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Metadata: Select benthic invertebrate and sediment data from 1985 to 2023 for mapping benthic biodiversity to facilitate future sustainable development
Abstract:
This dataset underpins the study *Mapping benthic biodiversity to facilitate future sustainable development*, which used benthic macrofaunal records and sediment particle size analysis (PSA) to generate high-resolution maps of biodiversity across the continental shelf of the North-East Atlantic. The dataset comprises 22,793 standardised grab and core samples collected between 1985 and 2023, with taxonomic names harmonised via the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). It includes species abundance data, diversity metrics (alpha-, beta- and gamma-diversity), and biodiversity cluster classifications derived through Random Forest modelling. The primary purpose of this dataset is to inform marine spatial planning and environmental licensing, especially in the context of offshore wind development and other seabed activities.
Data holder:
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory (CEFAS)
| Other details | ||
| Internal code | Internally assigned metadata identifier | 10047 |
| Title | The title is used to provide a brief and precise description of the dataset such as 'Date', 'Originating organisation/programme', 'Location' and 'Type of survey'. All acronyms and abbreviations should be reproduced in full. | Select benthic invertebrate and sediment data from 1985 to 2023 for mapping benthic biodiversity to facilitate future sustainable development |
| File Identifier | The File Identifier is a code, preferably a GUID, that is globally unique and remains with the same metadata record even if the record is edited or transferred between portals or tools. | CEFAS7cb3974a-f675-4831-ba11-76a83f4721d5 |
| Resource Identifier | This is the code assigned by the data owner. | CEFAS22303 |
| Resource type | The resource type will likely be a dataset but could also be a series (collection of datasets with a common specification) or a service. | dataset |
| Start date | This describes the date the resource starts. This may only be the year if month and day are not known | 1985-01-01 |
| End date | This describes the date the resource ends. This may only be the year if month and day are not known | 2023-11-22 |
| Frequency of updates | This describes the frequency with which the resource is modified or updated i.e. a monitoring programme that samples once per year has a frequency that is described as 'annually'. | unknown |
| Abstract | The abstract provides a clear and brief statement of the content of the resource. | This dataset underpins the study *Mapping benthic biodiversity to facilitate future sustainable development*, which used benthic macrofaunal records and sediment particle size analysis (PSA) to generate high-resolution maps of biodiversity across the continental shelf of the North-East Atlantic. The dataset comprises 22,793 standardised grab and core samples collected between 1985 and 2023, with taxonomic names harmonised via the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). It includes species abundance data, diversity metrics (alpha-, beta- and gamma-diversity), and biodiversity cluster classifications derived through Random Forest modelling. The primary purpose of this dataset is to inform marine spatial planning and environmental licensing, especially in the context of offshore wind development and other seabed activities. |
| Lineage | Lineage includes the background information, history of the sources of data, data quality statements and methods. | Benthic macrofaunal records were compiled from the OneBenthic database, covering samples collected between 1985 and 2023, with most data from 2000 onwards. Only comparable grab and core samples (0.1 m², 1 millimetre mesh sieve) were retained, and taxonomic names were standardised using the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Samples from areas with localised disturbance (such as dredge spoil disposal or aggregate extraction) were excluded, and those within 50 metres of one another were filtered to reduce spatial autocorrelation. Biodiversity metrics (species richness, Shannon and Simpson diversity, abundance, and alpha-, beta-, gamma-diversity) were calculated and standardised for sampling effort. Cluster classifications and Random Forest models were applied to predict biodiversity patterns across the region, with validation through cross-validation and accuracy statistics. Overall, the dataset is high quality and suitable for marine biodiversity mapping and planning, though users should be aware of its long temporal span and uneven sampling density across regions. Details of how the full dataset was queried and extracted are provided in the SQL query contained within the R code. |
| Related keywords | ||
