d19218be-db5d-4bc2-ba82-1dd0d87b8681 English series series 2026-10-06T09:02:08 MEDIN 3.1.2 biota environment geoscientificInformation oceans Sediment grain size parameters SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary 2026-06-19 revision Habitat characterisation SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary 2026-06-19 revision Consenting The Crown Estate Renewable Energy Development Phases 2012-05-15 revision Zone search area The Crown Estate Renewable Energy Development Areas 2012-05-15 revision Habitats and biotopes GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 2009-07-31 revision SeaDataNet sea areas 2012-11-07 revision North Sea SeaVoX Vertical Co-ordinate Coverages 2020-05-21 revision soil and sediment boundary layer 2011-04-01T00:00:00 2011-06-29T23:00:00 -2.714503 -1.488521 56.481829 56.677553 -11.00 -68.00 CES-399 Marine Data Exchange 2011, IECS, Zone 2 - Firth of Forth, North Sea Offshore Benthic Surveys North Sea Offshore Benthic Surveys 2026-03-02T17:35:45 publication English The Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies (IECS) was commissioned by Seagreen Wind Energy Limited to undertake an offshore benthic survey. This survey work and associated sample analysis was designed to enable characterisation of the benthic and epibenthic ecology of the area, the physical characteristics of the sample sites, and the chemical properties of sediments sampled. In order to provide adequate sampling coverage of the proposed development site Seagreen Wind Energy Ltd., in conjunction with Royal Haskoning, identified 150 benthic sampling sites and 50 video and epibenthic trawl sites within the Phase 1 area, in addition to 3 Met Mast sites across the Phase 1 and 2 areas. All survey work was completed between February and April 2011 and the subsequent sample analysis completed by August 2011. There will be no limitations when published on the Marine Data Exchange otherRestrictions Data Must be used in accordance to the Marine Data Exchange's Terms of Use: https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/content/info/terms-of-use otherRestrictions Crown Estate Scotland +44 (0)131 260 6070 enquiries@crownestatescotland.com custodian M. J. Bailey, A. Leighton, T. M. Smith & S. Thomson Mawdsley Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies Expert 0161 442 8938 iecs@hull.ac.uk originator Crown Estate Scotland +44 (0)131 260 6070 enquiries@crownestatescotland.com distributor Seagreen Derrick.Thirlwell@fluor.com owner notPlanned Delimited https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/details/CES-399/summary A link to the web service or dataset. https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk A link to the general host site. 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 2010-12-08T00:00:00 publication Conformity with the Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 was either not relevant to this dataset or not a requirement of the Marine Data Exchange for the creation and submission of this dataset; therefore, conformity has not been assessed and cannot be declared False series A total of 150 benthic stations were identified by Seagreen in the Phase 1 area, 19 in the Export Cable Route corridor as well as three Met Mast sites across Phases 1 and 2. A mini Hamon grab was deployed to collect a single replicate sample for infaunal analysis (Plate 1), from which a PSA sample was also taken, as per the specification. A second grab was collected for contaminant analysis. A full survey log was maintained throughout the survey detailing time of sampling, position (DGPS derived), station, water depth, volume of sample, physical characteristics of the sample, digital image number (cross referencing (QA)), presence of Sabellaria spinulosa and any other relevant features. The infaunal samples were processed on a sequential basis utilising a nested sieving technique. Each acceptable sample was removed from the grab, photographed with an internal label, placed into a hopper and sieved onboard through a nest of 5mm and 1mm sieves. A nested sieve approach was used in order to separate large sediment types and reduce damage to invertebrates. The sieved residue was gently back-washed into a sealable container and borax buffered 4% formo-saline solution containing Rose Bengal vital stain added as a fixative. Each sample was labelled clearly on the bucket and the internal label placed in the container, noting the client, survey, date and station number. The PSA and organic carbon samples were stored in separate plastic bags, which were clearly labelled, and frozen onboard the vessel. The samples were kept frozen during transportation back to the IECS laboratory. At the laboratory the samples were stored in the freezer. The IECS methodology followed the protocol given by Rees et al. (1990)1 and (1993)2, Davies et al. (2001)3, Boyd (2002)4 and Proudfoot et al. (2004)5. Samples comprising hard substrata (e.g. broken shell, rocks or gravel) were rejected if a minimum sample volume of 5 litres was not achieved. When samples were within these limits, each sample was photographed (digital image) and subsequently processed. Five attempts were made at each site to collect a valid infaunal sample, however if a sample with a volume less than 4 litres was retained the VideoRay was deployed at the site in order to obtain supporting video footage of the seabed. Derrick Thirlwell Seagreen GIS Manager derrick.thirlwell@fluor.com pointOfContact EPSG Geodetic Parameter Registry 2022-12-12 revision WGS 84 / UTM zone 31N