title: Development and testing of a prototype tool for integrated assessment of chemical status in marine environments.
abstract: We report the development and application of a prototype tool for integrated assessment of chemical status in aquatic environments based on substance- and matrix-specific environmental assessment criteria (thresholds). The Chemical Status Assessment Tool (CHASE) integrates data on hazardous substances in water, sediments and biota as well as bio-effect indicators and is based on a substance- or bio-effect-specific calculation of a 'contamination ratio' being the ratio between an observed concentration and a threshold value. Values <1.0 indicate areas potentially 'unaffected', while values >1.0 indicate areas potentially 'affected'. These ratios are combined within matrices, i.e. for water, sediment and biota and for biological effects. The overall assessment used a 'one out, all out principle' with regard to each matrix. The CHASE tool was tested in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea in 376 assessment units. In the former, the chemical status was >1.0 in practically all areas indicating that all areas assessed were potentially affected. The North Sea included areas classified as unaffected or affected. The CHASE tool can in combination with temporal trend assessments of individual substances be advantageous for use in remedial action plans and, in particular, for the science-based evaluation of the status and for determining which specific substances are responsible for a status as potentially affected.
authors.affiliation: NIVA Denmark Water Research, Ørestads Boulevard 73, 2300, Copenhagen S, Denmark. jha@niva-danmark.dk.|Marine Research Centre, SYKE, Helsinki, Finland. jha@niva-danmark.dk.
authors.forename: Jesper H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ciarán
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark.
authors.forename: Martin M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Tore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Høgåsen
authors.affiliation: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Elin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dahlgren
authors.affiliation: Marine Research Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Klaipėda, Lithuania.|Department of Biology and Ecology, Klaipėda University, Klaipėda, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Galina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garnaga-Budrė
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gustavson
authors.affiliation: Thünen Institute of Fisheries Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haarich
authors.affiliation: NIVA Denmark Water Research, Ørestads Boulevard 73, 2300, Copenhagen S, Denmark.
authors.forename: Emilie M F
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Kallenbach
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production, SYKE, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Jaakko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mannio
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strand
authors.affiliation: Marine Research Centre, SYKE, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Samuli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Korpinen
mesh_terms: D001454:Baltic States; D004777:Environment; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000191:economics*; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000032:analysis; D009659:North Sea; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Assessment; Chemical status; Contaminants; Hazardous substances; Integration; Marine strategy framework directive; Monitoring; Water framework directive
references.citation: Mar Pollut Bull. 2013 Sep 30;74(2):517-25
references.pmid: 23820191
references.citation: Mar Environ Res. 2012 Apr;75:35-44
references.pmid: 22119656
references.citation: Aquat Toxicol. 2011 Oct;105(3-4 Suppl):72-7
references.pmid: 22099347
references.citation: Ambio. 2014 Feb;43(1):69-81
references.pmid: 24414806
references.citation: Mar Pollut Bull. 2006;53(8-9):508-22
references.pmid: 16737720
references.citation: Mar Pollut Bull. 2010 Jun;60(6):919-24
references.pmid: 20381096