Habmap

HABMAP was initially partly funded by the INTERREG IIIA programme between 2004 and 2007. Following this the Countryside Council for Wales carried out further work between 2007 and 2010 to extend coverage of the project to include all of Welsh waters.

About the Project

The HABMAP project has produced working habitat maps of the seabed of the southern Irish Sea using novel predictive modelling techniques. For more information about the modelling and mapping work, see the data collation and modelling pages...

If you would like a hard copy of the original HABMAP project reports (BIOMOR 5a and 5b), or a project DVD containing survey data and images, please contact Andy Mackie at the National Museum Wales Andy.Mackie@museumwales.ac.uk.

Cruises

Two HABMAP survey cruises were carried out in summer 2005 on the RV Celtic Voyager.

Image gallery

Here you can find various images relating to the HABMAP project, each with a brief description of what you are looking at. Within the gallery are folders containing images of the multibeam survey areas, seabed features, seafloor photos and sediment profiles, as well as some photographs taken onboard the survey vessel.

Data Collation

A major part of the HABMAP project was to develop a model that used physical characteristics to predict the biological community (biotope) on the seabed. (A biotope is a combination of the physical characteristics of the seabed and the group of species living there.) This was a four stage process that involved collating physical and biological data, developing a model, testing the model, and validating the outputs. This was a new approach to mapping seabed habitats in the southern Irish Sea.

Modelling

The main aim of the HABMAP modelling work was to use physical datasets to predict the occurrence of benthic habitats throughout the southern Irish Sea.

Related Projects

A number of other habitat mapping surveys and projects for management of the marine environment have been carried out around the Welsh coast and further afield on a UK or European scale. The HABMAP project worked alongside many of these projects to share data and ideas.

Download Area

This section contains all of the reports and maps produced during both the original (2004 – 2007) and extension (2007 – 2010) HABMAP projects. Maps produced during both phases of the project are available to download in both MapInfo and ArcGIS formats, and as .jpg files.