Analysis and Reporting of South Coast Regional Environmental Characterisation (REC)
- Reference:
- REC 08/02
- Start Date:
- 11 July 2008
- Amount Funded:
- £372,228
|
- Organisation:
- British Geological Survey, Marine Ecological Surveys Ltd, Cefas, Sussex Sea Fisheries Committee, Wessex Archaeology
- End Date:
- 20 August 2010
|
The South Coast REC is a multidisciplinary marine study
encompassing the geology, biology and archaeology of an extensive
area - 5600 km2 - of the English Channel. The South Coast
Region is an important source of marine aggregates with a
long-standing history of extraction. The industry is actively
looking for new extraction areas and these have to be assessed in
the light of increasing pressure on sea bed use. The South Coast
REC provides a context for these assessments.
Eleven principal objectives for the interpretation were set by
the MALSF and these included the characterisation of rock,
sediments and biological communities across the region. The
biological and geological character of the region was also
integrated in order to map the occurrence of biotopes as well as
areas of potential conservation interest. Archaeological objectives
were also set to distinguish, characterise and map wrecks and
objects on the sea bed, and also characterise the potential of the
area to contain submerged sites of prehistoric occupation. Finally
the study was to identify any gaps in data, analysis and
interpretation prior to and remaining after completion of the
study.
Data Available
WebGIS - www.southcoastrecgis.org.uk
Data - www.marinealsf.org.uk
Other related projects
MEPF 07/02 -
South Coast REC project - survey element only