Forth and Tay SMR

Figure 1: Forth and Tay Scottish Marine Region. The thicker white line delineates the extent of the Forth and Tay SMR. For a map of all SMRs and OMRs, see Figure 5 here. 

The Forth and Tay SMR is the most southerly Scottish Marine Region on the east coast of Scotland, extending from the border as far north as Montrose (Figure 1). This region is dominated by the presence of two of Scotland’s major estuaries: the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth. The river inputs in this region result in a large volume of freshwater which have considerable influence on the salinity and turbidity. Average salinity is relatively low, particularly compared to the adjacent Long Forties OMR

Away from these estuaries, the residual circulation consists of the general southward coastal flow along the east coast. Tidal currents are predominantly in the along-shore direction. This region is relatively exposed to wave climate from the North Sea, which can lead to a large swell due to the relatively long fetch.

The Forth and Tay SMR consists of a range of distinctive marine features such as the sandbanks and mudflats of the Tay and Forth estuaries, respectively, islands and partly submerged rocks including Inch Cape, the Isle of May, Inchcolm, Inchkeith, and the Bass Rock, and distinctive headlands such as Fife Ness and Fast Castle Head.

The region has a varied geology, for the most part formed of Devonian and Carboniferous rocks (410-290 million years old).

A variety of marine benthic habitats are found in the region, on substrates ranging from rocks to large areas of sand and mud. Most of the rocky habitats are moderately exposed to wave action.

The enclosed inlets and estuaries, such as the Montrose Basin, the Firths of Tay and Forth and the Eden Estuary, are relatively more sheltered and soft sediments predominate comprising extensive deposits of glacial sand.