2002 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA2 Laboratory report. Grain size analyses sea bed sediments collected in North Sea, 2001. BGS Tech Note CR/01/193

This report is the product of the laboratory analyses carried out on sediments collected on the MV Kommandor Jack during the summer or 2001 as part of Department of Trade and Industry's (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA2. The results of the analyses include tables and curves from the samples collected from the southern North Sea, the associated distribution curves, results of the analyses of the fine-grained samples collected from the northern North Sea, and the results of the Loss on Ignition analysis. An Excel data file is also available.

2005 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA7 Survey - Biological, physical and chemical sampling survey report. ERT 1320 (NE Atlantic west of Scotland)

As part of the Department of Trade and Industry's (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA7 an environmental survey was carried out from the SV Kommandor Jack. The aim of the survey was to acquire seabed samples for biological, physical and chemical analysis together with video and digital stills photography to ground truth the geophysical data and enable a general characterisation of seafloor habitats and community types present within the SEA7 area. The area sampled included Anton Dohrn Seamount, Rockall Bank, Hatton Bank, George Bligh Bank and Rosemary Bank. This report provides a log of the field sampling work undertaken for SEA7, in particular the biological, physical and chemical sampling.

2001 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA1. Laboratory report on grain size analysis of seabed samples (Faroe Shetland Channel)

This report pertains to samples collected for the UK Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) as part of Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA1 (White Zone) from west of the Shetland Islands by Geotek Ltd from the RRS Charles Darwin during the summer of 2000. This report is the product of statistical analyses on grain size data of 109 seabed samples.

2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA7 Technical Report - hydrocarbon prospectivity, earthquakes, continental shelves and Rockall Trough surficial and sea-bed geology and sea-bed processes

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA7) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). Investigations of the hydrocarbon prospectivity and earthquake activity include the whole of SEA7 but in this report investigations of the sea-bed sediments are restricted to the Hebrides Shelf, Rockall Trough and east Rockall Bank. On the Hebrides Shelf, Hebrides Slope, east Rockall Bank and in the deep-water Rockall Trough the modern sea-bed sediments are mainly composed of mixtures of former glacial deposits and grains of modern interglacial biogenic carbonate shell. Former glacial deposits and modern biogenic carbonate are now mainly mixed and transported by wave-orbital currents and residual currents on Rockall Bank and by combinations of wave-orbital currents, tidal currents and residual currents on the Hebrides Shelf and upper Hebrides Slope. Below approximately 300 metres water depth in the Rockall Trough the sea-bed sediments are mainly transported by circulating deep-water residual currents.

2003 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA4 Sample analysis - Particle Size Analysis and Heavy Metal analysis, Atlantic margin (north UKCS)

This report contains heavy metal concentrations (As, Ba, Cr, Cu, Cd, Fe, Hg, Pb, Mn, Ni, Sr, V and Zn) and sedimentological characteristics (particle-size analysis) which were determined in respectively 61 and 68 samples for the Atlantic margin Department of Trade and Industry's (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA4) . A spreadsheet of data is available.

2004 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA5 Seabed and superficial geology and processes, BGS Report CR/04/064N (North Sea)

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA5) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report reviews published and newly-acquired seabed geological data in an area of 78,000 square kilometres extending from the coast to more than 200 m water depth to the east of the British Isles. While it can be argued that the modern environment is a product of past environmental conditions, the basis for the review is also that our understanding of the modern environment can be significantly improved if new techniques, data and ideas are applied to a revision of the existing research knowledge. The purpose of the review is to place the characteristics of the seabed features that were surveyed by the DTI in 2003, and the processes forming them, into an improved understanding of their historical, local and regional context. In this way a strong element of the review is to include the results from exploration and discovery. The survey data included multibeam, sidescan sonar, seismic-reflection profiles, sea floor photographs and samples.

Marine Ecosystems Research Programme (MERP), UK Coastal waters, 2014 onwards

The Marine Ecosystems Research Programme (MERP) dataset consists of pelagic and benthic taxonomic data with supporting data such as sediment size and satellites ocean colour or productivity in UK waters (Celtic Sea, Irish Sea, North Sea and the English Channel). Data were obtained from cruises beginning in April 2014, using a variety of methods such as BONGO nets, trawls, dredges and grabs. These data were used alongside and in various models. MERP addresses key knowledge gaps in marine ecosystem research. The programme developed a more accurate suite of marine ecosystem models providing vital evidence, tools and advice to policy makers and environmental managers, including the development and implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the Marine and Coastal Access Act, Marine (Scotland) Act, Common Fisheries Policy and the OSPAR Joint Assessment and Monitoring Programme as well as the work of UK government departments. MERP research supports an ecosystem approach to policy, regulatory and management initiatives. MERP was formerly known as Integrating Macroecology and Modelling to Elucidate Regulation of Services from Ecosystems (IMMERSE) and the WP2 Developing a model based understanding of ecosystem service regulation grants. MERP was created when two grants were combined to make an overarching programme. The MERP consortium includes a blend of early and mid to late career researchers united by large-scale thinking and a multidisciplinary approach. The following partners were involved in the programme: Bangor University, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, National Oceanography Centre, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Queen Mary University of London, Queens University Belfast, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, University of Glasgow, University of Sheffield and the University of Strathclyde.

2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA7 sample analysis - Physical/chemical analysis of marine sediment samples collected during the SEA7 survey August/September 2005 (NE Atlantic west of Scotland)

This report present the data obtained from the analysis of sediment samples collected during survey operations for the Department of Trade and Industry's (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) Strategic Environmental Assessment programme (SEA7), carried out in August/September 2005. Samples were analysed for: Total organic carbon and nitrogen; Particle size analysis; Hydrocarbons and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons; Trace and heavy metals. A spreadsheet of data is included.

2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA7 SV Pelagia SEA7 Survey - seabed sampling survey with video and photography (Faroe Shetland Channel)

As part of the Department of Trade and Industry's (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA7) a regional seafloor environmental survey was undertaken in the Faroe Shetland Channel off the north and west coasts of Shetland. The work included bathymetric surveys, sediment sampling for biological and chemical analysis, and seabed photography. 7 video files and 507 photographs are available. Raw multibeam data are available. A cruise report is also available.

2003 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA5 Cruise report, RV Kommandor Jack, Part B Biology Survey, North Sea

Seabed sampling with video and digital stills photography; Moray Firth, Southern Trench, Sandy Riddle, Pobie Bank, Braer Study Area, Fair Isle, Papa and Turbot Banks, Smith Bank and JONSIS Transect. This report forms the second of two reports relating to 2 research cruises undertaken on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) during the Strategic Environmental Assessment 5 (SEA5). Data were collected by the RV Kommandor Jack during the period September 17th - October, 8th, 2003. The report describes the collection of a variety of benthic sediment samples for the analysis of particle size, hydrocarbon and heavy metal content, and benthic fauna composition. These were collected in order to enable groundtruthing and interpretation of the various geophysical data-sets collected during the first cruise. In addition, marine video surveying techniques were used to photograph parts of the seabed.

Sediment grain size parameters