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

Typology of Polish marine waters

Abstract The article presents results of expert work carried out within the frame of a contract between the Polish Ministry of Environment and the consortium of four scientific Institutes . The Maritime Branch of the Institute of Mete-orology and Water Management (IMWM MB) from Gdynia and Maritime Institute (MI) from Gdansk have been responsible for the typology of Polish marine waters. The analysis of data collected mainly during more than forty years of oceanographic activity of the IMWM MB allowed to discern the following water categories: -transitional waters including the entire areas of the Szczecin Lagoon, Vistula Lagoon and a part of the Gulf of Gdansk -the internal Puck Bay, called Puck Lagoon, as well as parts of the Gulf of Gdansk and Pomeranian Bay under significant influence of riverine plumes; -coastal waters comprising a band of water defined according to the article 2, par. 7, and taking into account art.2, par.1, of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), excluding the areas of transitional waters; -modified waters comprising waters within the rivers mouth areas along the central Polish coast and corresponding to the issue of internal marine waters in the Polish legislation on marine areas