Integrated Regional monitoring Implementation Strategy in the
South European Seas
The IRIS-SES project: Towards a new approach
and decision making tools for an Integrated
Regional monitoring Implemetation Strategy for
the MSFD in the South European Seas.
Possible links to EMODNET perspectives
Dr Louisa Giannoudi
Assistant Project Manager
www.iris-ses.eu
Grant Agreement 070335/2013/659540//SUB/C2
Pilot Project - New Knowledge for an integrated
management of human activities in the sea
(PP/ENV D2/SEA 2012)
Launched in autumn 2012
Overall amount available under this Call is 2.000.000 € from the
European Parliament
3 proposals have been funded
(1 for SES, 1 for BS, 1 for NS/CS)
Starting date: 1 Oct 2013
Duration: 18 months
Target:
A new approach and decision making tools for an
integrated marine monitoring for the MSFD
in order to
support an effective management of anthropogenic
activities in marine waters (specifically of the
Mediterranean and Black Seas, as selected pilot
areas for IRIS-SES)
General objectives:
Development of:
• integrated monitoring strategies build on running
monitoring programs
• multidisciplinary monitoring guidelines and integrated
ecosystem surveys
• strategic approaches to monitor anthropogenic pressures
• integrated monitoring tools and programs at sea regions
scales
• Planning for JMPs in pilot regions of the under study
regional seas, based whenever possible on existing
monitoring programs, looking for their optimization, to
improve their adequacy to MSFD sampling requirements
Specific objectives of IRIS-SES:
Develop decision-making tools to design efficient and cost effective monitoring
programs
Consider possibilities for the integration of techniques and determine the
required spatial and temporal resolution
Assess, through pilot sampling actions within existing monitoring programs, the
feasibility of proposed integrated monitoring strategies
Elaborate guidelines for sampling across the various disciplines (biological,
chemical, physical) to meet the MSFD requirements
Development of cooperation among research institutions within selected regions
in the implementation of pilot projects
Training events
Transfer of knowledge to other regions
IRIS-SES activities take in account :
 the activities/results of on-going projects related to MSFD and other EU
Directives, such as:
MISIS, PERSEUS, EMBLAS/UNDP, CREAM, COCONET, DEVOTES, EMODNet,
SeaDataNet, My Ocean, BONUS, MEDITS, MEDIAS, MEDISEH, etc.
 other standards and initiatives as:
Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) for EU,
Common Fisheries Policy (CFP),
Ecosystem Approach Management (EAM),
Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), etc
 Regional Conventions as:
Bucharest, Barcelona, OSPAR, HELCOM
 Directives:
WFD, Habitat, Birds, INSPIRE
 Results and Recommendations by:
Descriptors Task Groups, IAs, EEA
IRIS-SES partnerships
IRIS-SES has 5 activities (WPs):
Activity 1: Analysis of the monitoring programs carried on the framework of
European/Regional/National legislation in relation to MSFD requirements
(leader: NIMRD)
•
•
•
prepare a catalogue and a comprehensive analysis of the existing
monitoring programs related to European Directives, Regional Sea
Conventions and other national or international programs in the
Mediterranean and Black Seas
in order to assess the contribution of these programs to meeting MSFD
needs and to assess pressures
and to achieve better knowledge on the gaps and on understanding of the
needs and constraints
This work is ongoing and will be implemented as the project progresses
Two main axes where considered in order to build up the catalogue:
1) Indicators axis focus on:
 prioritization of needs for all Directives - end up in integrative tools indicators,
 taking into account experience in metric and indices development (as in
WFD).
 harmonization in regional or sub-regional level
 taking into account IAs of MSs for MSFD indicators-methods and PERSEUS
and MISIS output/suggestions.
 consider new indicators developed/tested under current MSFD related
Projects (PERSEUS, DEVOTES, CoCoNET, etc)
2) Spatial axis focus on:
 preparation of an "extended" coastal network of existing monitoring for
WFD to MSFD.
 available data from satellites and models (should be integrated in the
spatial axis)
 periodicity and spatial scale (should also been taken into account for all
relevant Directives)
Task 1.1a: The inventory
Inputs collected in the framework of different existing surveys, observation
platforms and EU projects as follows:
–All running national monitoring projects in the Mediterranean and Black
Seas
–WFD implementation
–EU Directives - Habitats and Bird, Bathing waters, Urban waste water,
Nitrates, Shellfish waters.
