(Supplement) Abundance of benthic macrofauna sampled near Sylt (German Bight)

Samples were taken at 45 stations approximately 3.5 km west of the island Sylt (German Bight) by using a 0.1 m² Van Veen grab. At each station two grabs were taken. Samples for macrofaunal analyses were sieved onboard over 1 mm mesh size, and the retained material was fixed with 4% buffered formaldehyde. Samples of coarse grained sediments were decanted before sieving. In the laboratory the samples were sieved again over 1 mm mesh size, organisms were stained with Rose Bengal and sorted. After sorting, the organisms were identified to species level. Data were given as average of the two replicates at each station.