Monitoring network (Task 6.1)

The activities within this task included a review/analysis of the existing monitoring activities in the coastal and open waters of both basins as well as information and data gaps. A monitoring network in the two seas for recording the state and trends of the ecosystems, their exchange and their resources, has been described and specifications set.

Background and Rationale

Based on the review/analysis, this task reviewd the existing monitoring systems in order to fill and/or prevent any gaps of information and data possibly for a long-term period. Since information gaps for coastal ecosystems fall under three major characteristic groups, i.e. biodiversity, fisheries and water quality, the review/analysis of ongoing monitoring activities and the new proposal of monitoring system should cover in- depth analysis of these groups for the coastal waters of Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Concerning water quality, ongoing remote sensing applications in routine monitoring were explored as well as for on site monitoring. The tools of operational oceanography applicable to coastal waters quality monitoring were also investigated.