SS.SBR.PoR.SspiMx ‐ Sabellaria spinulosa on stable circalittoral mixed sediment.
Sites 2, 43 and 46
Representative photograph
89.
All video from the benthic survey have been scrutinised and where potential S. spinulosa reef were identified the three stage process outlined in section 3.2 has been applied to assess ‘reefiness (see Appendix L). The relevant biotope associated with this reef feature is SS.SBR.PoR.SspiMx ‐ Sabellaria spinulosa on stable circalittoral mixed sediment.
90.
Three sites (2, 43 and 46) were assessed as SspiMx from the video footage and stills images. It is important to note that the biotope, SspiMx, can be expressed in numerous forms thus cannot be interpreted as automatically synonymous with a reef feature, despite being indicative of the potential for an area to develop such a feature should the right conditions occur. Limpenny et al., (2010) highlight that the biotope can, and has been applied to records which do not contain high densities of S. spinulosa and furthermore, that only visually assessed locations can be described as reef with certainty.
91.
Site 2 has been categorised as “not reef” based on the three stage analysis methodology. Although, upright intertwining tubes of S. spinulosa were recorded, the elevation and patchiness were at the lower end of the scale.
92.
Sites 43 and 46 were selected for investigation by means of drop down video following the review of the 2012 geophysical data. Site 43 represented an interface between apparent coarse sediment and mobile sandy sediment. Site 46 was selected as a discrete area measuring approximately 310m by 50m, as defined by the 2012 geophysical data. Cross transects were run at each site to verify the extents of the potential Sabellaria reef.
Benthic Characterisation Report November 2013
East Anglia THREE and FOUR Offshore Cable Corridor
