St. Austell Bay Seagrass Bed Acoustic Survey for Blue Carbon Mapping

A 2022 acoustic survey mapped the extent and coverage of a seagrass bed within St. Austell Bay, Cornwall. Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) conducted the survey on behalf of Cornwall Wildlife Trust, funded by the G7 Legacy Fund. The analysis included 356 of the 367 survey lines collected using a Biosonics MX Scientific Echosounder.

Use Cases

• Quantifying seagrass bed extent for blue carbon stock assessments based on the mapping project description.
• Monitoring changes in coastal marine habitats over time based on the geospatial survey data.
• Informing conservation and fisheries management within the Special Protection Area (SPA) based on the survey's location.
• Calibrating or validating remote sensing models with in-situ acoustic data based on the survey methodology.

Strengths

• Survey includes 367 acoustic lines, with 356 used in the final analysis.
• Data collection was conducted with a specified scientific instrument (Biosonics MX Scientific Echosounder).
• Project has defined institutional partners (Cornwall IFCA, Cornwall Wildlife Trust) and a funding source (G7 Legacy Fund).

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) on behalf of Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

Collection Method

Acoustic survey using a Biosonics MX Scientific Echosounder.

Time Range

2022

Freshness

Survey conducted in 2022; last update date is unknown.

Geography

St. Austell Bay, Cornwall, UK, within the Falmouth Bay to St Austell Bay Special Protection Area (SPA).