FN Archimer Export Format PT J TI A first ecological coherent assessment of eutrophication across the North-East Atlantic waters (2015–2020) BT AF Devlin, Michelle J. Prins, Theo C. Enserink, Lisette Leujak, Wera Heyden, Birgit Axe, Philip G. Ruiter, Hans Blauw, Anouk Bresnan, Eileen Collingridge, Kate Devreker, David Fernand, Liam Gómez Jakobsen, Francisco J. Graves, Carolyn Lefebvre, Alain Lenhart, Hermann Markager, Stiig Nogueira, Marta O'Donnell, Garvan Parner, Hjalte Skarbøvik, Eva Skogen, Morten D. Sonesten, Lars Van Leeuwen, Sonja M. Wilkes, Robert Dening, Eleanor Iglesias-Campos, Alejandro AS 1:1,2;2:3;3:4;4:5;5:6;6:7;7:4;8:3;9:8;10:1;11:9;12:1,10;13:11;14:1;15:9;16:5;17:12;18:13;19:14;20:15;21:16;22:17;23:18;24:19;25:20;26:21;27:21; FF 1:;2:;3:;4:;5:;6:;7:;8:;9:;10:;11:PDG-ODE-LITTORAL-LERBL;12:;13:;14:;15:PDG-ODE-LITTORAL-LERBL;16:;17:;18:;19:;20:;21:;22:;23:;24:;25:;26:;27:; C1 Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Lowestoft, United Kingdom Collaborative Centre for Sustainable Use of the Seas (CCSUS), University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom Department of Marine and Coastal Systems, Deltares, Delft, Netherlands Rijkswaterstaat, Utrecht, Netherlands Umweltbundesamt, Dessau-Roßlau, Germany AquaEcology (Institute for Aquatic Ecology), Oldenburg, Germany Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, Gothenburg, Sweden Marine Directorate of the Scottish Government, Science, Evidence, Digital and Data Portfolio, Aberdeen, United Kingdom Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), Boulogne sur mer, France The ERM International Group Limited, Norwich, United Kingdom Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Fuengirola, Spain Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Lisbon, Portugal Marine Institute, Galway, Ireland International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), Copenhagen, Denmark Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Grimstad, Norway Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden Department of Coastal Systems, Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Texel, Netherlands Environmental Protection Agency, Castlebar, Ireland OSPAR Commission, London, United Kingdom C2 CEFAS, UK UNIV E ANGLIA, UK DELTARES, NETHERLANDS Rijkswaterstaat, Utrecht, Netherlands Umweltbundesamt, Dessau-Roßlau, Germany AQUAECOLOGY, GERMANY SWAM, SWEDEN SCOTTISH GOVT, UK IFREMER, FRANCE ERM, UK IEO, SPAIN UNIV AARHUS, DENMARK IPMA, PORTUGAL MARINE INST, IRELAND ICES, DENMARK NIBIO, NORWAY IMR (BERGEN), NORWAY UNIV SWEDISH SLU, SWEDEN NIOZ, NETHERLANDS ENVIRONM PROTECT AGCY, IRELAND OSPAR COMMISSION, UK SI BOULOGNE SE PDG-ODE-LITTORAL-LERBL TC 0 UR https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00869/98114/107385.pdf https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00869/98114/107386.docx LA English DT Article DE ;OSPAR;eutrophication;assessment;North East Atlantic;nutrients AB This paper presents the outcomes of the fourth application of the Common Procedure for the Identification of the Eutrophication Status of the OSPAR Maritime Area (the “Common Procedure”), conducted for the period 2015–2020 for the North East Atlantic. Previously, OSPAR has assessed eutrophication based on national assessment areas and disparate approaches lacking a transparent and comparable basis. A more harmonized approach has now been achieved through development of ecologically relevant assessment areas defined by oceanographic criteria rather than international boundaries, allowing for consistent assessments across exclusive economic zones and acknowledging that eutrophication is a transboundary problem. Thresholds that were specific for those harmonized assessment areas and eutrophication parameters have been derived primarily from an ensemble modeling approach to determine pre-eutrophic conditions. Common assessment areas and harmonized thresholds have enabled, for the first time, an objective and comparable assessment of the eutrophication status of the whole OSPAR Maritime Area. This establishes a level playing field for managing eutrophication and a solid basis for deriving OSPAR nutrient reduction targets as a prerequisite for targeted and successful regional eutrophication management. This assessment shows that eutrophication problem areas persist, in particular along the continental coasts from France to Denmark/Sweden and in the Greater North Sea and the Bay of Biscay and Iberian coast. The main areas affected by eutrophication are the plumes and adjacent coastal areas in the Greater North Sea and Bay of Biscay/Iberian Coast, with riverine nutrient inputs remaining the major source of nutrient pollution. Approximately 6% (152,904 km2) of the OSPAR Maritime Area is eutrophic, with the impacted area supporting many important ecosystem services. Fifty-eight percent of river plume areas (eight assessment areas out of 14), 22% (five of 27) of the coastal areas and 10% (three of 17) of the shelf areas were classified as problem areas. Application of the current assessment process to historical data from the previous three OSPAR assessment periods shows a gradual improvement since 2000. However, the OSPAR 2010 objective “to combat eutrophication, with the ultimate aim of achieving and maintaining a healthy marine environment where anthropogenic eutrophication does not occur” has not yet been fully achieved. Further measures to reduce nutrient loads are needed to ensure long-term sustainability of our coastal waters. PY 2023 PD DEC SO Frontiers in Ocean Sustainability SN 2813-8287 PU Frontiers Media SA VL 1 DI 10.3389/focsu.2023.1253923 ID 98114 ER EF