title: Effect of temporal and spatial variability on the classification of the Ecological Quality Status using the CARLIT Index.
abstract: Methodologies developed by European Member States to assess the environmental quality of their coastal waters under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000/60/EC) may have an associated source of uncertainty. Here we identify and quantify the level of uncertainty in the CARLIT (Cartography of littoral and upper-sublittoral communities) methodology to test its effectiveness and reliability. The outcomes show that the effect of temporal variability (among years) within each water body is low when CARLIT is performed every year along the entire rocky coast. The spatial variability within a water body is also low. According to these results, CARLIT could be performed every 3 years across all the water body or, alternatively, every year considering at least 60% of each water body, without a significant reduction of the confidence in the classification of the Ecological Quality Status (EQS).
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes-CSIC, Acc. Cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cavallo
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes-CSIC, Acc. Cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Torras
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes-CSIC, Acc. Cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Oriol
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mascaró
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes-CSIC, Acc. Cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain. Electronic address: kike@ceab.csic.es.
authors.forename: Enric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ballesteros
mesh_terms: D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem; D004777:Environment; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005062:European Union; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D035501:Uncertainty; D060753:Water Quality
keywords: CARLIT Index; Macrophytes; Uncertainty; Variability; Water Framework Directive