Biodiversity Data Journal :
Data Paper (Biosciences)
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Corresponding author: Christina Pavloudi (cpavloud@hcmr.gr)
Academic editor: Vasilis Gerovasileiou
Received: 22 Jul 2021 | Accepted: 17 Aug 2021 | Published: 23 Aug 2021
© 2021 Stamatina Nikolopoulou, Dimitar Berov, Stefania Klayn, Lyubomir Dimitrov, Kiril Velkovsky, Eva Chatzinikolaou, Giorgos Chatzigeorgiou, Ventzislav Karamfilov, Christina Pavloudi
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Nikolopoulou S, Berov D, Klayn S, Dimitrov LI, Velkovsky K, Chatzinikolaou E, Chatzigeorgiou G, Karamfilov V, Pavloudi C (2021) Benthic habitat mapping of Plazh Gradina – Zlatna ribka (Black Sea) and Karpathos and Saria Islands (Mediterranean Sea). Biodiversity Data Journal 9: e71972. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.9.e71972
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Habitat mapping is nеcessary for the efficient conservation and protection of marine ecosystems. In addition, it is a requirement for EU Member States as stated in the European Union (EU) Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), as well as necessary for the achievement and maintenance of 'good environmental status (GES)' of benthic marine habitats in the framework of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC).
This study provides baseline information on the marine benthic habitats of Sozopol Bay (Black Sea) and Karpathos and Saria Islands (Mediterranean Sea). These two Natura 2000 sites were selected as study sites of the RECONNECT project, which aimed at creating a transnational cooperative network to confront the environmental threats of ecosystems with a high natural and cultural interest, by the establishment of common practices and a joint regional strategy. The specific objective was to map the marine habitats using a defined a priori classification (EUNIS), with the ultimate purpose of supporting government marine spatial planning, management and decision-making processes through the development of a Decision Support System.
habitat mapping, marine benthic ecosystems, Karpathos, Saria, Sozopol, Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa, Zostera noltei, Zostera marina, EUNIS, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea
Although the term habitat can be defined in a variety of ways (e.g.
As required by the European Union (EU) Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), EU Member States need to identify and designate sites for habitats (as listed in Annex I of the Directive) to be included in the Natura 2000 network. The same Directive requires EU Member States to report on the conservation status of these habitats at six-yearly intervals, which calls for solid knowledge of their geographical distribution. Therefore, it is clear that habitat mapping is a key feature of ecosystem management and conservation and it is a prerequisite for marine habitat restoration and adherence to the relative legislative framework (
Regarding marine biomes, however, the focus over the last few years has been on the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which are the main tool for protection and conservation of the marine realm (
A successful regional habitat mapping programme needs to include the following elements (
In accordance with these general guidelines, we identified the necessary steps for the selection of the mapping approach and methods that were applicable to our marine habitat mapping activities:
The aim of this study was to provide habitat maps for two Natura 2000 sites, one in Bulgaria and one in Greece, that were used for the creation of a decision-support system for the management of the sites as part of the “Interreg Balkan-Mediterranean 2014-2020” project RECONNECT. The most current EU-wide habitat classification systems for habitat classification with a thorough coverage of the unique benthic habitats of the two sites are the Habitats Directive classification scheme, the 2019 EUNIS classification system, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Broad Habitat Types and the updated Barcelona Convention (BC) classification system (
The target of our mapping activities in Bulgaria was the maritime part of the Natura 2000 site BG0000146 Plazh Gradina – Zlatna ribka (Fig.
The targeted area in Greece was the Protected Area of northern Karpathos and Saria (GR4210003) (Fig.
For the Natura 2000 site BG0000146:
The geophysical mapping of substrates and bathymetry were carried out by the Centre for Underwater Archaeology-Sozopol (K. Velkovsky, K. Dimitrov). The survey was set up in a 5 x 5 m grid with a resolution of < 1 m for the depth within each frame. The actual resolution of depth depended on the limitations of the side scan and multibeam profilers. The bathymetric survey was carried out with a multibeam sonar Teledyne Odom MB1 (512 beams), while bottom substrate texture types and relief were surveyed with a StarFish 450H side scan sonar. Both were mounted on a research vessel (MK ‘Hristina’, CUA-Sozopol) with a high precision GPS system (RTK DGPS Trimble). The survey vessel performed transects in the study area, parallel to the shoreline and with at least 20% overlap of the scanned area of the bottom between two adjacent transect lines. The survey covered the sea bottom down to 3 m depth, avoiding any shallow areas and obstacles in the zone. The depths and topography of the areas shallower than 3 m were later interpolated, based on available data from previous surveys. All data were continuously recorded on-board the vessel using computers with the appropriate software systems.
