AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Species point records from 1994 DWT Beer Head to Chesil Cove (Lyme Bay) survey

This report forms part of a series of studies describing the environment of Lyme Bay on the south of Dorset and Devon, UK. The studies were commissioned as a prerequisite to exploration drilling for oil and gas within the bay by Kerr-McGee Oil (UK) plc and Partners. The study has been managed by Ambios Environmental Consultants Ltd. A nationally agreed protocol for quantitative or semi-quantitative sampling of boulder and cobble shores does not currently exist. Recognised techniques for rocky shore monitoring are not appropriate as many of the invertebrates on boulder and cobble shores hide beneath the boulders. The method adopted form this survey utilised a 10 minute timed search close to the time of low water (Smith, 1982). During the 10 minutes the shore was surveyed from just above the high water mark to the low water mark. If the boulders extended over the whole shore the survey was completed in two parts (upper and lower shore) with a 10 minute search in each part. At sites where boulders were only present on part of the shore, the survey was restricted to that zone. Boulders on a strip approximately 5 metres wide were turned over, invertebrates recorded and the boulders replaced. Any other material (eg strand line and wood) that might act as a refuge for invertebrates was also examined. NUmbers of invertebrates were recorded as accurately as possible, but some groups such as amphipods (sand hoppers) occured in such large numbers that only an estimate was possible. This semi-quantitative technique has been shown to be reproducible and produces valid results (Smith, 1982). Abundance scales based on numbers per unit area are not appropriate for this type of timed survey. The following abundance scale was adopted: Number counted in 10 minutes: 0..........Absent 1-3........Present 4-10.......Frequent 11-30......Common 31-100.....Abundant >100.......Super Abundant The objective of this survey was to provide a baseline against which to monitor and change in the diversity of fauna living on and under cobbles and boulders in the eastern part of Lyme Bay. Five sites were chosen, from Charmouth in the west to Fortuneswell (on the Isle of Portland) in the east. A total of 32 taxa were recorded from these sites. The number of taxa recorded at each site ranged from 3-15. It is suggested that the site with the lowest number of taxa may be affected by disturbance from holidaymakers, and that another site with a low number of taxa may be affected by pollution. Some groups that would have been expected in reasonable numbers were either absent (eg oligocheate worms) or present at very low densities (eg mussels and nemertean worms). None of the species recoreded is scarce or rare. Analysis of the data from these sites suggests that they should all be classified as being of 'Local' importance in conservation terms, but in some cases inclusion of data from other habitats at the site will alter the classification.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1994-95 DWT Exmouth to Chesil (Lyme Bay) survey

This survey was carried out as part of the Marine Nature Conservation Review (MNCR). The MNCR was started in 1987 by the Nature Conservancy Council and subsequent to the Environment Protection Act 1990, was undertaken by JNCC on behalf of the conservation agencies up to its completion in 1998. The MNCR was initiated to provide a comprehensive baseline of information on marine habitats and species, to aid coastal zone and sea-use management and to contribute to the identification of areas of marine natural heritage importance throughout Great Britain. Data collected through the MNCR was stored in the Marine Recorder database, and has been extracted from Marine Recorder to produce this dataset. For more details, see http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-1596. Records currently considered sensitive have been removed from this dataset.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1994 MNCR Lizard Peninsula and Falmouth Bay littoral survey

Littoral survey of the Lizard Peninsula round as far as Poldhu Bay in the west and the mouth of the Helford River in the east including bedrock, boulder and sediment shores ranging from very exposed to sheltered regarding wave action. The wide variety of shores included vertical bedrock, sand-scoured substrata and level bedrock platforms.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1994 DWT St.George's Island (Cornwall) littoral survey

This survey was carried out as part of the Marine Nature Conservation Review (MNCR). The MNCR was started in 1987 by the Nature Conservancy Council and subsequent to the Environment Protection Act 1990, was undertaken by JNCC on behalf of the conservation agencies up to its completion in 1998. The MNCR was initiated to provide a comprehensive baseline of information on marine habitats and species, to aid coastal zone and sea-use management and to contribute to the identification of areas of marine natural heritage importance throughout Great Britain. Data collected through the MNCR was stored in the Marine Recorder database, and has been extracted from Marine Recorder to produce this dataset. For more details, see http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-1596.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1998 DWT Lyme Bay sublittoral rock survey

Detailed survey of the offshore reefs of Lyme Bay. Survey areas were previously identified as being subject to damage from mobile fishing gear (DWT, 1992). The areas were selected for this survey on the basis of the previous DWT survey and of anecdotal evidence from local fishermen and divers. Beer Home Ground (Beer Head to Pinhay Bay) is an area of predominantly mudstone reef which has been subject to much damage in the past. Lanes Ground (Pinhay Bay to Golden Cap) is an area of mixed boulders, cobbles and pebbles over coarse gravel, while Sawtooth Ledges (Golden Cap to West Bay) is a limestone reef system, very rich in rare and fragile species, in particular, the sunset coral, Leptopsammia pruvoti and Eunicella verrucosa. Records currently considered sensitive have been removed from this dataset.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1993 NHM Sullom Voe sublittoral survey

