EEAs assessments of the status of Europe’s waters
Peter KristensenProject manager Integrated Water Assessment, European Environment Agency (EEA)
Session 1
Eionet NRC Freshwater meeting, 18-19 June 2015
Questions to NRCs:
• How are you using the EEA water reports, WISE interactive map and data viewers? – Are they useful for your purposes? – How can they be improved?
• Are the assessments of status and pressures on European waters useful in the present form? – How can we improve the assessments? – How can the presentations of country comparisons be
improved?
• Are the water indicators addressing the right issues? Are issues missing? – Should we include additional indicators? – Are we using the best data?
Status of Europe’s waters
• Overall freshwater quality (overall status, ecological status, conservation status of freshwater habitats and species);
• Water pollution and quality (e.g. nutrients in groundwater, rivers and lakes; pollution sources and emissions);
• Water and health (Bathing water quality, drinking water quality, hazardous substances related to health)
• Water resources focus on water scarcity and drought (Water Exploitation Index, water abstraction by sectors, water resource accounts, water efficiency)
• Floods and water related disasters • Climate change impacts on water and water adaptation
measures• Hydromorphological /structural activities (e.g.
hydropower, navigation, number of barriers in rivers, straightened rivers).
The MDIAK Information Chain
Interpret
Integrate
Reflect
(M)Monitoring
Structure(D)Data
(I)Indicators
(A)Assessments(K)
Slides from Thomas Henrichs, EEA – prepared for Integrated Environmental Assessments - EEA West Balkan Summer School 2013
The WISE SoE data flows have successfully ‑provided a solid basis of information for several of EEA indicators and water assessments.
EEA new water products
Bathing water report including: • 30 national reports, • map and data viewers.
Freshwater in the SOER2015• Synthesis• Two European briefings• Freshwater country
comparisonUpdated water CSIs and maps
• Nutrients in freshwater• Oxygen consuming
substances• WISE maps
European Bathing Water Quality in 2014
Annual reporting of Bathing Water quality(EN, DE and FR)• 30 National reports• Data viewer• Map viewers
Link: http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/status-and-monitoring/state-of-bathing-water/state/state-of-bathing-water-1
Heavy web-traffic
3 mio.
2 mio.
1 mio.
Pageviews
WISE Bathing Water map viewer
http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/interactive/bathing/state-of-bathing-waters
Several hundreds news articles
Source: http://www.salzburg24.at/badegewaesser-in-europa-werden-sauberer/apa-s24_1423552284
THE EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTSTATE AND OUTLOOK 2015
Synthesisreport
Terrestrial and freshwaterbiodiversity
Land use and soil functions
Ecological status of freshwater bodies
Water quality and nutrient loading
Air pollution and its ecosystem impacts
Marine and coastal biodiversity
Climate change impacts on ecosystems
Material resource efficiency and material use
Waste management
Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change mitigation
Energy consumption and fossil fuel use
Transport demand and related environmental impacts
Industrial pollution to air, soil and water
Water use and water quantity stress
Water pollution and related environmental health risks
Air pollution and related environmental health risks
Noise pollution (especially in urban areas)
Urban systems and grey infrastructure
Climate change and related environmental health risks
Chemicals and related environmental health risks
Protecting, conserving and enhancing natural capital
Resource efficiency and the low-carbon economy
Safeguarding from environmental risks to health
01BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS
Integrated assessment of environmental trends
Part 1 Setting the scene: The context for European environmental policy, and the global megatrends that directly and indirectly affect Europe’s environment.
Part 2 Assessing European trends: The trends and outlook for 20 environmental issues grouped under the 3 priority objectives of the 7th Environment Action Programme.
Part 3 Looking ahead: The overall picture of the European environment’s state and outlook, and opportunities to support the transition to a more sustainable society.
COUNTRY COMPARISONS
GLOBALMEGATRENDS
EUROPEANBRIEFINGS
COUNTRIES & REGIONS
SYNTHESISREPORT
Related content
SOER2015 / Synthesis /
Protecting, conserving and enhancing natural capital
Assessing European trends: Protecting, conserving and enhancing natural capital
Source: EEA. SOER 2015 Synthesis report.
5–10 year trends
Progress to policy targets
Terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity
Land use and soil functions No target
Ecological status of freshwater bodies
Water quality and nutrient loading
Air pollution and its ecosystem impacts
Marine and coastal biodiversity
Climate change impacts on ecosystems No target
Overallsummary table
Summary table 2/3
Summary table 3/3
Improving trends dominate
Trends show mixed picture
Deteriorating trends dominate
Largely on track
Partially on track
Largely not on track
20+ years outlook
Europeanbriefings 03
Air pollution
Biodiversity
Climate change impacts and adaptation
Forests
Freshwater quality
Land systems
Marine environment
Mitigating climate change
Noise
Soil
Waste
Agriculture
Consumption
Energy
Health and environment
Industry
Maritime activities
Resource efficiency
Tourism
Transport
The air and climate system
Green economy
Hydrological systems and sustainable water management
Natural capital and ecosystem services
Urban systems
BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS
Environmental themes Socio-economic dimensions Systemic perspectives
SOER2015 / European briefings /
Freshwater quality
• Much cleaner than 25 years ago, many water bodies are still affected by pollutants and/or altered habitats.
