DOI: 10.14466/CefasDataHub.187

Description

This dataset underpins the study Mapping benthic biodiversity to facilitate future sustainable development, which used benthic macrofaunal records and sediment particle size analysis (PSA) to generate high-resolution maps of biodiversity across the continental shelf of the North-East Atlantic. The dataset comprises 22,793 standardised grab and core samples collected between 1985 and 2023, with taxonomic names harmonised via the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). It includes species abundance data, diversity metrics (alpha-, beta- and gamma-diversity), and biodiversity cluster classifications derived through Random Forest modelling. The primary purpose of this dataset is to inform marine spatial planning and environmental licensing, especially in the context of offshore wind development and other seabed activities.

Benthic macrofaunal records were compiled from the OneBenthic database, covering samples collected between 1985 and 2023, with most data from 2000 onwards. Only comparable grab and core samples (0.1 m², 1 millimetre mesh sieve) were retained, and taxonomic names were standardised using the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Samples from areas with localised disturbance (such as dredge spoil disposal or aggregate extraction) were excluded, and those within 50 metres of one another were filtered to reduce spatial autocorrelation.

Biodiversity metrics (species richness, Shannon and Simpson diversity, abundance, and alpha-, beta-, gamma-diversity) were calculated and standardised for sampling effort. Cluster classifications and Random Forest models were applied to predict biodiversity patterns across the region, with validation through cross-validation and accuracy statistics.

Overall, the dataset is high quality and suitable for marine biodiversity mapping and planning, though users should be aware of its long temporal span and uneven sampling density across regions.

Details of how the full dataset was queried and extracted are provided in the SQL query contained within the R code.

Contributors

Cooper, Keith / Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute / Akvaplan-niva / Anglian Offshore Dredging Association (AODA) / AWI / Senckenberg / BHP / Boskalis Westminster / Bournmouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council / Britannia Aggregates Limited / Celtic Array Limited / Cemex UK Marine Limited / Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) / Centrica (DSW) Limited / Centrica Energy / Centrica Renewable Energy Limited (Centrica PLC) / Chevron / DBM Building Materials / DEME Building Materials / Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) / Department of the Environment Northern Ireland (DOENI) / Dong Energy (UK) Limited DONG Energy AS / Dong Energy Walney Extension (UK) Limited / Dong Wind (UK) Limited / Dover Harbour Board (DHB) / Dredging International / Dudgeon Offshore Wind Limited / E.ON Climate & Renewables UK Limited / Rampion Offshore Wind Limited / Robin Rigg West Limited / East Anglia Offshore Wind Limited / East Channel Association (ECA) / EDF Energy (Northern Offshore Wind) Limited / Environment Agency (EA) / Fisheries Research Services (FRS) / Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO) / Forewind / French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) / Galloper Wind Farm Limited / Gaz de France / GDF Britain Limited / GDF Suez / Greater Gabbard Offshore Winds Limited / Gunfleet Sands II Limited (Dong Wind (UK) Limited / Gunfleet Sands Limited / Gwynt y Mor Offshore Wind Farm Limited / Hanson Aggregates Marine Limited / Humber Aggregate Dredging Association (HADA) / Humber Wind Limited / ICES Benthic Ecology Working Group / Innogy SE / Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) / Kentish Flats Limited (Vattenfall Wind Power Limited) / Lafarge Tarmac Marine Limited / Lincs Wind Farm Limited (Centrica (DSW) Limited) / Llanelli Sand Dredging Limited / London Array Limited / Marine Scotland (MS) / Mobil / Natural England (NE) / Natural Resources Wales (NRW) / The Crown Estate (TCE) / School of Ocean Sciences (SOS) / Neart Na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Limited (Mainstream Renewable Power) / Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) / Resource Management Association (RMA) / Rijkswaterstaat / RWE Innogy / Scira Offshore Energy Limited / Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) / Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) / Sea Aggregates & Slag Limited / Seagreen Wind Energy Severn Sands Limited / South Coast Dredging Association / South Coast Shipping Co Limited / Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) / Statoil / Kendall Bros (Portsmouth) Limited / Tarmac Marine Dredging Limited / Norwest Sand & Ballast Company Limited / Teeside Windfarm Limited (EDF Energy Renewables) / Thames Estuary Dredging Association (TEDA) / Thanet Offshore Wind Limited (Vattenfall Vindkraft AB) / Total / Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm Limited / United Marine Dredging Limited / Vattenfall Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Farm / Volker Dredging Limited / Wageningen Marine Research, IJmuiden / Walney (UK) Offshore Windfarms Limited (Dong Wind (UK) Limited) / Westermost Rough Limited / Westminster Gravels Limited / Wintershall

Subject

Benthos / Biodiversity / Invertebrate / Model / Sea bed / Sediment / Zoobenthos taxonomic abundance

Start Date

01/01/1985

End Date

22/11/2023

Year Published

2025

Version

1

Citation

Cooper, K. M. (2025). Select benthic invertebrate and sediment data from 1985 to 2023 for mapping benthic biodiversity to facilitate future sustainable development. Cefas, UK. V1. doi: https://doi.org/10.14466/CefasDataHub.187

Rights List

Open Government Licence

DOI

10.14466/CefasDataHub.187