2.2.1 Stage 1, Sediment Description and Sabellaria Form Present 56.
2.2.2 Substrate Type 57.
Video footage from each site was reviewed together with the stills images taken. From these data the following information was extracted:
Presence of Sabellaria, classified into the following categories where possible: absent; moribund loose tubes; crusts; clumps (nodules of reef <10 cm in diameter); and potential reef.
2.2.3 Stage 2, Sabellaria Characteristics 58.
Hendrick and Foster‐Smith (2006) described a multi‐criteria scoring system which can be used to give an overview of various characteristics considered important to the ‘reefiness’ of Sabellaria aggregations.
59.
It has been suggested (Hendrick and Foster‐Smith, 2006) that each of the characteristics can be scored as Low, Medium or High, and be weighted according to the perceived importance of that characteristic. Table 3.2 summarises the characteristics that can be determined by video survey.
60.
Whilst an overall score of these characteristics is an oversimplification, the approach attempts to encourage a structured consideration of each characteristic. For the purpose of the survey, where areas of reef have been identified, the characteristics specified in Table 3.2 were scored as described in Table 3.3, where possible. In addition, notes were be made on other conspicuous species recorded by the images and video footage.
Benthic Characterisation Report November 2013
East Anglia THREE and FOUR Offshore Cable Corridor
