Member State report / Art9 / 2018 / D7 / Mediterranean

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 Mediterranean
Reported by Member state
Member state
United Kingdom
Spain
France
Italy
Malta
Slovenia
Croatia
Greece
Cyprus
Member state report
Marine reporting units MRUs used
  • MWE-ES-SD-ESAL
  • MWE-ES-SD-LEV
  • MWE-FR-MS-MO-L200
  • MWE-FR-MS-MO-MEC2010
  • MWE-FR-MS-MO-Z200
  • IT-AS-0001
  • IT-ISCMS-0001
  • IT-WMS-0001
  • MIC-MT-MS-02
  • MAD-SI-MRU-1
  • MAD-HR-MRU_1
  • MAL-CY-MS
Structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems: Habitats Benthic broad habitats
  • D7 (2)
  • D7C2 (3)
  • D7C1 (1)
Structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems: Habitats Other benthic habitats
  • D7 (2)
  • D7C1 (1)
Structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems: Ecosystems, including food webs Salinity
  • D7 (1)
  • D7C1 (1)
Structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems: Ecosystems, including food webs Temperature
  • D7 (1)
  • D7C1 (1)
Structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems: Ecosystems, including food webs Transparency
  • D7 (1)
  • D7C1 (1)
Structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems: Ecosystems, including food webs Turbidity (silt/sediment loads)
  • D7 (1)
Structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems: Ecosystems, including food webs Upwelling
  • D7 (1)
Structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems: Ecosystems, including food webs Wave regime
  • D7 (1)
Anthropogenic pressures on the marine environment: Physical Changes to hydrological conditions
  • D7 (3)
  • D7C1 (1)
  • D7 (1)
Pressure levels and impacts in marine environment: Physical and hydrological Hydrographical changes
  • D7C1 (3)
  • D7 (1)
GES description D7 Hydrographical changes
Hydrographic and hydrodynamic conditions in the area are natural, except locally, in certain zones affected by infrastructure, the extent of which is reduced compared to natural areas and does not cause irreversible damage to biogenic habitats and protected habitats.
Marine habitats are evolving in line with prevailing climatic conditions.
G 7.1 No more than 5% of the extension of the coastal marine water bodies of each marine sub-region, defined pursuant to Directive 2000/60 / EC, has impacts due to permanent changes in hydrological conditions due to new infrastructures built starting from 2012 and subject to national EIA.
The good status of the marine environment in terms of descriptor quality (D7) is achieved when the permanent alteration of hydrographical conditions does not adversely affect the marine ecosystems.
There are no significant changes in hydrographic indicators (temperature, salinity and transparency) that would have impact on the ecosystem. Since there is no permanent changes of Descriptor 7 influenced by human activity, we can say that GES is achieved in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea.
The marine environment of Cyprus is considered to be in good environmental status by the year 2020 if large-scale infrastructure projects are undertaken at such a scale so that the permanent alteration of hydrographical conditions does not adversely affect marine ecosystems. Quantitatively, this descriptor cannot be calculated based on a formula at present, and is assigned the value given to criterion 7.1 (at present, 1.0).
GES description D7C1 Permanent alteration of hydrographical conditions (7.1, 7.1.1)
Spatial extent and distribution of the permanent change in hydrographic conditions on the seabed and in the water column associated, inter alia, with a physical loss of the natural seabed (Decision 2017/848/EU).
Permanent alteration of hydrographical conditions as a result of anthropogenic interventions does not result in deterioration of the status of benthic habitat types as assessed under MSFD Descriptor 1.
The nature and scale of any permanent changes to the prevailing hydrographic conditions resulting from anthropogenic activities, having taken into account climatic or long-term cyclical processes in the marine environment, do not lead to significant long term impacts on biological and other components considered under other descriptors. GES is reached.
GES description D7C2 Adverse effects from permanent alteration of hydrographical conditions (7.2, 7.2.1, 7.2.2)
Spatial extent of each benthic habitat type adversely affected (physical and hydrographic features and associated biological communities) due to permanently altered hydrological conditions (Decision 2017/848/EU).
Determination date
  • 2019-06 (D7)
  • 2019-10 (D7C1, D7C2)
  • 2018-12 (D7)
  • 2019-12 (D7C1)
  • 2020-01 (D7)
  • 2019-05 (D7, D7C1)
  • 2013-04 (D7)
Update type
  • Same as last reported determination (D7)
  • New determination (D7C1, D7C2)
  • Modified from reported determination (D7)
  • Modified from reported determination (D7C1)
  • Modified from reported determination (D7)
  • Same as last reported determination (D7, D7C1)
  • Same as last reported determination (D7)
Justification for non-use of criterion
D7: The GES definition is placed at the descriptor level according to the data currently available for the assessment of the situation.
Justification for delay in setting EU/regional requirements
D7: As there has been no update of the definition of GES for this descriptor, the proposed definition is maintained during the first cycle of Marine Strategies.
D7C1: According to the advice given in guidance 14 (Walmsley et al., 2017) no threshold is to be specified for D7C1: GES achievement is therefore not assessed for D7C1.



D7C2: Consistent with the advice provided in Guidance 14 (Walmsley et al. 2017), the evaluation of D7C2 should be conducted for each habitat type that is affected by changing hydrographic conditions and the results of D7C2 are not integrated. In addition, no GES thresholds have been defined to date for impacts on major habitat types, so GES achievement is not assessed for criterion D7C2. The methodological standards associated with this criterion will be further developed through further studies, as foreseen in the Ministerial Order 2019 on the definition of Good Environmental Status of Marine Waters.
D7: None