| Abstract: | An analog to the (terrestrial) physical-geographical process, the concept of boundary surfaces, is elaborated and developed quantitatively for analyzing the diversity of marine ecosystems. Interactions among physical-chemical components of the oceans, and the adjacent coastal, atmospheric, and ocean bottom environments, provides a model used in the study and mapping of heterogeneous “waterscapes.” A series of tables identifies interacting geographic features commonly used as indices for mapping. Sample maps prepared for the Barents Sea and Indian Ocean demonstrate possible results of a systems approach. Translated from: Izvestiya, Vsesoyuznogo geograficheskogo obshchestva, 1985, No. 3, pp. 201-208. |
