Coastwatch Record Sheet A - Intertidal
Seagrass; Intertidal (Zostera marina/Zostera noltii). If you found seagrass in the intertidal zone - audit using the form below and refer to the guide notes on our website. If you didn't find any, email survey@coastwatch.org to advise that the area should be marked as 'absent' or needs to be checked again. If you found seagrass in the sublittoral zone (Zostera marina only) refer to Record Sheet B.
Personal Details
Name(s) of surveyors
*
Would you like to be named as a surveyor and results contributor?
*
Yes
No
Email (please give your email only if you agree to be contacted by Coastwatch)
example@example.com
Phone Number (Please give your phone number only if you agree to be contacted by Coastwatch)
Please enter a valid phone number.
Please enter the codes for your survey unit below.
See map http://coastwatch.org/europe/map/ for codes
Country Code
*
Please Select
8
23
20
County Code
*
Please Select
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
7A
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Block Code
*
Unit Code
*
Name of Survey Unit or Area
Shore name as it appears on map, shore name as known locally
Bay/inlet name
Shore name
Is this a protected site?
Yes
No
I don't know
If you know, indicate the what type of protected site it is (eg. SAC/SPA/NHA)
Survey Details
date, time, weather conditions
Date
 -
Month
 -
Day
Year
Date
Time (Duration of fieldwork eg. 2pm-4pm)
Weather conditions (before and during the fieldwork)
Why did you search here?
To verify a coastwatcher report
To check an earlier official report
Just curious
Other (please explain)
Access point to shore (ideally GPS coordinates)
Did you see seagrass here before?
Yes
No
If you have any historic information on seagrass at this site, please tell us:
Please upload a landscape or panorama picture of the seagrass on the shore to indicate its location.
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10 Step Audit
Start sketching the seagrass meadow or patches, and add to the sketch as you complete the 10 steps.
1. (i) Size of seagrass area
Small ( < 100 sq m)
Medium (100 - 1000 sq m)
Large (> 1000 sq m)
(ii) walk the perimeter of the bed with a GPS tracker app. Export your GPS track, preferably as a GPX file, from your tracking app and send it to survey@coastwatch.org so that it can be mapped.
2. (i) Species ID (see ID guide sheet A). What species of seagrass did you find?
Zostera noltii
Zostera marina (intertidal short phenotype)
Zostera marina (long)
(ii) Indicate whether the seagrass was: Swept up and/or Growing. (If you found multiple species, differentiate between these).
(iii) Upload a photo of the whole plant from tip to roots. You might have several species present, photograph them all. Upload another photo of seagrass blade close-up.
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3. (i) Seagrass location - describe any landmarks that easily mark the seagrass bed/beds, or how far it extends in a given direction:
(ii) Indicate the Shore level of seagrass bed/beds/patches: High, Middle, Low. (If you found multiple species of seagrass, differentiate between these).
(iii) Upload photographs of any landmarks that can help to identify the location of the seagrass bed, or sketch the location and upload a photo of your sketch.
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4. (i) Growth pattern, is the seagrass growing in:
A bed
Patches
A band
Other/comments
(ii) Sketch the growth pattern if you think you see one/
5. (i) Describe what sediment seagrass is rooted in (see guide notes) eg. sandy mud.
(ii) Other material which the seagrass isn't growing it, but is scattered throughout (this may be limiting seagrass density and/or extent of bed).
Rock Outcrops
Boulders
Cobbles
Flat Stones
Biogenic reef- Maerl, mussels, Serpula, honeycomb reef, etc.
Litter
Other/comments
(iii) What is the seafloor surface cover and colour?
(iv) Conduct a step test: Is the ground firm or very soft? (if you sink, how many cm's deep?)
(v) What is the temperature at the roots 2cm below ground (if you are getting high readings above 25 degrees Celsius, please repeat - as heat stress is important to record).
(vi) What is the temperature in the water (if there is a pool)?
(vii) What is the temperature in the air?
(viii) What is the temperature under the green algae blanket? (if there is one)
(ix) Please photograph the thermometer when measuring the temperature at the roots (if you are getting high readings above 25 degrees Celsius, please repeat - as heat stress is important to record).
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6. In each of the boxes below, please: (a) Estimate the seagrass cover in each of the 10 throws of the hula-hoop, and (b) List what else you can see in your hula-hoop (eg. hydrobia, cockles, lugworm cast).
If you are unable to complete this step, please give an indication of seagrass density and what else you see apart from seagrass.
(i) Take photographs of each of your quadrat/hula-hoop throws, label each one by number and upload them here:
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(i) Hula-hoop/quadrat 1
(i) Hula-hoop/quadrat 2
(i) Hula-hoop/quadrat 3
(i) Hula-hoop/quadrat 4
(i) Hula-hoop/quadrat 5
(i) Hula-hoop/quadrat 6
(i) Hula-hoop/quadrat 7
(i) Hula-hoop/quadrat 8
(i) Hula-hoop/quadrat 9
(i) Hula-hoop/quadrat 10
(ii) What is the maximum number of plants in a hula-hoop/quadrat, in an area of high seagrass density?
(iv) What size is your hula-hoop in diameter cm? (if you used a quadrat give dimensions)
7. (i) Typically how long are the seagrass blades? (?cm - ?cm)
(ii) How long was the longest plant found in cm?
(iii) Did you see any of the seagrass flowering?
(iv) Did you see any rhizomes spreading on the surface to form new plants?
(v) Photograph: (a) the longest plant and blade (against a ruler or measuring tape), and (b) if a plant is flowering or has any ripening seeds please upload photos.
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(vi) OPTIONAL EXTRA: Pick one of the longest plants and store in a cool place at home in case further analysis is needed. Tick below if you completed this.
Yes
No
8. (i) Health and Damage - blade colour:
Green
Bright Green
Black
White
Other
(ii) Is the seagrass clean or full of epiphyte growth?
Clean
Some epiphytes
Heavy cover, looks problematic
(iii) Opportunistic algae blanket - rank the algae cover on the seagrass:
No Algae
0
1
2
3
4
Algae Blanket
5
0 is No Algae, 5 is Algae Blanket
DAFOR Scale
To be used in questions below
(iv) Note the presence of invasive alien seaweeds - Spartina. Use the DAFOR scale (above).
(v) Is there any anthropogenic physical damage affecting the seagrass?
Trampling by people
Trampling by horses
Driving cars
Driving tractors
Driving aquaculture vehicles
Dredge fishing
Port dredging
Anchoring
Aquaculture trestles
No physical threats
Other (please explain)
(vi) Indicate if there are any other pressures damaging the seagrass (eg. silt or sand burial, anaerobic patches due to pollution or heat, etc.). Use DAFOR Scale (see above).
(vii) Please upload photographs of all of the above from step 8.
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9 (i) Did you find any life or eggs in the sediment or sea outside the hula-hoop throws? If so, what did you find? Use the DAFOR scale (see above).
(iii) Please upload photos of any life or eggs found.
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10. (i) - Any additional comments: Use this space to add any comments to the above steps or photos provided (indicate which photo you are referring to clearly). Indicate any additional information you have regarding the seagrass such as past uses or past size. - Also indicate if there is another seagrass bed/patch close-by - if it is located in the same survey unit, it can be included in this form, otherwise it will need to be surveyed separately. If not included in this form, please include the GPS coordinates of the bed/patch below so that it can be located and verified. - If this you have only conducted an initial scope of the bed (located it and tracked the GPS coordinates) please indicate below that it needs to be revisited by you or another coastwatcher.
(ii) Upload any additional photos here:
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