BB8 - Condition of benthic habitat defining communities (MMI) (BH2)
| Field | Description | Validated Entry |
|---|---|---|
| [Table title] | Name of monitoring programme | Condition of benthic habitat defining communities (MMI) (BH2) |
| [ProgrammeDescription] | Description of the monitoring programme | Regional assessments on benthic habitats are at an early stage of development and this common approach will be further elaborated in subsequent assessment cycle(s). More details on monitoring and assessment principles of the common approach are described in BH2 CEMP (https://www.ospar.org/documents?v=39000). Details on already agreed and implemented monitoring and assessment in the context of the European Union Water Framework Directive are described in CEMP Annex 2. Details on the partial OSPAR intermediate assessment for the Southern North Sea are described in CEMP Annex 3. It is anticipated that current monitoring, and pressure data, have gaps to fully assess all habitats, against all pressure type in all OSPAR maritime area, notably for offshore habitats. |
| [OtherPoliciesConventions] | Monitoring for other Union legislation or international agreements that contributes to the programme. | OSP-CEMP |
| [Contracting Parties monitoring] | Which other countries are involved in practical implementation of this monitoring programme, and what is the degree of cooperation. | Coordinated data collection (delivered separately by each country) DE, DK, ES, FR, IE, NL, NO, SE, UK |
| [Contracting Parties supplying data] | BE, DK, FR, NL, NO, SE, UK | |
| [Contracting Parties with an "opt out"] | ||
| [Temporal scope] | Start (and end) date of the programme. | 2003 - 9999 |
| [Spatial scope] | Spatial coverage of the programme according to the jurisdictional zones of marine waters. | Coastal waters (WFD) Territorial waters |
| [Aggregation of Data] | At which scale can the data from the sub-programme be aggregated for environmental assessments? | Cf. temporal and spatial scope |
| [MarineReportingUnit] | Area(s) where the programme takes place. | marineSubregion marineSubdivision |
[Monitoring Purpose] | Purpose of the programme aimed at collecting data and information. | Environmental state and impacts |
| [MonitoringType] | Type of monitoring (in-situ, remote sensing, etc.). | In-situ sampling offshore In-situ sampling coastal In-situ sampling land/beach |
| [Indicator Metric] | Feature(s) monitored (ecosystem components, pressures, activities). | HabBenAll SppAll Salnity Waves Currents Turbidity PresBioIntroNIS |
| [Elements] | Element(s) monitored (e.g. species, habitats, contaminants). | Abyssal Circalittoral coarse sediment Circalittoral mixed sediment Circalittoral mud Circalittoral rock and biogenic reef Circalittoral sand Infralittoral coarse sediment Infralittoral mixed sediment Infralittoral mud Infralittoral rock and biogenic reef Infralittoral sand Littoral rock and biogenic reef Littoral sediment Lower bathyal rock and biogenic reef Lower bathyal sediment Offshore circalittoral coarse sediment Offshore circalittoral mixed sediment Offshore circalittoral mud Offshore circalittoral rock and biogenic Offshore circalittoral sand Upper bathyal rock and biogenic reef Upper bathyal sediment [Zostera] beds in infralittoral sediments Baltic muddy bottoms of the aphotic zone Species-rich gravel, coarse sand and shell-gravel areas Boreal Baltic narrow inlets Estuaries Large shallow inlets and bays Mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide Posidonia beds (Posidonion oceanicae) Reefs Sandbanks which are slightly covered by seawater all the time Submarine structures made by leaking gases Submerged or partially submerged sea caves Coastal Zone Sand (NL) Cymodocea beds Dogger Bank Sand (NL) Frysian Front Sand (NL) Offshore Sand (NL) Oyster Banks Mud (NL) Seagrass meadows and other macrophyte stocks (DE) Sublittoral mud (DE) Soft bottom non biogenic habitat Coralligenous habitat Maerl beds White Corals |
| [Element Monitored] | Habitat types and Biological features BH2 already applied and implemented at European Union scale for Water Framework Directive (for some very coastal habitat types) for eutrophication (chemical pressure), it can be considered already partly operational for these pressure habitat types. But this is actually very insufficient to cover the main of all OSPAR and MSFD issues for benthic habitat assessment. Reporting of European Member States for MSFD art.11, and works on updated OSPAR JAMP, should help to extend required monitoring (wide scale), even if it may need further works to harmonize and adapt these potentially new additional monitoring, for a coherent BH2 assessment at OSPAR level. Existing and further local environmental impact assessment may contribute to requirement of assessment area (fine scale), even if it will probably require further more works to harmonize and adapt it for a coherent BH2 assessment at OSPAR level. | |
| [Parameter Measured] | Parameter(s) monitored. | ABU-REL |
| [Monitoring Guidelines/Monitoring Method in place] | Guidelines/protocols describing the method for monitoring. | OTH |
| [MonitoringMethodOther] | Guidelines/protocols describing the method for monitoring. | https://www.ospar.org/documents?v=39000 |
| [Quality Assurance Procedures in Place] | In addition to a specified method, is there any additional Quality Assurance used? | Other To be developed, in line with existing related standards (e.g. OSPAR Agreement 2012-12, based on EN ISO 16665-2005 and EN ISO 19493-2007). Taxonomic skills on data collection and validation are required |
| [Quality Control] | What type of Quality Control is used? | Other: Depending on data depositories. An agreed common taxonomic referential (e.g. WoRMS) should be used to bancarize biological data, to be validated by expert (taxonomic skills) |
| [Data submission Frequency (and deadline)] | Frequency of the monitoring | BH2-A = Every 6 years; BH2-B = One-off |
| [Applicable MSFD GES Criteria] | Indicator(s) to which the programme contributes. | D1C6 D6C5 |
| [Data Depository] | Link to where monitoring data can be accessed (Art. 19(3) | BH2-A = https://rod.eionet.europa.eu/ BH2-B = https://odims.ospar.org/documents/190/download |
| [Data Custodian] | Each country holds its own data. | |
| [Assessment Guidelines] | COBAM Technical Specification & Project Plan for BH2 (living documents) | |
| [Assessment tools available] | ||
| [Nature of data] |