Environmental data collection and information systems in the Baltic Sea

Juha-Markku Leppänen

Marine Research Centre of SYKE

EEA/EIONET Workshop Maritime and coastal information systems

18 and 19 Nov 2009, Trieste, Italy

Data collection

Based on national and international commitments and requirements• basic water quality monitoring

• compliance monitoring

• WFD requirements in coastal waters

• HELCOM COMBINE commitments covering the whole Baltic Sea

• MSFD to be decided

• Underwater habitat mapping (modelling and field mapping)

• Water level, Ice survey, Sediment monitoring, Remote sensing…

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Data handling

Finnish National Oceanographic Data Centre• hosted by SYKE and FMI

• Responsible for storing, QC and delivery

• ICES, IOC, BOOS, SeaDataNet, MyOcean….

• Open access to monitoring data via Internet

• Web based information service – Baltic Sea Information Portal, including access to data

Specific databases

HELCOM as the environmental information focal point in the Baltic Sea

Cooperative Monitoring in the Baltic Marine Environment – COMBINE

• 1979 in open waters

• 1992 to cover the territorial waters

• Hydrography, nutrients, biology (plankton, coastal fish, benthos), hazardous substances

• Joint database hosted by ICES

Pollution Load Compilation (PLC)• loads of nutrients and hazardous substances

Monitoring of radionuclides (MORS) Oil spill surveillance

Carried out by all Contracting States to HELCOM according to the COMBINE, PLC and MORS Manuals

COMBINE & PLC

Based on the Automatic Identification System (AIS)

Maritime traffic

Oils spills

Aerial surveillance for detecting suspected offenders of anti-pollution regulations at sea.

Twice per week over regular traffic zones.

Other regions with sporadic traffic and fishing activities once per week.

Coordinated Extended Pollution Control Flights (CEPCO), twice a year• continuous surveillance of

specific for 24 hours

210 detections in 2008

Indicator Database

Indicator Fact Sheets

Thematic Assessment

VFD and COMBINE data

Assessment tools HEAT, BEAT and CHASE

Holistic Assessment with new pressure index and aggregation tool

Eutrophication, Biodiversity, Hazardous substances

Baltic Sea Pressure Index

Nuclear power plant [1/0]

Shipping intensity [0-1]

Waterborne P [0-1]

Heavy metal deposition [0-1]

Harbour [1/0]

Pelagic trawling [0-1]

Operating wind farm [1/0]

Source and Impact value

Grid of 20x20 km2 cells

Information from various sources

”Benthic Marine Landscape maps” from the BALANCE project

Shipping

Atmospheric deposition

Fishing pressure

Development of HELCOM Data and Geographic Information System

Support the implementation of the HELCOM BSAP • develop an interactive web-based map service

Facilitate the implementation of various international initiatives• EU INSPIRE Directive and related European processes, • easy access to regional data on the state, and pressures

acting upon marine environment• supporting both European plans

• Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS), • Water Information System for Europe (WISE)• future WISE-Marine,• MSP activities• HELCOM Contracting States with their reporting requirements

under the EU MSFDirective• open access to HELCOM data

HELCOM marine spatial planning tool

Functional marine spatial planning system based on GIS

Provides access to relevant information on human activities and environmental parameters

Under construction

Thank you

When the information systems finally work…