Marine Ecoregions of the World

Marine Ecoregions of the World (MEOW) comprises a biogeographic classification of the world's coasts and shelves. The ecoregions nest within the broader biogeographic tiers of Realms and Provinces. MEOW represents broad-scale patterns of species and communities in the ocean, and was designed as a tool for planning conservation across a range of scales and assessing conservation efforts and gaps worldwide. The current system focuses on coast and shelf areas and does not consider realms in pelagic or deep benthic environment. It is hoped that parallel but distinct systems for pelagic and deep benthic biotas will be devised in the near future.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated May 31, 2024, 20:22 (UTC)
Created February 8, 2021, 18:45 (UTC)
Region TC
Language eng
Topic Category Biota; flora and/or fauna in natural environment
Temporal Extent Start 2006-01-01
Temporal Extent End 2007-07-01
Dataset Reference Date 2007
Lineage Mapping methodology and complete description of the dataset is available in the publication: Spalding, M.D., Fox, H.E., Allen, G.R., Davidson, N., Ferdaña, Z.A. et al., 2007. Marine ecoregions of the world: a biore-gionalization of coastal and shelf areas. BioScience, 57 (7), 573-583 (see the atached PDF file).
West Longitude -180
South Latitude -89.9
East Longitude 180
North Latitude 86.9194
Spatial Reference System WGS84
Responsible Organisation Name Hidden (personal data protection)
Contact Mail Address Hidden (personal data protection)
Responsible Party Role Hidden (personal data protection)
Access Limitations Open access
Use Constraints Open
Resource Reference Spalding, M.D., Fox, H.E., Allen, G.R., Davidson, N., Ferdaña, Z.A. et al., 2007. Marine ecoregions of the world: a biore-gionalization of coastal and shelf areas. BioScience, 57 (7), 573-583
Data Format shape
Update Frequency unknown
Accuracy approximate
Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Date 2021-02-09
Metadata Point of Contact Hidden (personal data protection)
Contact Consent Contact details hidden