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Overview of Eutrophication Indicators to Assess Environmental Status Within the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive

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Overview of Eutrophication Indicators to Assess Environmental Status Within the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 93 (2011) 117e131 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ecss Overview of eutrophication indicators to assess environmental status within the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive João G. Ferreira a,*, Jesper H. Andersen b, Angel Borja c, Suzanne B. Bricker d, Jordi Camp e, Margarida Cardoso da Silva f, Esther Garcés e, Anna-Stiina Heiskanen g, Christoph Humborg h, Lydia Ignatiades i, Christiane Lancelot j, Alain Menesguen k, Paul Tett l, Nicolas Hoepffner m, Ulrich Claussen n a Centre for Ocean and Environment, DCEA-FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Qta da Torre, 2829-516 Monte de Caparica, Portugal b National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark c AZTI-Tecnalia, Marine Research Division, Pasaia, Spain d NOAA-National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, 1305 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA e Departament de Biologia Marina i Oceanografia, Institut de Ciències del Mar, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Pg. Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain f LNEC, AV do Brasil 101, 1700-066 Lisboa, Portugal g Finnish Environment Institute, Marine Research Centre, P.O. Box 140, 00251 Helsinki, Finland h Baltic Nest Institute, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Sweden i National Center of Scientific Research, Demokritos, Institute of Biology, Aghia Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece j Université Libre de Bruxelles, Ecologie des Systèmes Aquatiques, Boulevard du Triomphe CP 221 B-1050, Belgium k Département ODE(Océanographie et Dynamique des Ecosystèmes) Unité DYNECO(DYNamiques de l’Environnement COtier) Laboratoire EB(Ecologie Benthique) IFREMER/Centre de Brest, B.P. 70 29280, Plouzané, France l SAMS, Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, Argyll, PA37 1QA, Scotland, UK m Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Joint Research Centre, Via E. Fermi 2749 I-21027, Ispra VA, Italy n Umweltbundesamt, Federal Environment Agency, Wörlitzer Platz 1 06844 Dessau-Rosslau, Germany article info abstract Article history: In 2009, following approval of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EC), the Received 5 February 2011 European Commission (EC) created task groups to develop guidance for eleven quality descriptors that form Accepted 29 March 2011 the basis for evaluating ecosystem function. The objective was to provide European countries with practical Available online 13 April 2011 guidelines for implementing the MSFD, and to produce a Commission Decision that encapsulated key points of the work in a legal framework. This paper presents a review of work carried out by the eutrophication task Keywords: group, and reports our main findings to the scientific community. On the basis of an operational, eutrophication management-oriented definition, we discuss the main methodologies that could be used for coastal and chlorophyll e dissolved oxygen marine eutrophication assessment. Emphasis is placed on integrated approaches that account for physico harmful algae chemical and biological components, and combine both pelagic and benthic symptoms of eutrophication, in Marine keeping with the holistic nature of the MSFD. We highlight general features that any marine eutrophication coastal model should possess, rather than making specific recommendations. European seas range from highly assessment methods eutrophic systems such as the Baltic to nutrient-poor environments such as the Aegean Sea. From a physical Europe perspective, marine waters range from high energy environments of the north east Atlantic to the permanent marine Strategy Framework Directive vertical stratification of the Black Sea. This review aimed to encapsulate that variability, recognizing that water Framework Directive meaningful guidance should be flexible enough to accommodate the widely differing characteristics of European seas, and that this information is potentially relevant in marine ecosystems worldwide. Given the spatial extent of the MSFD, innovative approaches are required to allow meaningful monitoring and assessment. Consequently, substantial logistic and financial challenges will drive research in areas such as remote sensing of harmful algal blooms, in situ sensor development, and mathematical models. Our review takes into account related legislation, and in particular the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD e 2000/60/ EC), which deals with river basins, including estuaries and a narrow coastal strip, in order to examine these issues within the framework of integrated coastal zone management. Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (J.G. Ferreira). 0272-7714/$ e see front matter Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2011.03.014 118 J.G. Ferreira et al. / Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 93 (2011) 117e131 1. Introduction matter in an ecosystem”. Although this definition was appealing to the scientific community, and correctly emphasized that eutrophi- In its original use and etymology, ’eutrophic’ meant ’good nour- cation is a process rather than a state, from a management perspec- ishment’, and eutrophication meant the process by which water tive it leaves substantial room for interpretation in a court of law. bodies grew more productive (Thiennemann, 1918; Naumann, 1919). As a result, by the end of the 20th Century, eutrophication had About 50 years ago, however, it became clear that this ’good nour- acquired a scientific and legal meaning, which in Europe was ishment’ had considerable environmental impacts in fresh water enshrined in (1) several European Directives; (2) a decision by the environments such as lakes and reservoirs (e.g. Vollenweider, 1968; European Court of Justice in 2004 (ECJ, 2004); and (3) OSPAR’s Rodhe, 1969; Vollenweider and Dillon, 1974; Carlson, 1977), and definition (OSPAR, 1998): “Eutrophication means the enrichment of subsequently similar concerns arose for estuarine and coastal water by nutrients causing an accelerated growth of algae and higher systems (e.g. Ketchum, 1969; Ryther and Dunstan,1971; Bayley et al., forms of plant life to produce an undesirable disturbance to the 1978; D’Elia et al., 1986; Lohrenz et al., 1999). balance of organisms present in the water and to the quality of the These concerns resulted in political action, translated into pro- water concerned, and therefore refers to the undesirable effects grammes implemented by regional conventions such as the Oslo- resulting from anthropogenic enrichment by nutrients ..” Paris Convention for the Protection of the Northeast Atlantic In Europe, action against eutrophication was brought about by (OSPAR, 2002), the Helsinki Convention (HELCOM, 2007) for the the conventions and legislation mentioned above, which were Protection of the Baltic Sea, the Barcelona convention (MEDPOL) for followed over the past decade by far more comprehensive legisla- the Mediterranean and into legislative instruments such as the Urban tion: the Water Framework Directive (WFDe2000/60/EC), which Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD e CEC,1991a) and Nitrates addresses all surface waters and groundwater, and the Marine Directive (ND, CEC, 1991b) in the European Union (EU) and the Clean Strategy Framework Directive (MSFDe2008/56/EC), which estab- Water Act (PL 92e500, 1972) and Coastal Zone Management Act (PL lishes a framework for marine environmental policy up to the 92e583,1972) in the United States (US). Other nations also consigned 200 nm limit of the European exclusive economic zone (EEZ: Fig. 1). into law measures for assessing and protecting the aquatic environ- Similar to this development, though for coastal waters only, addi- ment from eutrophication (e.g. Xiao et al., 2007; Borja et al., 2008). tional US legislation was passed to provide additional protection to The arrival of legislation led to challenges to its implementation, coastal water quality (e.g. Hypoxia and Harmful Algal Bloom and a need for legal agreement on definitions. Nixon (1995) proposed Research and Control Act PL 108-456, 1998 and reauthorizations in that eutrophication is “an increase in the rate of supply of organic 2004, pending). Fig. 1. Spatial scope of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, showing maritime boundaries for EU Member States (source: JRC). J.G. Ferreira et al. / Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 93 (2011) 117e131 119 The effort that has been placed into eutrophication assessment from nutrient related pressure but also from e.g. bottom and control in Europe over the past thirty years has resulted in: (1) trawling, overfishing, disease, etc; systematic collection of datasets for European regional seas, in order 2. In dealing with large marine areas, it is important to consider to allow for a robust assessment of state and detection of trends; (2) on the one hand the issue of spatial variability, and on the other development and testing of assessment methods focusing on the that not all eutrophication symptoms may be relevant. For particular conditions that exist in marine systems; (3) construction of example, the loss of seagrasses (Submerged Aquatic Vegetation numerical models to relate nutrient loading, physical processes and e SAV) is an indicator of paramount importance in the Danish biogeochemical cycles to state (eutrophication status), thus providing Straits and German coast (Krause-Jensen et al., 2005) and parts decision-makers
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