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Metadata: 2012 Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) biological analyses of Marine Scotland (MS) Lochs Alsh, Duich, Creran and Fyne benthic camera survey
Abstract:
The aim of the survey work was to validate historical PMF records of Limaria, Modiolus and maerl beds within search areas located in Loch Alsh, Loch Fyne and Loch Creran, and to obtain an understanding of the distribution of burrowed and deep mud PMF habitats and component species in Loch Duich. An indication of the probable extent and condition of the features was also sought. The main approach to achieve these aims was by use of diving and remote video and grab sampling techniques. The following PMFs were surveyed at the locations and times (Table 1) provided below: • Loch Alsh - Modiolus and Limaria beds • Loch Duich - burrowed mud, deep mud, Pachycerianthus and, in the approaches, Limaria • Otter Spit, Loch Fyne - Limaria and maerl beds • Furnace area, Loch Fyne - Limaria and Modiolus beds • Loch Creran - Limaria beds
Data holder:
NatureScot (HQ Inverness)
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| Other details | ||
| Internal code | Internally assigned metadata identifier | 11665 |
| 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. | 2012 Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) biological analyses of Marine Scotland (MS) Lochs Alsh, Duich, Creran and Fyne benthic camera 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. | fa002eb792d41da9064dc587a8234400 |
| Resource Identifier | This is the code assigned by the data owner. | NS-000199 |
| 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 | 2012-08-20 |
| End date | This describes the date the resource ends. This may only be the year if month and day are not known | 2012-09-23 |
| Spatial resolution unit | This describes the unit of spatial resolution which for distance must be metres. | urn:ogc:def:uom:EPSG::9001 |
| 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 aim of the survey work was to validate historical PMF records of Limaria, Modiolus and maerl beds within search areas located in Loch Alsh, Loch Fyne and Loch Creran, and to obtain an understanding of the distribution of burrowed and deep mud PMF habitats and component species in Loch Duich. An indication of the probable extent and condition of the features was also sought. The main approach to achieve these aims was by use of diving and remote video and grab sampling techniques. The following PMFs were surveyed at the locations and times (Table 1) provided below: • Loch Alsh - Modiolus and Limaria beds • Loch Duich - burrowed mud, deep mud, Pachycerianthus and, in the approaches, Limaria • Otter Spit, Loch Fyne - Limaria and maerl beds • Furnace area, Loch Fyne - Limaria and Modiolus beds • Loch Creran - Limaria beds |
| Lineage | Lineage includes the background information, history of the sources of data, data quality statements and methods. | 2.1 Loch Alsh and Loch Duich The objective was is to survey three Modiolus beds, a mixed Modiolus/Limaria bed and seven other possible Limaria beds. 2.1.1 String Rock Modiolus bed Work initially concentrated on this bed as it was considered to be probably the largest, and the decline in Modiolus density recorded in 2004 here was responsible for the Duich, Long and Alsh SAC being deemed to be in an unfavourable condition. Thus, additional site condition monitoring data were obtained here. Cross-strung 0.25 m2 quadrats were used to assess percentage cover of live Modiolus at the 14 sites examined in 1999 and 2004 (Figure 1), ten of which were also studied in 2007. Eleven of these were located at 20 m intervals along a 200 m groundline. The groundline was relaid but to enhance the accuracy of site relocation, stations were relocated using the recorded 1999 depths for each station, if necessary in combination with use of the calibrated groundline. The number of string intersection hits (maximum 16) were recorded using 10 replicate quadrats at each site, also recording the presence of dead Modiolus, depth, substrate and brittlestar cover. To further examine possible recovery of the bed, Modiolus samples were taken for population structure analysis at station 1, where a similar study was carried out in 1999 (Mair et al.., 2000). 5 replicate quadrats were cleared of all shell and stone material and the material returned to the surface for measurement of length, breadth and height of Modiolus specimens using vernier callipers. The residue material was retained for future inspection and measurement of spat in the laboratory. As only 50 Modiolus were collected a further clearance of material was made to bring the total Modiolus measured to around 100. Measured specimens were returned live to the seabed at the collection site. An MNCR phase 2 survey, including the collection of four replicate Modiolus clump samples for analysis of the associated fauna, was also carried out at station 1 (HM01, Figure 1), accompanied by video and still photography to characterise the habitat and community. An indication of extent of this and other Modiolus beds (as well as Limaria) was carried out by recording various parameters at a number of stations along diver drift or swum transects (Figure 1). See Limaria section for methodology. 2.1.2 Other Modiolus beds Diver transects were also carried out at the sites of historical records of Modiolus beds under the Skye Bridge (2 sites in Scott, 1991) and NE Eileanan Dubha (Connor, 1989) (Figure 1). 