COASTLINE 07-1 Coastal management in Germany - EUCC

German research
vessel Gauss © BSH
Marine monitoring has a long tradition in Germany. Primarily
physical and chemical, but also biological parameters, of the
North and Baltic Seas are regularly monitored by federal environmental
state agencies responsible for the coastal waters
and EEZ. The Water Framework Directive imposes very demanding
requirements for biological monitoring of transitional and
coastal waters. The European Marine Strategy will further
extend these monitoring requirements into the shelf seas and
open ocean.
Concept for a revised marine
monitoring 1
In the 1980s, the responsible parties for monitoring combined
forces into a harmonised programme which addressed the
requirements of the OSPAR and HELCOM conventions. In
recent years, however, additional reporting requirements have
emerged to include the Water Framework Directive, the
Habitats Directive, the Trilateral Monitoring and Assessment
Programme and the European Marine Strategy. Considerably
more emphasis will now be placed on biological parameters, to
be combined in an ecosystem approach.
Marine monitoring
Providing satellite-derived water
quality products for marine areas 2
One key parameter for monitoring marine areas is the chlorophyll-a
concentration which is related to the phytoplankton bio-
In 2005, it was decided to develop a concept for a revised marine
monitoring programme which will address all the reporting
requirements. A first draft has been developed with each component
described in a parameter sheet. Distinctions have been
made between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, or between
coastal waters and the EEZ because of the natural differences in
the environment which require different monitoring approaches.
Although, the challenge of harmonising the activities of 8
federal and 14 executive institutes still remains, a significant
step forward has already been achieved in the harmonization
and optimisation of marine monitoring in Germany as well as in
the compilation of a comprehensive overview of all such activities
(www.brockmann-consult.de/blmpplus,
www.bsh.de/de/Meeresdaten/Beobachtungen/
BLMP-Messprogramm/index.jsp).
Chlorophyll concentration in German coastal waters derived from
MERIS satellite, averaged between 17.07 and 23.07.2006.
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