SEA4: Seabird and Marine Mammal Observations from the Faroe-Shetland Channel, July 2002

A seabird and cetacean survey was conducted onboard the R.V. Kommandor Jack in July 2002. The survey was part of the UK Department of Trade and Industry's Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA4) of the Faroe-Shetland Channel. The data likely contains species observations and associated environmental or positional information.

Use Cases

• Modeling seabird distribution patterns based on survey location and time mentioned in the description
• Analyzing marine mammal presence in relation to offshore survey activities described in the SEA4 program
• Establishing baseline ecological data for the Faroe-Shetland Channel based on the 2002 survey timeframe
• Supporting environmental impact assessments for offshore development based on the Strategic Environmental Assessment context

Strengths

• Data originates from a government-led Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA4) program, suggesting a structured collection method
• Observations are tied to a specific geographic region (Faroe-Shetland Channel) and time period (July 2002)
• Data likely contains records for multiple taxonomic groups (seabirds and cetaceans) from a single survey vessel

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service (UK), likely from the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change).

Collection Method

Onboard visual survey conducted from the R.V. Kommandor Jack during a multi-beam seabed survey.

Time Range

July 2002

Freshness

Data is from a single survey in July 2002; it is a historical snapshot.

Geography

Faroe-Shetland Channel, north UK Continental Shelf.