The dataset details particle size of sediments across six intertidal sites in the winter and summer of 2013. The data provide a quantitative measure of the sediment particle size fractions present within surface sediments (up to a depth of 2 cm). Three sites were located in Essex, South East England and the other 3 in Morecambe Bay, North West England. Each site consisted of a saltmarsh habitat and adjacent mudflat habitat. 22 sampling quadrats were placed in each habitat covering four spatial scales. three replicate samples of surface sediment were collected at each quadrat. They were then processed using laser particle size analysis. Values are expressed as different metrics of particle size and as specified size fractions as percentages of the total. This data was collected as part of Coastal Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (CBESS): NE/J015644/1. The project was funded with support from the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme. BESS is a six-year programme (2011-2017) funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of the UK's Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) programme. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/4e6a2e58-6916-4212-8b2e-e30942b0a05a

The dataset details macrofaunal abundance across 6 intertidal sites in the winter and summer of 2013. The data provide a quantitative measure of the invertebrate species present within the top 10cm of sediment. Three sites were located in Essex, South East England and the other 3 in Morecambe Bay, North West England. Each site consisted of a saltmarsh habitat and adjacent mudflat habitat. 22 sampling quadrats were placed in each habitat covering 4 spatial scales. 3 replicate cores of sediment were collected at each quadrat. They were sieved on a 0.5mm mesh and the macrofauna was removed, identified to species (or appropriate taxon) and individuals counted. Values for macrofaunal abundance are expressed as number of individuals per square metre of sediment. Abundance data for mudflat habitats across Essex and Morecambe are complete, however, saltmarsh data is only available for one full Essex site (Tillingham Marsh), in one season (winter) and across all sites, but only at the 1m scale. This data was collected as part of Coastal Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (CBESS): NE/J015644/1. The project was funded with support from the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme. BESS is a six-year programme (2011-2017) funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of the UK's Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) programme. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/d5317679-449f-4829-9caf-39973fe27c07

The dataset details total abundance (TA), total biomass (TB), species richness (SR) and evenness (J) [all based on abundance and biomass] and community bioturbation potential (BPc) across six intertidal sites in the winter and summer of 2013. The data provide metrics relating to the macrofaunal communities present within the top 10cm of sediment. Three sites were located in Essex, South East England and the other three in Morecambe Bay, North West England. Each site consisted of a saltmarsh habitat and adjacent mudflat habitat. 22 sampling quadrats were placed in each habitat covering four spatial scales. Three replicate cores of sediment were collected at each quadrat. They were sieved on a 0.5mm mesh and the macrofauna was removed, identified to species (or appropriate taxon) and individuals were identified to species (or most appropriate taxon), counted and weighed. The resulting abundance and biomass data were then used to calculate TA, TB, SR, J (based on abundance and biomass) and BPc. The data for mudflat habitats across Essex and Morecambe are complete, however, saltmarsh data is only available for one full Essex site (Tillingham Marsh), in one season (Winter) and across all sites, at the 1m scale. This data was collected as part of Coastal Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (CBESS): NE/J015644/1. The project was funded with support from the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme. BESS is a six-year programme (2011-2017) funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of the UK's Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) programme. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/f7bad4d2-aef2-4db6-be34-adbe185b88c3

The dataset details macrofaunal biomass across 6 intertidal sites in the winter and summer of 2013. The data provide a quantitative measure of the biomass of individual invertebrate species present within the top 10cm of sediment. Three sites were located in Essex, South East England and the other 3 in Morecambe Bay, North West England. Each site consisted of a saltmarsh habitat and adjacent mudflat habitat. 22 sampling quadrats were placed in each habitat covering 4 spatial scales. 3 replicate cores of sediment were collected at each quadrat. They were sieved on a 0.5mm mesh and the macrofauna was removed, identified to species (or appropriate taxon) and individuals of each species weighed. Values for macrofaunal biomass are expressed as grams per square metre of sediment. Biomass data for mudflat habitats across Essex and Morecambe are complete, however, saltmarsh data is only available for one full Essex site (Tillingham Marsh), in one season (winter) and across all sites, at the 1m scale. This data was collected as part of Coastal Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (CBESS): NE/J015644/1. The project was funded with support from the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme. BESS is a six-year programme (2011-2017) funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of the UK's Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) programme. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/0990858a-facc-47c5-bfbe-58fa30431db8

This dataset is a compilation of results obtained from vegetation surveys in the Stalybride estate moorlands (commonly known as the Saddleworth moors) following a wildfire in 2018. Ten plots were established in October 2018 at the post-fire site which were 10 m x 10 m in size. Five plots were identified as suffering a less severe (shallow) burn. The other 5 plots were in areas where a more severe (deep) burn. In all plots the surface vegetation had been removed by the fire exposing the bare peat. The data file contains: (1) On-site post-fire vegetation data – species ID and coverage, and (2) species presence in the one-year post-fire seed bank. The dataset is the result of research in the light of an NERC Urgency grant entitled 'RECOUP-Moor: Restoring Ecosystem CarbOn Uptake of Post-fire Moorland' (NE/S011943/1, led by Dr. Bjorn Robroek of the University of Southampton (now Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands). Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/56561ed3-55d0-454c-a6b9-7e633ccf9647

The dataset details organic carbon content of sediments across 6 intertidal sites in the winter and summer of 2013. The data provide a quantitative measure of the organic carbon present within surface sediments (up to a depth of 2 cm). Three sites were located in Essex, South East England and the other 3 in Morecambe Bay, North West England. Each site consisted of a saltmarsh habitat and adjacent mudflat habitat. 22 sampling quadrats were placed in each habitat covering 4 spatial scales. 3 replicate samples of surface sediment were collected at each quadrat. They were then processed for organic carbon content using the Loss on Ignition method (detailed below) Values are expressed as a percentage of the total sample collected. This data was collected as part of Coastal Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (CBESS): NE/J015644/1. The project was funded with support from the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme. BESS is a six-year programme (2011-2017) funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of the UK's Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) programme. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/d4e9f0f7-637a-4aa4-b9df-2a4ca5bfaded

The dataset details population bioturbation potential (BPp) across 6 intertidal sites in the winter and summer of 2013. The data provide an index of bioturbation potential of invertebrate species populations present within the top 10cm of sediment. Three sites were located in Essex, South East England and the other 3 in Morecambe Bay, North West England. Each site consisted of a saltmarsh habitat and adjacent mudflat habitat. 22 sampling quadrats were placed in each habitat covering 4 spatial scales. 3 replicate cores of sediment were collected at each quadrat. They were sieved on a 0.5mm mesh and the macrofauna was removed, identified to species (or appropriate taxon) and individuals were identified to species (or most appropriate taxon), counted and weighed. The resulting abundance and biomass data were then used to calculate BPp of each individual species present within a sample. BPp data for mudflat habitats across Essex and Morecambe are complete, however, saltmarsh data is only available for one full Essex site (Tillingham Marsh), in one season (winter) and across all sites, at the 1m scale. This data was collected as part of Coastal Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (CBESS): NE/J015644/1. The project was funded with support from the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme. BESS is a six-year programme (2011-2017) funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of the UK's Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) programme. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/6d06122c-c856-4127-b7a5-34059d0e48e7

The dataset details individual species bioturbation potential (BPi) across 6 intertidal sites in the winter and summer of 2013. The data provide an index of bioturbation potential of individual invertebrate species present within the top 10cm of sediment. Three sites were located in Essex, South East England and the other three in Morecambe Bay, North West England. Each site consisted of a saltmarsh habitat and adjacent mudflat habitat. 22 sampling quadrats were placed in each habitat covering four spatial scales. three replicate cores of sediment were collected at each quadrat. They were sieved on a 0.5mm mesh and the macrofauna was removed, identified to species (or appropriate taxon) and individuals were identified to species (or most appropriate taxon), counted and weighed. The resulting abundance and biomass data were then used to calculate BPi of each individual species present within a sample. BPi data for mudflat habitats across Essex and Morecambe are complete, however, saltmarsh data is only available for one full Essex site (Tillingham Marsh), in one season (winter) and across all sites, at the 1m scale. This data was collected as part of Coastal Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (CBESS). The project was funded with support from the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme. BESS is a six-year programme (2011-2017) funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of the UK's Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) programme. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/897d03de-f88c-46b8-a2ab-e6899d39f4f8

