Member State report / Art9 / 2018 / D11 / North East Atlantic

Report type Member State report to Commission
MSFD Article Art. 9 Determination of GES (and Art. 17 updates)
Report due 2018-10-15
GES Descriptor D11 Energy, incl. underwater noise
Region/subregion North East Atlantic
Reported by Member state
Member state
Sweden
Denmark
Germany
Netherlands
Belgium
France
United Kingdom
Ireland
Spain
Portugal
Member state report
Marine reporting units MRUs used
  • DK-TOTAL-part-ANS
  • ANSDE_MS
  • ANS-NL-MS-1
  • L1.2
  • ANS-BE-MS-1
  • ABI-FR-MS-GDG-NORD
  • ABI-FR-MS-GDG-SUD
  • ACS-FR-MS-MC
  • ANS-FR-MS-MMN
  • ACS-IE-AA-001
  • ABI-ES-SD-NOR
  • ABI-ES-SD-SUD
  • AMA-ES-SD-CAN
  • ABI-PT-SD-CONT
  • AMA-PT-SD-AZO
  • AMA-PT-SD-MAD
  • AMA-PT-SD-PCE
Structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems: Species All mammals
  • D11C1 (1)
  • D11C2 (1)
Structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems: Ecosystems, including food webs Sound
  • D11 (1)
  • D11 (3)
  • D11 (1)
Anthropogenic pressures on the marine environment: Substances, litter and energy Input of anthropogenic sound (impulsive, continuous)
  • D11C1 (1)
  • D11C2 (1)
  • D11 (1)
  • D11C2 (1)
  • D11C1 (1)
  • D11C2 (1)
  • D11C1 (1)
Pressure levels and impacts in marine environment: Physical and hydrological Continuous low frequency sound
  • D11 (1)
  • D11C2 (4)
  • D11 (4)
Impulsive sound in water
  • D11 (1)
  • D11C1 (1)
  • D11C1 (4)
  • D11 (4)
GES description D11 Energy, incl. underwater noise
Underwater noise is at a level that does not adversely affects species.
Good environmental status shall be achieved when "(1) the sound budget of the German North Sea does not adversely affect the living conditions of the animals concerned. Therefore all human noise generating activities must not have a significant impact on the North Sea marine environment. (2) the ...
The spatial distribution, temporal extension and levels of impulsive and continuous low-frequency sound sources, of anthropogenic origin, do not exceed levels that adversely affect populations of marine animals.
Considering the lack of available data and the lack of defined thresholds at Member State level for impulse noise levels (D11C1) or low frequency continuous noise (D11C2), it is not possible to determine the Good Environmental State of Descriptor 11.


