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A comparison of benthic biodiversity in the North Sea, English Channel and Celtic Seas - Epifauna
Citation
Rees, H.L. et al. A comparison of benthic biodiversity in the North Sea, English Channel and Celtic Seas - Epifauna. Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Burnham Laboratory, 12 Apr 2005, Essex, UK. https://marineinfo.org/id/dataset/505
Contact: Rees, Hubert

Access data
Archived data

Archived file:
Availability: Creative Commons License This dataset is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Description
Comparison dataset of Animalia in the North Sea, the English Channel and the Celtic Sea. more

Samples were obtained by MAFF research vessels from 69 stations between 1992 and 1996. A standard 2 m Lowesoft beam trawl with a 3 mm mesh codend liner was deployed for 5-10 min across each station at a speed of about 0.5 m/s. The "start" (locking of winch following seabed contact) and "end" (commencement of hauling) positions were recorded. Tow length averaged about 400 m, but varied substantially (s.d. = 290) depending on tidal current velocity and wind strength at the time of sampling. On retrieval of the trawl, an estimate of sample volume was made, along with a summary of the contents, noting especially the presence of stones, rock, etc. The sample was then sorted on deck over a 5 mm mesh sieve. Most specimens were identified and enumerated at sea. Any problematic specimens were preserved in formalin for identification on land. The presence of infaunal organisms arising from the fouling of soft sediments was noted, as were occurences of pelagic species such as jellyfish. However, these records were excluded from the final compilation of the data. The former included most polychaete worms (with the exception of encrusting forms such as Sabellaria and Filograna, and surface-dwellling specimens within the family Aphroditidae), bivalve molluscs (excepting taxa with a surface-dwelling habitat such as Chlamys and Modiolus), and burrowing echinoderms such as Echinocardium and Amphiura.

Scope
Themes:
Biology, Biology > Benthos, Biology > Ecology - biodiversity
Keywords:
Marine/Coastal, Benthic communities, Biogeography, Epibenthos, Macrobenthos, research vessel, ANE, Celtic Sea, ANE, English Channel, ANE, North Sea, EurOBIS calculated BBOX, Animalia

Geographical coverage
ANE, Celtic Sea [Marine Regions]
ANE, English Channel [Marine Regions]
ANE, North Sea [Marine Regions]
EurOBIS calculated BBOX Stations
Bounding Box
Coordinates: MinLong: -7,9858; MinLat: 48,4975 - MaxLong: 8,3875; MaxLat: 58,0035 [WGS84]

Temporal coverage
1992 - 1996

Taxonomic coverage
Animalia [WoRMS]

Parameters
Granulometric variables
Taxonomy

Contributors
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Burnham Laboratory, moredata managerdata ownerdata creator
Rees, Hubert
Marine Biological Association of the UK (MBA), moredata provider

Related datasets
Published in:
EurOBIS: European Ocean Biodiversity Information System, more

Publication
Based on this dataset
Rees, H. (2000). Epifaunal studies around the United Kingdom coastline, in: Jones, J. et al. Monitoring and surveillance of non-radioactive contaminants in the aquatic environment and activities regulating the disposal of wastes at sea, 1997. Aquatic Environment Monitoring Report, 52: pp. 45-55
Rees, H.L. et al. (1999). A comparison of benthic biodiversity in the North Sea, English Channel, and Celtic Seas ICES J. Mar. Sci./J. Cons. int. Explor. Mer 56: 228-246

Dataset status: Completed
Data type: Data
Data origin: Research
Release date: 2005-04-12
Metadatarecord created: 2005-04-05
Information last updated: 2022-08-02
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