–Ballast water management Convention
–Common Fisheries policy – data collection
–EU projects – e.g. PERSEUS, MISIS
–Other relevant observation platforms (REACH - Registration, Evaluation,
Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances - regulation RSC:
Barcelona and Bucharest Conventions and associated Protocols; WISE Water Information System for Europe; EEA, etc.
First IRIS-SES deliverable
T1.1a – Inventory of the MP - the catalogue of the monitoring programs carried on
six MS: from Black Sea (Romania, Bulgaria) and from Mediterranean Sea (Greece,
Cyprus, Italy, Spain) and one candidate country, Turkey (with monitoring both in
the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea).
 The
catalogue has 7 Excel Files comprising of 17 sheets grouped as follows:
D1,4,6 – Birds; D1,4,6 – Mammals,;D1,4,6 – Fish; D1,4,6 – Seabed habitats
Phytobenthos;D1,4,6 – Seabed habitat Zoobenthos; D1,4,6 – Water column
habitats Phytoplankton; D1,4,6 – Water column habitat Zooplankton; D2-NonIndigenous species; D3-Commercial Fish and Shellfish, D5 – Eutrophication; D7
– hydrographical changes; D8 – contaminants in water; D8-contaminants in
sediments; D8-contaminants in biota; D9-contaminants in seafood; D10-marine
litter; D11-energy&noise.
Example of the xls inventories
The example is on data collected biodiversity-seabed habitats for
Greece
Two RSCs were considered (UNEP MAP and BSC). Each file consists of 17 worksheets
developed to answer to art.11 MSFD requirements. Columns inside consist of general
information but also …
On parameters information specific to related descriptor/programme/subprogramme
T1.1b – Meta database - All the information from the catalogue was
aggregated into one (meta) database, consisting of one excel file, planned to
be compatible with larger oceanographic/environmental databases like
SeaDataNet and EMODNET through the use of INSPIRE and SeaDataNet
standards.
T1.2 – Analysis of pressures consists of
•
the Inventory and critical assessment of international and regional legislation
developed under two excel sheets which include the review of significant
regional and international regulatory bodies which may contain monitoring
obligations, and which may be linked to monitoring programmes already
implemented by the countries beneficiaries of the IRIS-SES Project.
•
socio-economic characterization of principal human activities influencing
marine ecosystems among Mediterranean and Black Sea countries.
•
future trends in human activities, current pressures and future pressures
resulting from human activities in the Mediterranean and Black Seas concerns
future trends expected for socioeconomic activities in the Mediterranean and
Black Seas, as well as current and future expected environmental pressures,
and links with impacts.
•
considerations on the need for monitoring data to support future assessments
and managerial actions - identifies data gaps and at highlights monitoring
needs regarding environmental pressures, in order to guide monitoring efforts
and support the development of coherent future joint monitoring programmes.
T1.3 – Assessment of the Monitoring Programmes
•Up to now, the dataset has been completed for 5 countries (Bulgaria, Greece,
Italy, Romania, Turkey). This analysis does not take into consideration datasets
that have been partially completed. The full assessment, has been moved
under Activity 2 and will be presented in the next reporting period.
.
Activity 2: Integrating scales of monitoring with those of processes to be
monitored
(leader Univ.Salento)
 Assess existing marine monitoring programs across states (EU, non EU),
within regions/subregions, to cover MSFD requirements addressing ~all
descriptors
 Assess opportunities to develop further existing programs and infrastructure
(including platforms, surveyors on ship of opportunity, spare capacity, buoys,
remote sensing tools etc) and assessment of the MSFD indicators covered
into multidisciplinary programmes.
 Assess geographical coverage of monitoring programmes, demonstrate
overlaps, choose parameters to measure in order to provide the data to allow
the assessment methods to classify if a marine area is reaching the desired
status.
 Identification of overlaps, gaps and needs in the required monitoring
Geographical coverage of the existing monitoring programs, location
of sampling sites and periodicity of sampling
Example of seabed
habitat PhyB
Monitoring stations for which is
available a record complete of
geographical coordinates and
sampling frequency (excluding
stations for which the proposed
sampling frequency is 'as needed' or
'irregularly' or 'one-off’ .Countries
not included in the maps did not
provide a complete record for any
station.
