Workpackage 1

Safe ecological boundaries in water bodies

Objectives

WP1 aims to identify safe ecological boundary values for N and P concentrations in different types of Nordic-Baltic rivers, lakes, and coastal ecosystems. There will be a special focus on water bodies in agricultural areas, for which reference/benchmark values will be set based on the best available sites using land-use criteria defined in consultation with stakeholders, e.g., percentage agriculture and forestry in catchment, the intensity of agriculture (extensive grassland, fallow farmland) and forestry, proximity to waterbodies, and the condition of riparian areas.

Tasks

  • 1.1: Develop a common method to set harmonised reference/benchmark values for nutrients for different types of waterbodies in the Nordic-Baltic region.
  • 1.2: Estimate safe ecological boundaries for nutrients that safeguard good status for sensitive biological quality elements
  • 1.3: Evaluate the need to tighten the nutrient boundaries to counteract negative impacts of climate change on algal blooms and benthic flora and fauna
  • 1.4: Test the proposed safe ecological boundaries using regional datasets covering the entire Nordic-Baltic region