Jenkins Christopher, Eggleton Jacqueline, Barry Jon, O'Connor Joey
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) Lowestoft UK.
Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) Peterborough UK.
Ecol Evol. 2018 Jul 12;8(15):7673-7687. doi: 10.1002/ece3.4292. eCollection 2018 Aug.
Standardized and repeatable data acquisition and analyses are required to enable the mapping and condition monitoring of reefs within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Changes in habitat condition must be reliably identified and reported to best support evidence-based management. Biogenic reefs in temperate waters, that is, hard matter created by living organisms and raised above the seabed, provide food and shelter for many plant and animal species. This article explores the feasibility of habitat mapping, using remote sensing datasets, as well as metrics for repeatable and suitable assessment of areas of for their status as biogenic reef. Data were gathered within the North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef candidate Special Area of Conservation/Site of Community Importance in the southern North Sea. Six study areas were identified as potential locations of biogenic reef using previously acquired data, and these were targeted for further investigation using a combination of high resolution multibeam echosounder and sidescan sonar. Where potential was identified from the acoustic data, a drop-down camera system was employed for visual verification. Areas of known and potential reef were mapped successfully at two of the six study areas, although future approaches should take careful consideration of the seabed morphology and predominant habitat backdrop to successfully interpret such data. Camera tows from reef areas were broken up into 5-s segments, with each segment scored for (a) average tube elevation; (b) average percentage cover; and (c) for the presence or absence of . These metrics were utilized to create summary statistics, including a value of patchiness derived from presence/absence data, that is recommended for application as part of future monitoring programs. The application of this methodology could benefit wider assessments of similar threated or declining habitats such as intertidal beds on mixed and sandy sediments, Maerl beds, beds, beds, and beds where patchiness may also be considered of environmental importance.
为了实现对海洋保护区（MPA）内珊瑚礁的测绘和状况监测，需要进行标准化且可重复的数据采集与分析。必须可靠地识别并报告栖息地状况的变化，以最好地支持基于证据的管理。温带水域中的生物礁，即由生物形成并高于海床的硬质物质，为许多动植物物种提供食物和庇护所。本文探讨了利用遥感数据集进行栖息地测绘的可行性，以及对生物礁区域进行可重复且适当评估的指标。数据收集于北海南部的北诺福克沙洲和土星礁候选特殊保护区域/具有社区重要性的地点。利用先前获取的数据，确定了六个研究区域为生物礁的潜在位置，并使用高分辨率多波束回声测深仪和侧扫声纳相结合的方法对这些区域进行进一步调查。从声学数据中识别出潜在区域后，采用了下拉式摄像系统进行视觉验证。在六个研究区域中的两个区域成功绘制了已知和潜在生物礁的区域，不过未来的方法应仔细考虑海床形态和主要栖息地背景，以便成功解读此类数据。从生物礁区域拖曳摄像机的过程被分成5秒的片段，每个片段根据以下指标进行评分：（a）平均管状物高度；（b）平均覆盖百分比；（c）是否存在[具体生物或物体未明确给出]。这些指标被用于创建汇总统计数据，包括从存在/不存在数据得出的斑块度值，建议将其作为未来监测计划的一部分加以应用。这种方法的应用可能有益于对类似的受威胁或衰退栖息地进行更广泛的评估，例如混合和沙质沉积物上的潮间带[具体生物或物体未明确给出]床、珊瑚藻床、[具体生物或物体未明确给出]床、[具体生物或物体未明确给出]床和[具体生物或物体未明确给出]床，在这些地方斑块度也可能被认为具有环境重要性。
