Coastal monitoring and management (COAST)

Cel

Specific Objectives

Specific Objectives in 2002:

The overall Objective of COAST is to deliver appropriate data, information and tools to Commission Services and national/international bodies linked to monitoring and implementation of EU environmental legislation.

In this context specific objectives are:
- To provide spatial marine environmental data and information for the implementation and monitoring of the Nitrates Directive, the Urban Waste Water Directive and the Water Framework Directive and the implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Europe
- To contribute to the EEA's work programme and environmental reporting (also through collaboration with the EEA' s European Topic Centre Water) by delivering coastal/marine data for selected thematic and geographical areas;
- To support training and capacity building for sustainable management of the marine resources;
- To collaborate with the Marine Regional Conventions (e.g. the Commission for the Protection of the Baltic Sea Area / Helsinki Commission) through delivering satellite derived data for the monitoring of the marine environment and joint development of assessment tools/methods;
- To combine and integrate, where possible, activities in COAST and Project No. 41 (Water Quality) related to the development of methods and tools for monitoring and assessment of eutrophication;
- To demonstrate and verify the applied data processing procedures.
Planned Deliverables

Deliverables 2002:
- Physical model data for the North Sea, monthly mean values (1982-1997) plus climatologic data set;
- Physical model data for the Baltic Sea, monthly mean values (1980-1991) plus climatologic data set;
- Biological model data for the Baltic Sea, monthly mean values (1980-1991) plus climatologic data set;
- Scientific publication on PSA and EUTRISK.

Specific deliverables to DGs:
- Maps showing the spatial distribution of Physical Sensitive Area (PSA) Index to eutrophication and the Eutrophication Risk Index (EUTRISK), respectively, for the Adriatic Sea (years 1998-2001) (DG ENV, EEA)
- Maps showing first results of the spatial distribution of Physical Sensitive Area (PSA) Index to eutrophication and the Eutrophication Risk Index
(EUTRISK), respectively, for North Sea and Baltic Sea areas (DG ENV, EEA);
- Maps of bio-geo-chemical indicators (e.g. pigments, total suspended matter) of European seas (DG ENV, EEA, HELCOM);
- Maps, statistical information and report on trends on chlorophyll-a monthly mean values(at local scale) for 40 coastal/marine areas defined by DG ENV
(DG ENV);
- Report documenting PSA and EUTRISK (DG ENV, EEA);
- Seasonal and monthly maps of primary production with European coverage for 1997- 2001 (DG ENV).

As a result of the research:
- Further development of marine environmental indicators to assess the risk and the level of eutrophication in marine/coastal waters;
- Validation of the developed indicators using in-situ bio-geo-chemical data from comprehensive field campaigns and autonomous optical radiometers;
- Better understanding on the underlying physical processes in the areas of interest
- Time series of atmospheric (aerosol optical thickness) and marine (inherent optical properties, pigments) components at sites representative of the European coastal/marine waters;
- Better understanding on how marine/coastal indicators can be correlated to satellite observations and facilitate the derivation of indicators;
- Better understanding of the trophic functioning of the marine environment, in particular the influence of environmental variability;
- Progress in the development of algorithms based on physical models (bio-optical models for seawater and exact radiative transfer models for the atmosphere) for the interpretation of satellite data;
- Publications in scientific peer-reviewed journals (Coastal environment, Oceanography, Applied optics, Remote sensing).

Summary of 2001 Deliverables: 31/12/2001

- Report on sensitivity/stability analysis of TRIX (Trophic Index) formulations and statistical parameters (mean/trend) of the TRIX (EEA).
- Report on verification of TRIX for North Sea and Baltic Sea areas and combined use of in-situ measurements and satellite data for derivation of a spatial TRIX (EEA, ETC/MCE);
- Summary report and maps showing the spatial distribution of Physical Sensitive Area (PSA) Index to eutrophication and the Eutrophication Risk Index (EUTRISK), respectively, for the Northern Adriatic Sea for the years 1998 to 2000 (DG ENV, EEA);
- Maps of bio-geo-chemical indicators of the European seas (DG ENV, EEA);
- Maps, statistical information and report on trends on chlorophyll-a monthly mean values(at local scale) for 3 coastal/marine areas defined by DG ENV (DG ENV);
- Seasonal and monthly maps of primary productivity with European coverage for 1997 - 2001 (EEA, ETC Water).

Output Indicators and Impact

The Inter-Regional-Forum (IRF) of the Marine Regional Conventions has included the PSA and EUTRISK Indices in their list of environmental indicators to be used for monitoring and assessment of the marine environment (European Regional Seas). Marine satellite information (chlorophyll) of IES/COAST can be accessed via a distributed information system developed in the frame of the 5FWP Project Coast Base with participation from IES/IMW.
Publications in refereed literature, conference proceedings and special reports.
Summary of the project

COAST provides relevant, high quality products and integrated tools to support policies on prevention of pollution and control of the water quality, decision support in the management of the coastal areas, and sustainable exploitation of the marine resources. COAST targets the implementation and monitoring of EU Environmental Legislation and Policies (e.g. Nitrates Directive, Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, Water Framework Directive, Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on Integrated Coastal Zone Management: A Strategy for Europe, future European Marine Strategy).

Rationale

The implementation and monitoring of European Environmental Legislation and Policies necessitate the provision of reliable and comparable data and information. These political instruments (e.g. Directives) are in response to an increasing public concern about citizen's health, preservation of natural resources and bio-diversity, as well as protection against natural disasters and/or anthropogenic damages along the coast and in open seas. COAST supports the Commission Services and national/international bodies linked to EU policy issues with delivery of comparable data sets, statistics, indicators and their subsequent integration into sound scientific information at various geographical scales. The activities within COAST are dealing with topics related to coastal and marine water quality (e.g. eutrophication), support to management of coastal and marine areas, and sustainable management of marine resources.

Synergy effects will be materialized through close collaboration with Project No. 41 / Water Quality in regard to indicator development for monitoring and assessing coastal/marine eutrophication. Underpinning research includes simulation of marine processes and monitoring and assessment of marine eutrophication process integrating data from satellite and numerical models. COAST also demonstrates the use of prototype tools to support management of coastal zones and specifies new tools for decision support (inter-operable GIS, see also Project 84) integrating physical, geo-chemical and socio-economic parameters. In order to assure the provision of high quality products to the users continuous research efforts are mandatory and therefore integral part of this Project.

Dziedzina nauki

Program(-y)

FP5-JRC - Programme for research and technological development, including demonstration, to be carried out by means of direct actions for the European Community by the Joint Research Centre, 1998-2002

Temat(-y)

Zaproszenie do składania wniosków

Data not available

System finansowania

JRC - Joint Research Centre research

Koordynator

Institute for Environment and Sustainability

Wkład UE

Brak danych

Adres

Ispra
Włochy

Koszt całkowity