Problem addressed
The health of marine ecosystems is increasingly threatened by human pressures—fishing, shipping, infrastructure, pollution—as well as the impacts of climate change. Public authorities, ports, and the offshore sector require reliable and comparable assessments to ensure compliance with the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Without validated tools, assessments lack consistency and make it difficult to define effective management and conservation measures.
What we do and how we do it
- Internationally recognized indices and tools:
- AMBI and M-AMBI, used worldwide to assess ecological quality based on benthic communities.
- NEAT (Nested Environmental status Assessment Tool), validated for integrated marine environmental status assessment.
- Tikta, a software tool under development within the European GES4SEAS project, designed for:
(1) assessing risks from cumulative pressures on marine ecosystems,
(2) evaluating impacts on the marine environment in line with the MSFD, and
(3) assessing ecosystem services in an integrated way
- Indicators and assessment protocols: Development of biological, physical, and chemical indicators, along with sampling and analysis protocols validated through national and international projects.
- Environmental quality standards: Definition of environmental quality standards for metals and organic compounds in water and sediments, including bioaccumulation effects. This includes data on TBT presence in water, sediments, and gastropods (using passive sampling techniques such as Chemcatchers, which provide time-integrated labile concentrations), hexachlorocyclohexane in water and its evolution in transitional zones, and both emerging substances (pharmaceuticals, pesticides, etc.) and priority pollutants.
- Development of innovative indices: Design and calibration of new indices based on micro- and macro-benthic organisms and fish, using environmental DNA (eDNA).
- Marine litter and microplastics indicators: Development of monitoring methods, indicators, criteria, and thresholds already accepted in Europe for different matrices (e.g., seabirds).
- Invasive species indicators: Application of indicators for non-native species (CIMPAL+).
- Underwater noise indicators: Development of indicators to assess underwater noise.
- Passive sampling techniques: Use of passive sampling devices to evaluate chemical status (EQS developed for Ni, Pb, Cd).
- Modelling and forecasting: Integration of ecological and physico-chemical data to assess trends and future scenarios.
- Impact prediction: Forecasting the effects of pressures or mitigation measures through experimental approaches and mathematical or statistical modelling (AI-based).
- Uncertainty analysis: Assessment of uncertainty associated with indicators to determine confidence levels in evaluations (e.g., Monte Carlo methods).
- One Health approach: Analysis of links between environmental status (affected by human activities), ecosystem components (and the services they provide), and human health and well-being through socio-economic valuation.
- Knowledge transfer and training: Preparation of technical reports tailored to managers and public authorities, along with training programs to ensure proper application of methodologies.
Key benefits
- Access to internationally recognized tools (AMBI, NEAT).
- Compliance with WFD and MSFD through robust and comparable assessments.
- Comprehensive and transparent diagnostics to support decision-making.
- Reduced uncertainty in marine planning and conservation.
- Backed by AZTI’s scientific excellence, with over 25 years of leadership in biotic indices and environmental assessment methodologies.