The sonograms of the scanned area were later used for the creation of a substrate type map of the zone. This mapping was based on previous geological substrate sampling campaigns in the area, carried out by the Institute of Oceanology-BAS (IO-BAS, L. Dimitrov). The substrate texture types were classified and matched to the Folk-16 substrate classification scheme, based on data from transects with over 160 point samples. This included several categories оf rocky substrates, soft bottom substrates (sand and mud), soft bottom substrates with seagrasses and artificial substrates (concrete, pipelines etc.).
The results from the geophysical mapping were ground-truthed with benthic macrofaunal samples, video and still image drop cameras in a sampling resolution sufficiently dense to cover the different sediment types and depth ranges in the study area, following the methodology described in
Data analysis was performed with the following software products: HyPack for bathymetry data, Deep View for the side scan sonar and mosaic data and Global Mapper for the creation of substrate and overview maps. The resulting data were saved as DEM, XYZ, GeoTIFF (3D format) for the terrain models and GeoTIFF and georeferenced JPGs for the side scan data and the collected substrate type data.
Georeferenced photos of the benthic communities were analysed by experienced benthic ecologists, identifying the substrate types, dominant macroalgal and zoobenthic species visible in the photo and the dominant habitat types, in accordance with the EUNIS 2019 (level 3 and 4) classification system, as well as the Bulgarian national MSFD habitat types and subtypes. Results were imported in ArcMap 10.4 and the spatial distribution of habitat types was further explored there, by determining the depth limit of distribution of habitats and dominant species on the detailed substrate and bathymetry map of the study site.
For the Natura 2000 site GR4210003:
Bottom substrates were surveyed with a DeepVision (DE3468D) portable side scan sonar trawled on the “Saria” vessel, equipped with a high precision GPS system (GPSMAP78, Garmin). The survey vessel performed a number of transects in the study sub-areas, in most cases parallel to the shoreline and with 5-15% overlap of the scanned area of the bottom between two adjacent transect lines (depending on the shoreline and the weather conditions). The scanning frequency was 680 kHz. All data were continuously recorded onboard the vessel using a computer with the appropriate software systems installed. Additionally, the BlueRobotics, BLUE ROV2 (ver. heavy duty) underwater drone was used for ground-truthing of the different habitat types. The sonograms of the scanned areas were used for the creation of substrate type maps of the area. Data analysis was performed with the software products DeepView Pro for the side scan sonar data and QGIS3.12 for the creation of substrate and overview maps. Data were exported in KML format by DeepView, transformed into shape files, projected in UTM35 and processed in QGIS on a map scale 1:20,000. Polygons of the same habitat were merged so each feature within the shapefile was assigned to one habitat (1110 soft bottom, 1120 Posidonia, 1170 Hard substrate and A5.531 Cymodocea beds).The process of habitat delimiting was based on the analysis of the geophysical and sedimentology data, where borders between sediment subtypes and substrate types were drawn (manually), based on in situ sampling data confirming difference in substrates in areas with similar side scan acoustic images texture and characteristics.
To ensure that the data would display properly, the shapefiles were cleaned by removing any geometry or topology errors. The shape length and area were calculated in metres and square metres, respectively and all habitats were visualised via Geoserver on MedOBIS viewer (available at https://portal.lifewatchgreece.eu/, accessible after registration) in WGS84 coordinate system (EPSG:4326). Downloading in .csv and .KML format is available through the 'Save WMS Layer" tool. An OGC standard for geospatial styling (Styled Layer Descriptor (SLD)) was used through Geoserver to create styles for each layer. Open Street Map was used as a base-map, as it is an up-to-date open source map (Figs
The length and total area of each habitat type in each of the Natura 2000 sites are given in Table
The shape area of each habitat type in each Natura 2000 site, as downloaded from the MedOBIS viewer.
Seagrasses (Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa, Zostera spp.) | Soft Bottom | Hard Substrate | ||
Shape area (m2) | Shape area (m2) |
Shape area (m2) |
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GR4210003 | Palatia | 8,970.28 | 27,041.06 | 17,527.23 |
Diafani | 184,620.62 | 324,222.95 | 138,491.40 | |
Steno (Diaplous) | 105,808.65 | 1,496,775.74 | 264,661.80 | |
Tristomo |
59,073.53 |
374,203.55 | 46,670.13 | |
BG0000146 | 448,757.20 | 12,465,103.14 |
1,179,832.27 |
Shape area (m2) of the main habitat types of the study sites.
Data quality assurance procedures included in the EMODnet Seabed Habitats data submission process were followed during the preparation of the final datasets. Тhe confidence assessment procedure included an evaluation of the quality, spatial coverage and precision of geographical positioning of the used remote sensing techniques and ground-truthing methods, as well as assessments of the quality, accuracy and representative nature of the produced maps of biological communities. The evaluation results are included in the metadata files of the produced shape files.
