SEPA’s marine science function operates a complex sampling and monitoring programme through close co-operation of scientific staff and ships crew. The function consists of biologists, chemists and modellers who together have a high level of expertise relating to all aspects of Scotland’s transitional and coastal waters.
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires SEPA to undertake monitoring to determine whether water bodies are achieving good status. For transitional and coastal waters this monitoring and analysis will be undertaken by the marine science function.
The quality elements for the classification of ecological status in transitional and coastal waters are as follows:
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Annex V 1.1.3. Transitional Waters
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Annex V 1.1.4. Coastal Waters
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Biological elements
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- Composition, abundance and biomass of phytoplankton
- Composition and abundance of other aquatic flora
- Composition and abundance of benthic invertebrate fauna
- Composition and abundance of fish fauna
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- Composition, abundance and biomass of phytoplankton
- Composition and abundance of other aquatic flora
- Composition and abundance of benthic invertebrate fauna
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Hydromorphological elements supporting the biological elements:
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Morphological conditions:
- depth variation
- quantity, structure and substrate of the bed
- structure of the inter-tidal zone
Tidal regime:
- freshwater flow
- wave exposure
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Morphological conditions:
- depth variation
- structure and substrate of the coastal bed
- structure of the inter-tidal zone
Tidal regime:
- direction of dominant currents
- wave exposure
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Chemical and physio-chemical elements supporting the biological elements:
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General:
- Transparency
- Thermal conditions
- Salinity
- Oxygenation conditions
- Nutrient conditions
Specific Pollutants:
- Pollution by all priority substances identified as being discharged into the body of water
- Pollution of other substances identified as being discharged in significant quantities into the body of water.
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General:
- Transparency
- Thermal conditions
- Salinity
- Oxygenation conditions
- Nutrient conditions
Specific Pollutants:
- Pollution by all priority substances identified as being discharged into the body of water
- Pollution of other substances identified as being discharged in significant quantities into the body of water.
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What are Transitional and Coastal Waters?
Within the Water Framework Directive coastal waters are defined as:
Article 2 (7)
“‘Coastal water’ means surface water on the landward side of a line, every point of which is at a distance of one nautical mile on the seaward side from the nearest point of the baseline from which the breadth of territorial waters is measured, extending where appropriate up to the outer limit of transitional waters.”
According to the Directive, the ecological status of coastal waters must be classified out to 1 nautical mile from the baseline. However, the Scottish Executive has extended this limit out to 3 nm for Scotland’s waters
The Directive defines transitional waters as:
Article 2 (6)
“‘Transitional waters’ are bodies of surface water in the vicinity of river mouths which are partly saline in character as a result of their proximity to coastal waters but which are substantially influenced by freshwater flows.”
Transitional and coastal waters have been identified in Scotland. There are approximately 50 transitional water bodies and 450 coastal water bodies.
Transitional and Coastal Water Body Types
A typology for coastal and transitional waters for the UK and Ireland has been developed through a SNIFFER funded project. The contract was awarded to a consortium of agencies/consultants led by CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science). The other organisations involved were JNCC, British Geological Society, Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies and AQUAFACT.
Click here to see a map showing the typology for Scottish transitional and coastal water bodies.
Monitoring in Transitional and Coastal Waters
Surveillance monitoring is intended to:
- supplement and validate the characterisation process; and
- assess long-term changes due to natural conditions and widespread anthropogenic activity.
The results of the surveillance monitoring programme can be used for classification purposes, and therefore to supplement the operational monitoring network.
The surveillance monitoring network will consist of sites across the gradient of ecological impact, including a network of impacted sites to validate specific pressure-impact risk assessments. In addition to validating risk assessments and monitoring long-term change, the CIS guidance states that sufficient surveillance sites are required to allow an assessment, within each sub-catchment, of the overall surface water status.
The proposed distribution of surveillance sampling sites, excluding lagoons, is shown on Figure 1 and comprises 25 sites.
Figure 1: Scotland’s water bodies, types and proposed surveillance monitoring sites (excluding lagoons)
