2.1 INSPIRE. Compatibility of what? This sentence is not clear. Text will be clarified; it is meaning compatibilty of discovery, access and viewing standards related to INSPIRE Annexes revision Revision undertaken in the new version PORTUGAL Figure 4- Proposed TOPIC section (level 3) for WISE-Marine portal: PT proposes to change the name of the Topic “Pressures” to “Pressures and Impacts”, since eutrophication and Marine climate change, are not pressures, but impacts resulting from pressures on the ecosystem. In what concerns the pressures and activities to be consider in WISE Marine, PT considers that it will be important to maintain the same wording as stablished in Annex III of MSFD. OK to change to 'Pressures and Impacts' OSPAR Figure 2 The MSFD House Model. This diagramme shows where WISE fits in, but it would also be helpful to see a conceptual map/ model/ overview for WISE - this would help visualise and clarify the data and information landscape. Understanding the scope and extent of data management and then how/where to access information and data. Not clear what is needed? 1.3 Users identification Modified on the new version 2 .WISE-Marine Structure. Is an expectation that RSCs, for example, will have to make available the assessments and then additional content to fit these fields? Redrafting content from the assessments by the EEA could cause issues. In the first phase (launch 2017) the text and graphical highlights will be based on existing published materials (primarily EEA Marine Messages and EEA State of the Environment reports). So it is not aniticipated to open this up for comments. Figure 4 Proposed TOPIC section (level 3) for WISE-Marine portal. Will there be some additional tags required on the assessments so that the assessments are correctly categorised? It is part of the Common Indicator Structure (MSFD Criteria, DPSIR labelling)
2.4 SECTION 3: Data and marine Information Products. This will require some further explanation. Currently it sounds like all of the assessments will be kept and disseminated by the EEA? It was my understanding that there would be more of a distributed network style architecture. The text will be updated in business plan, it refers specifically to the formal MS Article reporting (the right hand side of the WISE-M - MSFD reported data) 2.4 SECTION 3: Data and marine Information Products. What is the relationship with EMODnet? Will it just link, or harvest products? INSPIRE compliance isn’t achieavable from most portals… The main mechanism for linking structured information from HELCOM.GIS, UNEP.CORMON etc. is the Common Indicator Structure. The Common Indicator structure makes provision for both underlying data source linkages, as well as the specific assessment dataset. The relation to EMODnet is partially implied by this, as it can be an underlying data source referenced by an RSC or MS. For national infrastructure, the MSFD reporting schema indicator template has elements that allow MS to link to data used in the assessment - with no prejudice of where the data are managed - see [IndicatorAssessment].[URL] 2.4 SECTION 3: Data and marine Information Products. Querying the information in the assessments and their corresponding underlying data? Or is it a search function so a user can find an assessment and then be provided links to the data underpinning the assessment? It will be more basic, querying the meta-data and then being provided links (where they have been provided) to the various data sources. Access to data under art 19.3. This paragraph feels muddled as there are references to data and also metadata which seem to cross over. For clarity, it would be helpful to distinguish the two parts as the metadata element is more easily handled than the data side (especially in light of the work under the INSPIRE Marine Pilot) Agree, could split out the 2 parts more
Annex 2 - Contents for “Section 1 - Topics” Welcome to the Topics section of WISE – Marine. Europe’s seas and oceans are priceless assets. Indispensable to life itself, they also contribute significantly to our prosperity and overall quality of life. They act as trade routes, they supply food and energy, they are abundant with biodiversity and they perform a vital role in keeping our climate stable. In this Section you can find information on the state and trend of the different components of the marine environment, on pressures and activities impacting the health and function of Europe’s marine ecosystems, as wells as on other topics such as Marine Indicators and Assessment Tools. Figure A1: Proposed TOPIC section (level 3) for WISE-Marine portal (Figure 5) STATE OF THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM Seabed habitats Water column habitats Marine invertebrates Marine fish Turtles Seabirds and waterbirds Marine mammals Marine food webs Learn more Intro text: Are Europe’s seas healthy? Current status and trends According to the MSFD, there are four marine regions in Europe: the Baltic Sea; the Black Sea; the Mediterranean Sea; and the North-east Atlantic Ocean which includes the North Sea. Across the four regions there is a variety of marine ecosystems that ranges from the stable deep oceans to the highly dynamic coastal seas. According to available assessments, many marine ecosystems across all regional seas are not in a healthy state. Establishing
remainder were reported as 'unknown' or 'not assessed'. Results from MSFD assessments were even more uncertain, with the status of 76 % of all seabed habitats determined as 'unknown'. This statistic reflects the inadequacy of current levels of reporting and perhaps the difficulty of monitoring and assessing marine habitats. column habitats The water column habitats are dynamic and exhibit more variation in terms of health and ecological status than their seabed habitats. Water column habitats are the backbone of marine food webs, since it’s where photosynthesis by microbes and phytoplankton takes place. The Baltic Sea and the Black Sea are the world's largest and second largest brackish water basins. According to the MSFD initial assessment, 71 % of the column habitats in the Baltic Sea were not in good environmental status. Conversely, in the Mediterranean Sea, 46 % of the water column habitats were assessed as good. Incomplete data left the Black Sea and the North-east Atlantic Ocean unaccounted for as either 'not reported' or 'unknown'. Photo: Phytoplankton bloom off the southern coast of England, North-east Atlantic Ocean. Source: © United States Geological Survey Landsat image, courtesy of the Nature and Environment Research Council Earth Observation Data Acquisition and Analysis Service, Plymouth, United Kingdom. Marine invertebrates Marine invertebrates account for over 50 % of the marine species documented in European waters and can include jellyfish, sea anemones, corals, lobsters, crabs, sea stars, shellfish, sponges, squid and octopus. They are found in high abundance throughout European estuaries, coastal bays and deep seas. They are also responsible for delivering a wide range of ecosystem services. Coherent information on the health of marine invertebrates at a regional scale is very limited. In 2012, EU Member States collectively provided 30 assessments of marine invertebrates under the MSFD. All 30 assessments were categorised as being 'unknown' with respect to environmental status.