CBESS: Macrofaunal Abundance in UK Mudflat and Saltmarsh Habitats

2013 winter and summer data details macrofaunal abundance across 6 intertidal sites in Essex and Morecambe Bay, UK. The dataset provides a quantitative measure of invertebrate species within the top 10cm of sediment, with sampling across saltmarsh and adjacent mudflat habitats using quadrats and replicate cores. Abundance data for mudflat habitats is complete, while saltmarsh data is limited to one full Essex site in winter and only at the 1m scale across all sites.

Use Cases

• Comparing macrofaunal community structure between mudflat and saltmarsh habitats.
• Analyzing spatial scale effects on biodiversity using quadrat data across four scales.
• Studying seasonal variation (winter vs. summer) in intertidal invertebrate abundance.
• Investigating geographic differences between South East (Essex) and North West (Morecambe Bay) England sites.
• Modeling ecosystem services based on quantified species abundance per square metre.

Strengths

• Sampling design includes 22 quadrats per habitat across 4 spatial scales with 3 replicate cores each, providing structured spatial data.
• Data covers 6 distinct sites across two UK regions (Essex and Morecambe Bay) in two seasons (winter and summer 2013).
• Macrofauna was identified to species or appropriate taxon and counted, offering detailed taxonomic resolution.
• Dataset is associated with a funded, multi-year research programme (BESS 2011-2017) and has a persistent DOI.

Limitations

• Saltmarsh data is incomplete; full data is only available for one Essex site (Tillingham Marsh) in winter, and only at the 1m scale across all sites.
• Column names and exact row counts are unknown across all platform sources, limiting precise structural understanding.
• The most recent update date (2026-07-02) appears inconsistent with the 2013 data collection period.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre; collected as part of the Coastal Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (CBESS) project NE/J015644/1.

Collection Method

Sediment cores collected from quadrats, sieved on a 0.5mm mesh, macrofauna identified and counted; abundance expressed as individuals per square metre.

Time Range

2013 (winter and summer).

Freshness

Last updated metadata date is 2026-07-02 according to paperswithcode and uk_data platforms.

Geography

Three sites in Essex, South East England and three sites in Morecambe Bay, North West England.