Marine Biodiversity Data Portal - NI

Foreland Point, Outer Ards.

[Site list for year 1986]

Survey number: 555 Event number: 19861004/21 Date: 1986-10-04 GPS: 54.65500,-5.54000. Depth: 3.5 to 0.2 m. [ View map ]

Site Description: Foreland Point is a patellobarnacle dominated headland formed of sandstone ridges. At mid-tide, it is connected to the mainland by a causeway of pebbles, some small boulders and gravel. The causeway is covered by ephemeral green algae (Ulva spp., (originally recorded as Enteromorpha spp.), Ulva linza (originally recorded as Enteromorpha linza), Ulva) and Porphyra, together with clumps of Fucus vesiculosus. The causeway falls away at low tide to reveal a Laminaria zone on boulders, pebbles and gravel. To the south east of the point the Laminaria zone is extensive and sheltered from wave action by the point itself and by another rock ridge outcrop to the south. The richest habitats in the area are, for algae, the rock pools between the ridges which make up Foreland Point, and for animals, the boulders in the laminarian zone to the south east of the point. Both these habitats are included in the transect. In order to include the upper three zones present on the shore, it was necessary to stagger the transect. These upper zones were characterised from a rock outcrop near the top of the shore.

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