Benthic monitoring in Finland Henrik Nygrd , Marine Research - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Benthic monitoring in Finland

Henrik Nygård,

Marine Research Institute, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), HELCOM IN Benthic habitat monitoring meeting, 16-17.2.2016, Tallinn

New national marine monitoring program (2015) covering biodiversity, alien species, commercial fish, eutrophication, hydrography, hazardous substances (in environment and in food), litter, energy (including noise) Benthic sub-program of the biodiversity monitoring program:

• Open sea benthos monitoring
• Coastal benthos monitoring
• Monitoring of macrophytes and blue mussel habitats
• Physical loss and disturbance of seafloor

2

Introduction

• Performed by Finnish

Environment Institute

• Yearly sampling of soft

bottoms (RV Aranda, COMBINE 2-cruise

• 30-40 stations yearly
• Parameters: species

composition, abundance, biomass and size

• Methodology following the

Combine manual (Van Veen grab)

• Monitoring started 1964

3

Open sea benthos monitoring

• Monitoring coordinated by

Finnish Environment Institute, performed by regional environment centres (ELY- keskus)

• Soft bottoms, methodology

based on standards (Ekman

• r Van Veen grab)
• Sampling yearly, 3 or 6 year

rotation

• Parameters: species

composition, abundance, size

• Complemented by statutory

monitoring

4

Coastal benthos monitoring

• Monitoring coordinated by

Finnish Environment Institute, performed by regional environment centres (ELY-keskus)

• Dive transects
• Parameters: community

composition, coverage, depth distribution

• 1-3 year rotation

5

Monitoring of macrophytes and blue mussel habitats

• New program (no results yet)
• Collecting information on and quantifying pressures on the

seafloor

• Dredging, dumping of dredged material etc.

6

Physical loss and disturbance of seafloor