1. Working Group A ECOSTAT Intercalibration Progress Coast GIGs JRC, Ispra, Italy, 15-16 March 2005 Dave Jowett, Environment Agency (England and Wales), Coast Group Chair and NE Atlantic GIG Co-ordinator

2. COAST GIGs North East Atlantic Mediterranean Baltic Black Sea All have now met and have started work!

3. Black Sea Eng. Otilia Antonaru 3 " Ukraine " Russian Federation " Georgia " Turkey Black Sea GIG • Bulgaria • Romania

4. Coast meeting (October 2004) conclusions Agreed that in 2005 it would not be possible to do “full intercalibration” Individual metrics are likely to be chosen in this phase of intercalibration Resources are an ongoing issue…but help from JRC in hosting meetings is a big help! Agreed that if possible we should adopt a common linear EQR scale

5. Coast meeting conclusions Agreed that MS GIG contacts must ensure full participation of experts in GIG or sub- group meetings. If unable to attend then must comment on and ratify GIG decisions. GIGs need to know asap what reporting format is required…..we do now! Results from Intercalibration must not be presented on maps as ecological status classifications.

6. Coast meeting conclusions Agreed that sites within waterbodies would be used to test metrics during this stage of intercalibration. Results from these sites may not represent the whole waterbody. We should engage with the REBECCA project. This has been done through data exchange from UK. Outputs from recent work will be available through the REBECCA website. We should consider physico-chemical elements within GIGs e.g. oxygenation conditions.

7. NEA GIG First full meeting agreed to work through sub- groups Benthic Inverts group met September 2004 Plants group met October 2004 Fish group met November 2004 Second full meeting met Bordeaux, France on 17-18 February 2005 NE Atlantic GIG

8. Benthic Macro-invertebrates NE Atlantic GIG

9. Benthic Macro-invertebrates Types, Quality elements, Pressures and Intercalibration Options –Not all types included. Assessing key type/pressure/habitat combinations –No. Key pressure/quality elements only –Option 2/3 hybrids –Common metrics to be confirmed - most likely AMBI and BQI NE Atlantic GIG

10. Benthic Macro-invertebrates Data collection –Data collection has started –diversity, sensitivity, abundance and key indicators –Data collected from more than just Intercal register sites –UK, NL and N leading on data collection/analysis –Additional sampling is being carried out NE Atlantic GIG

11. Benthic Macro-invertebrates Class boundary setting procedure –No agreed reference conditions –Expanded normative definitions close to being agreed –Some pressure gradients have been established –Class boundaries to be agreed when above is finalised –No EQRs set NE Atlantic GIG

12. Fish

13. Fish Types, Quality elements, Pressures and Intercalibration Options –All types included - one - TWs! –Pressures to be assessed - eutrophication, dredging, power stations, fishing, habitat degradation, connectivity, water quality, dissolved oxygen –Option 2 (species composition), Option 3 (abundance) –Number of species, Number of Diadromous species, Number of estuarine resident species, Number of marine juvenile species

14. Fish Data collection –Data collection has started –Species presence/absence plus abundance (catch density) –Data collected from any TW site –UK/B leading on data collection –Not all countries can contribute data –Additional sampling in F/UK/RoI/NL/B NE Atlantic GIG

15. Fish Class boundary setting procedure –No reference condition set. Data from unimpacted areas being used. –Expanded normative definitions to be agreed. –No pressure gradient established –boundary criteria to be agreed –No EQRs to be set at QE level NE Atlantic GIG

16. Phytoplankton

17. Macroalgae

18. Angiosperms (saltmarsh and seagrass) NE Atlantic GIG

19. Plants Types, Quality elements, Pressures and Intercalibration Options –All types included –Primary pressure - Eutrophication –Option 2 for phytoplankton, Option 3 or hybrid for macroalgae and angiosperms –Chlorophyll for phytoplankton - others to be decided NE Atlantic GIG

20. Plants Data collection –Data collection has started –Chlorophyll data, species information, HABs, macroalgae –Data from Intercal sites only –UK co-ordinating data collation –Data not available from all countries –Extra sampling UK only NE Atlantic GIG

21. Plants Class boundary setting procedure –No reference conditions agreed yet –Pressure gradients being established –Boundary criteria to be agreed for each metric –Method for chlorophyll based on statistical spread of data in relation to existing boundaries (e.g. OSPAR) –No EQRs to be set at QE level NE Atlantic GIG

22. Chlorophyll example (NEA1/26) HighH/GGoodG/M 7.2 10.8 Moderate NE Atlantic GIG

23. General Issues NE Atlantic GIG  All countries need to fully engage with the process to make it work.  All countries must send representatives for all quality elements to the sub-groups and ensure wherever possible that the same people attend.  There is no possibility of agreeing a full intercalibration for any quality element this year (Options 1 or 3).

24. General Issues Reference conditions are still under development. Can we use contemporary data to set reference conditions? Boundary criteria for metrics can be developed through the process this year. Boundary setting is different for individual quality element metrics. No EQRs can be set for whole quality elements this year. Resources (both human and financial) are a constant problem. NE Atlantic GIG