Marine Habitats

The marine life in the seas surrounding Northern Ireland is extremely rich and varied. It can be subdivided into Intertidal and Sub-tidal habitats and the Open Sea. The plant and animal communities occurring are influenced by a number of physical and chemical factors, the most important of which are:

• substrate which includes rock (including bedrock, boulders, mixed cobbles and pebbles) and sediments (muds, sands and mixed sediments)
• height above or below low water mark
• exposure to wave action
• tidal currents
• salinity (i.e. salt content)