Marine Inlet Biotope Surveys in the Bristol Channel, 1985-1989

The MNCR Area Summaries dataset compiles survey data on habitats and communities within fourteen marine inlets in south-west Britain. The core data originates from the Harbours, Rias and Estuaries (HRE) programme conducted by the Field Studies Council Oil Pollution Research Unit between 1985 and 1989. This information, combined with other sources, was analyzed by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee to classify marine biotopes and describe their distribution.

Use Cases

• Classifying marine biotopes based on surveyed habitat and community data.
• Mapping the distribution of biological communities within specific inlets.
• Analyzing historical coastal habitat data from the late 1980s for conservation baseline studies.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a systematic survey programme (HRE) covering major and minor inlets between Portsmouth and Milford Haven.
• Analysis integrates data from the HRE surveys with a variety of other sources for classification.
• Report provides summaries for fourteen specific marine inlets from Cornwall to Pembrokeshire.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect temporal bias inherent to the primary 1985-1989 survey period.

Provenance

Source

Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Collection Method

Field surveys primarily from the Harbours, Rias and Estuaries (HRE) programme, supplemented by other data sources.

Time Range

1985-1989 (primary survey period)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-14 09:47:38.535964; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Fourteen marine inlets in south-west Britain, from the River Hayle, Cornwall to Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.