This survey was carried out as part of the Marine Nature Conservation Review (MNCR). The MNCR was started in 1987 by the Nature Conservancy Council and subsequent to the Environment Protection Act 1990, was undertaken by JNCC on behalf of the conservation agencies up to its completion in 1998. The MNCR was initiated to provide a comprehensive baseline of information on marine habitats and species, to aid coastal zone and sea-use management and to contribute to the identification of areas of marine natural heritage importance throughout Great Britain. Data collected through the MNCR was stored in the Marine Recorder database, and has been extracted from Marine Recorder to produce this dataset. For more details, see http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-1596. Records currently considered sensitive have been removed from this dataset.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1997 Unicomarine Hoy Sound and Shapinsay Sound sublittoral sediment survey

This survey was carried out as part of the Marine Nature Conservation Review (MNCR). The MNCR was started in 1987 by the Nature Conservancy Council and subsequent to the Environment Protection Act 1990, was undertaken by JNCC on behalf of the conservation agencies up to its completion in 1998. The MNCR was initiated to provide a comprehensive baseline of information on marine habitats and species, to aid coastal zone and sea-use management and to contribute to the identification of areas of marine natural heritage importance throughout Great Britain. Data collected through the MNCR was stored in the Marine Recorder database, and has been extracted from Marine Recorder to produce this dataset. For more details, see http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-1596. Records currently considered sensitive have been removed from this dataset.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1987 University of Dundee Inganess Bay and Wideford Burn sublittoral survey

The grab survey showed that at the time Inganess Bay has very limited, largely wave-induced circulation with the central area of the bay being a depositing area where accumulation of additional material would be likely. This could lead to de-oxygenation of the sediment and water column with potentially damaging effects for any flora and fauna present. Looking at the Wideford Burn data it becomes obvious that the fish farm here is contributing 8-10 times more material than the natural content of the burn. Monitoring of the communities present will be a good indicator of how the fish farm effect the local area. Samples except from stations 1 & 2 were dominated by ampeliscid amphipods andpredatory polychaetes such as Lumbriconereis sp, Nephtys sp and Phyllodoce sp. There were relatively few tube dwellers and deposit feeders although the deposit feeder Ampharete sp was present in deeper stations. The samples were very similar for the most part but there was a tendency for an increase in diversity with depth. The communities were those of a muddy-sand environment but are unlike any of those recorded previously from Orcadian waters. Stations 17-20 showed a significantly greater diversity. These characteristics suggest that the bottom at present is organically-rich but at acceptable levels for the development of quite diverse communities: however, the limited water circulation may mean that the fauna could become radically altered by the addition of relatively small quantities of organic matter.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1993 NHM south-east England littoral chalk and greensand survey

A brief littoral survey of chalk shores in south-east England to enable comparisons to be drawn with previous surveys in these areas. No report prepared. NB: Many algal species recorded are not listed in the MCS Species Directory (Howson 1987) and so remain to be entered to the MNCR database.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1997 MNCR Bardsey Island and SW Lleyn Peninsula sublittoral survey

Twenty nine sites were surveyed within or adjacent to the Bardsey/Lleyn Peninsula SAC including the areas between the Gwylan islands and Maen Mellt on the Lleyn peninsula (S to N) and around Bardsey Island and in Bardsey Sound. Several sites surveyed during the current study covered ground previously surveyed by Hiscock in 1983. The majority of biotopes surveyed were tide-swept bedrock and boulders with kelp forests in shallow water and hydroid, bryozoan and anthozoan turfs below, grading to cobbles and pebbles with scour-tolerant fauna particularly in Bardsey Sound. Extensive mobile sand plains were surveyed on Bastram shoal offshore to the south of Bardsey. Records currently considered sensitive have been removed from this dataset.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1981 NRA Southampton Water sublittoral survey

Survey carrried out by the NRA as part of a long term monitoring programme (1974 - 1982 for these sites). Sublittoral sediments were sampled using a 0.1 m^2 Day Grab and two replicates were taken at each site. The data for the 1981 survey has been input as it represents the most recent of the data sets from the monitoring programme with all the sampling information present. Faunal data is available for a 1982 survey but there is no granulometric data or sediment description. All grid references have been approximated using the map provided in the report. For faunal data for the same sites in previous years see report by David Lowthion, 1982. (R2278).

