© OpenStreetMap contributors
- Add External Layer
- Upload Shapefile
- Layer Tutorial
- Close
Use the checkbox () to show or hide a layer.
Use the radio buttons () to select a layer to use with the identify function.
- Layers
- Opacity
Available layers
(ctrl+c)
Search for marine data across UK organisations
- API
- How-To
- About
- Contact MEDIN
- Share
Metadata: 2002 Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary joint broad-scale mapping survey
Abstract:
The Firth of Tay and the Eden Estuary are situated on the east coast of Scotland between Carnoustie in the north and St Andrews in the south and the site has been selected as a candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC). The qualifying features include estuaries, mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide, sandbanks which are slightly covered by seawater all the time and common seals Phoca vitulina. It is also an important site for overwintering wildfowl and waders. In order that a comprehensive management plan can be developed to ensure the sustainable use of resources within the marine cSAC it is essential to obtain an understanding of the geographic distribution and extent of the habitats of interest. A comprehensive biotope mapping survey of the intertidal and subtidal habitats was undertaken in the summer of 2002, by a collaborative research group comprising staff from the University of St Andrews, Heriot-Watt University and SNH. Mapping of the intertidal was accomplished principally through the employment of QuickBird satellite imagery, ground truthed with data collected in intertidal field survey (at a subset of locations samples were collected for sediment infauna and granulometric analysis). Subtidal areas of the site were surveyed by rapid broad scale acoustic techniques, ground truthed with data collected in the field using ROV, epifaunal samples by naturalists dredge and infaunal samples collected by both pipe and Van Veen grab; subsamples retained for granulometric analysis.
Data holder:
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Headquaters
Click on the red button for resource contact details:
- Click on the red button for resource contact details
Use constraints:
no restrictions to public access
| Other details | ||
| Internal code | Internally assigned metadata identifier | 1469 |
| 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. | 2002 Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary joint broad-scale mapping survey |
| 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. | 61a436a7a029309d2cfbdd6f593ba5d0 |
| Resource Identifier | This is the code assigned by the data owner. | GB-SCT-SNH-ME-000076-MRSNH01100000013-TAY |
| 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 | 2002-06-01 |
| End date | This describes the date the resource ends. This may only be the year if month and day are not known | 2002-12-31 |
| Spatial resolution | This describes the spatial resolution of the dataset or the spatial limitations of the service. | inapplicable |
| 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'. | notPlanned |
| Abstract | The abstract provides a clear and brief statement of the content of the resource. | The Firth of Tay and the Eden Estuary are situated on the east coast of Scotland between Carnoustie in the north and St Andrews in the south and the site has been selected as a candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC). The qualifying features include estuaries, mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide, sandbanks which are slightly covered by seawater all the time and common seals Phoca vitulina. It is also an important site for overwintering wildfowl and waders. In order that a comprehensive management plan can be developed to ensure the sustainable use of resources within the marine cSAC it is essential to obtain an understanding of the geographic distribution and extent of the habitats of interest. A comprehensive biotope mapping survey of the intertidal and subtidal habitats was undertaken in the summer of 2002, by a collaborative research group comprising staff from the University of St Andrews, Heriot-Watt University and SNH. Mapping of the intertidal was accomplished principally through the employment of QuickBird satellite imagery, ground truthed with data collected in intertidal field survey (at a subset of locations samples were collected for sediment infauna and granulometric analysis). Subtidal areas of the site were surveyed by rapid broad scale acoustic techniques, ground truthed with data collected in the field using ROV, epifaunal samples by naturalists dredge and infaunal samples collected by both pipe and Van Veen grab; subsamples retained for granulometric analysis. |
| Lineage | Lineage includes the background information, history of the sources of data, data quality statements and methods. | Bathymetric sidescan and single beam sonar remote acoustic mapping techniques were utilised at near 100% coverage to develop acoustically classed seafloor maps of the Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary cSAC where water depths were greater than 3m. For shallow areas and intertidal areas airborne and satellite techniques were used to develop classed maps. High fidelity ground validation data were collected in the field using drop-video, ROV, grab, dredge and hand sampling methodologies to enable the subsequent interpretation of the acoustic maps. Before using any survey technology for either mapping or object identification an appreciation of the system capabilities is needed. A key element is the system resolution or fidelity with which the system can identify objects on the sea floor. The system resolution will dictate the size of object that is recognisable at a particular distance from the survey instrument. The majority of instruments have both theoretical resolution limits and manufacturer defined values from testing under ideal conditions. Unfortunately, these are rarely achieved in real surveys. Achieving a particular resolution will depend on the precision to which the instrument can measure electronic signatures, however, it is the precision with which each measurement of the sea floor is made with a particular instrument that is of real interest to the user. A discussion of an instrument in terms of the accuracy of object identification on the bottom can be misleading as this is a function of not only the sonar instrument specifications but also of all the navigation errors, the location errors for the instrument, the acoustic noise that is recorded and most importantly the identification or interpretation logic. Accuracy in interpretation requires consistent groundtruth information and reliable positioning of both the acoustic data and groundtruth data. The theoretical resolution for each survey instrument is briefly given followed by a discussion of the use of the instrument in SAC habitat mapping (see Bates, et al. 2004). Further compound errors are also discussed: mapping error, groundtruth position, track spacing, AGDS, bathymetric sidescan, Spatial mapping of acoustics in the GIS. Satellite imagery: Orders were placed for QuickBird image acquisition over the Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary cSAC in April 2002. Due to the size of the estuary and the comparatively narrow swath of the satellite, the acquisition was required in three parts (Figure 3.12). The acquisition was further affected by the need for acquisition during