Biodiversity information of benthic species at artificial structures – BISAR

Published in Scientific Data, Volume 12, Article 604.

Understanding the effects of artificial structures in marine landscapes is required for ecosystem-based management. Global demand for oil and gas and accelerated commitments to renewable energy development has led to the proliferation of marine artificial structures. Investigating the cumulative effects of these structures on marine ecosystems requires data on the benthic community over large geographical and long-time scales. It is imperative to share the data collected by many stakeholders in an integrated information system to benefit science, industry and policy. BISAR is the first data product containing harmonised and quality-checked international data on benthos from artificial structures in the North Sea. BISAR was compiled from environmental impact assessment studies and scientific projects (3864 samples, 890 taxa). Data derive from 34 artificial structures and surrounding soft sediments (years: 2003 to 2019). Structures include offshore wind turbines, oil and gas platforms and a research platform. Data from a geogenic reef, allow comparison of natural and artificial reef communities. We aim to host future BISAR data dynamically in the CRITTERBASE web portal.