167 locations were surveyed around Scotland's rocky coastline over three summer seasons from 2020 to 2022. The Marine Environmental Data & Information Network project repeated studies from 2002 and 2010 to monitor changes in species distribution and abundance in the context of climate change. Surveys recorded categorical abundance estimates for conspicuous species and included digital images of shore views and replicate quadrats.
Use Cases
- Track changes in species abundance based on categorical ExSACFOR estimates recorded at each site.
- Analyze shifts in community composition towards warm or cold affinity species mentioned in the description.
- Use digital images of shore views and quadrats for further species identification and quantification.
- Establish a benchmark for ongoing assessments of biodiversity change on rocky shores.
Strengths
- Surveys cover 167 locations across mainland Scotland, the Inner Hebrides, Outer Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetland.
- Data provides a temporal benchmark with repeated studies in 2002, 2010, 2014-2015, and 2020-2022.
- Includes digital image data cataloged for further species identification.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
- Source
- Marine Environmental Data & Information Network
- Collection Method
- Field surveys with categorical abundance estimates (ExSACFOR) and digital imaging at intertidal rocky shore sites.
- Time Range
- 2014-2015 and 2020-2022
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-06-11 08:14:28.996023; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Rocky coastline of Scotland, including Shetland Islands, Orkney, Inner and Outer Hebrides.