Report on the biogeochemical model of the North-Western European Shelf

The report presents the background of the newly developed marine model covering the North and Celtic Sea. The 3d-model includes all relevant hydrodynamical drivers (tides, currents, water temperature and salinity) and a biogeochemical model of the lower trophic foodweb including essential dissolved nutrients (nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, silicate, carbon and oxygen) and several phytoplankton groups. The moel results are mainly assessed for the indicators, used for the assessment of descriptor 5 ("eutrophication") within the EU Marine Strategy Framwork Directive (MSFD). The coupled model was used to simulate the present state (covering the period 2005 - 2012) and its results are compared and validated, using a variety of different datasets of observations.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

Managing Eutrophication in the Szczecin (Oder) Lagoon-Development, Present State and Future Perspectives

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Quantifying the contribution of shipping NOx emissions to the marine nitrogen inventory – a case study for the western Baltic Sea

The western Baltic Sea is impacted by various anthropogenic activities and stressed by high riverine and atmospheric nutrient loads. Atmospheric deposition accounts for up to a third of the nitrogen input into the Baltic Sea and contributes to eutrophication. Amongst other emission sources, the shipping sector is a relevant contributor to the atmospheric concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOX) in marine regions. Thus, it also contributes to atmospheric deposition of bioavailable oxidized nitrogen into the Baltic Sea. In this study, the contribution of shipping emissions to the nitrogen budget in the western Baltic Sea is evaluated with the coupled three-dimensional physical biogeochemical model MOM–ERGOM (Modular Ocean Model–Ecological ReGional Ocean Model) in order to assess the relevance of shipping emissions for eutrophication. The atmospheric input of bioavailable nitrogen impacts eutrophication differently depending on the time and place of input. The shipping sector contributes up to 5 % to the total nitrogen concentrations in the water. The impact of shipping-related nitrogen is highest in the offshore regions distant from the coast in early summer, but its contribution is considerably reduced during blooms of cyanobacteria in late summer because the cyanobacteria fix molecular nitrogen. Although absolute shipping-related total nitrogen concentrations are high in some coastal regions, the relative contribution of the shipping sector is low in the vicinity of the coast because of high riverine nutrient loads

Managing Eutrophication in the Szczecin (Oder) Lagoon-Development, Present State and Future Perspectives

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Report on the fourth workshop of the Network of Experts for ReDeveloping Models of the European Marine Environment

The fourth workshop of the ‘Network of Experts for ReDeveloping Models of the European Marine Environment’ was held on 19-20 November 2019 in Ispra, Italy, jointly organized by DG Environment and DG JRC (Water and Marine Resources Unit) within the framework of the Administrative Arrangements (N110661/ENV.C.2/2016/733192 and N070201/2017/765512/SER/ENV.C.2 34450.JRC) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MFSD). The aim of this workshop was to continue the information exchange between the Commission and marine modelling experts with a particular focus this year on the links between land-based management options and their impact on different aspects of the marine ecosystems downstream. A multimodel comparison approach was followed in which different marine models for the diverse EU basins were fed with common rivers’ scenarios based on a set of pre-defined pressures at continental level. Both low-trophic level models and high-trophic level models were involved in the exercise, so the uncertainty due to the model structure and deficiencies could be properly assessed. In total 19 research groups from different MS institutions provided 13 low-trophic levels models and 9 high-trophic levels models to the ENSEMBLE. General and basin-specific conclusion on the impacts of the freshwater scenarios on descriptors associated to the MSFD were drawn from the different simulations. This report summarizes the workshop and provides further detail on the presentations, discussion and conclusionsJRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

European marine modelling resources

Datasets are a subset of the JRC marine water portal which serves as the gateway to JRC products on freshwater and marine water resources, providing access to water data, publications, and maps, as well as to water projects and events. The portal brings together the products and data on marine and freshwater resources, including SEACOAST, BLUE2, Water and Ecosystems, and EMIS.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

Ecological-social-economic assessment of zebra-mussel cultivation scenarios for the Oder (Szczecin) Lagoon

The Systems Approach Framework with an integrated Ecological-Social-Economic assessment was applied to address the issue of zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) farming in the large Oder (Szczecin) Lagoon, southern Baltic Sea. Heavy eutrophication hampers the use of the lagoon and zebra mussel farming is considered as new use and potential measure to improve water quality. Three alternative scenarios were developed in interaction with local stakeholders: 1) the production of mussels as fresh feed and meal on a commercial basis seemed not profitable, because of a limited market for fresh mussels (zoos, aquaculture) and low prices for organic feed. 2) Mussel cultivation to improve transparency and attractiveness of bathing waters near beaches had only a limited potential (0.2 m improvement of Secchi depth). A higher mussel biomass would increase the risk of temporary hypoxia. 3) Mussels farms for improving the environmental status (according to EU Water Framework Directive) by supporting macrophyte restoration were considered as the most promising scenario. Our model simulations suggested that as soon as a compensation for nutrient removal is considered, all mussel farm scenarios could cover the costs. Experiments and literature confirm that the conditions for an environmental friendly farming approach in the lagoon are suitable. Steps towards and problems associated with an implementation, e.g. invasion of Dreissena bugensis (quagga mussel), are discussed. Each step of the Ecological-Social-Economic assessment and major lessons learnt are documented in detail. Altogether, the approach turned out to be very suitable for this issue