1994 Benthic Biotope Distribution Survey of the Isle of Wight

Natural England's 1994 survey mapped the distribution of benthic biotopes around the Isle of Wight from Bembridge to the Needles. The work was conducted as part of the BioMar Project, funded by the European Commission's LIFE Programme. The baseline resource survey aimed to determine the major marine habitats present and their distribution.

Use Cases

• Mapping marine habitat distribution based on the described survey of benthic biotopes.
• Establishing historical baselines for coastal conservation based on the 1994 survey data.
• Analyzing habitat types and their spatial patterns around the Isle of Wight coastline.

Strengths

• Survey conducted by a government agency (Natural England), suggesting institutional oversight.
• Specific temporal coverage for the survey work in June/July 1994.
• Clear geographic scope defined as the coastline from Bembridge to the Needles.

Limitations

• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Natural England (NE), aggregated via the Government Digital Service.

Collection Method

Marine environment survey conducted as part of the BioMar Project.

Time Range

Survey conducted in June/July 1994.

Freshness

Data from a 1994 survey; historical baseline.

Geography

Coastal waters around the Isle of Wight, from Bembridge to the Needles.