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Background

The UK National Marine Monitoring Programme is organised by the Marine Pollution Monitoring Management Group (MPMMG) through its National Marine Monitoring Programme Working Group (NMMP-WG). One of the primary aims of MPMMG is to ensure that marine environmental monitoring meets national and international requirements and is conducted in a co-ordinated, cost effective manner. Further details on the MPMMG are available on the web site referenced below [A.].

The NMMP-WG is made up from representatives from all government organisations with statutory marine environmental protection monitoring obligations. These are:

• Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions (DETR)
• Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) (Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food) - Fisheries Organisation
• Fisheries Research Services (FRS) (Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department) - Fisheries Organisation
• Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland (DARD) - Fisheries Organisation
• Environment Agency (EA) - Environmental Protection Agency
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) - Environmental Protection Agency
• Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) - Environmental Protection Agency

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee is also represented to ensure best co-ordination and minimal overlap with the marine monitoring carried out in the UK by the government organisations with statutory marine conservation monitoring obligations. In addition, there is a representative from the Inter Agency Committee on Marine Science and Technology to ensure that there is no duplication between groups.

>Key:

CEFAS - Fisheries Organisation
DARD - Fisheries Organisation
FRS - Fisheries Organisation
EA - Environmental Protection Agency
EHS - Environmental Protection Agency
SEPA - Environmental Protection Agency

The NMMP WG has 3 analytical quality control (AQC) sub-groups to ensure strict quality control of data collection and analysis:

• National Marine Chemical AQC (NMCAQC)
• National Marine Biology Analytical Quality Control (NMBAQC)
• National Marine Ecotoxicology Analytical Quality Control (NMEAQC)

In addition, there is a statistical group which meets on an ad-hoc basis to support the work of the NMMP.

The NMMP is the first fully co-ordinated marine monitoring programme in the UK. All data collected is underpinned by rigorous quality control programmes organised by the AQC groups. This ensures that all NMP data are consistent and comparable across the UK. Prior to this initiative monitoring had been local, inconsistent and sometimes of unknown quality.

Drivers for the NMMP

1. OSPAR Convention
One of the primary drivers for the NMMP is the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic. Under this Convention, contracting parties are commited to take all possible steps to prevent and eliminate pollution of the maritime area. In order to meet the objectives of the Convention, the OSPAR Commission has established 5 strategies and an Action Plan. Programmes, measures, assessment and monitoring under OSPAR are organised through the structure of working groups and committee, shown in the figure below.

Management and advice tier: HOD - Heads of Delegation; CVC-Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen; JL - Jurists/Linguists; CC - Co-ordination Committee. Second Tier Level Committees: ASMO – Assessment and monitoring committee, EUC – Eutrophication Committee; HSC – Hazardous Substances Committee; RSC – Radioactive Substances committee; BDC – Biodiversity Committee; OIC – Offshore Indutry Committee. Third Tier Level Working groups: INPUT – Working group on inputs to the marine environment; MON – Ad-hoc working group on monitoring; SIME – Working group on substances in the marine environment; ETG – Eutrophication task group; SPS – Working group on priority substances; PDS – Working group on point and diffuse sources; DUMP – Working group on dumping.

OSPAR Contracting Parties commit monitoring the marine environment under the OSPAR Joint Assessment and Monitoring Programme (JAMP) and the Nutrients Monitoring Programme. The NMMP meets many of the UK's marine monitoring commitments under these programmes. More information on the OSPAR Convention can be accessed on the OSPAR web site [B]. Quality Status Reports (QSRs) have been prepared for publication in 2000 for the whole region of the North East Atlantic, and also for 5 sub regions. Once these QSRs have been finalised, it is anticipated that the JAMP will be revised in conjunction with the reorganisation with the OSPAR working structure. The UK NMMP data has been used extensively for the QSRs.

2. EC Directives
It is recognised that there is the potential for overlap of the monitoring requirements under OSPAR and under EC Directives. Therefore, one of the objectives of the NMMP is to co-ordinate, make optimum use of, and gain maximum information from marine monitoring in the United Kingdom to ensure minimal duplication of effort. Data gathered for the NMMP may also be used to meet some of the monitoring requirements for the EC Dangerous Substances Directive (76/464/EEC), the Shellfish Waters Directive (79/923/EEC), the Shellfish Hygiene Directive (91/492/EEC), the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) and the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC). It is also anticipated that NMMP data will be used to fulfil some of the monitoring requirements of the proposed Water Framework Directive.

Plans and Programmes

NMP –Phase 1

In 1987/88, the MPMMG reviewed the monitoring carried out in UK estuaries and coastal waters and concluded that there would be considerable merit in the regular sampling of a network of coastal monitoring stations to meet international monitoring commitments. A spatial survey was initiated in 1993 at a network of 87 monitoring stations in estuarine, intermediate and offshore locations. These sites were monitored for:

• water quality,
• sediment chemistry,
• bioaccumulation (fish and shellfish) and
• biologicalcommunity diversity parameters
• other special surveys

As laid out in the UK National Marine Monitoring Plan (HMIP, 1994), known as "the Blue book".

