Development of tools for ecological quality assessment in Polish marine areas according to the Water Framework Directive. Part I - Nutrients

Assessment of the ecological status of an aquatic environment according to the European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the determination of a link between the observed status of the marine ecosystem and catchment loading as well as the establishment of criteria for ecological status definitions. This article presents the results of a study identifying links between environmental pressures in the Polish sector of the Baltic Sea and state parameters applied in the assessment of eutrophication. Strong, statistically significant correlations were found between riverine loads of nutrients and their marine concentrations even in relatively short time data series.