Eleven sandy beaches on the east coast of Scotland were surveyed over a period of several years (1977-1981). On each beach, after initial observations were made on the structure, degree of exposure, and the position of any freshwater inflow noted, a simple surveying technique was used to construct profiles measured from a suitable benchmark. Main stations were placed at the estimated levels for high, mid and low tide along the profile transect, with intermediate stations also being inserted; the numbers of these depended on the width of the intertidal zone. At each station one quadrat of 1/16m squared was dug for macrofauna and the sand sieved through a 0.5mm mesh, the residue being preserved in 5% formalin. The sediment was preserved with 60% alcohol and analysed in the Laboratory by dry sieving of the sand fraction. The sorting coefficients and median diameters were calculated and the cumulative curves constructed from the results.
