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Marine Habitat Classification


Description of biotope or habitat type

To understand more about what this page is describing, see How to use the classification. See also How to cite.

   Atlantic mid abyssal coarse sediment


Physical habitat description

Salinity Full (30-35 ppt)
Wave exposure
Tidal streams
Substratum Coarse sediment
Zone Atlantic mid abyssal
Depth Band 3100 - 4100 m
Other Features

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.

Distribution of habitat M.AtMA.Co Atlantic mid abyssal coarse sediment

  • 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

Deep-sea coarse sediment has not been sampled widely for infauna so little is currently known about infaunal community structure. Epifauna tend to be sparse mobile species or burrowing fauna such as anemones visible at the surface. In the absence of ecological data, coarse sediment habitat can be defined according to Long (2006), which describes the classification's broad sediment types according to the relative proportion of mud, sand and gravel (see p3 of UKSeaMap 2010 technical report 3 http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/UKSeaMap2010_TechnicalReport_3_Substrate2.pdf). It can be difficult to reliably distinguish between coarse sediment and mixed sediment using video data only. Note that mixed sediment has a greater mud content than coarse sediment. If sediment particles are large enough to be classed as gravel using the Folk classification then sediment would be classed as coarse sediment rather than sand. If sand contains a high enough percentage of gravel it is also classed as coarse sediment. Coral rubble is classed as coarse sediment. Stable pebbles, cobbles and boulders are classed as rock; any rock present on coarse sediment is considered a separate habitat within a mosaic.

Situation

No situation data available.

Temporal variation

No temporal variation data available.

Characterising species

Characterising species data not applicable.

Similar biotopes or habitat types

Not applicable or unknown.


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