2024-03-29T06:40:34Zhttp://digital.csic.es/dspace-oai/requestoai:digital.csic.es:10261/76912018-07-20T11:51:13Zcom_10261_88com_10261_8col_10261_341
Assessment of coastal environmental quality based on littoral community cartography: methodological approach
Torras, Xavier
Pinedo, Susana
Garcia, Maria
Mangialajo, L.
Ballesteros, Enric
Benthic communities
Bioindicators
Environmental quality
Littoral
Mediterranean Sea
In this study we present a new methodology for monitoring water quality based on the
cartography of rocky benthic communities in the littoral zone. Littoral communities
thriving in the selected coast are cartographied from a small boat and the cartographic
information is transcribed to a GIS. With the use of spatial databases and geographic
information system technology (GIS) it is possible to know not only the distribution of
rocky benthic communities along the coast but also to obtain an environmental quality
index giving a “quality” value to every community. This index takes into account the
length of the coast covered by each community, a value of ecological quality of each
community obtained by expert judgement, and a correction by different parameters
other than water quality involved in the distribution of littoral communities (e.g. natural
or artificial substrate, type of coast) which has been obtained with an accurate study of
the distribution of littoral communities in reference zones. This index, named Ecological
Quality Ratio, fulfils the requirements of the Water Framework Directive. (2000/60/EC).
2008-10-14T11:21:51Z
2008-10-14T11:21:51Z
2006-09
comunicación de congreso
Proceedings of the Second Mediterranean Symposium on Marine Vegetation
http://hdl.handle.net/10261/7691
eng
http://www.rac-spa.org/dl/proc.pdf
openAccess
United Nations Environment Programme