Monitoring System for the Archipelago Sea

The project aims to improve the environmental status of the Archipelago Sea by creating a concrete and research-based proposal for a monitoring system and its implementation. This is done by mapping out actors that require more extensive monitoring data on the catchment area and specifying the type of data they are missing. Existing data sources are investigated to understand the current knowledge gaps and how these might be compensated.

The Archipelago Sea is among the regions with the worst environmental status in the Baltic Sea, and according to HELCOM, its catchment area ranks among the top pressures on the sea basin. Consequently, concrete water conservation measures are needed to improve the status of the marine environment. However, this alone is not enough. Comprehensive research and monitoring data are required to evaluate the impact of water conservation measures put in place and to prioritise the ones that prove to be the most effective in controlling the flow of nutrients to the sea. The monitoring of diffuse load on the sea should particularly be improved in the catchment area and the archipelago at large.

The key outcomes of the project include 1) mapping out the need for an Archipelago Sea monitoring system, 2) mapping out relevant data sources and 3) presenting a proposal for the implementation of the monitoring system.

The results will permit the implementation of the monitoring system in a way that extensively serves its key utilisers. The comprehensive and multisource system will enable impact assessment of the water conservation measures and more efficient targetting to improve the environmental status of the Archipelago Sea.