Member State report / Art9 / 2018 / D7 / Baltic

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 D7 Hydrographical changes
Region/subregion Baltic
Reported by Member state
Member state
Finland
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Poland
Germany
Denmark
Sweden
Member state report
Marine reporting units MRUs used
  • BAL-FI-AS
  • BAL-FI-BB
  • BAL-FI-BS
  • BAL-FI-GF
  • BAL-FI-NB
  • BAL-FI-QK
  • BAL-EE-AA
  • L2-SEA-007-POL
  • L2-SEA-008-POL
  • L2-SEA-009-POL
  • L4-POL-001
  • L4-POL-002
  • L4-POL-003
  • L4-POL-004
  • L4-POL-005
  • L4-POL-006
  • L4-POL-007
  • L4-POL-008
  • L4-POL-009
  • L4-POL-010
  • L4-POL-011
  • L4-POL-012
  • L4-POL-013
  • L4-POL-014
  • L4-POL-015
  • L4-POL-016
  • L4-POL-017
  • L4-POL-018
  • L4-POL-019
  • BALDE_MS
  • DK-TOTAL-part-BAL
Structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems: Habitats All habitats
  • D7 (1)
Benthic broad habitats
  • D7 (6)
  • D7C2 (1)
  • D7 (19)
  • D7C2 (19)
  • D7 (1)
Other benthic habitats
  • D7 (1)
Structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems: Ecosystems, including food webs Current regime
  • D7 (6)
Salinity
  • D7 (6)
Temperature
  • D7 (6)
Wave regime
  • D7 (6)
Anthropogenic pressures on the marine environment: Physical Physical disturbance to seabed
  • D7 (12)
Physical loss of the seabed
  • D7 (12)
Anthropogenic pressures on the marine environment: Substances, litter and energy Input of water - point sources (e.g. brine)
  • D7 (6)
Pressure levels and impacts in marine environment: Physical and hydrological Hydrographical changes
  • D7 (12)
  • D7 (22)
  • D7C1 (22)
  • D7 (1)
GES description D7 Hydrographical changes
Hydrographical changes on the beach or the seabed do not give rise to a significant reduction in natural habitats. Permanent changes in hydrographical conditions are estimated as the share of the modified area of the total surface area.


The construction or operation of installations at...
Spatial extent and distribution of permanent alteration of hydrographical conditions (e.g. changes in wave action, currents, salinity, temperature) to the seabed and water column, associated in particular with physical loss of the natural seabed.
GES is determined on the basis of the indicator relevant for criteria D7C1.


Spatial extent of each benthic habitat type adversely affected (physical and hydrographical characteristics and associated biological communities) due to permanent alteration of hydrographical conditions.

GES is determined on the basis of the indicator relevant for criteria D7C2.
Good environmental status (GES) is achieved when permanent changes in hydrographical conditions only have local impacts due to human intervention and these impacts, individually or cumulatively, do not have adverse impacts on the marine ecosystems (species, habitats, ecosystem functions) and do n...
Permanent alteration of the hydrographic properties does not adversely affect marine ecosystems.
D7C1 Permanent alteration of hydrographical conditions (7.1, 7.1.1)
GES is determined on the basis of the indicator relevant for criteria D7C1
D7C2 Adverse effects from permanent alteration of hydrographical conditions (7.2, 7.2.1, 7.2.2)
GES under the criteria D7C2 is determined via the spatial area of hydrographically altered habitat type sandbanks (code 1110), estuaries (code 1130), mudflats and sandflats (code 1140), large shallow inlets and bays (code 1160), reefs (code 1170).

GES is achieved if the extent of the hydrographically altered habitat is ≤ 10% of the total area of the habitat type.
GES is determined on the basis of the indicator relevant for criteria D7C2
Determination date
  • 2018-07 (D7)
  • 2018-07 (D7C2)
  • 2015-09 (D7C1, D7, D7C2)
  • 2018-10 (D7)
  • 2019-04 (D7)
Update type
  • Modified from reported determination (D7)
  • New determination (D7C2)
  • New determination (D7C1, D7, D7C2)
  • Same as last reported determination (D7)
  • Modified from reported determination (D7)
Justification for non-use of criterion
D7C1: Criteria D7C1 assesses spatial distibution and area of alterations of hydrographic conditions. According to Commission Decision 2017/848 and WG GES Guidance for Assessments Under Article 8 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive criteria D7C1 does not have threshold value. It is used to assess other criteria. D7C1 informs assessment of D7C2.
Justification for delay in setting EU/regional requirements
D7C1: Hydrographic characteristics (temperature, salinity, oxygen, pH, water transparency) were performed in 2006–2011 and 2012–2017. a comparative analysis that did not show significant changes in physico-chemical conditions in pelagic and benthic habitats. So far, there is only one type of man-...
D7: Regional threshold values have not been established yet. National values have been used instead.


D7C1: Regional threshold values have not been established yet. National values have been used instead.


D7C2: Regional threshold values have not been established yet. National values have been used instead.
D7: 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 indicators vary in their level of maturity and require further development or te...
D7: In relation to descriptor 7, good environmental status is considered descriptive, since no threshold values have been set in either OSPAR or HELCOM.