| Keyword | General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Benthos |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Biodiversity | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Invertebrate | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Model | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Sea bed | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Sediment | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Zoobenthos taxonomic abundance | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Species distribution | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Sediment | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Deep Circalittoral | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Circalittoral | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Infralittoral | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Marine Environmental Data and Information Network | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | data.gov.uk | |
| Geographical coverage | ||
| North | The northern-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | 61.5 |
| East | The eastern-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | 15 |
| South | The southern-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | 47.5 |
| West | The western-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | -14 |
| Responsible organisations | ||
| Role | The point of contact is person or organisation with responsibility for the creation and maintenance of the metadata for the resource. | pointOfContact |
| Organisation name | Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory (CEFAS) | |
| Delivery point | Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road | |
| Postal code | NR33 0HT | |
| City | Lowestoft | |
| Administrative area | Suffolk | |
| Country | UK | |
| data.manager@cefas.co.uk | ||
| Role | The originator is the person or organisation who created, collected or produced the resource. | originator |
| Organisation name | Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory (CEFAS) | |
| Delivery point | Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road | |
| Postal code | NR33 0HT | |
| City | Lowestoft | |
| Administrative area | Suffolk | |
| Country | UK | |
| data.manager@cefas.co.uk | ||
| Role | The custodian is the person or organisation that accepts responsibility for the resource and ensures appropriate care and maintenance. If a dataset has been lodged with a Data Archive Centre for maintenance then this organisation is be entered here. | custodian |
| Organisation name | Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory (CEFAS) | |
| Delivery point | Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road | |
| Postal code | NR33 0HT | |
| City | Lowestoft | |
| Administrative area | Suffolk | |
| Country | UK | |
| data.manager@cefas.co.uk | ||
| Role | The distributor is the person or organisation that distributes the resource. | distributor |
| Organisation name | Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory (CEFAS) | |
| Delivery point | Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road | |
| Postal code | NR33 0HT | |
| City | Lowestoft | |
| Administrative area | Suffolk | |
| Country | UK | |
| data.manager@cefas.co.uk | ||
| Role | The owner is the person or organisation that owns the resource. | owner |
| Organisation name | Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory (CEFAS) | |
| data.manager@cefas.co.uk | ||
| Role | The owner is the person or organisation that owns the resource. | owner |
| Organisation name | British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA) | |
| bmapa@mineralproducts.org | ||
| Role | The owner is the person or organisation that owns the resource. | owner |
| Organisation name | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | |
| laura.bocarro@dsit.gov.uk | ||
| Role | The owner is the person or organisation that owns the resource. | owner |
| Organisation name | The Crown Estate | |
| enquiries@thecrownestate.co.uk | ||
| Role | The owner is the person or organisation that owns the resource. | owner |
| Organisation name | UK Oil and Gas Industry Ltd | |
| publications@oguk.org.uk | ||
| Resource locators | ||
| Locator URL | Web address (URL) that links to the resource | https://data.cefas.co.uk/view/22303 |
| Locator name | Name of the web resource | Cefas Data Portal |
| Dataset constraints | ||
| 20.1 Limitations on Public Access - Access constraints | This states `otherRestrictions` from ISO vocabulary RestrictionCode and is an INSPIRE/GEMINI requirement. | otherRestrictions |
| 20.2 Limitations on Public Access - Other constraints | noLimitations | |
| 21.1 Conditions for Access and Use - Use constraints | This states `otherRestrictions` from ISO vocabulary RestrictionCode and is an INSPIRE/GEMINI requirement. | otherRestrictions |
| 21.2 Conditions for Access and Use - Other constraints | https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ | |
| Version info | ||
| Date of publication | The publication date of the resource or if previously unpublished the date that the resource was made publicly available via the MEDIN network. | 2025-10-14 |
| Date of last revision | The most recent date that the resource was revised. | 2026-01-29 |
| Date of creation | The date that the resource was created. | 2025-09-01 |
| Harvest date | The date which this record has been (re)harvested from the provider. | 2026-04-12 |
| Metadata date | The date when the content of this metadata record was last updated. | 2026-01-29 |
| Metadata standard name | The name of the metadata standard used to create this metadata | MEDIN |
| Metadata standard version | The version of the MEDIN Discovery Metadata Standard used to create the metadata record | 3.1.1 |