Natural Geography In Shore Areas (NaGISA) Dataset Version 1, Released 2005.

The data is coming in (i.e. the dataset is continually being added to and should not be considered complete) from a growing set of globally distributed standard transects from the high inter-tidal zone to the depth of 20m, most of which will be repeated, and many of which are being uploading in stages (i.e. taxonomic detail will improve with time).

Target habitats are globally distributed algal and hard-bottom and sea-grass and soft-bottom communities. For each study site, replicate samples are collected at high, mid and low inter-tidal and 1, 5 and 10m sub-tidal depth (where possible at 15 and 20m). The NaGISA protocols (which are standardized) include: (1) Passive sampling, photography and observational techniques, estimates of percent cover of colonial invertebrates and rhizoidal macro algae and counts of algal stripes and solitary fauna within quadrates.