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1991 NRA Southampton Water sublittoral survey

Grab samples were taken using a 0.1 m^2 Day Grab at three different sites in Southampton Water. Granulometric samples were also taken. An anchor dredge was used to sample the benthos at Selsey Bill but this has not been included as it provides only semi-quantitative data and is outside the boundaries of the area summary. N.B. Survey took place in April 1991. The first of the month has been given for input purposes.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1995 OPRU Milford Haven littoral rock monitoring

Thirty one transect sites were chosen on rocky shores in Milford Haven. Each transect had up to twenty one stations (mostly around twelve stations). The stations are at 60 cm height intervals down shore from a fixed datum but are not comparable between sites i.e. station five on site ten is not the same height as station five on site twenty. Numbers refer to the traditional seven point abundance scale (1=rare, 7=extremely abundant). Representative stations have been chosen for each site to define as habitat records. They are almost all 100% bedrock.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1992-95 DWT Teign Estuary littoral survey

This survey was carried out as part of the Marine Nature Conservation Review (MNCR). The MNCR was started in 1987 by the Nature Conservancy Council and subsequent to the Environment Protection Act 1990, was undertaken by JNCC on behalf of the conservation agencies up to its completion in 1998. The MNCR was initiated to provide a comprehensive baseline of information on marine habitats and species, to aid coastal zone and sea-use management and to contribute to the identification of areas of marine natural heritage importance throughout Great Britain. Data collected through the MNCR was stored in the Marine Recorder database, and has been extracted from Marine Recorder to produce this dataset. For more details, see http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-1596.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1984 Swansea University Poole Harbour littoral sediment survey (English Nature)

Downshore transects have been established at nine locations along the northern shore of the harbour. Two sampling methods have been used. The first focuses on the infauna in general, including many small and numerous species that are consumed by fish and birds. The second targets the large, more sparsely distributed macrofauna used for bait. The box core samples a larger area than conventional coring (0.05 m^2 for box core). A range of levels were sampled on most shores. For reasons indicated below, bathymetric levels on a particular shore are difficult to precisely determine. The approach adopted has been to take samples at 50 metre intervals down each transect. The widest beaches, requiring the largest number of sampling points, were Whitley and Parkstone Bays. At some sites an additional sample was taken 10 metres from the top of the shore. This was done where a difference in substratum was obvious in comparison with the 50 m mark. Two randomly located samples were taken at each sampling point. An 0.05 m^2 steel box core was pushed into the sediment to a depth of 0.15 m. Sampling took place in December 1993.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1994 Ambios Lyme Bay sublittoral sediment survey

Grab sampling of the subtidal benthic invertebrates was attempted at 50 sites in Lyme Bay, Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour in May 1994. At several sites the substrate was unsuitable for grab sampling and either no sample was obtained or only a qualitative sample was taken. Data from the 43 sites at which quantitative samples were obtained have been analysed by a variety of statistical techniques to determine similarities between the sites. The area has an extremely diverse fauna; over four hundred taxa were recorded in the samples. Sites had an average of 58 taxa and 286 individuals per grab sample. There was very high variability in the number of taxa per grab sample, ranging from 3 to 158. The majority of taxa and individuals were polychaetes, with crustaceans and molluscs the next most important groups in terms of the number of taxa and individuals respectively. Analysis of the biological data and an examination of the sediment types indicated that four major and three smaller groups (clusters) could be recognised. The biology of each of the clusters is described and related to the underlying sediment type. Fifty sampling positions in the study area were arranged in a rectangular grid pattern, with six major sampling lines running east-west and nine oriented north-south. Records currently considered sensitive have been removed from this dataset.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1989 FSCRC Daucleddau Estuary (Milford Haven) littoral survey

This survey was carried out by Alan Hern as a placement study looking at physio-chemical parameters of the Daucleddau Estuary. A total of 31 stations were sampled and arranged in a linear fashion throughout the survey area. The selection of station sites was based on Morris's survey in 1984. Biological, hydrocarbon and sediment information was obtained using pvc cores. All samples were taken at approximately mean tide level.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1993 OPRU Milford Haven sublittoral sediment survey

This survey was carried out with the objective of providing information on the range of seabed sediment biology throughout the length of the waterway. A total of forty sample stations, located from the lower reaches of both eastern and western Cleddau through the waterway to the entrance of Milford Haven off St Ann's Head, were sampled for biology and sediment composition. A 'reference' station was sampled adjacent to the offshore Island of Skomer for Comparative purposes. Quantitative biological samples were obtained from thirty six stations, by 0.1m2 day grab. Qualitative samples were obtained from two stations and two were found to be unsuitable for grab sampling. Sediment samples were obtained at each location for faunal and sedimentological analyses and samples collected for other analyses. Processing of the biological samples was carried out separately on both 1.0 mm and 0.5 mm sieve mesh size fractions, and this information has been pooled for the purpose of habitat records entered on the MNCR database. Biological sample processing involved identification of more than 125,400 individual animals from 418 quantitative and 38 qualitative taxa. Records currently considered sensitive have been removed from this dataset.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1996 Posford Duvivier Environment Milford Haven sublittoral survey

