | Marine, intertidal, mixed coarse, partially exposed, eulittoral | 75.0 | Gravel | Semi-stable surface features | Cobble, pebble, sand (some stable surface features) | Semi-exposed |
| 46 | Marine, intertidal, artificial, partially exposed, eulittoral | 8.0 | Rock, concrete, wood | Stable | Human-placed, hard | Semi-exposed |
| 93 | Estuarine, intertidal, artificial, open, eulittoral | 4.0 | Rock, concrete, wood | Stable | Human-placed, hard | Semi-exposed, Semi-protected |
| 69 | Estuarine, intertidal, gravel, open, eulittoral | 11.0 | Gravel | Mobile | Few stable surface features | Semi-exposed, Semi-protected |
| 70 | Estuarine, intertidal, gravel, partly enclosed, eulittoral | 30.0 | Gravel | Mobile | Few stable surface features | Semi-exposed, Semi-protected |
| 73 | Estuarine, intertidal, sand, open, eulittoral | 14.0 | Sand | Mobile | No stable surface features | Semi-exposed, Semi-protected |
| 26 | Marine, intertidal, sand, partially exposed, eulittoral | 38.0 | Sand | Mobile | Sand, no stable features | Semi-exposed, Semi-protected |
| 65 | Estuarine, intertidal, mixed coarse, open, eulittoral | 2.0 | Gravel | Semi-stable surface features | Some stable surface features (cobbles) | Semi-protected |
| 3 | Marine, intertidal, bedrock, semi-protected, eulittoral | 123.0 | Bedrock | Stable | No sediment | Semi-protected |
| 7 | Marine, intertidal, boulder, semi-protected, eulittoral | 2.0 | Bedrock | Stable | No sediment | Semi-protected |
| 19 | Marine, intertidal, mixed coarse, semi-protected, eulittoral | 58.0 | Gravel | Semi-stable surface features | Cobble, pebble, sand (some stable surface features) | Semi-protected |
| 81 | Estuarine, intertidal, mud, open, eulittoral | 0.8 | Mud | Mobile | Few stable surface features | Semi-protected |
| 27 | Marine, intertidal, sand, semi -protected, eulittoral | 22.0 | Sand | Mobile | Sand, no stable features | Semi-protected |
| 31 | Marine, intertidal, mixed fine, semi-protected, eulittoral | 9.0 | Sand | Mobile | Pebble, sand, mud (few stable surface features) | Semi-protected |
| 47 | Marine, intertidal, artificial, semi-protected, eulittoral | 10.0 | Rock, concrete, wood | Stable | Human-placed, hard | Semi-protected |
| 50 | Estuarine, intertidal, bedrock, partly enclosed, eulittoral | 86.0 | Bedrock | Stable | No mobile sediment | Semi-protected |
| 54 | Estuarine, intertidal, boulder, partly enclosed, eulittoral | 28.0 | Boulder | Stable | No mobile sediment | Semi-protected |
| 58 | Estuarine, intertidal, hardpan, partly enclosed, eulittoral | 70.0 | Hardpan | Stable | Semi-solid rock, some overlying sand | Semi-protected |
| 78 | Estuarine, intertidal, mixed fine, partly enclosed, eulittoral | 555.0 | Sand | Mobile | Few stable surface features | Semi-protected, Protected |
| 77 | Estuarine, intertidal, mixed fine, open, eulittoral | 15.0 | Sand | Mobile | Few stable surface features | Semi-protected, Protected |
| 23 | Marine, intertidal, gravel, semi-protected, eulittoral | 7.0 | Gravel | Mobile | No stable surface features | Semi-protected, Protected |
| 74 | Estuarine, intertidal, sand, partly enclosed, eulittoral | 565.0 | Sand | Mobile | No stable surface features | Semi-protected, Protected |
| 66 | Estuarine, intertidal, mixed coarse, partly enclosed, eulittoral | 792.0 | Gravel | Semi-stable surface features | Some stable surface features (cobbles) | Semi-protected, Protected |
| 94 | Estuarine, intertidal, artificial, partly enclosed, eulittoral | 206.0 | Rock, concrete, wood | Stable | Human-placed, hard | Semi-protected, Protected |
