CORESET II 2/2014 workshop
Metals in biota and sediment
Metals in biota and sediment
- Metals (Cd, Pb, Hg) in - Fish
- Herring, Flounder, Perch, Cod
- Mussels - blue mussels
- Sediment
- Other metals where data is usually available: - Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, As
Metals in biota and sediment
Stage of development Indicator type
Core candidate Pressure, State
Primary importance Secondary importance
BSAP
Segment and Objective
Baltic Sea with life undisturbed by hazardous
substances
Concentrations at natural levels
All fish safe to eat
Healthy wildlife
MSFD
Descriptors and Criteria
Descriptor 8: Concentrations of contaminants are at
levels not giving rise to pollution effects
Criterion 8.1 Concentration of contaminants
Descriptor 9: Contaminants in fish and other seafood
for human consumption do not exceed levels
established by Community legislation or other
relevant standards
Criterion 8.2 Effects of contaminants(e.g.
LMS)
Other relevant legislation: (e.g. WFD): WFD chemical status/EQS
Legislative linkage:
Metals in biota and sediment
Concept/ design
Coordinated monitoring Assessment
Research needs for operationalization (in
relation to needs stated under the
coordinated monitoring and
assessment columns)
Data arrangements
Monitoring strategy (method, frequency, spatial resolution) in relation to relevant indicator parameters Technical guidelines Geographic scale
Assessment method
GES / assessment criteria (currently all GES are provisional)
A ) in place B) under development C ) not available, what needs - action level?
A ) monitoring in place B ) monitoring needs revision C ) monitoring not available, what needs - action level?
A ) in place B ) needs revision, what needs doing C ) not available, what needs - action level?
HELCOM assessment units: A ) identified B) Identified not described C) not identified, what needs - action level?
A ) available and described B ) available not described C ) not available, what needs - action level?
A ) proposed and described B ) proposed but needs more supporting data C ) not available, what needs - action level?
A ) in place B ) needs revision, what needs doing C ) not available, what needs - action level?
Hg in biota Cd, Pb in biota
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A (EU EQS,
food and BAC) A/B (only food
and BAC) Time trends, input trends
Conversion factors for
species and/or organ
A
A
Hg, Cd, Pb in sediment
A
A
A
A
A/B (only ERL
and BAC)
Normalization,
EQS
A
(action level = who needs to complete the task)
Metals in biota and sediment
• GES in biota consist of
– EQS for Hg (EU WFD) + background Hg (BSEP120B)
– EU food criteria (Cd, Hg, Pb)
– National Criteria
• GES in sediment
– US-EPA ERL (adopted by OSPAR/BSEP120B)
– National Criteria
Metals in biota and sediment
Metals in biota and sediment
Holistic assessment 2010
• HELCOM Assessment Unit Level: 3
• The indicator is applicable in: all coastal areas around the Baltic Sea + sediment/fish open areas
• Currently data is available : From the whole area via ICES/national dataproviders
CORESET I - 2012 Metals (lead, cadmium and mercury)
Authors Elisabeth Nyberg, Martin M. Larsen, Anders Bignert, Elin Boalt, Sara Danielson and
the CORESET expert group for Hazardous substances indicators
Metals in biota and sediment List of issues that still need
to be solved for the
indicator
Describe what is hindering solving the issue
Different species throughout
the Baltic Sea
EQS/BAC criteria should probably be adjusted for species
Normalization of sediment
The current OSPAR guideline normalizes to 2.5% TOC or 5% Al
– is this relevant for the Baltic Sea in general?
Metal indicators
• Cu, Zn concentrations for Harbours, dredging sites, shipping routes
• Comparison of atmospheric deposition and riverine inputs with sediment top layer
