BALTIC SEAENVIRONMENT PROCEEDINGS No. 59 - Helcom

Improvements of Guidelines
The Guidelines for the Fourth Stage of BMP will include clear
specifications of the quality assurance measures required to be
taken for each type of measurement in the BMP. The drafting of
these QA guidelines should be completed during 1993. It also
proposed that a workshop be held in September 1993 to present and
discuss the changes in and the new requirements of the guidelines
for the Fourth Stage of the BMP, with special emphasis on the new
quality assurance requirements.
For some of the micropollutants which require very sophisticated
techniques, the analyses could be performed on the basis of work
done by only a few experienced laboratories. Other CP's could
support them by providing necessary samples from their respective
areas.
Improvments to be implementented within BMP
The assessments have revealed a number of shortcomings within BMP,
and a number of improvements have been suggested.
Pelagic biology:
The period 1979 - 1988 was still too short for proper trend
analysis of the Baltic phyto- and zooplankton communities. The
frequency of measurements should be adjusted to be able to follow
more closely the seasonal development of the plankton.
Microbiological studies still play a somewhat minor role in the
biological monitoring of the Baltic Sea. Microbiological
determinands should be made an integral part of BMP.
Organic nitrogen compounds such as urea, humic acids, proteins and
amino acids should be analysed in sea water in order to be able to
understand their significance for biological productivity.
Benthos:
In order to be able to follow the development of the
macrozoobenthos in the vicinity of the halocline in the central
and northern Baltic proper, a number of regular monitoring
stations should be identified. In addition, in order to follow t:he
eutrophication, stations in shallow waters as well as data from
national sources are needed.
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