Carmarthen Bay Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Intertidal Sediment Flats Monitoring 2005 dataset https://portal.medin.org.uk/portal/start.php?tpc=007_NRW_DS102033 The purpose of this data capture was to gain an understanding of the variety and species composition of intertidal communities and their macro-scale distribution within the interest features of the Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The present study aims to revisit the area to undertake representative sampling to be compared to the phase 1 mapping survey undertaken in 1999 and 2001 in order to assess shifts and changes in intertidal habitats within the SAC. As such, the specific objectives of the current survey were therefore to: - Undertake in-situ biotope recording along pre-defined transects to establish the extent and distribution of intertidal soft sediment biotopes - Verify field observations with quantitative sampling of the intertidal habitats using core sampling for benthic infauna (and particle size analysis for sedimentary characterisation) - Compare 2005 findings with baseline phase 1 mapping survey data with the view to detect changes or shifts in biotope distribution - Assign the 2004 biotope classification. Between 1999 and 2001, the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) undertook a phase 1 Marine Nature Conservation Review (MNCR) biotope mapping survey of the intertidal areas of the Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The study identified over 80 littoral biotopes covering an area of approximately 130,000 hectares and included several important sub-features such as seagrass Zostera noltii beds, saltmarsh, piddocks in clay, hydroid rockpools, tide-swept algal biotopes, the presence of the polychaete worm Ophelia bicornis and the presence of the tasselweed Ruppia maritima. These habitats were resurveyed in 2004 in order to assess their current distribution and status. In 2005 a further survey was commissioned to assess the macro-scale distribution and community composition of the littoral biotopes in the SAC and determine any significant changes from the phase 1 biotope mosaic. 20081231