For the Natura 2000 site BG0000146:
The official name is Plazh Gradina - Zlatna ribka; located in the Black Sea, with an area of 12 km2; it is a Protected Area under Directive 92/43/EEC for the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. The site includes the Island of St. Ivan and the small Island of St. Peter next to it; the whole bay is called Sozopol. The latter is a beautiful coastal town founded in 611 BC. Sampling area: 14,091,859.35 m2 (14 km2, 1,409 ha), of which 3.2% is Zostera spp. (Zostera noltei and Zostera marina) meadows. Depth range: 0-30 m. The sampling area stretches between 42.408660 and 42.449459 Latitude; 27.645078 and 27.706018 Longitude.
An official designation order with detailed management plans and restrictions for the area was published by the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water in May 2021. It includes management measures and regulations that were suggested by IBER-BAS as a result of the surveys completed in this study (Bulgarian State Gazette, Issue 45/28/05/2021).
For the Natura 2000 site GR4210003:
The selected study sites covered Tristomo and Diafani Bay in Karpathos, Palatia in Saria Island and Steno (Diaplous), the narrow area between Saria and Karpathos. The sampling area stretches between 35.755691 and 35.887419 Latitude; 27.204275 and 27.235387 Longitude.
Diafani is a traditional fishing village, the second port of the Island and is located in the northeast of the Island. Sampling area: 647,334.95 m2 (65 ha), of which 29% is Posidonia oceanica meadows. Depth range: 0-20 m.
Tristomo is an enclosed bay, a natural harbour, separated from the open sea by three openings, located in the northern part of Karpathos. Sampling area: 479,947.20 m2 (48 ha), of which 5.4% is Posidonia oceanica meadows. Depth range: 0-25 m.
Steno (Diaplous) is the channel between the Islands of Karpathos and Saria. Sampling area: 1,867,246.19 m2 (187 ha), of which 6% is Posidonia oceanica meadows. Depth range: 0-82 m.
Palatia is a bay in Saria Island. Sampling area: 53,539.28 m2 (5 ha), of which 17% is Posidonia oceanica meadows. Depth range: 0-41 m.
35.2991739963 and 42.5214755477 Latitude; 27.0079103795 and 27.9142824498 Longitude.
Primary data from the Islands of Karpathos and Saria were collected in one visit in November 2019 (09/11/2019 - 17/11/2019). Data for the 'Plazh Gradina - Zlatna ribka' site were collected in a series of field studies carried out between June 2018 and October 2019.
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Column label | Column description |
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POLYGON | Unique identifier for each polygon |
GUI | Globally unique identifier of the habitat map. It consists of a 2-letter country code + 6 digits |
ORIG_HAB | The information of the habitat type present in the polygon, based on Eunis Habitat classification system |
ORIG_CLASS | Brief description of the habitat classification system |
COMP | A description of the habitats within polygon groups |
COMP_TYPE | The type of composition for the habitats within the polygon group. "single habitat" - the polygon is not within a group |
Area | The shape area in square metres or hectares |
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
POLYGON | Unique identifier for each polygon |
GUI | Globally unique identifier of the habitat map. It consists of a 2-letter country code + 6 digits |
AnnexI | Official habitat code of Annex I |
ORIG_HAB | The information of the habitat type present in the polygon, based on Eunis Habitat classification system |
CONFIDENCE | Confidence in presence and extent of habitat |
ORIG_CLASS | Brief description of the habitat classification system |
COMP_TYPE | The type of composition for the habitats within the polygon group. "single habitat" - the polygon is not within a group |
The dataset for the Natura 2000 site BG0000146 is also available at:
http://gis.ices.dk/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/0bf67a42-b478-4ac5-b0df-3e5e9aa638df
The dataset for the Natura 2000 site GR4210003 is also available at:
http://gis.ices.dk/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/5877d808-3fd7-11eb-b378-0242ac130002
We would like to thank the Management Agency of the Dodecanese Protected Areas (MADPA) and especially Mr Dinos Protopapas and Mr Giorgos Prearis (captain of the R/V Saria) for providing assistance during our visits to Karpathos and Saria. Funding was provided by the project RECONNECT (MIS 5017160), financed by the Transnational Cooperation Programme Interreg V-B "Balkan-Mediterranean 2014-2020" and co-funded by the European Union and national funds of the participating countries.
CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) author statement:
Stamatina Nikolopoulou: Conceptualisation, Validation, Data curation, Visualisation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Dimitar Berov: Methodology, Data curation, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Stefania Klayn: Data curation, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Ventzislav Karamfilov: Writing – review & editing, Funding acquisition, Supervision. Lyubomir Ι. Dimitrov: Investigation, Data Curation. Kiril Velkovsky: Investigation, Data Curation. Eva Chatzinikolaou: Investigation, Writing – review & editing, Funding acquisition. Giorgos Chatzigeorgiou: Data curation, Investigation, Writing – review & editing, Funding acquisition. Christina Pavloudi: Conceptualisation, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Project administration, Funding acquisition.