A sublittoral survey undertaken by Posford Duvivier Environment to provide information to the Milford Haven Port Authority. Standard MNCR methodology and forms were used. The areas of interest in this survey were Dockyard Bank, Carr Spit and Pembroke Reach. Records currently considered sensitive have been removed from this dataset.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1989-91 Biomor southern Irish Sea sublittoral survey

The aim of the BIOMOR survey was to obtain specimens of invertebrates for taxonomic and biogeographical purposes. The secondary objective was to determine the numerical abundance of the benthic invertebrate population, as well as their diversity and the extent of benthic communities. The work was carried out during the summers of 1989 and 1991, and covered the St Georges Channel, Cardigan Bay the Celtic Deep and several areas off Anglesey and the Lleyn Peninsula. A 0.1 m2 van Veen grab was used to collect samples of sediment. Three grabs were taken from each point, one was used for sediment analysis, the other two were pooled and sieved for macrofauna. Some sample points in St Georges Channel, Cardigan Bay and off the Lleyn Peninsula had to be rejected as grab sampling proved to be ineffective at these stations. Records currently considered sensitive have been removed from this dataset.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1999 IECS Inner Dowsing sublittoral sediment survey

This survey was carried out as part of the Marine Nature Conservation Review (MNCR). The MNCR was started in 1987 by the Nature Conservancy Council and subsequent to the Environment Protection Act 1990, was undertaken by JNCC on behalf of the conservation agencies up to its completion in 1998. The MNCR was initiated to provide a comprehensive baseline of information on marine habitats and species, to aid coastal zone and sea-use management and to contribute to the identification of areas of marine natural heritage importance throughout Great Britain. Data collected through the MNCR was stored in the Marine Recorder database, and has been extracted from Marine Recorder to produce this dataset. For more details, see http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-1596.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1996 MNCR west Anglesey sublittoral survey

Standard MNCR diving survey of sublittoral rocky and sediment habitats between Abermenai Point and Carmel Head, including the Skerries offshore islands. Much of the survey area has subtidal tidal streams, sites on headlands and islands having good examples of tide-swept rocky habitats. South of Rhoscolyn Head the seabed is predominantly sand and muddy sand with some rocky reefs. North of Rhoscolyn Head, with the exception of some sandy bays, is bedrock, boulders and cobbles. The whole areas is fairly silty. Records currently considered sensitive have been removed from this dataset.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1996 MNCR west Anglesey littoral survey

Standard MNCR survey of littoral sites betwen the southern end of the Menai Strait (Abermena Point) and Carmel Head. Sediment sites were sampled using 8 pooled 10.3 cm diameter cores and rock site epibiota was recorded on standard MNCR forms. Twenty-four sites were completed, ranging from steep barnacle dominated, wave exposed rock to sheltered rocky outcrops and from steep clean sandy beaches to sheltered muddy shores.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1997 MNCR Cardigan Bay littoral survey

The shores of Cardigan Bay from Harlech to Newport in west Wales were surveyed during 2 week-long surveys. Detailed species and habitat records were completed for 63 sites, of which 24 were cored using 8 x 10.3 cm cores. The shores north of Aberystwyth are predominantly boulder and cobble with Sabellaria alveolata reefs or moderately wave-exposed sandy shores. South of Aberystwyth the shores become steeper in places and are characterised by barnacles and limpets. Sediment shores here are restricted to small embayments. The sheltered shores of Mochras Lagoon, Dysynni, Rheiddol, Ystwyth, Aeron, Teifi and Newport estuaries were surveyed.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Species point records from 1997 NWNWSFC Cardigan Bay sublittoral sediment survey

Cardigan Bay lies between mid Wales and the N Pembrokeshire coast. The sublittoral habitats are patchy, ranging from boulder fields and small areas of bedrock ridges to large expanses of silty gravel. The whole area was silty and suffers a considerable amount of scour due to the strong tides in Cardigan Bay. The survey included RoxAnn recording between Cardigan Island and Dinas Head, with 19 ground truthing video records. 35 stations were grab sampled between Llanrhystud and Dinas Head, of which 18 were taken for infaunal analysis. The remainder were found to be gravels and cobbles that were poorly sampled, but species information is available for most of these from which the seabed can be characterised. SFC completed stations 1, 5, 7, 10, 13, 18, 19, 26, 27 and 29 to 32. Ocena Sciences, Menai Bridge completed the other stations up to number 35.

Organization: Joint Nature Conservation Committee