The detection and quantification of an underwater gas release are becoming increasingly important for oceanographic and industrial applications. Whilst the detection of each individual bubble injection events, with commensurate sizing from the natural frequency of the acoustic emission, has been common for decades in laboratory applications, it is impractical to do this when hundreds of bubbles are released simultaneously, as can occur with large methane seeps, or leaks from gas pipelines or undersea facilities for carbon capture and storage. This paper draws on data from two experimental studies and demonstrates the usefulness of passive acoustics to monitor gas leaks of this level. It firstly shows experimental validation tests of a recent model aimed at inverting the acoustic emissions of gas releases in a water tank. Different gas flow rates for two different nozzle types are estimated using this acoustic inversion and compared to measurements from a mass flow meter. The estimates are found to predict accurately volumes of released gas. Secondly, this paper demonstrates the use of this method at sea in the framework of the QICS project (controlled release of CO2 gas). The results in the form of gas flow rate estimates from bubbles are presented. These track, with good agreement, the injected gas and correlate within an order of magnitude with diver measurements. Data also suggest correlation with tidal effects with a decrease of 15.1 kg d-1 gas flow for every 1 m increase in tidal height (equivalent to 5.9 L/min when converted to standard ambient temperature [25 °C] and absolute pressure [100 kPa] conditions, SATP). This is a publication in QICS Special Issue - International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Peter Taylor et. al. Doi:10.1016/j.ijggc.2015.02.008.

The global carbon cycle - how much carbon is stored in its interconnected reservoirs (ocean, atmosphere, plants and soils on land, sediments in the deep sea) as well as the fluxes between them, is not set in stone. We know from the geological record that the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has varied enormously over the last few hundred million years. The chemistry of the oceans also gradually changes with time and the organisms living within it adjust and evolve. As a result, how the carbon cycle 'works', and particularly, how well (or not) atmospheric CO2 (and hence climate) is regulated in the face of disruption, also changes on geological time-scales. This creates challenges to understanding the causes and consequences of past global warming like events and how such events can be related to potential future changes. Sediments slowly accumulating in the deep ocean reflect what goes on around and above them, both chemically and biologically. Of particular interest to us is the mineral calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which can be found in the form of chalk and limestone rocks today. CaCO3 is used by certain marine organisms for constructing shells and skeletons. Hence, the amount of CaCO3 that in buried in sediments tells us something about ancient organisms and ecosystems. In addition, CaCO3 will start dissolving in seawater if the conditions too are acidic or the depth (and thus pressure) too great. How much CaCO3 originally created by organisms at the surface that escapes dissolution in sediments below to be buried and preserved in the geological record can thus tell us something about the chemistry, depth, and when data from many locations is available, the circulation of the ocean in the past. Looking for subtle changes in the composition of ancient mud in the hundreds and hundreds of meters of sediment core recovered from the ocean floor by drill ship would be a little like looking for a needle in a haystack. However, Nature has been kind to us and the transition from white-colored sediments rich in the carbonate shells of dead marine organisms to clays devoid of carbonate is easy to spot. This point represents a fine balance between the amount of shell material being deposited to the sediments and the rate of dissolution of these shells. Hence, this reflects a certain relationship between surface ocean biological processes and deep ocean chemistry and circulation. Any change in these factors will drive sediments rich in CaCO3 or devoid of any trace of carbonate secreting organisms. In this project we will compile the records from many hundreds of different sediment cores that have been recovered since the 1960s. Will identify the 'balance point' in these cores (if one exists) and combine all the confirmation to reconstruct how this balance point has changed in depth and time in the different ocean basins. Because the age of the sediments in some cores extends back to well before the white cliffs of Dover were deposited, we will start our record there. The interpretation of our curve will not be entirely straightforward, because multiple environmental influences all push and pull the balance point in different directions and with different strengths. We will therefore also use a computer model representation of the Earth's climate and oceans, its carbon cycle, ocean chemistry, and the composition of sediments in the deep sea. We will use this model to explore how the different aspects of the global carbon cycle affect the balance point, and by comparing model predictions to our new curve, interpret how the carbon cycling and the sensitivity of atmospheric pCO2 (and hence climate) to being perturbed by massive greenhouse gas release, has changed over the past 150 million years. Hence we will not only be able to answer the question: do we live in a particularly 'lucky' or 'unlucky' time in terms of how sensitive our global environment is burning fossil fuels, but we will know why.