periods of low tide to ensure intertidal regions were exposed, and thus to obtain as complete a mapping as possible. This requirement restricted the acquisition â??windowâ?? for any of the three parts to two periods per month of approximately 5 days each. Relatively cloudy weather throughout the summer of 2002, coincident with the narrow acquisition windows, meant that only Part 1 of the Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary cSAC was captured, on 27.08.02. The acquisition characteristics of the image are given in Table 3.6 (see Bates, et al. 2004). This part comprises the eastern-most portion of the cSAC extending down the coast from Carnoustie to St Andrews (Figure 3.13). The image acquired was virtually cloud free. Visual inspection of the data revealed few radiometric problems or other flaws such as missing scan lines etc. This dataset was used in all subsequent processing. The Quickbird imagery was supplied in geocorrected form to a 1:50,000 scale accuracy by DigitalGlobe Inc. To further improve the accuracy for mapping purposes, the imagery was subsequently geocorrected to the corresponding OS LandLine (1:1250 scale) map base using ground control points (GCPâ??s). The ultimate correction of these data is thus to within one pixel (less than 2.6 m) of true position. The projection used was the Transverse Mercator British National Grid. Qualitative comparison of our secondary geocorrected image with that of the original image supplied by DigitalGlobe indicated that the original data supplied were accurate only to within 3â??4 pixels (approximately 8â??12m) of the â??trueâ?? location. It may be felt that the level of accuracy of the data originally supplied is of acceptable accuracy to work with, without the need for further geocorrection. Although it is unknown what system or map-base DigitalGlobe use for their original corrections, it is likely that this level of accuracy would be similar for any images obtained from this sensor around the Scottish coastline. |
| Additional information | This describes relevant references to the data e.g. reports, articles, websites plus other useful information not captured elsewhere. | Bates, C. R., Moore, C. G., Malthus, T., Mair, J. M. and Karpouzli, E. (2004). Broad scale mapping of habitats in the Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary, Scotland. Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No. 007 (ROAME No. F01AA401D). |
| Related keywords | ||
| Keyword | 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 | NDGO0005 | |
| Keyword title | data.gov.uk | |
| Keyword | General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Geology |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Habitats and biotopes | |
| 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 | Zoobenthos taxonomy-related counts | |
| 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 | Habitat extent | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Habitat characterisation | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Macroalgae and seagrass taxonomy-related counts | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Sediment grain size parameters | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Sediment Type | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Habitats and biotopes | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Marine | |
| 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 | Marine | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Scottish MPA Search Locations | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Possible Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (pMPA) | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | environment | |
| General subject area(s) associated with the resource, uses multiple controlled vocabularies | Marine Environment Monitoring | |
| 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 | Species Distribution | |
| Geographical coverage | ||
| North | The northern-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | 56.5201 |
| East | The eastern-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | -2.5191 |
| South | The southern-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | 56.315 |
| West | The western-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | -3.3151 |
| Regional sea | Northern North Sea | |
| North Sea | ||
| infralittoral | ||
| littoral | ||
| 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 | Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Headquaters | |
| Individual name | Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) | |
| Position name | Data Manager | |
| Phone | 01463 725000 | |
| Delivery point | Great Glen House, Leachkin Road | |
| Postal code | IV3 8NW | |
| City | Inverness | |
| data_supply@nature.scot | ||
| Role | The distributor is the person or organisation that distributes the resource. | distributor |
| Organisation name | Data Archive for Seabed Species and Habitats (DASSH) | |
| Position name | Data Manager | |
| Phone | 01752 633102 | |
| Fax | 01752 633291 | |
| Delivery point | Marine Biological Association of the UK, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill | |
| Postal code | PL1 2PB | |
| City | Plymouth | |
| dassh.enquiries@mba.ac.uk | ||
| Role | The originator is the person or organisation who created, collected or produced the resource. | originator |
| Organisation name | University of St. Andrews, School of Geography and Geoscience | |
| Individual name | Richard Bates | |
| dassh.enquiries@mba.ac.uk | ||
| Role | The originator is the person or organisation who created, collected or produced the resource. | originator |
| Organisation name | University of Edinburgh | |
| Individual name | Tim Malthus | |
| dassh.enquiries@mba.ac.uk | ||
| Role | The originator is the person or organisation who created, collected or produced the resource. | originator |
| Organisation name | Colin Moore | |
| Individual name | Colin Moore | |
| Position name | Consultant | |
| c.g.moore84@gmail.com | ||
| 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 | Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Headquaters | |
| Individual name | Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) | |
| Position name | Data Manager | |
| Phone | 01463 725000 | |
| Delivery point | Great Glen House, Leachkin Road | |
| Postal code | IV3 8NW | |
| City | Inverness | |
| data_supply@nature.scot | ||
| Dataset constraints | ||
| 20 Limitations on Public Access - Access constraints | otherRestrictions | |
| 20 Limitations on Public Access - Other constraints | This states any limitations on access to the data and uses free text. | no restrictions to public access |
| 21 Conditions for Access and Use - Use limitation | This states any constraints on use of the data. Multiple conditions can be recorded for different parts of the data resource. If no conditions apply, then `No condtions apply` is recorded. This uses free text. | Not for navigational use; SNH copyright data which is available for re-use under government licence terms: http://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. | 2008-10-30 |
| 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. | 2024-06-10 |
| Metadata standard name | The name of the metadata standard used to create this metadata | MEDIN Discovery metadata standard |
| Metadata standard version | The version of the MEDIN Discovery Metadata Standard used to create the metadata record | 2.3.8 |