Chemical and biological monitoring for the marine ecosystem health assessment

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Chemical and biological monitoring for the
marine ecosystem health assessment

• Eugeniusz Andrulewicz
• Sea Fisheries Institute, Gdynia
• Department of Fisheries Oceanography
• and Marine Ecology

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Definition of monitoring

• Monitoring has been defined by UNEP as
• the process of repetitive observing for
  defined purposes, of one or more elements of the
  environment, according to prearranged schedules
  in space and in time and using comparable
  methodologies for environmental sensing and data
  collection"

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Relationship of monitoring to the decission
making process
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Identification of the main marine environmental
cocerns problems Case Baltic Sea

• Enhanced eutrophication
• Chemical contamination
• Overfishing
• Oil pollution
• Loss of biological diversity
• Alien species
• Sanitary pollution of coastal waters
• Physical disturbance of habitats
• Other (e.g. artificial radionuclides, dumped
  chemical weapon)

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Components of monitoring programmes

• Monitoring guidelines sample collection, s.
  preservation, sample storage and analysis
• Quality Assurance Programme
• Data reporting data formats
• Data banking data storage and some processing
  ability
• Assessment of results scientific/background
  assessment, executive assessment, popular
  assessment

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Usual monitoring meteorological observations

• Wind speed
• Wind direction
• Barotropic pressure
• Precipitation and evaporation
• Solar radiation
• Cloudiness
• Air temperature
• Humidity

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Usual monitoring chemical parameters

• Oxygen
• Hydrogen sulphide
• pH
• Alkalinity
• Total inorganic carbon
• Nutrients

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Usual monitoring biological parameters

• Primary production
• Chlorophyll a
• Phytoplankton (species composition and biomass)
• Zooplancton
• Macrozoobenthos
• Ichthyophauna

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Usual monitoring pollution parameters

• Trace metals (Hg, Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, other)
• POPs (s-DDT, s-PCB, g-HCH, HCB, other)
• Petroleum hydrocarbons (Tot.UVF, PAHs)
• Antropogenic radionulides (Cs-132, Cs-134,
  Cs-137, Sr-90, K-40, Tc-99, Pu-239/240,
  Am-241/242, Co-60,Po-210, Ra-224/226, U-233)

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Additional information needed for data
interpretation

• Geographical coordinates during sapling
• Methods of samling
• Methods of preservation
• Methods of pretreatment
• Methods of analyses
• Detection limits
• Qality assurance information
• Other relevant information

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Monitoring lagoons

• Considerable differences from marine and/or
  freshwater conditions may be expected !
• e.g. usual problems when analysing nutrients
• usually very high concentrations
• usually high water turbidity
• usually change of water colour (e.g. due to humic
  substances)
• usually there is a need for a long storage before
  delivering samples for analysis in laboratoery
• Usually necessry to design specific
  monitoring scheme !

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Modelling

• Anthropogenic load models
• Analyses and model predictions
• Operational forecasting models
• Modelling for cost effective measures of
  reduction of discharges
• Pre-operational models for for ecology
• and water quality
• Be craeful about data you accept for modelling

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Introduction of new monitoring techniques

• Introduction of new analytical techniques and
  sensors
• Installation of automatic buoys
• Ships of oppotunity profiles
• Satellite images
• Towards timely/online/ operational monitoring
  programme

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Environmental assessments

• Regional approach
• Types of assessment (scientific/background
  assessment, executive summary, popular
  assessment, idicator-based assessment, rapid
  assessment)
• Towards integrated assessments

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Scientific support and scientific advice to
monitoring programmes

• National Scientific Institutions/projects
  universities, institutes, laboratories,
  research projects
• International advisors ICES (monitoring system
  design, fishery, biology, chemistry), IAEA
  (radionuclides), EU JRC (eutrophication,
  satellite pictures), NILU (atmosphere)
• Various EU funded research projects

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European seas health assessmentHow to do it ?
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European seas monioring programs

• Monitoing of commertial fish stock assessment of
  the the North-East Atlantic and adjacent seas
• The oldest international monitoring programme
  based on national montoring programmes and fish
  surveys (coordinated and assessed by ICES)
• International monitoring programmes related to
  environment (pollution)
• Baltic Sea (HELCOM)
• North Sea and Northern Atlantic (OSPAR)
• Arctic Seas (AMAP)
• Mediterranean Sea (MED. POL)
• Black Sea (Bucharest Convention)
• US EPA Coastal Monitoring Programme

