DOI: 10.14466/cefasdatahub.79
title: Data for UK OSPAR Common Procedure - Eutrophication Assessment

description: This dataset contains chlorophyll, nutrients and dissolved oxygen measurements which were used in the 3rd application of the OSPAR Common Procedure for Assessment of Eutrophication and UK Marine Strategy Framework Directive Assessments for descriptor 5. Data for nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations and all supporting metadata for coastal and offshore (marine) waters were extracted from the following databases for the period from 1990 to 2014: MERMAN (BODC)1. Discrete samples for chlorophyll (by fluorometry), dissolved oxygen, salinity and temperature, and nutrients (including nitrate, nitrite, total oxidised nitrogen, ammonium, phosphate and silicate), from 1999 to 2014. MERMAN data did not include water column depth so this was extracted from GEBCO bathymetry (ref). NODB (BODC)2. Discrete bottle samples and calibrated profile data for where bottles were fired. Chlorophyll (obtained from a variety of methods, where only relevant ones were used and maximum chlorophyll value taken where more than one method was used simultaneously), oxygen, salinity and temperature, nutrients (including nitrite, total oxidised nitrogen, ammonium, phosphate and silicate), from 1990 to 2014. Sapphire (Cefas). Discrete samples of chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen, salinity and temperature, and nutrients (including nitrate, nitrite, total oxidised nitrogen, ammonium, phosphate and silicate), from 1990 to 2012. Sapphire data did not always include water column depth so this was extracted from GEBCO bathymetry where missing. Some degree of overlapping between the MERMAN and the Sapphire dataset is possible, but was investigated and believed to be minimal. Smartbuoy (Cefas). Weekly averages of calibrated continuous data from smartbuoys and landers for chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen, salinity and temperature, and nutrients (including nitrite, total oxidised nitrogen, and silicate), from 2000 to 2014. Scottish monitoring stations (Marine Scotland Science). Weekly samples from four coastal monitoring stations for chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen, salinity and temperature, and nutrients (including nitrate, nitrite, total oxidised nitrogen, ammonium, phosphate and silicate), from 1997 to 2013. All datasets were averaged by station, datetime and sample depth to average replicate samples, and then combined into a UK dataset. To incorporate data collected in UK waters by other countries, and data that was submitted directly to ICES and not via BODC, we also incorporated data from the ICES OCEAN database3. This included bottle data and profiles aggregated to standard depths, for chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen, salinity and temperature, and nutrients (including nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, phosphate and silicate) from 1990 to 2014. Total oxidised nitrogen was calculated by summing nitrate and nitrite. Water column depth was normally included, but where it was not it was obtained from GEBCO bathymetry. There were some duplicates between the UK dataset and the ICES dataset. In order to remove these, they were matched based on spatial and temporal location, by rounding latitude and longitude to 2 decimal places, sample depth to the nearest 5 m and datetime to the nearest minute. This was used to create a spatiotemporal ID and each dataset was averaged based on this ID. Samples were removed from the ICES dataset where they were also present in the UK dataset, and then the two datasets were combined to produce a final dataset for the assessment. Data filtering: Marine data were assigned to coastal or offshore waters based on salinity. Coastal data had salinity between 30 and 34.5, and offshore data had salinity greater than or equal to 34.5, with the exception of the Irish Sea where the boundary was at 34 psu (Foden et al., 2011). Data was then filtered by season for nutrients (winter, 1st November to 28th February), chlorophyll (growing season, 1 March to 31 October) and dissolved oxygen (stratified season, 1 July to 31 October). Dissolved oxygen data was filtered by depth to include only the deepest sample within 10 m of the seabed, where water column depth was less than 500 m. Mean winter values were assigned to the year relevant to the phytoplankton growing season. For example, nutrient data for November and December of 2009 and January and February of 2010 were reported as 2010 winter nutrients. For nutrients and chlorophyll, data were averaged over the whole water column for each cruise station and day, with the exception of MERMAN data where datetime was used instead of day as there were multiple records in different locations (along transects) for the same station and day. This dataset is intended to provide a record of the exact data used in the UK comprehensive eutrophication assessment, for use only in eutrophication assessments. The data included is not the most up to date version, and some of the data included in this dataset are available elsewhere. To use data for any other purposes please visit the original providers for the most up to date data. MERMAN - These data are a snapshot of the data held within MERMAN obtained in November 2015. The data were supplied by the British Oceanographic Data Centre on behalf of the Clean Safe Seas Evidence Group. Data were collected by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Environment Agency, Food Standards Scotland, Marine Scotland Science, Natural Resource Wales and Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The data were funded by Agri-Food Biosciences institute, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Scottish Government. These data contain public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. https://www.bodc.ac.uk/projects/data_management/uk/merman/assessments_and_data_access/ British Oceanographic Database (BODB), provided by Polly Hadziabdic in March 2016. https://www.bodc.ac.uk/data/bodc_database/nodb/ ICES Oceanography Database (OCEAN), Extraction November 2015 by Else Juul Green. https://ocean.ices.dk/HydChem/HydChem.aspx