Document of dataset 3094

Dataset record

Type
Dataset
title in English
A comparison of benthic biodiversity in the North Sea, English Channel and Celtic Seas - Macroinfauna
Description in English
During April and May 1993, and in February and May 1994, samples of the benthic macrofauna were collected from MAFF research vessels at each of the 25 "intermediate" and "offshore" stations around the England and Wales coastline. One station in the SW Approaches (S48) was sampled in December 1992, i.e. outside the recommended February and May sampling window, but this offshore, deep-water environment was included as a clean-water "reference" point. (An attempt to sample S48 in February 1994 had to be abandoned due to bad weather.) An additional station off the Tees Estuary was sampled to provide information on the shallow coastal environment in this area. At each location, five sediment samples for macrofauna analysis were collected using a 0.1 m² day grab from the central point of a 500 m grid of 9 stations, the latter being sampled for contaminant analyses only. The five replicates were collected from within a 100 m range ring, using SEXTANT software and DGPS position-fixing. The depth of sediment in the closed jaws of the grab was determined, as an indication of sample volume. Very small samples (i.e. less than about 5 cm depth) were discarded. A visual description of the sediment type was recorded, together with the location and times at which the sample was collected, and the prevailing sea state, wind strength, and water depth. A small subsample for sediment particle size analysis was removed using a 2 cm diameter perspex corer inserted to a depth of about 5 cm. The contents of the grab were transferred to a hopper, and gently washed over a 1 mm mesh brass sieve. The retained material was preserved for analysis in 5% formaldehyde in seawater with added Rose Bengal. 430 taxa were identified, consisting of 186 polychaetes, 112 crustaceans, 76 molluscs, 19 echinoderms, and 37 in the catergory "other groups".
Abstract in English
Comparison dataset of Animalia in the North Sea, the English Channel and the Celtic Sea.
License
https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-4.0.html
bibliographicCitation
Rees, H.L. et al. A comparison of benthic biodiversity in the North Sea, English Channel and Celtic Seas - Macroinfauna. Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Burnham Laboratory, 12 Apr 2005, Essex, UK.
Version
1

Temporal coverage

Temporal
Start date
1992-12-01
End date
1994-05-01

Geographical coverage

Spatial
ANE, Celtic Sea
ANE, English Channel
ANE, North Sea

Thesaurus terms

Keyword
Deep water
Offshore
research vessel

Themes

theme
Biology > Benthos
Biology > Ecology - biodiversity

Taxonomic terms

Taxon keywords
Animalia

Ownerships

contactPoint
Hubert Rees
contactPoint
Burnham Laboratory
contributor
Hubert Rees
contributor
Burnham Laboratory
contributor
Hubert Rees
contributor
Burnham Laboratory
creator
Hubert Rees
creator
Burnham Laboratory
contributor
Marine Biological Association of the UK

Publication references

related reference
Based on this dataset /id/publication/59857

Dataset references

record
European Ocean Biodiversity Information System

Special collections

part of special collection
available through EurOBIS
Belgian marine datasets
EMODNET
Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning

Document metadata

date created
2012-06-22
date modified
2022-08-09