Marine Habitat Physical Characteristics for Britain and Ireland, 2004 Classification

A spreadsheet of physical information associated with littoral and sublittoral marine habitats from the 2004 Marine Habitat Classification for Britain and Ireland. The tables enable rapid comparison of principal physical characteristics between user-defined sets of biotopes. The data is provided by the Government Digital Service via the eu_open_data platform.

Use Cases

• Compare physical habitat characteristics between biotope sets based on the provided comparative tables.
• Model coastal habitat distribution based on associated physical parameters mentioned in the description.
• Support marine conservation planning by analyzing the physical properties of littoral and sublittoral zones.

Strengths

• Focuses on the principal physical characteristics for rapid comparison between habitat units.
• Specifically covers the littoral and sublittoral zones, corresponding to a defined classification version (04.05).

Limitations

• Row count, column definitions, and sample data are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• The classification is based on a 2004 publication and does not include the deep-sea section added in 2015.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data structure and quality require manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service

Collection Method

Likely compiled from scientific surveys and classification work.

Time Range

Based on the classification published in 2004.

Freshness

Last updated date is unknown; the underlying classification was published in 2004.

Geography

Britain and Ireland, specifically littoral and sublittoral coastal zones.