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• The Baltic Sea
• and its sub-basins
• (from J. Elken)
• Age12 th. Years
• Area 415 th. km2
• Volume 21 th. km3
• Medium/Average depth 55 m
• Maximum depth 459 m
• Residence time 25 - 40 years

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HELCOM Monitoring Programme (COMBINE)

• Baltic Monitoring Programme
• Hydrology, chemistry, biology
• Pollution Load Compillation (PLC)
• River discharges and atmospheric fallout
• Coastal Monitoring Programme
• Chemistry, biology, nature conservation elements
• Monitorinng of Radioactive Substances (MORS) man
  made radionulclides

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HELCOM Periodic Assessments

• 0 Background Assessment, 1981
• 1st Periodic Assessment, 1987
• 2nd Periodic Assessment, 1990
• 3rd Periodic Assessment, 1996
• 4th Periodic Assessment, 2002
• Specific assessments coastal waters,
  radioactivity, ediments
• From hydrological, chemical and biological
  approach to ecosystem-based approach

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North-East Atlantic Monitoring Programme
(OSPAR)

• The Joint Assessment and Monitoring Programme
  (JMAP)
• Comprehensive Atmospheric Monitoring Programme
  (CAMP)
• Comprehensive Study on Riverine Input and Direct
  Discharges (RID)
• Coordinated Environmental Monitoring Programme
  (CEMP)

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Arctic Seas (AMAP) monitoring programme

• Established in 1991 to implement Artic
  Environmental Protection Strategy
• The marine areas north of the Aleutian chain,
  Hudson Bay, and parts of the North Atlantic Ocean
  including the Labrador Sea, Norwegian Sea, White
  Sea
• Current objectives
• - Provide information on the status and threat
  of Arctic environment
• - Provide scientific advise on actions to be
  taken
• - To take remedied and preventive actions
  relating to contaminants

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Mediterranean Monitoring Programme (Barcelona
Convention,1976/1995)

• The Programme for the Assessment and Control of
  Pollution in the Mediterranean Region (MED POL)
• Monitoring and Research Programme of the
  Mediterranean Action Plan pollution assessment
  programme

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Black Sea (under Bucharest Convention, 1992)

• Protection of Black Sea against pollution
• The Black Sea Ecosystem recovery Project (BSERB)
  developed under the auspecies of GEF and
  implemented by UNDP
• The Black Sea transboundary diagnostic Analysis
  (eutrophication and biodiversity problems)

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Global International Water Assessment

• Global International Water Assessments (GIWA)
• 62 Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs)
• Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)
• Baltic Oceanographic Operational Systyem (BOOS)

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Present environmental status of the Baltic Sea
Region(according to GIWA)

• Severe (Score 3)
• - Eutrophication
• - Over-exploitation of fish resources
• Moderate (Score 2)
• - Pollution of existing supplies
• - Chemical pollution of marine area
• - Oil spills at sea
• - Modification of ecosystems or ecotones
• - Decreased viability of fish stock through
  pollution and disease
• - Impact on biological and genetic diversity  

• Slight (score 1)
• - Modification of stream flow
• - Changes in the water table
• - Microbiological pollution
• - Suspended solids
• - Solid wastes
• - Radionuclides
• - Loss of ecosystems
• - Excessive by-catch and discards
• - Destructive fishing practices
• No known (score 0)
• - Thermal pollution
• - Sea level change
• - Increased uv-b radiation as a result of ozone
  depletion

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Global Ocean Observing System GOOS, 1991

• Service to the marine industry shipping,
  recreation, pollution, accidents, safety,
  fishing, unusual events
• Integrating existing observational systems,
  establish marine data base, give reliable and
  on-line/timely descriptions, provide prognosis,
  climate change, management of marine resources,
  military uses
• Use of remotely sensed data (radar, satellites)
• Optimisation of existing models, ecological
  modelling, HABs, anthropogenic load model

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Baltic Sea (BOOS) demonstration areaAlready
collected and processed following
observational/monitoring data

• Water exchanges
• Water levels
• Seabad oxygen
• Sea surface temperature
• Ice covers
• River discharges

• Wave forecast
• Nutrient transports
• Storm surge warnings
• Flood protection
• Rescue operations
• Algae blooms

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Thank you for your attention