Red Bay SAC Subtidal Sandbank and Maerl Habitat Survey, 2023

A 2023 survey assessed the condition of subtidal sandbank and maerl features in the Red Bay Special Area of Conservation. The Marine Environmental Data & Information Network collected data using underwater TV, sediment grab sampling, and multibeam echosounder mapping. Grab samples were not subjected to full infaunal analysis; only species conspicuous without a microscope were identified from photos.

Use Cases

• Assess habitat condition based on underwater TV and sediment grab sampling data
• Map seabed features and bathymetry based on multibeam echosounder survey results
• Identify conspicuous macrofauna species from sieved sediment sample photos

Strengths

• Survey employed multiple complementary methods: UWTV, sediment grabs, and MBES mapping
• Focuses on a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC), indicating ecological importance

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Grab samples were not analyzed for infauna requiring a microscope, limiting taxonomic completeness

Provenance

Source

Marine Environmental Data & Information Network

Collection Method

Underwater TV (UWTV) survey, sediment grab sampling, multibeam echosounder (MBES) mapping

Time Range

2023

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-28 06:12:30.635141; freshness should be verified

Geography

Red Bay Special Area of Conservation (SAC), likely in the UK