East Rockall Bank Habitat Map from 2009 Multibeam and Camera Survey

A 2009 habitat map of the East Rockall Bank area shows Annex I and non-Annex I habitats translated to the EUNIS classification. Data was collected aboard the MV Franklin using multibeam echosounder, sidescan sonar, and drop camera/towed video at 17 sites. The survey was conducted by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee to locate potential reef habitats, including for Lophelia pertusa.

Use Cases

• Classifying seafloor habitats based on the EUNIS classification system mentioned in the description.
• Mapping the distribution of Annex I reef habitats, specifically for Lophelia pertusa, as indicated by the survey's focus.
• Analyzing seafloor geomorphology based on multibeam echosounder and sidescan sonar data collected along escarpments and iceberg ploughmarks.
• Validating habitat models using ground-truth data from 17 drop camera and towed video sites.

Strengths

• Includes data from multiple sensor types: multibeam echosounder, sidescan sonar, and visual ground-truthing from 17 camera/video sites.
• Habitat classifications are translated to the standardized EUNIS system.
• Survey design was targeted based on previous studies to locate specific Annex I reef habitats.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data was collected in July 2009; temporal relevance for current conditions should be verified.

Provenance

Source

Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Collection Method

Acoustic and optical survey from the MV Franklin using multibeam echosounder, sidescan sonar, drop camera, and towed video.

Time Range

July 2009

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-14 09:47:32.809142; freshness should be verified.

Geography

East Rockall Bank area, North Atlantic Ocean.