Evaluation of ØKOKYST – station network and class boundaries

Summary

The monitoring program "Ecosystem monitoring in Coastal Waters - ØKOKYST" aims to monitor the environmental condition in selected areas along the Norwegian coast in accordance with the water regulations. The Norwegian Environment Agency has asked NIVA to evaluate the results from the sub-programs in ØKOKYST for the various biological quality elements to assess: 1. Do the results so far indicate that we have done the right choice of trend and reference stations, or should some stations be redefined (from trend to reference or vice versa)? 2. Are there individual stations that obviously should be moved to meet the need for both trend and reference stations? 3. What obvious shortcomings in the station network prevent the development of a complete classification system for ecological status in coastal waters? The assessment is made for each individual sub-program and the proposed changes are summarized in a separate chapter at the end of the report. In addition, a brief description is given of the area and the environmental conditions of the stations in each individual sub-program. For a thorough description of surveys and conditions, see the annual reports for the ØKOKYST programs. In the concluding chapter, some general considerations and proposals have been made for the design and execution of the ØKOKYST programs.