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Special Areas of Conservation

Braemar Pockmarks

Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Country UK Offshore waters
Unitary Authority Extra-Regio
Centroid* JW000165
Latitude 58.9864
Longitude 1.4747
SAC EU Code UK0030357
Status Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Area (ha) 1143
* This is the approximate central point of the SAC. In the case of large, linear or composite sites, this may not represent the location where a feature occurs within the SAC.
Location of Braemar Pockmarks SAC

General site character

  • Marine areas, Sea inlets (100%)

Download the Standard Data Form for this site (PDF <100kb)

Note When undertaking an appropriate assessment of impacts at a site, all features of European importance (both primary and non-primary) need to be considered.

Annex I habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site

  • 1180 Submarine structures made by leaking gases

    The Braemar pockmarks are a series of crater-like depressions on the sea floor, two of which contain the Annex I habitat Submarine structures made by leaking gases. In this location, large blocks, pavements slabs and smaller fragments of methane derived authigenic carbonate have been deposited through a process of precipitation during the oxidation of methane gas. These carbonate structures provide a habitat for marine fauna usually associated with rocky reef, and very specific chemosynthetic organisms which feed off both methane (seeping from beneath the sea floor) and its by-product, hydrogen sulphide (Judd, 2001). Larger blocks of carbonate also provide shelter for fish species such as wolf-fish and cod. Close by the two pockmarks containing blocks of carbonate, to the south west, there is another block of carbonate which is not associated with a pockmark (Hartley, 2005).

Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site

  • Not Applicable

Annex II species that are a primary reason for selection of this site

  • Not Applicable

Annex II species present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for site selection

  • Not Applicable

Many designated sites are on private land: the listing of a site in these pages does not imply any right of public access.