Technical guidance on monitoring for the Marine Stategy Framework Directive

The Marine Directors of the European Union (EU), Acceding Countries, Candidate Countries and EFTA Countries have jointly developed a common strategy for supporting the implementation of the Directive 2008/56/EC, “the Marine Strategy Framework Directive” (MSFD). The main aim of this strategy is to allow a coherent and harmonious implementation of the Directive. Focus is on methodological questions related to a common understanding of the technical and scientific implications of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. In particular, one of the objectives of the strategy is the development of non-legally binding and practical documents, such as this technical guidance on monitoring for the MSFD. These documents are targeted to those experts who are directly or indirectly implementing the MSFD in the marine regions. The document has been prepared by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) with the contribution of experts from Member States, Regional Seas Conventions and ICES and following consultation of the Working Group on Good Environmental Status.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Actual structure of the fauna associated to some macroalgae species from the Romanian Southern littoral

The qualitative and quantitative composition of the invertebrate fauna associated to Cystoseira and Ceramium thalli were analysed in 2 sites from the Southern part of Romanian Black Sea waters in 2005 spring. During the study, 12 macrozoobenthic species associated to Cystoseira and 9 associated to Ceramium were identified. The eutrophication and pollution affected the Cystoseira beds, and consequently, the stability in space and time of its associated fauna. The analysis suggests a gentle trend of the Cystoseira beds recovery and the diversification of theirs associated fauna, too. Ceramium association, less affected by the phenomena mentioned above, has proved more spatial and temporal stability. The trophic structure of both communities was also studied

Regional peculiarities of community-wide trophic cascades in strongly degraded Black Sea food web

The community-wide trophic cascade due to collapsed fish stocks and population outburst of invasive predators after the early 1990s resulted in different pelagic and benthic food web structures in the Black Sea. The northeastern region assumed their most simplified forms characterized by increasing mesozooplankton and polychaete biomass. The ecological degradation is more severe in the northwestern part, whereas the southern basin maintains an anchovy fishery under relatively weak gelatinous predation

Coastal waters Black Sea geographic intercalibration group: Benthic invertebrate fauna ecological assessment methods

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the national classifications of good ecological status to be harmonised through an intercalibration exercise. In this exercise, significant differences in status classification among Member States are harmonized by comparing and, if necessary, adjusting the good status boundaries of the national assessment methods. Intercalibration is performed for rivers, lakes, coastal and transitional waters, focusing on selected types of water bodies (intercalibration types), anthropogenic pressures and Biological Quality Elements. Intercalibration exercises are carried out in Geographical Intercalibration Groups - larger geographical units including Member States with similar water body types - and followed the procedure described in the WFD Common Implementation Strategy Guidance document on the intercalibration process (European Commission, 2011). The Technical report on the Water Framework Directive intercalibration describes in detail how the intercalibration exercise has been carried out for the water categories and biological quality elements. The Technical report is organized in volumes according to the water category (rivers, lakes, coastal and transitional waters), Biological Quality Element and Geographical Intercalibration group. This volume addresses the intercalibration of the Coastal Waters-Black Sea Benthic Invertebrates Fauna ecological assessment methods.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource