AMA-PT-AZO-PH-Chl-a indicator: Estimates of chlorophyll-a concentration between 2003-2013 were taken from the study by Amorim et al. (2017) for the entire sub-region and the data reported for the ICES ecoregion of the Azores (2003-2018), but which covers only part of the northern zone of the Azores EEZ (ICES Advice, 2019). In both cases, the estimates were obtained from monthly averages of MODIS-AQUA satellite data, which in the case of the ICES review were extracted using the Giovanni - NASA platform. There is a marked seasonality in the production of chlorophyll-a in Azorean waters, related to the oscillations of surface temperature of the ocean, presenting sharp peaks in some years (ICES Advice, 2019). The average annual concentration of chlorophyll-a determined for waters in the Azores, between 2003-2013, was 0.20 ± 0.07 mg.m-3, while monthly estimates varied between 0.12 ± 0.02 mg. m-3 in September and 0.31 ± 0.06 mg.m-3 in May. These results were supported by in situ measurements on the Condor seamount (Martins et al., 2011; Santos et al., 2013 in Amorim et al, 2017). Between 2004 and the first half of 2009 chlorophyll-a suffered a negative anomaly and the second half of 2009 until 2011 was characterized by a positive chlorophyll-a anomaly (Amorim et al, 2017). The year 2012 had the lowest mean of chlorophyll-a for spring (March, April and May) in 15 years (2003-2018), with around 0.21 mg.m-3 with the maximum spring peak being reached in 2014, with 0.35 mg.m-3, followed by a drop in 2015 and a new peak in 2016, close to the concentrations reached in 2014, with a further decrease until the spring of 2018 (~ 0.24 mg. m-3). Annual minimums during the 2003-2018 period were generally in the summer (between June and August), except in 2017, when the average chlorophyll-a concentrations in the autumn months were slightly lower than the summer of the same year (ICES Advice, 2019 - https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.advice.5753). There are insufficient current data to distinguish the influence of anthropogenic pressures from the natural variability patterns of chlorophyll-a concentration in the Azores, so GES is unknown. Amorim P, Perán AD, Pham CK, Juliano M, Cardigos F, Tempera F and Morato T (2017) Overview of the Ocean Climatology and Its Variability in the Azores Region of the North Atlantic Including Environmental Characteristics at the Seabed. Front. Mar. Sci. 4:56. doi: 10.3389 / fmars.2017.00056.

AMA-PT-AZO-PH-Phyto indicator - PelagicHabitatDiatomDinoflagellateRatio: Point-in-time studies of phytoplankton communities in the Azores (Botelho 2015, Santos et al., 2013; Silva et al. 2013) point to a seasonal prevalence of diatoms in spring / beginning of summer in relation to dinoflagellates, whose abundance increases, in turn, in summer / autumn (2009/2010). The diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia spp. and Chaetoceros spp. were the dominant ones, while Ceratium spp. were the most abundant dinoflagellate in the phytoplankton community analyzed in that period, in the area of ​​the submarine bank Condor. Long-term data derived from CPR campaigns in the northern part of the Azorean EEZ (2002-2018) revealed that the phytoplankton communities in this area showed a tendency to increase the abundance of small taxa to the detriment of larger groups, that is, a decrease in the proportion of large diatoms and dinoflagellates (in ICES Advice, 2019 - https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.advice.5753). There are not enough data about the phytoplankton communities in the archipelago to allow an assessment of GES to be carried out in this reporting period, which is why it was classified as unknown. Botelho, J. (2014). Characterization and spatial distribution of the phytoplankton community of the submarine bank Condor (SE of Faial, Azores): Relationship with the adjacent oceanographic parameters. Dissertation for obtaining a Master's degree in Integrated Ocean Studies. Department of Oceanography and Fisheries, University of the Azores. 58 pp. Santos, M., Moita, M.T., Bashmachnikov, I., Menezes, G.M., Carmo, V., Loureiro, C.M., Mendonça, A., Silva, A.F. and Martins, A., 2013. Phytoplankton variability and oceanographic conditions at Condor seamount, Azores (NE Atlantic). Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 98, pp.52-62. Silva, A., Brotas, V., Valente, A., Sá, C., Diniz, T., Patarra, RF, Álvaro, NV and Neto, AI, 2013. Coccolithophore species as indicators of surface oceanographic conditions in the vicinity of Azores islands. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 118, pp.50-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2012.12.010.

Indicator AMA-PT-AZO-PH-Zoo - PelagicHabitatMesozooplanktonBiovolume: There are few studies of zooplankton in situ in the Azores, which in addition to their periodic and localized character, do not follow standardized methodologies and are outside the timeframe of the 2nd MSFD reporting cycle. The most recent in situ estimate resulted from a study at the Condor submarine bank, which has an average mesozooplankton biovolume of 0.2 ± 0.12ml.m-3, with the biomass having varied between 32.8 mg DW.m -3 in July and 10.2 mg DW.m-3 in September 2010. The abundance estimate was similar between the March and July samples, with much lower values ​​in September, and an average of 1,300 individuals per m3 for all the study period. In the CPR data, which only cover the northern sector of the Azorean EEZ (in ICES Advice, 2019 - https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.advice.5753), it was found that the abundance of euphausiids and Chaetognatha suffered a decrease over the decadal period while copepod abundance has remained relatively stable. Appendicularia (larvae) showed the greatest increase in abundance in the last 50 years, which may be related to the change in the size structure observed in phytoplantonic communities. Long-term trends on the decadal scale suggest that zooplankton populations are mainly influenced by large-scale natural climatic variations, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The information to characterize pelagic habitats in the 2013-2018 period has very limited spatio-temporal coverage. Without regular long-term monitoring with standardized methodology that allows the definition of reference conditions and studies dedicated to influences of anthropogenic origin and that distinguish them from cycles of natural variability, it is not possible to assess the GES of the vast pelagic habitat of the Azorean sea, and so it is unknown. Carmo, V., Santos, M., Menezes, G.M., Loureiro, C.M., Lambardi, P. and Martins, A., 2013. Variability of zooplankton communities at Condor seamount and surrounding areas, Azores (NE Atlantic). Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 98, pp.63-74.