• In 2009, only 43 % showed a good/high ecological status; the 10 points expected increase for 2015 (53 %) constitutes only a modest improvement in aquatic ecosystem health.
• Water management should improve with the second round of river basin management plans in 2015-16 resulting in the realisation of more policy objectives through stringent, well-integrated implementation and public participation.
Ecol. status of freshwater bodies
Water quality and nutrient loading
Climate change impacts on ecosystems
Industrial pollution to air, soil and water
Water use and water stress
Water pollution & related envi. health risks
Urban systems and grey infrastructure
Chemicals & related envi. health risks
Freshwater quality
© P
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EA
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Freshwater quality
SOER2015 / European briefings /
Hydrological systems and sustainable water management
• Intensive agriculture, urbanisation, energy production and flood protection have altered European hydrological systems and freshwater habitats for decades.
• Climate change adds to these challenges (higher water temperature, more floods or water scarcity).
• Less than half of all water bodies have a ‘good status’.
• Full and coordinated implementation of water and nature legislation would restore aquatic habitats and foster water efficiency.
Ecol. status of freshwater bodies
Water quality and nutrient loading
Water use and water stress
© K
atar
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/EEA
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Hydrological systems
Cross-countrycomparisons 04
Agriculture – organic farming
Air pollution – emissions of selected pollutants
Biodiversity – protected areas
Energy – energy consumption and share of renewable energy
Freshwater quality – nutrients in rivers
Mitigating climate change – greenhouse gas emissions
Resource efficiency – material resource efficiency and productivity
Transport – passenger transport demand and modal split
Waste – municipal solid waste generation and management
BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS
SOER 2015: Cross-country comparisons
Average concentration of nitrate-nitrogen in rivers in 38 European countries (1992, 2000 and 2012)
http://www.eea.europa.eu/soer-2015/countries-comparison/freshwater
Water indicators
CSI 020: Nutrients in freshwater (Nitrate in groundwater; nitrate and phosphate in rivers; total phosphorus in lakes)
CSI 019: Oxygen consuming substances (BOD and ammonium in rivers)
• Updated with 2012 data; • trend 1992-2012 and 2000-2012;• New layout and use of Daviz (Data Visualization)
diagrams; • Trend by country; and• Statistical test of trend.
EEA core set indicator:Nutrients in freshwater
Source: EEA Nutrients in freshwater (CSI 020/WAT 003) http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/nutrients-in-freshwater/nutrients-in-freshwater-assessment-published-6
Updated WISE interactive maps
WISE SoE dataflowsGroundwater (Ammonium; Nitrates; Nitrites)Rivers, water quality (Ammonium; BOD; Nitrates; Orthophosphates)Rivers, biology (Macroinvertebrates; Phytobenthos)Lakes, water quality (Total phosphorus) Lakes, biology (Macrophytes; Phytoplankton)Monitoring station (Water quality (density, stations); Water quantity stations)EU water directives (Bathing water, Floods Directive; Water Framework Directive; Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive; Nitrate Directive
http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/interactive/by-category
WISE maps: Nitrate in rivers• Rivers draining land with intense
agriculture or high population density generally have the highest nitrate concentrations.
• Rivers with nitrate concentrations exceeding 5.6 mg N/l are found predominantly in northwest France, and southeast UK.
• However, a high proportion (more than 20%) of rivers with concentrations exceeding 3.6 mg N/l are found in many other countries, particularly in Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Turkey and the UK.
• Rivers in more sparsely populated or mountainous regions often have concentrations less than 0.8 mg N/l, e.g. Northern Europe, Scotland and Ireland, the Pyrenees the Alps, the Apenninnes and the Massif Central, Corsica and large parts of the Balkans and Romania.
Latest year (2009-2011): No data since 2008 from Hungary, Czech Republic and Greece and part of Spain and Italy
River Basin Districts with less than 10 stations (Median concentration) (Other RBDs mean of stations with 95% lowest concentrations)
Link: http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/explore-interactive-maps/nitrate-in-rivers
Update of CSI 018 Use of freshwater resources
Draft seasonal Water Exploitation Index
Spring 2015 first NRC consultationAugust update and 2nd consultationOctober updated CSI 018
Emissions and hazardous substances
Published as ETC report December 2014 Link
Freshwater ecosystem assessment
Habitat Directive – Conservation status of freshwater (rivers and lakes) habitats and species
FavourableUnknownUnfavourable inadequateUnfavourable
Published as ETC report Summer 2015 Link
http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/state-of-nature-in-the-eu
Questions to NRCs:
• How are you using the EEA water reports, WISE interactive map and data viewers? – Are they useful for your purposes? – How can they be improved?
• Are the assessments of status and pressures on European waters useful in the present form? – How can we improve the assessments? – How can the presentations of country comparisons be
improved?
• Are the water indicators addressing the right issues? Are issues missing? – Should we include additional indicators? – Are we using the best data?