Shoreline Sensitivity Rankings List
The following table is a complete list of shoreline classifications for Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps for three types of environmental settings:
- Estuarine: River-mouth; salt- or brackish-water.
- Lacustrine: Related to lakes.
- Riverine: Related to rivers, particularly large rivers.
Lower rankings represent shorelines that are less susceptible to damage by oiling; higher rankings become more likely to experience damage by oiling.
Visit our photo collection, ESI Shoreline Types, to see photos of many of the shoreline types.
ESI Rank | Estuarine | Lacustrine | Riverine |
---|---|---|---|
1A | Exposed rocky shores | Exposed rocky shores | Exposed rocky banks |
1B | Exposed, solid man-made structures | Exposed, solid man-made structures | Exposed, solid man-made structures |
1C | Exposed rocky cliffs with boulder talus base | Exposed rocky cliffs with boulder talus base | Exposed rocky cliffs with boulder talus base |
2A | Exposed wave-cut platforms in bedrock, mud, or clay | Shelving bedrock shores | Rocky shoals, bedrock ledges |
2B | Exposed scarps and steep slopes in clay | ||
3A | Fine to medium-grained sand beaches | ||
3B | Scarps and steep slopes in sand | Eroding scarps in unconsolidated sediment | Exposed, eroding banks in unconsolidated sediments |
3C | Tundra cliffs | ||
4 | Coarse-grained sand beaches | Sand beaches | Sandy bars and gently sloping banks |
5 | Mixed sand and gravel beaches | Mixed sand and gravel beaches | Mixed sand and gravel bars and gently sloping banks |
6A | Gravel beaches Gravel beaches (granules and pebbles)* |
Gravel beaches | Gravel bars and gently sloping banks |
6B | Riprap Gravel beaches (cobbles and boulders)* |
Riprap | Riprap |
6C* | Riprap | ||
7 | Exposed tidal flats | Exposed tidal flats | |
8A | Sheltered scarps in bedrock, mud, or clay Sheltered rocky shores (impermeable)* |
Sheltered scarps in bedrock, mud, or clay | |
8B | Sheltered, solid man-made structures Sheltered rocky shores (permeable)* |
Sheltered, solid man-made structures | Sheltered, solid man-made structures |
8C | Sheltered riprap | Sheltered riprap | Sheltered riprap |
8D | Sheltered rocky rubble shores | ||
8E | Peat shorelines | ||
8F | Vegetated, steeply-sloping bluffs | ||
9A | Sheltered tidal flats | Sheltered sand/mud flats | |
9B | Vegetated low banks | Vegetated low banks | Vegetated low banks |
9 | Hypersaline tidal flats | ||
10A | Salt- and brackish-water marshes | ||
10B | Freshwater marshes | Freshwater marshes | Freshwater marshes |
10C | Swamps | Swamps | Swamps |
10D | Scrub-shrub wetlands; Mangroves** | Scrub-shrub wetlands | Scrub-shrub wetlands |
10E | Inundated low-lying tundra | ||
* A category or definition that applies only in Southeast Alaska. ** In tropical climates, 10D indicates areas of dominant mangrove vegetation. |
More Information about ESI Maps
Anatomy of ESI Maps: Learn about the basic elements of ESI maps, including the types of information that are mapped.
Last updated
Thursday, June 6, 2019 11:30pm PDT