Marine assessment workshop15-16th April 2015EEA, Copenhagen

Indicators – state of the art

Natural Systems & Vulnerability,NSV4, EEA

Indicators – state of the art

Setting the context:- Indicators are used by the RSC and the EEA for assessment purposes- Given that MSFD has to enhance regional cooperation and the

reporting for 2018 assessments will be reviewed…- Window of opportunity: indicator assessments can be used by MS for

the MSFD reporting obligations- Need: selection and agreement on regional and pan-european

indicators to be used within the MSFD assessments

Steps in the process:1. Indicators inventory2. Availability of indicator specifications and data sources3. State of development of the indicators4. Selection of indicators to be used in the European assessment

Indicators – state of the art

1. Indicators inventory

- A compilation of existent information and data-flows within the RSC and the Eionet has been performed in the frame of the COM service contract “Development of a shared data and information system between the EU and the Regional Sea Conventions”

- The EEA/ETC has revised the report and made a resume where:

- The indicators have been mapped against the DPSIR framework (used by the EEA for the assessments)

- It has been completed for some elements (mainly drivers, pressures and responses) with potential indicators to be used/developped, as well as data-sources and information

Indicators – state of the art

2. Availability of indicator specifications and data sources

- Links to technical specifications, as well as to assessments and data sources have been added to the inventory when available

- Results: only HELCOM and the EEA have the technical specifications available online. Regarding the access to data: not a lot of data accesible and generally not available in an harmonised way.

- To be discussed under MSFD CIS: data to be made available under art.19(3):- Maybe the data-sets feeding the indicators??- Linked to that: INSPIRE marine pilot led by JRC, which will cover the

requirements needed for MSFD data-sets to align with INSPIRE

- Within the new MSFD data-model, where level 3 is about data and 2.5 about indicators: level 3 is supposed to provide only links to data-sets and related metadata

Indicators – state of the art

Indicators – state of the art

3. State of development of the indicators

- Indicators to be used: living discussion within the RSC

- The EEA/ETC is completing the indicators inventory with the information presented in March 2015 by HELCOM and OSPAR in the following documents:

- HELCOM core indicator overview- Summary of BDC 2015 agreement with respect to biodiversity

indicators and expected assessments for the IA2017

- Only enough developped indicators should be used

Indicators – state of the art

4. Selection of indicators to be used in the European assessment

The inventory will be resumed in a table showing the following fields:

FIELDS EXAMPLE

DPSIR component State

Type Chemical

Element / MSFD descriptor D5

RSC/Organism HELCOM

Name of indicator DIN concentration, winter average

MSFD related criteria 5.1

MSFD related indicator 5.1.1

Type of indicator core

Status Already assessed

URL_Metadata (Technical specification) http://www.helcom.fi/baltic-sea-trends/eutrophication/indicators/nutrients-nitrogen/indicator-concept

URL_Assessment http://www.helcom.fi/baltic-sea-trends/eutrophication/indicators/nutrients-nitrogen/results

URL_source-datasets http://www.helcom.fi/baltic-sea-trends/eutrophication/indicators/nutrients-nitrogen/description-of-data-and-confidence

Criteria to be used for the selection is still under developmentThe selection will be the basis for the HOPE indicators discussionAlso the indicators metadata profile is to be decided, if possible streamlining with the RSC

Indicators – state of the art

Examples of indicators that can be selected:

-DRIVERS: • Already in place: aquaculture and fishing effort (EEA):• Others could be used and adapted: sea-transport of goods (EUROSTAT)

-PRESSURES:• Already in place: Pathways of introduction and spread of NIS (EEA)• Two or more RSC using them (potentially to be used): Nutrient and contaminant loads (riverine, point

sources and atmospheric depositions), radionuclides discharge, marine litter in beaches, munitions waste• Data available, therefore an indicator could be created: Total landings, and landings/discards rate (DCF-

Data dissemination, hosted by JRC), dredged material disposal…

-STATE:• Selection of mammals, birds, turtles and fish: distributional range (1.1.1.), population abundance (1.2.1.)

and demographic characteristics (1.3.1.)• Selection of habitats: distributional range (1.4.1.), condition and typical species and communities (1.6.1.)• Selection of NIS: trends in abundance, temporal occurrence and spatial distribution (2.1.1.)• Nutrient levels in the water column: could be NO3, NO2, NH4, PO4• Metals in sediment and biota: could be Cd, Hg, Pb

-IMPACTS:• Physical damage: extent of the seabed significantly affected by human activities (6.1.2.)• Effect of nutrient enrichment: Chl-a (5.2.1.), water transparency (5.2.2.), oxygen (5.3.2.)• Acute pollution events and their impacts

-RESPONSES:• Spatial measures: protected areas (now EEA CDDA, but next future EEA indicator on MPAs)