The results of this survey are reported in 'Survey of the Quality of UK Coastal Waters, 1998 [2]. This information can also be found on the FRS Web Site [C].

The main conclusions of the report were as follows:

• Concentrations of contaminants are higher in estuaries than at offshore sites. This is what would have been expected in that the estuaries selected for study were those which were most likely to be contaminated.
• Generally, the concentrations of individual contaminants in water, sediments and biota do not give cause for concern since environmental quality standards are being met. Specific exceptions to this are known and are being addressed individually by the regulatory organisations.
• The fish disease survey utilising dab was limited to offshore sites. Incidences of skin diseases were low.
• Generally, there is a low diversity of sediment-dwelling organisms at the head of most estuaries but diversity increases with distance offshore. The low diversity is primarily due to natural physical factors such as widely fluctuating salinity regimes. However, the organisms found in some estuaries are indicative of organic enrichment associated with high inputs of organic matter.
• Biological effects associated with chemical contaminants are greatest in estuaries. A number of industrialised estuaries are polluted to an extent which may be harmful to plankton as shown by the oyster embryo bioassay technique. It is likely that no single contaminant is responsible for this and that the effects are due to several contaminants acting together.
• Previous data has shown the occurrence of the imposex phenomenon at some sites around the UK. This is a phenomenon whereby male characteristics are imposed on the female dogwhelk and is attributed to the presence of organotin compounds usually associated with antifouling paints. New data for Belfast Lough clearly shows the occurrence of Imposex. This is currently being addressed by the regulator.

The report also concludes that the work of co-ordinating marine monitoring in the United Kingdom is far from complete and that efforts will be made to build on what was achieved through the first phase of the NMMP.

NMMP2 – Phase 2

As the data collected between 1993-95 was primarily a spatial data set, phase 2 was designed to look more closely at temporal trends. The National Marine Monitoring Programme 2 (NMMP2) focuses on stable depositional sediment sites (approx.110) and looks more closely at:

• sediment chemistry,
• benthic communities,
• bioaccumulation, and
• ecological effects methods
• (Water column chemistry is only collected at or near Dangerous Substance Directive sites)

As laid out in the NMMP monitoring manual known as "the Green Book" . In anticipation of modifications which will be necessary once the OSPAR JAMP is revised, the Green Book is being operated as a controlled document. Updates of the document are approved by the NMMP WG and all participating organisations are informed of these changes. It is available as a 'Read Only File' on the FRS Web Site [C].

The Monitoring Programme

The programme has approximately:

40 estuarine sites - monitored by SEPA, EA, EHS 45 intermediate sites - monitored by SEPA, EA, EHS, FRS, CEFAS, DARD 30 offshore sites - monitored by FRS, CEFAS, DARD

Full details of all sites together with methodologies, sampling schedules and frequencies are provided in the NMMP2 monitoring manual - "the Green Book".

Objectives

As a result of the NMP and NMMP2 the working group is able to report and offer advise on the general aims of the programmes, which are:

• To reveal the pattern of marine quality around the UK through spatial surveys (phase 1: NMP).
• To initiate monitoring programmes to detect with appropriate accuracy long-term trends in physical, biological and chemical variables at selected estuarine and coastal sites (phase 2: NMMP2).
• To support and ensure consistent standards in national and international monitoring programmes for marine environmental quality (for example: EC Directives, OSPAR).
• To make recommendations to MPMMG as to how new analyses and techniques are best implemented in the United Kingdom.
• To co-ordinate, make optimum use of, and gain maximum information from marine monitoring in the United Kingdom.
• To provide and maintain a high quality data set for key chemical and biological variables in the marine environment of the United Kingdom.
• To produce reports providing overviews of the spatial (NMP holistic report 1998) and temporal distributions (every three years from 2002) of these variables and their inter-relationships.

Further Information

"Blue Book"

1. UK National Marine Monitoring Plan. (HMIP, 1994)
Mainly for historical reference as the spatial survey is now complete.

"Holistic Report"

2. National Monitoring Programme: Survey of the Quality of UK Coastal Waters. (Marine Pollution Monitoring Management Group 1998).
Collates and summarises the results NMP –phase 1.
Note: Three regional reports exist for Scotland, Northern Ireland, and CEFAS, whilst some of the England and Wales detail is included in the Environment Agency's State of the Marine Environment Report.

"Green Book"

This controlled document details the locations, methods, time windows and frequencies for the components of the NMMP2 survey. Updates are provided over the Internet [C].

Web Sites

[A.] www.defra.gov.uk/environment/marine/mpmmg/index.htm
[B.] www.ospar.org/
[C.] www.marlab.ac.uk/nmpr/nmp.htm
This site at FRS hold the control documents for the green book and information from the Holistic report.

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Published 13 September 2000

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