Benthic macrofauna of the Ericeira coast (central Portugal) collected in May 2001

The dataset provides a quantitative list of the macrozoobenthic taxa collected in the infra and circalittoral sandy bottom off Ericeira (central Portugal) in May 2001. The fauna was identified to species or family level. The aim was to characterize the macrozoobenthic composition of sandy sediments potentially suitable for beach nourishment, in order to assess the environmental impact of the dredging operations on the benthic communities.
The increasing erosion along the Portuguese coast led to the definition of priority areas for beach nourishment. In order to assess the impact of the dredging operations on the benthic communities off Ericeira (a potential area for sand extraction) IPMA was appointed by the National Institute of Water (INAG) to carry out a sampling survey in the infralittoral and upper circalittoral zones (10 to 50 m depth) in May 2001. The sampling gear was a 0,1 m2 Smith-McIntyre grab. Sampling was performed by bathymetry level (10, 20, 40 and 50 m) along three transects perpendicular to the coast (distance between each 2 transects: 1/4 NM). Two grab samples for abiotic and biotic characterisation respectively were collected in each of the 15 sampling sites. The macrozoobenthos was identified to species or family level and quantified. Addionally, sediment grain size distribution and organic matter content were determined.