title: Determining Good Environmental Status under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive: Case study for descriptor 8 (chemical contaminants).
abstract: The European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires individual member states to develop a robust set of tools for defining eleven qualitative descriptors of Good Environmental Status (GES), such as demonstrating that "Concentrations of contaminants are at levels not giving rise to pollution effects" (GES descriptor 8). Adopting the recommendations of the ICES/OSPAR Study Group for the Integrated Monitoring of Contaminants and Biological Effects (SGIMC), we present a case study demonstrating how the proposed approach, using chemical contaminant (metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls) and biological effects (EROD, bile metabolites and pathology) data in different matrices (sediment and biota), could be used to contribute to the determination of GES in a region of the North Sea region off the east coast of the UK.
authors.affiliation: Cefas Weymouth Laboratory, Barrack Road, The Nothe, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8UB, UK. Electronic address: brett.lyons@cefas.co.uk.
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.affiliation: Cefas Weymouth Laboratory, Barrack Road, The Nothe, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8UB, UK.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bignell
authors.affiliation: Cefas Weymouth Laboratory, Barrack Road, The Nothe, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8UB, UK.
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Stentiford
authors.affiliation: Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0HT, UK.
authors.forename: T P C
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Bolam
authors.affiliation: Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0HT, UK.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Rumney
authors.affiliation: Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0HT, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bersuder
authors.affiliation: Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0HT, UK.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Barber
authors.affiliation: Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0HT, UK.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Askem
authors.affiliation: Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0HT, UK.
authors.forename: M E E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Nicolaus
authors.affiliation: Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0HT, UK.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maes
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D058735:Environmental Policy; D005062:European Union; D008670:Metals; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012623:Seawater; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Assessment; Descriptor 8; Good Environmental Status; Integration; Marine Strategy Framework Directive