Luce Bay Benthic Habitat Survey with Drop-Down Video and Grab Sampling, 2012-2013
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Description
A 2012-2013 targeted survey by Seastar Survey Ltd for Scottish Natural Heritage investigated benthic habitats in the Luce Bay and Sands SAC. The work included a drop-down video survey at 138 locations and a benthic grab survey at 16 stations to determine habitat extent, distribution, and quality. Specific investigations focused on Sabellaria alveolata reefs, Modiolus, and maerl communities.
Use Cases
Mapping the extent and distribution of Sabellaria alveolata reefs based on the intertidal survey.
Classifying benthic biotopes in soft sediment areas based on the grab survey results.
Analyzing habitat quality and community composition for Modiolus and maerl based on targeted investigations.
Enhancing seabed knowledge in previously unsurveyed areas of the SAC mentioned in the description.
Strengths
Survey targeted 138 specific locations for video data collection between July and September 2012.
Includes complementary data from a 16-station grab survey conducted in June 2013.
Work was conducted under contract for a statutory nature conservation body (Scottish Natural Heritage).
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
Seastar Survey Ltd, contracted by Scottish Natural Heritage.
Collection Method
Drop-down video survey and foot-based intertidal mapping, followed by a benthic grab survey.
Time Range
Primary survey July-September 2012, with grab survey June 2013.
Freshness
Data collection concluded in 2013; update frequency is unknown.
Geography
Luce Bay and Sands Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Scotland.
License is unknown; terms of use must be verified before application.