Marine Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (MALSF) Groundtruthing Survey 2009_8_MEPF: MALSF Humber Regional Environmental Characterisation Project: Southern North Sea (20/Apr/2009 to 26/May/2009)

The Humber Regional Environmental Characterisation (REC) surveys are funded through the marine Environment Protection Fund of the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (MALSF). The aims of the surveys are to acquire marine geophysical and sample data, to enable broad scale characterisation of the seabed habitat, associated biological communities and potential historic environmental assets within the Humber REC region. From the interpretation of the geophysical data stations for 20 vibrocore, 90 clam shell grab, 90 Hamon grab, 90 seabed photo 2 anchor dredge and 30 scientific trawls were selected. The survey was conducted over 2 phases (1-Geotechnical and Environmental): Leg 1 (Geotechnical) – to acquire 90 large-volume (Clamshell) grab samples and 20 sediment vibrocore samples to ground-truth the geophysical data and contribute to overall environmental interpretation. In addition, these data will describe seabed geology and prehistoric environmental assets including archaeological features and deposits of archaeological potential. Leg 2 (Environmental) – to acquire seabed imagery (video and still photography) and grab samples at 90 locations and 30 trawl samples; these data to ground-truth the geophysical data and contribute to overall interpretation. These data will also support the interpretation and delineation of infaunal and epifaunal communities. Good progress was made with the sampling field work and further vibrocore, Hamon grab and seabed photograph sites were selected and most of these were also occupied. The selection of these sites was undertaken by: the University of Birmingham Archaeology Department (vibrocores), British Geological Survey (clam shell grabs) and Marine Ecological Survey (Hamon grabs, camera stations and trawls). The marine sampling operations undertaken in the Humber REC area aboard the vessel Gardline Sea Profiler between 20th April 2009 and 26th May 2009, the rationale behind the surveys and the post-cruise processing results of the biological, sediment and shallow sub-seabed (vibrocore) data acquired. The survey area lies off the east coast of England, in the southern part of the North Sea, offshore the Humber Estuary, (Figure 1). It covers an area of approximately 11,000 km2. It extends eastward from the coast almost to the UK Median Line.