Document type
Conference papers
Document subtype
Abstract
Title
Spatial and temporal scales of biodiversity and ecosystem indicators - Effects on data comparability and GES assessment across the North Atlantic Ocean
Participants in the publication
Inês Machado (Author)
FACULDADE DE CIÊNCIAS DA UNIVERSIDADE DE LISBOA
Stéphanie Pasquaud (Author)
FACULDADE DE CIÊNCIAS DA UNIVERSIDADE DE LISBOA
José Lino Costa (Author)
Dep. Biologia Animal
MARE
Henrique Cabral (Author)
MARE
Summary
European Member States (MSs) have made a large effort to implement the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), however data used are heterogeneous across MSs in terms of indicators reported, implementation level and scales used. In the present work, biodiversity and ecosystem indicators scales (i.e. D1- Biodiversity, D2 – Non-Invasive species, D3 – Exploited Fish and Shellfish and D4 – Food-webs and D6 – Seafloor Integrity) are looked in-depth together with their corresponding methodological approaches to verify the coherence of data sets used on the North Atlantic. Scales analysis is made considering factors such as MS, biogeographic region, descriptor, criteria and taxonomic group/ habitat reported. Preliminary results show that France presents significantly broader time and spatial ranges and Descriptor 4 and criteria 1.7 and 4.2 are reported using the widest scales. Marine turtles, food-webs and sedimentary habitats are the groups reported using the most extensive data sets, however their implementation level and methodological adequacy may fail. Indicators included in Descriptor 3 are assessed using similar methods but need further uniformization such as common initial reporting dates for comparability purposes. \nGaps highlighted by this work will inform MS on scales used across the sea basin and will allow to understand if scales used are relevant to detect effects due to human pressures, since the lack of correct scales can lead to GES misjudgement. Ultimately, this work points out MSFD strengths and weaknesses, showing where it needs to be improved, while considering the scales used. \n
Date of Submisson/Request
2018-03-01
Date of Acceptance
2018-05
Date of Publication
2018-09
Institution
FACULDADE DE CIÊNCIAS DA UNIVERSIDADE DE LISBOA
Event
ICES ANNUAL SCIENCE CONFERENCE 2018
Publication Identifiers
Address
Hamburg
Organizers
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)
Keywords
MSFD implementation
biodiversity indicators
spatial scales
temporal scales
human impacts detection
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