Sediment grain size dataset of intertidal shellfish sandbanks within Ría de Arousa, Spain

The GEOMA Research group from the University of Vigo implements a solution to improve the knowledge of the sediment dynamics, the stability of the ecosystem substratum, and its response to the predicted Climate Change outcome (INTERM). The INTERM solution is based on sedimentological monitoring of sandbanks at specific locations of clam exploitation in the Ría de Arousa (Pontevedra, Spain).

Since 2022, we collected sediments in seven locations with current (Camaxe, Xastelas, O Sarrido, Fefiñans, O Bohido, and Lavanqueira) or stopped (Lombos de Ulla) shellfish activity. The sediment grain size distribution was determined by dry and wet sieving using meshes of 2, 1, 0.5, 0.25, 0.125, and 0.063 mm. We separate the sediment grain size fraction larger and smaller than 0.063mm by wet sieving. The grain size distribution of the grains larger than 0.063 was determined by dry sieving whereas for the grains smaller than 0.063 by the pipette method (see Folk, R. L. (1980). Petrology of sedimentary rocks. Hemphill publishing company).

This study is part of the “Accelerating and upscaling transformational adaptation in Europe: demonstration of water-related innovation packages (TRANSFORMAR)" coordinated by the Universiteit Antwerpen and funded by the European Union’s Horizon program (H2020_101036683).

This version:

•   Includes new grain size measurements performed on samples collected in February 2025
•   Corrects bugs detected in the weight of the fine fraction. Additionally, 12 sample distributions (Table 1) have been replaced with new measurements due to processing errors
•   Corrects minor errors

Table 1. Sample distributions replaced with new measurements