ECOSTAT HYMO workshop – 12-13 June 2012

Biological methods to detect the effects of hydrological and morphological pressures

Introduction and overview of questionnaire responses

WISER method database - http://www.wiser.eu/results/method-database/

Method overview:Which human pressures are detected?

http://1.bp.blogspot.comhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutrophication Figure from Birk et al., 2012

ECOSTAT HYMO workshop – 12-13 June 2012

Questionnaire on biological methods• MS were asked to identify biological methods

to detect the effects of hymo pressures for the four water categories– Name of method

– Identify pressures to which the method responds

– Has the method been intercalibrated?

– Is the method included in the WISER methods overview?

• Additional information from intercalibration was considered for this presentation

• 9 MS provided information on biological methods:– Rivers – 7 MS (AT. BE/W, DE. IT, NL, NO, SI)

– Lakes – 5 MS (AT, DE, NL, NO, SI)

– Coastal waters – 2 MS (ES, NL)

– Transitional waters – 3 MS (IT, NL)

Questionnaire responses

– Focus on invertebrates and fish; both hydrology and morphology pressures; multimetric indices responding to multiple pressures

– Methods intercalibrated, but not specifically for hymo

– Invertebrates• mostly “general pressure” methods

• Only few methods specifically aimed at hymo (SI: SMEITH)

– Fish• Response to hymo and other pressures well documented

• Not specifically targeted at hymo (but see AT - FIA)

River methods

• Focus on fish, benthic fauna, phytoplankton– Fish fauna – AT, NL, NO

• IC: Validation only with expert judgement or other pressures

– Benthic fauna - DE, SI, NL• IC: All 3 methods validated for HM pressures (sign pressure-response

relationships with lake shore modification metrics and indices)

– Macrophytes - AT, NL, NO • AT, NL – validation and IC only for eutrophication

• NO – new method for HM pressures

– Phytoplankton/ Phytobenthos• NL – method validated/ IC only for eutrophciation

Lake methods

• Only 4 methods reported: Benthic fauna (2x), Macroalgae/Sea Grasses, Phytoplankton– Benthic fauna (ES, NL)

• IC: validation with multipressure index

– Sea Grasses (NL)• IC: response to hymo not specifically demonstrated

– Phytoplankton (ES)• Residence time

Coastal waters methods

• Benthic fauna (ES, IT, NL)– IC: validation with multipressure index

• Fish (ES, NL)– IC: no specific information on response to hymo

pressures (validation with multipressure index)

• Macroalgae / Sea Grasses (IT, NL)– IC: response to hymo pressure not specifically demonstrated

Transitional waters methods

ECOSTAT HYMO workshop – 12-13 June 2012

• Rivers – AT (Gisela Ofenboeck)

• Lakes – NO (Odd Terje Sandlund)

• Coastal/Transitional – ES (Angel Borja)

Presentations:

Questions for session B – Biological Methods• Are current biological assessment methods

appropriate to pick up hydromorphological alterations?

• Has response to hymo pressures been demonstrated? If not, why not?

• What features of method design make a biological method suitable or unsuitable for hymo pressures?

• What further method development is ongoing/needed?• Now (for next RBMP)• Longer term