D11C1 - The spatial distribution, t...
D11C1 Anthropogenic impulsive sound (11.1, 11.1.1)
The spatial distribution, temporal extent, and levels of man-made impulse sounds do not exceed levels that negatively affect populations of marine animals.
Spatial distribution, duration and noise levels of loud impulsive sources are such that direct and indirect effects of loud impulsive noise cannot jeopardize the favorable conservation status of species.
The spatial distribution, the temporal extent and the level of sources of anthropogenic impulsive noise are not higher than the levels at which populations of marine animals are harmed.
The spatial distribution, temporal extent and levels of anthropogenic impulsive sound sources do not exceed levels harmful to marine animal populations (Decision 2017/848/EU).
Ireland has achieved Good Environmental Status within its maritime area for Criteria D11C1 - the spatial distribution, temporal extent, and levels of anthropogenic impulsive sound sources.
D11C2 Anthropogenic continuous low-frequency sound (11.2, 11.2.1)
The spatial distribution, temporal extent, and levels of man-made sustained low-frequency sound do not exceed levels that negatively affect marine animal populations.
Justification: No GES determination available, this is provided to make the coupling to the MRU
The spatial distribution, the temporal extent and the level of anthropogenic continuous low-frequency noise are no higher than the levels at which marine animal populations are harmed.
The spatial distribution, temporal extent and level of anthropogenic continuous sound do not exceed levels harmful to marine animal populations (Decision 2017/848/EU).
Determination date
  • 2019-04 (D11, D11C1, D11C2)
  • 2018-10 (D11)
  • 2018-07 (D11C1, D11C2)
  • 2018-09 (D11C1, D11C2)
  • 2019-10 (D11C1, D11C2)
  • 2020-06 (D11C1)
  • 2019-06 (D11)
  • 2014-10 (D11)
  • 2020-03 (D11)
Update type
  • Modified from reported determination (D11)
  • New determination (D11C1, D11C2)
  • Same as last reported determination (D11)
  • New determination (D11C1, D11C2)
  • Modified from reported determination (D11C1, D11C2)
  • New determination (D11C1, D11C2)
  • New determination (D11C1)
  • Same as last reported determination (D11)
  • Modified from reported determination (D11)
  • New determination (D11)
  • Same as last reported determination (D11)
Justification for non-use of criterion
D11C2: There are no agreed methodologies for the assessment of continuous noise and its impact on marine mammals, thus there is no assessment under Criteria D11C2 (i.e. the spatial distribution, temporal extent and levels of anthropogenic continuous low-frequency sound do not exceed levels that adversely affect populations of marine animals). Work is ongoing at a European level to develop methodologies for the assessment of continuous noise and its impact on marine animals.
Justification for delay in setting EU/regional requirements
D11C1: All Swedish determinations of GES are implemented in a regulation (HVMFS 2012:18) issued from the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management. From the update made in 2018 only criteria supported with at least one indicator are included in the regulation. Furthermore, only indicators underpinned with a regular monitoring programme are included. We do not have indicators under this criterion yet, because it is not possible to establish a monitoring programme. Sweden will establish a monitoring programme for micro-litter as soon as method for monitoring of micro-litter is established internationally. Sweden will continue to take part in, and support development of, monitoring methods and studies on micro-litter with the aim to build knowledge. Another reason is that threshold values shall be established at union level. We will include these thresholds when they are established. We are active in groups discussing this in CIS-MSFD, as well as OSPAR & HELCOM.


D11C2: All Swedish determinations of GES are implemented in a regulation (HVMFS 2012:18) issued from the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management. From the update made in 2018 only criteria supported with at least one indicator are included in the regulation. Furthermore, only indicators underpinned with a regular monitoring programme are included.
We do not have any indicator under this criterion yet, depending on lack of enough and/or reliable monitoring data.
Another reason is that threshold values shall be established at union level, and we will include thesholds when they are established at union level. We are active in groups discussing this in CIS-MSFD, Helcom and Ospar.
In the article 8 assessment some results from monitoring of continuous sound are included.
D11: There are no thresholds yet for which levels of underwater noise are compatible with good environmental conditions, either nationally or internationally.


D11C1: There are no thresholds yet for which levels of underwater noise are compatible with good environmental conditions, eith...
D11: During the reporting period, regional cooperation focused on the development of methodological standards to assess the various aspects of stress and resilience on the basis of Commission Decision 2010/477/EU. The vast majority of OSPAR regional cooperation has failed to agree thresholds for ...
D11C2: No assessment has been done, due to lack of information. In the North Sea region a joint monitoring programme for continuous sound is being setup in the Jomopans project, lead by The Netherlands.
D11C1: Criterion D11C1 could not be filled in during this assessment mainly due to a lack of knowledge on the impacts of noise on ecosystems. The D11C1 indicators are not, for the time being, operational to carry out a quantitative assessment because there is no consensus on the values of the tem...
D11C1: There are currently no threshold values associated with Anthropogenic impulsive sound. The development of regional and sub-regional threshold values is under way through the MSFD Common Implementation Strategy Technical Group on Underwater Noise (TG-Noise).
D11: Due to the lack of data and the fact that the threshold values have not yet been established, the definition of the Good Environmental Statement (GES) for Descriptor 11 is still in line with that established by Decision 2017/848 for the criteria for this descriptor.
D11: Thresholds for impulse and continuous noise criteria have not yet been developed under TG NOISE in cooperation with other Member States. Subregional coordination with Spain and France is already underway in the RAGES, Jonas and LIFE IP projects, and this situation is expected to be changed and thresholds are set.