Monitoring Manual – HELCOM (original) (raw)

Skip to content

Baltic Marine Environment
Protection Commission

Baltic Marine Environment
Protection Commission

The HELCOM Monitoring Manual is developed to support the implementation of the HELCOM Monitoring and Assessment Strategy and to follow-up commitments made under Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) for thoseContracting Parties of HELCOM that are also EU Member States. Full background information and general introduction to the HELCOM Monitoring Manual can be found in the introduction.

The Monitoring Manual provides a catalogue listing of all existing marine monitoring carried out in the Baltic and their links to indicators developed to assess progress towards Good Environmental Status (GES). The information is organized along 11 main monitoring programmes or grouped according to 16 thematic programme topics and displayed in programme info sheets (pdf). The level of regional coordination currently varies between topics while it is the ambition to develop HELCOM coordinated monitoring for all programmes.

The Monitoring manual refers to the existing HELCOM manuals and guidelines where more detailed information e.g. on sampling procedures can be found.

​Monitoring strategy Ecosystem element / Pressure Monitoring programme MSFD Descriptors
​Birds ​Birds ​Marine breeding birds abundance and distribution​Marine bird health ​Marine wintering birds abundance and distribution D1, 4
Mammals Mammals Seal abundance ​Health status ​Harbour porpoise abundance D1, 4
Fish Fish, shellfish and fisheries ​Coastal fish​Migratory fish​Offshore fish ​Commercial shellfish​Fisheries bycatch D1, 3, 4
​Water column habitats ​ ​ ​ ​Hydrography​ ​Water column hydrological characteristics​Water column physical characteristics ​Ice D1, 5
Water column habitats ​ ​Hydrochemistry Water column chemical characteristics ​Nutrients D1, 5
Water column habitats ​ Phytoplankton Pigments​Species composition, abundance and biomass D1, 4, 5
Water column habitats ​ ​ Zooplankton Species composition, abundance and biomass D1, 4
​​Seabed Habitats ​ ​ Seabed habitat distribution and extent ​Habitat-forming species and substratesSeabed habitat physical characteristics​ D1, 4, 6
Seabed Habitats ​ ​ ​Species distribution and abundance (benthic community) ​ Hardbottom Species ​Softbottom faunaSoftbottom flora ​ D1, 4, 6
Seabed Habitats ​ ​ ​Benthic physical loss and damage ​ D1, 4, 6
​Non-indigenous species ​Non-indigenous species ​​Non-indigenous species D2
​Eutrophication ​ ​ ​ ​Inputs ​Nutrient inputs from atmosphere​Nutrient inputs from landbased sources ​Nutrient inputs from seabased sources (no info yet) D5
​Hydrography Water column hydrological characteristics D5
​Hydrochemistry ​ Nutrients D5
​Phytoplankton ​ Pigments D5
​Hydrographic changes ​ ​Hydrography ​Water column hydrological characteristics​Water column physical characteristics​Ice D7
Seabed habitat distribution and extent Seabed habitat physical characteristics​ ​ D7
​Contaminants ​Inputs ​Contaminant inputs from atmosphere​​Contaminant inputs from landbased sources​Acute pollution D8
​Contaminants ​Concentrations of contaminants ​Contaminants in water​​Contaminants in sediment​​Contaminants in biota D8
​​Contaminants Biological effects of contaminants Imposex​ D8
​​Contaminants in seafood ​Contaminants in seafood​ Contaminants in seafood​ D9​
​Litter Litter​ Macrolitter characteristics and abundance-volume-beach litter Macrolitter characteristics and abundance-volume-floating litter Macrolitter characteristics and abundance-volume-litter in biota Macrolitter characteristics and abundance-volume-litter on the seafloor Microlitter particle abundance and characteristics​ D10
​Energy, including underwater noise ​Underwater noise​ ​Continuous noiseImpulsive noise D11​