2005 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA6 Technical Report - Synthesis of Information on the Benthos of SEA6 Clyde Sea Area

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA6) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report provides a synthesis of current knowledge of the benthic communities and seabed habitats in the Clyde Sea, which abuts the northern end of the SEA6 area. The Clyde Sea is a fjordic system consisting of drowned, glacially over-deepened, valleys separated by sills. The southern limit of the area, and the ultimate sill for the Clyde Sea lochs, is formed by a broad sill termed the Great Plateau. The Great Plateau is predominantly less than 50 m deep and is overlooked by the volcanic plug of Ailsa Craig. The report is presented in the context of the hydrography and sedimentology of the area. The focus is on dominant species and broad descriptions of community types (biotopes). It also reviews existing major human activities in the area that are currently affecting the benthos.本报告为贸易工业部（现更名为能源与气候变化部）开展的战略环境评估（Strategic Environmental Assessment，SEA6）贡献了相关研究内容。本报告综合梳理了当前关于克莱德海域底栖生物群落与海底生境的既有认知，该海域毗邻SEA6研究区域的北端。克莱德海域属于峡湾型系统，由被海槛分隔的、经冰川过度侵蚀后沉没的河谷组成。该区域的南界，同时也是克莱德海域诸峡湾的最终海槛，由一处被称为“大高原”的宽阔海槛构成。大高原的水深普遍不足50米，其邻近区域矗立着艾尔萨岩（Ailsa Craig）火山颈。 本报告结合该区域的水文状况与沉积学背景展开撰写，重点关注优势物种以及生物群落生境（biotopes）的宏观描述，同时梳理了当前对该区域底栖生物造成影响的主要人类活动。