CEFAS974575b6-6069-478c-a286-5dfeb2f4e15a English dataset Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory (CEFAS) Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory Pakefield Road Lowestoft Suffolk NR33 0HT UK data.manager@cefas.co.uk pointOfContact 2024-10-08T08:20:56 EPSG Geodetic Parameter Registry 2022-01-07 revision WGS 72 EPSG Geodetic Parameter Registry 2022-01-07 revision WGS 84 Structure and function assessment of macrobenthic communities from north of the Dogger Bank, the Oyster Ground and at Sean Gas Field, in 2007 2015-12-04 publication 2024-10-08 revision 2015-12-04 creation CEFAS3573 https://data.cefas.co.uk Four infaunal replicate samples were collected at each site using 0.1 m2 Nioz corers (diameter of approximately 30 cm) were sieved on a 1mm mesh sieve, the sieve remains were then sorted and preserved following the methodology described by Boyd (2002). On return, to the laboratory all the infaunal samples were identified to the lowest taxonomic level as possible, counted and weighted. Five epifaunal replicate samples were collected at each site using 2 m beam trawls during each of the five research cruises. Each trawl was conducted at a constant speed (~2 knots per minute) and sampled an area of seabed of approximately 400 m2. Once on board, the contents of the trawl were sieved over 5mm mesh and all retained individuals were identified, counted and weighed. In some cases, the very high numbers of some groups (e.g. brittle stars, shrimps, and small fish) needed sub-sampling before counting and weighting. The raw abundance and biomass data for both the infauna (from the cores) and epifauna (trawls) were scaled to values per m2. As some taxa were present in both datasets, taxa which were more appropriately classed as infauna and/or their densities were better estimated via a corer were classed as infauna and removed from the trawl data. Accordingly, those taxa which were generally considered as epifaunal (and their numbers and biomasses better estimated using a trawl) were considered as epifaunal and/or their densities more suitably estimated using a trawl were reported as epifauna. Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory (CEFAS) Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory Pakefield Road Lowestoft Suffolk NR33 0HT UK data.manager@cefas.co.uk originator Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory (CEFAS) Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory Pakefield Road Lowestoft Suffolk NR33 0HT UK data.manager@cefas.co.uk custodian Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory (CEFAS) Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory Pakefield Road Lowestoft Suffolk NR33 0HT UK data.manager@cefas.co.uk distributor Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) defra.helpline@defra.gov.uk owner notPlanned Benthos GEMET, version 1.0 2008-06-01 publication Biota abundance, biomass and diversity SeaDataNet P03 parameter discovery vocabulary 2011-03-25 revision Fauna abundance per unit area of the bed SeaDataNet P02 parameter discovery vocabulary 2011-03-25 revision Species distribution GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 2008-06-01 publication Benthic boundary Sediment SeaVoX Vertical Co-ordinate Coverages 2010-05-18 revision Marine Environmental Data and Information Network MEDIN metadata record availability 2012-01-11 publication data.gov.uk MEDIN metadata record availability 2012-01-11 publication otherRestrictions noLimitations otherRestrictions Public data - no limitations to reuse 0.1 English biota 1.00 6.00 52.00 54.50 2007-02-01 2007-10-31 Delimited Geographic Information System Unknown https://data.cefas.co.uk/view/3573 Cefas Data Portal download The Cefas Data Portal contains metadata records and data sets available to download and connect to in support of our commitment to open science. Data is available in the following formats: CSV, ESRI Shapefile. The data can also be accessed via the WFS and WMS protocols. dataset INSPIRE Data Specification on Species Distribution – Technical Guidelines 2013-12-10 publication false See the referenced specification Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services 2010-12-08 publication true See the referenced specification Five research cruises were conducted (during February, April, May, September and October, 2007) at three study sites, north of the Dogger Bank (hereafter as DB) (55.68 º N, 2.28 º E), the Oyster Ground (54.41º N, 4.04º E) (hereafter as OG) and at Sean Gas Field (hereafter SGF) (53.17º N, 2.81º E). Previous research conducted at the sites, have shown that these sites have representative characteristics of larger regions with similar water column and seabed attributes, considering them as eco-hydrodynamic regions in the southern and central North Sea (see van der Molen et al., 2012; Painting and Foster, 2013). At each site four replicate samples were collected with a 0.1 m2 Nioz corer to sample benthic infauna and sediments. From each Nioz corer, a small corer (internal diameter of 5.5 cm) was used to obtain sediments for the analysis of particle size, porosity, chlorophyll a/phaeopigment and organic carbon analysis. These cores were sliced at 0.5 to 1 cm intervals up to 10cm depth and stored at -20°C. MEDIN 3.1.1