Activity 3: Adaptation and development of intelligent tools
(leader HCMR)
The tools will have a major interactive role in monitoring planning and
functioning across countries.
They will also reveal the gaps needed to be covered for a full assessment
under the requirements of MSFD.
The tools will serve in management planning and measures implementation.
The GIS rationale is to develop:
a basic set of information layers to be used as generic information for all 11
MSFD Descriptors in-deep approach for selected Descriptors and incorporate
intelligent tools specially designed for those Descriptors
The decision-making tool rationale is to provide:
a simple, intelligent tool, to support policy makers, managers, and stake-holders.
Eutrophication GIS Tool for IRIS-SES
Main objectives
 Assessment of Environmental status related to Eutrophication - MSFD D5
 Calculation and visualization of eutrophication indices
 Unified platform for Western, Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea
 Addressed to scientists, decision makers, not necessary experts in
eutrophication issues
Materials - Development tools
 Model builder – ArcGIS 10.2
 Toolboxes – ArcGIS 10.2
 Python Programming Language 2.7
Product
 Eutrophication Status Toolbox
Eutrophication Indices (I)
1. Eutrophication Index (EI)
Required Data: Mean annual or seasonal concentrations of PO4, NO3, NO2, NH3, Chl-α (μg/L)
(mean integrated values ​of both water column and time)
Eastern Mediterranean
Ε.Ι. = 0.279CPO4 + 0.261CNO3 + 0.296CNO2 + 0.275CNH3 + 0.214CChl-α
Eutrophication
status
< 0.04
0.04 - 0.38
0.38 - 0.85
0.85 - 1.51
> 1.51
2. BEAST
Black Sea
Oligotrophy
Mesotrophy
Eutrophication
Classes according to
requirements of WFD
High
Good
Moderate
Poor
Bad
(Primpas et al., 2010)
3. TRIX
Eutrophication Indices (II)
Required Data:
Mean annual or seasonal concentrations (mean integrated values ​of both water column and time) of
Chl-α
D%O2
TN
PO4
: Chl-α concentration (μg/L)
: The % deviation of the oxygen concentration from saturation conditions
Required data of Temperature, Salinity, Dissolve Oxygen, water density - T, S, DO, d
: Mineral nitrogen; Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen, DIN = N(as N − NO3 + N − NO2 + N − NH4) as μg/L
: Total inorganic phosphorus as P–PO4 as μgr/L
Eastern Mediterranean (Primpas et al. 2011)
will be included ...
Western Mediterranean – Adriatic (Pettine et al., 2007)
TRIX = [Log10(PO4*TN*Chl-α*D%O2)+α]/b
The parameters a = 1.5 and b = 1.2 are scale coefficients,
(proposed by Giovanardi and Vollenweider 2004) to fix the lower
limit value of the index and also to fix the scale range from 0 to 10.
Black Sea ?
Proposed
scaling
2-4
4-5
5 -6
6-8
>8
Eutrophication
status
Ultra oligotrophic
Oligotrophy
Mesotrophy
Eutrophic
Dystrophic
Classes according to
requirements of WFD
High
Good
Moderate
Poor
Bad
Geodatabase: Background features/main geographic layers - Visualization of
the monitoring programme inventory of Greece - Descriptors in GIS
Background features for Mediterranean and Black Sea
INPUT FROM EXISTING EU DATA BASES AND GENERIC LAYERS FREELY AVAILABLE
e.g. Environmental European Agency, My Ocean, Emodnet, Environmental Systems
Research Institute, Projects, Papers
Main geographic layers
• Coastline
• Topography & Bathymetry
• Water bodies (WFD)
• Monitoring stations (WFD)
•• Marine Protected Areas
• Nationally designated areas
(Protected area CDDA)
• Natura sites
Sites for Habitats Directive and Birds Directive
• Habitats (e.g. Posidonia meadows, marine
caves, coralligenous formations)
• Ferries traffic
Background features for Mediterranean and Black Sea
The second group of background features are ocean and atmospheric
processes that include:
• Sea level rise
• Hydrodynamics of mean tidal amplitude
• Temperature
• chlorophyll
• Salinity
• Current velocity
• Dissolved Oxygen
Monitoring Programmes
According to the activity 1 of IRIS-SES project it has been displayed the Greek
inventory of monitoring programmes, which is incorporated into the descriptors
one of ten of the MSFD.