2.1.3 Limaria beds Initially, areas containing historical records of Limaria beds were examined by drift or swum diver transects, but it became apparent that Limaria was far more widely distributed than previously recorded and so the search area was extended to cover much of the seabed from west of the Skye Bridge to east of Eileanan Dubha. In total 75 stations were worked by divers along transects recording the following data for assessment of both Limaria and Modiolus distribution and condition (Figure 1): • % cover by Limaria nest material • thickness of Limaria nest • presence of discrete nests • Limaria hians seen/not seen • substrate • depth • % algal turf cover • kelp species and SACFOR abundance • brittlestar abundance (SACFOR) • brief notes on community characteristics • Modiolus SACFOR abundance Station positions were fixed by the surface vessel following diver signalling using the surface marker buoy. MNCR phase 2 surveys were carried out with video and still imagery at two sites, a Limaria bed (FS01) and a mixed Modiolus/Limaria bed (HM02) (Figure 1), with the collection of four replicate cores (10.3 cm diameter to a depth of c.20 cm) for infaunal analysis and one core for PSA at FS01 and four replicate Modiolus clump samples at HM02. Core material was screened with a 0.5 mm sieve. 2.1.4 Loch Duich 36 sites were surveyed by dropdown video (Figure 2), which included 31 in Loch Duich and four to assess the presence of Limaria in Loch Alsh where predicted by the broadscale survey of Entec (Johnston et al., 1997). At each site video footage was collected along a run generally of around 3 - 8 minutes with the following parameters being recorded on a pro forma: • site • date • surveyors • time in and out • position in and out • depth in and out • substrate description • biota description • ID code for miniDV • target PMF • target depth range (chart datum) Single 0.1 m2 van Veen grab samples were taken at 10 stations with a c.150 ml subsample taken for particle size analysis and the remaining material sieved on a 1 mm mesh. 2.2 Loch Fyne The Otter Spit area was surveyed by diver transects with the same data recorded as for Loch Alsh at 45 stations (Figure 3), but with the addition of % live and % dead maerl cover. Validation dives were also carries out for Limaria at The Tea Rooms in the Furnace area of Loch Fyne, and for a Modiolus bed west of Kilbride Island (Figure 4). An MNCR phase 2 survey was carried out in a representative area of the Limaria bed, with collection of still and video imagery and four replicate core samples for infaunal analysis and one core for particle size analysis (Figure 3). The faunal cores were screened using a 0.5 mm mesh. 2.3 Loch Creran In view of the smaller anticipated size of the Loch Creran Limaria beds and the strong current conditions, the above approach for data collection along transects was modified. Rapid position fixing at stations along transects was achieved by use of a towed surface GPS logger, attached to the SMB, with station positions obtained by the diver recording the time, which was synchronised with GPS time (Figures 5, 6). An algorithm was developed to obtain site positions based on the GPS surface fix and the direction and distance of the GPS receiver layback, calculated from diver records of depth, SMB line length and SMB line direction. Otherwise, surveys of the distribution of Limaria beds at Shian and Creagan Narrows and a possible bed in the mouth of Loch Creran were carried out in a similar manner to that at Otter Spit (excluding the maerl component). MNCR phase 2 surveys were carried out on the Limaria bed at Shian (FS03) and Creagan (FS04) with associated imagery and core collection (Figures 5, 6). |
| 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 | 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 | Habitat characterisation | |
| 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 | Macroalgae and seagrass 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 | Zoobenthos taxonomy-related counts | |
| Geographical coverage | ||
| North | The northern-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | 56.335192174035 |
| East | The eastern-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | -5.4299926757812 |
| South | The southern-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | 55.70274201067 |
| West | The western-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | -5.7925415039063 |
| Regional sea | Minches and Western Scotland | |
| 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 | NatureScot (HQ Inverness) | |
| data_supply@nature.scot | ||
| Role | The owner is the person or organisation that owns the resource. | owner |
| Organisation name | Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Headquaters | |
| Individual name | Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) | |
| Position name | Data Manager | |
| Phone | 01463 725000 | |
| data_supply@nature.scot | ||
| 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 | NatureScot (HQ Inverness) | |
| Position name | NatureScot Data Manager | |
| data_supply@nature.scot | ||
| Role | The originator is the person or organisation who created, collected or produced the resource. | originator |
| Organisation name | Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Headquaters | |
| Individual name | Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) | |
| Position name | Data Manager | |
| Phone | 01463 725000 | |
| 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) | |
| Individual name | Esther Hughes | |
| Position name | Data Manager | |
| Phone | 01752 633102 | |
| dassh.enquiries@mba.ac.uk | ||
| 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 | no restrictions to public access | |
| 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 | 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/ |
| Available data formats | ||
| Data format | Format in which digital data can be provided for transfer | Database (Marine Recorder) |
| Format in which digital data can be provided for transfer | Image | |
| Format in which digital data can be provided for transfer | Movie | |
| 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. | 2013-01-01 |
| 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. | 2025-06-04 |
| 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 | 3.1.2 |