Marine Biodiversity Data Portal - NI

Carrick na Ford, North Coast.

[Site list for year 1987]

Survey number: 555 Event number: 19870514/21 Date: 1987-05-14 GPS: 55.24300,-6.37800. Depth: 3.5 to 0.2 m. [ View map ]

Site Description: The location is a group of basalt platform ridges and islands which form a headland from a limestone backing. Small exposed islands are separated by narrow wave washed channels. Several communities were present, dependant upon wave exposure. The most exposed surfaces had a lower shore of Himanthalia, some Alaria with an understorey of Gigartina and Corallina. The middle shore was patellobarnacle, with Nucella lapillus and a patchy upper shore of Fucus spiralis, Porphya and some Lichina, Hydropunctaria maura (originally recorded as Verrucaria maura) and littorinids occur. More sheltered steep rock surfaces were a stunted unclear fucoid zonation, with a lower shore zone of Himanthalia, Alaria and encrusting corallines. More sheltered still, were large boulder areas between stacks. These were richer for flora and fauna having a well defined fucoid zonation of large plants. Much sedentary fauna occur between the boulders with laminarians common in the lower shore. In sheltered upper shore areas shallow pools formed by wave splash in depressions were dominated by Ulva (originally recorded as Enteromorpha) as were channels flowing from them. The pools were sandy bottomed with a freshwater influence from water table seepage and rain. The transect was taken down a steep slope with an indistinct fucoid zonation, but included more sheltered habitats towards the upper shore.

No images for site.