Public bodies in the EU together spend over €1 billion a year collecting data on the marine environment. Most of these are collected for a specific purpose – bathymetry for safe navigation, contaminants for safe bathing – but we are now moving towards a ‘collect for many purposes’ paradigm. The question is whether the right data are being collected.
The data adequacy reports aim to answer this question. The first data adequacy report for the Baltic reports that
- Lack of consistent monitoring of fisheries bycatch makes it difficult to assess trends
- Poor Spatial and temporal resolution of Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data make analysis of impact of fisheries on habitats difficult
- The temporal changes in phytoplankton abundance may be faster than the frequency of measurement. At least in some areas, the temporal resolution should be increased.
- information for assessment of the Marine Protected Areas network coherence according to Article 13 in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive is currently not adequate
- High data confidence for eutrophication in less than half of all subseabasins. Both EMODnet and ICES have data that the other does not but it is more time consuming to download EMODnet data – due to the limitations on displayed fields on one page and the ‘basket’ size
- There is a lack of offshore wind profile data which is partly due to some sources of data being unavailable to researchers
- Information on distribution of alien species is incomplete
draft data adequacy report literature survey panel report (opinion of stakeholders)
Please include your comments below.