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The main objective of this study was to establish a baseline for monitoring in the Wash. Cost is an important consideration and the survey design was a compromise between information requirements and the likely level of funding that will be available for running the monitoring program. The strategy adopted was based on a nested survey design. (1) Four belt transects about 250m wide were surveyed using acoustic ground discrimination systems (AGDS) and rapid ground truth sampling (particularly video). The four transects were positioned to cross major features and be representative of the range of ground types in the Wash. They were selected on the information obtained from previous surveys. (2) Eight monitoring stations were then positioned within the transects and at each site three replicate samples were taken. Although three samples are regarded as minimal, it was a compromise between costs and the requirement for statistical sampling. The AGDS survey provided a broad characterisation of the transects in terms of the distribution of biotope (or broader life from categories) and sediment type. The grab samples were treated with a range of statistical techniques and the samples described in some detail. Although the two approaches (broad scale interpretation of biotope categories based on epifauna versus the statistical analysis of point source infaunal data) are very different, the information can be combined into one overall synthesis that shows major environmental gradients running (1) east/west from the exposed outer Wash to the more sheltered inner areas and (2) north/south across the deep channel (Lynn Deeps). Although this is a baseline survey, the data were compared with similar data from 1997 and there were indications that the numbers of some species had fluctuated markedly. In particular it appeared that the tube worm Sabellaria spinulosa and the small deposit feeding bivalve Abra alba declined markedly whilst the sand mason Lanice conchilegaI, the bivalve Ensis americanus and tubificid worms increased markedly. The uncertainty underlying these examples, however, highlights the requirement for a well designed monitoring strategy and some of the major issues were discussed and recommendations made.
Natural England
Accessible under NE and DASSH terms and conditions
| Other details | ||
| Internal code | Internally assigned metadata identifier | 4822 |
| 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. | 1999 English Nature (EN) Monitoring the subtidal sandbanks of the Wash and the North Norfolk coast cSAC, Eastern Sea Fisheries Joint Committee (ESFJC) |
| 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. | b62413b59e455e8d482aaa92b97b4286 |
| Resource Identifier | This is the code assigned by the data owner. | NATENG000204 |
| 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 | 1999-06-22 |
| End date | This describes the date the resource ends. This may only be the year if month and day are not known | 1999-06-24 |
| 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 main objective of this study was to establish a baseline for monitoring in the Wash. Cost is an important consideration and the survey design was a compromise between information requirements and the likely level of funding that will be available for running the monitoring program. The strategy adopted was based on a nested survey design. (1) Four belt transects about 250m wide were surveyed using acoustic ground discrimination systems (AGDS) and rapid ground truth sampling (particularly video). The four transects were positioned to cross major features and be representative of the range of ground types in the Wash. They were selected on the information obtained from previous surveys. (2) Eight monitoring stations were then positioned within the transects and at each site three replicate samples were taken. Although three samples are regarded as minimal, it was a compromise between costs and the requirement for statistical sampling. The AGDS survey provided a broad characterisation of the transects in terms of the distribution of biotope (or broader life from categories) and sediment type. The grab samples were treated with a range of statistical techniques and the samples described in some detail. Although the two approaches (broad scale interpretation of biotope categories based on epifauna versus the statistical analysis of point source infaunal data) are very different, the information can be combined into one overall synthesis that shows major environmental gradients running (1) east/west from the exposed outer Wash to the more sheltered inner areas and (2) north/south across the deep channel (Lynn Deeps). Although this is a baseline survey, the data were compared with similar data from 1997 and there were indications that the numbers of some species had fluctuated markedly. In particular it appeared that the tube worm Sabellaria spinulosa and the small deposit feeding bivalve Abra alba declined markedly whilst the sand mason Lanice conchilegaI, the bivalve Ensis americanus and tubificid worms increased markedly. The uncertainty underlying these examples, however, highlights the requirement for a well designed monitoring strategy and some of the major issues were discussed and recommendations made. |
| Lineage | Lineage includes the background information, history of the sources of data, data quality statements and methods. | The purpose of this study was to establish a monitoring programme for broadscale mapping within the Wash. A previous broadscale mapping project had been carried out but this project aimed to establish a methodology that could easily be repeated for future surveys and comaprisons. The monitoring programme aimed to provide information on the possible changes in distribution patterns of major habitat types and biotopes. The monitoring programme should also enable assessment to be made of changes in composition of the major biotopes at select locations. Methods included preliminary surveying of the transects using RoxAnn and dGPS which was ground-truthed using videography and grab sampling. Monitoring locations were sampled in more detail. The report details the methods used, analysis and interpretation of the data, comparison with previous data and conclusions. Marine recorder survey number: MRNE01340000001D Original data and metadata archived only. Insufficient data in original data or electronic data missing. |
| 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 | Species distribution | |
| 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 | 53.0841 |
| East | The eastern-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | 0.6647 |
| South | The southern-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | 52.782 |
| West | The western-most limit of the data resource in decimal degrees | 0.0192 |
| Regional sea | Southern North Sea | |
| 34F0 | ||
| 35F0 | ||
| North Sea | ||
| IVc | ||
| 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 | Natural England | |
| Position name | Marine Data Manager | |
| Phone | +44 (0)300 060 3900 | |
| Fax | +44 (0)300 060 2356 | |
| Delivery point | Foss House, Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green | |
| Postal code | YO1 7PX | |
| City | York | |
| Role | The distributor is the person or organisation that distributes the resource. | distributor |
| Organisation name | Natural England | |
| Position name | Marine Data Manager | |
| Phone | +44 (0)300 060 3900 | |
| Fax | +44 (0)300 060 2356 | |
| Delivery point | Foss House, Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green | |
| Postal code | YO1 7PX | |
| City | York | |
| Role | The originator is the person or organisation who created, collected or produced the resource. | originator |
| Organisation name | University of Newcastle, School of Biology | |
| Individual name | R. L. Foster-Smith | |
| 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 | Natural England | |
| Position name | Marine Data Manager | |
| Phone | +44 (0)300 060 3900 | |
| Fax | +44 (0)300 060 2356 | |
| Delivery point | Foss House, Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green | |
| Postal code | YO1 7PX | |
| City | York | |
| Dataset constraints | ||
| 20 Limitations on Public Access - Access constraints | ISO restriction code chosen from ISO 19115-1 Codelist | otherRestrictions |
| 20 Limitations on Public Access – Other constraints | Any restriction on the use of the resource such as the need to agree to certain licence conditions. | Accessible under NE and DASSH terms and conditions |
| 21 Conditions for Access and Use - Use limitation | Any restrictions imposed on accessing the resource such as the need to agree to certain licence conditions. | Accessible under NE and DASSH terms and conditions |
| Available data formats | ||
| Data format | Format in which digital data can be provided for transfer | Delimited |
| 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. | 2001-12-31 |
| Metadata date | The date when the content of this metadata record was last updated. | 2016-09-19 |
| 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 |
© OpenStreetMap contributors