National monitoring programs
NIVA leads a number of large, national monitoring programs and participates as a partner in several others.
Environmental monitoring in Norway provides the authorities with knowledge to initiate measures to maintain or prevent deterioration of environmental values. The aim is to provide a sound knowledge base for measures and political decisions, and to provide the public with information about the state of the environment.
Environmental monitoring provides a basis for implementing environmental measures nationally and internationally. It also shows whether implemented measures have an effect. The results are also important for prioritization within the environmental administration's work areas.
NIVA is responsible for the implementation of several of the Norwegian Environment Agency's national monitoring assignments and has partial responsibility for a number of others. We have extensive experience in planning and carrying out extensive field work, coordinating subcontractors, from international research institutes to local samplers, chemical and biological analyses, reporting and publishing results, as well as popularizing and disseminating them to various stakeholders.
The River Monitoring Program
The purpose of the river monitoring program is to calculate inputs of nutrients and pollutants to Norwegian marine areas through monitoring of rivers and modeling of inputs from areas without monitoring.
Monitoring of Reference Rivers
The program "Monitoring in reference rivers" consists of monitoring in assumed reference sites in rivers with no or negligible human impact.
ØKOSTOR
Ecosystem monitoring in large lakes (ØKOSTOR): The program consists of monitoring of large and significant water bodies and boundary waters.
ØKOFERSK
The purpose of the monitoring program is to provide reference data from unaffected water bodies against which impacts can be assessed, to monitor long-term changes in natural conditions and large-scale human impact, and to monitor acidification effects in freshwater in Norway as a result of atmospheric inputs of long-range transported air pollutants.
Monitoring of environmental pollutants in freshwater (MILFERSK)
The program will provide information on the occurrence and level of priority substances and water region-specific substances in freshwater fish.
Monitoring of Environmental Pollutants in Coastal Areas (MILKYS)
The program monitors levels, trends and effects of the most environmentally hazardous heavy metals and organic pollutants in marine organisms along the entire Norwegian coast, from the Oslofjord to the Varangerfjord, and in Svalbard.
Pollutants in an Urban Fjord
The program aims to map the levels of pollutants present in a fjord in a densely populated area and how the pollution is concentrated in the food web in the fjord system.
Ecosystem monitoring in coastal waters - ØKOKYST
The national monitoring program "Ecosystem monitoring in coastal waters - ØKOKYST" under the auspices of the Norwegian Environment Agency consists of several sub-programs that are divided into ecoregions. The program is part of the national basic monitoring of the environmental status of coastal waters and aims to monitor and map the environmental status in selected areas along the Norwegian coast.
Ocean Acidification Monitoring in Norwegian Waters
The purpose of the project is to monitor ocean acidification in Norwegian waters to provide an overview of the rate of acidification of Norwegian waters due to anthropogenic CO2 emissions.
Microplastics in coastal areas, rivers and lakes (Mikronor)
"Monitoring of microplastics in coastal areas, rivers and lakes" is a new monitoring program that aims to increase knowledge about the extent of microplastic pollution in Norway.