• Descriptor 1: Biodiversity
• Descriptor 2: Non-indigenous Species
• Descriptor 3: Commercial Fish and shellfish
• Descriptor 4: Food Webs
• Descriptor 5: Eutrophication
• Descriptor 6: Sea-floor Integrity
• Descriptor 7: Hydrographical Conditions
• Descriptor 8: Contaminants
• Descriptor 8: Contaminants
• Descriptor 9: Contaminants in Seafood
• Descriptor 10: Marine Litter
• Descriptor 11: Energy incl. Underwater Noise
Task 3.2: DeCyDe-4-IRIS, the decision making tool
ISOTECH
ISOTECH’s approach is for developing DeCyDe-4-IRIS as a
 strategic decision support method
 experts and key actors involvement and engagement tool and
 a self- assessment tool for GES
MAJOR QUESTION:
 how to assess the status of each parameter/ feature that will be monitored
and set the targets in order to achieve GES.
 Involvement and commitment of key actors and stakeholders, through their
active participation is a pre-requisite for the success of any effort.
The DeCyDe-4-IRIS method will be developed for two descriptors (5 and 8/9), and will
be implemented in two pilot areas: the Saronikos Gulf in Greece and Constanta in
Romania.
Activity 4: Optimization and adaptation to MSFD requirements of ongoing
joint marine monitoring in the Mediterranean and Black Sea: planning the
future JMPs
(Activity leader: IEO)
Objectives
 To elaborate detailed, realistic and affordable joint monitoring plans for the
Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, useful for the achievement of MSFD
objectives, resulting from the optimization and integration of existing international
monitoring programs.
In addition to carry out a series of pilot studies within the framework of some of the
existing JMP identified
 To present a plan for the design and implementation of new joint standardised
monitoring programs specifically focused on filling the gaps in MSFD monitoring
needs in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions that cannot be addressed
through the optimisation of existing international programs.
Task 4.1: Develop JMP from existing monitoring
Task 4.2: Pilot study
4.2.1 To develop additional samplings during night hours
within the framework of the MEDITS survey in the Balearic
Sea
4.2.2 Under the existing RADMED monitoring program implement a
mooring line close to a position routinely visited under RADMED, to
complement the temporal gaps between visits to decrease the
signal-to-noise ration in “the seasonal and interannual evolution of
temperature, salinity, turbidity and currents on the whole water
column
Task 4.3- Strategic Plans for ongoing JMPs – IEO & Univ. Salento
Task 4.4: Strategic Plans for designing new JMPs – IEO & HCMR
However the preparation phase has started on tasks 4.2 and 4.4.
Activity 5: Coordination and Management, Dissemination and Sustainability
(leader: HCMR)
Objectives are to:
 Coordinate activities
 Manage and monitor the progress of the project
 Ensure the project meets its objectives within the time and the budget limits
 Facilitate communication between partners
• Link IRIS-SES to other international and national projects
• Link IRIS-SES to stakeholders (4 local stakeholders workshops - W. Medit, C. Medit, E.
Medit, and Black Sea - and a final stakeholders conference are planned)
 Communicate and outreach Project results and scientific developments on all levels of
society: policy, public as well as scientific community
Food for thought
What IRIS-SES wants from EMODNET chemistry?
Data on monitoring, maybe even on cruises
Feeling our gaps
Join our stakeholder meetings (info on potential dates will be available possibly
mid July)
What EMODNET chemistry wants from IRIS-SES?
Again exchange of data
Harmonisation of available monitoring programmes?
What else?
What is necessary to do for policy-decision makers? How is this information
could be translated to help on establishing GES according to MSFD
requirements?
Thank you for your attention !
For more information:
Project Coordinator:
Kalliopi Pagou
HCMR
popi@hcmr.gr
Tel. +30 22910 76409
Project Manager:
Nikos Streftaris - nstrefta@hcmr.gr
Assistant Manager
Louisa Giannoudi – lgiannoudi@hcmr.gr
www.iris-ses.eu