North-central California Coast Salmonid Intrinsic Potential GIS Data

This geodataabase provides an estimate to the spatial distribution of potential historical habitat for California Coastal Chinook Salmon, Central California Coast Coho Salmon, Northern California Steelhead and Central California Coast Steelhead.

Intrinsic potential measures the potential for development of favorable habitat characteristics as a function of the underlying geomorphic and hydrological attributes, as determined through a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and mean annual precipitation grid. The model does not predict the actual distribution of "good'' habitat, but rather the potential for that habitat to occur, nor does the model predict abundance or productivity. Additionally, the model does not predict current conditions, but rather those patterns expected under pristine conditions as related through the input data. Thus, IP provides a tool for examining the historical distribution of habitat among and within watersheds, a proxy for population size and structure, and a useful template for examining the consequences of recent anthropogenic activity at landscape scales.