2007, EMU, Marine Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (MALSF), Outer Thames Estuary Regional Environmental Characterisation Survey

The aim of the Thames Regional Environmental Characterisation (REC) survey, funded through the Marine Environment Protection Fund of the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund, survey was to acquire data, of the highest quality and resolution possible, to enable broadscale characterisation of the seabed habitat, associated biological communities and potential historic environmental assets within the region. The specific objectives of the project were to: Acquire high quality data within the logistical, time and cost constraints of the project; Acquire acoustic and geophysical data capable of describing broadscale seabed habitats and potential historic environment assets within the region, and so develop the understanding of the physical processes that influence the regional seabed, historic environment and its faunal communities; Acquire seabed imagery to describe the types of seabed habitats and epifauna that exist within the region and enable the future interpretation of acoustic and geophysical data; Acquire seabed grab samples to describe the seabed, and faunal community’s habitats, in the region and enable the future interpretation of acoustic and geophysical data; Acquire scientific beam trawl samples to describe the epifaunal communities; Acquire data capable of determining the location and significance of rare or regionally unique habitats or those that might be considered for protection under the terms of national conservation legislation; Acquire data capable of determining the significance of habitats and benthic species identified in maintaining the health of higher tropic levels of regional marine communities; Acquire geophysical, geological and biological data to support the integrated management of offshore resources in the region and to provide a better basis for marine spatial planning.