Description of biotope or habitat type
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Offshore circalittoral sand
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | |
| Tidal streams | |
| Substratum | Fine sands and muddy sands. |
| Zone | Circalittoral |
| Depth Band | 20-30 m, 30-50 m, 50-100 m, 100-200 m |
| Other Features |
Biotope origin
| Derived using data from | Various |
| Faunal group | Infauna |
Download comparative physical and biological data. The comparative tables enable a rapid comparison of the species composition and principal physical characteristics between a given set of biotopes.
- Records used to define the biotope (core records)
- Other records assigned to this biotope, marked as 'certain'
- Other records assigned to this biotope, marked as 'uncertain'
- Predicted extent of the level 3 (for sublittoral rock & deep sea) or 4 (for sublittoral sediment) habitat
Point data based on records in the UK Marine Recorder Snapshot. Predicted habitat extent is from UKSeaMap.
Description
Offshore (deep) circalittoral habitats with fine sands or non-cohesive muddy sands. Very little data is available on these habitats however they are likely to be more stable than their shallower counterparts and characterised by a diverse range of polychaetes, amphipods, bivalves and echinoderms.
Situation
No situation data available.
Temporal variation
No temporal data available.
Characterising species
Characterising species data not applicable.
Similar biotopes or habitat types
Not applicable or unknown.
Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code | Habitat name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 (15.03) | SS.SSa.OSa | Offshore circalittoral sand |
| 2004 (04.05) | SS.SSa.OSa | Offshore circalittoral sand |
| 1997 (97.06) | Part of SS.COS | Circalittoral offshore sediments |