Suchergebnisse

Eine einheitliche Erfassung von Strandmüll in der Arktis ist für die Bewertung des Umweltzustandes entscheidend und ermöglicht die Erfolgskontrolle von Maßnahmen gegen Kunststoffmüll zum Schutz der marinen Umwelt. In diesem Projekt wurden fernerkundliche Methoden - wie Satellitenbilder und Drohnenaufnahmen - genutzt, um Strände in der Arktis effizient zu untersuchen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass eine Kombination aus Satellitenbildern, Drohnenaufnahmen und traditioneller Kartierung am effektivsten ist, und die Befliegung mit Drohnen großes Potential für ein langfristiges ⁠Monitoring⁠ von Strandmüll birgt. Zukünftige Studien sollten eine höhere Auflösung nutzen, um auch kleinere Müllansammlungen zu erfassen. Diese Erkenntnisse tragen dazu bei, die Umweltbelastung in der Arktis besser zu verstehen und geeignete Maßnahmen zu ergreifen.

Uniform monitoring of beach litter in the Arctic is crucial for assessing the state of the environment and the success of measures against plastic debris to protect the marine environment. In this project, remote sensing methods such as satellite imagery and drone imagery were used to efficiently survey beaches in the Arctic. The results show that a combination of satellite imagery, drone imagery, and traditional mapping is most effective, and drone aerial surveys hold great potential for long-term monitoring of beach litter. Future studies should use higher resolution to capture smaller trash accumulations. These findings will help to better understand the environmental impact in the Arctic and to take appropriate action.

Ziel des Vorhabens war es, dass die teilnehmenden Projektpartner das Umweltbundesamt (UBA) bei den Aufgaben zur Umsetzung der Meeresstrategie-Rahmenrichtlinie (MSRL) und der dazu erforderlichen Kooperationen auf nationaler, regionaler und EU-Ebene fachlich unterstützen und begleiten. Dazu wurden nach Bedarf und auf Anforderung verschiedene Themenkomplexe zur Weiterentwicklung von Indikatoren und Bewertungssystemen, zur Entwicklung und Umsetzung von Maßnahmen sowie zur Information der Öffentlichkeit bearbeitet.

In 2008, the guideline for establishing a framework for Community action in the field of marine environment (Marine Strategy Framework Directive - MSFD, 2008/56/EG) was published. The overall objective of the guideline is to achieve and/or maintain a good status of the marine environment before the year 2020. The good environmental status has to be defined in accordance with qualitative Descriptors as listed in Annex I and specified through respective Criteria and Indicators given by the European commission. While recent projects have focussed mainly on the so-called 'state' Descriptors of the MSFD, the focus of the current project has been on 'pressure' and 'impact' Descriptors. For these, assessment systems were not yet available. Within the project, we have been identifed existing deficits and presented possible solutions, for example by developing respective assessment systems. For Descriptor 2 (non-indigenous, invasive species) an assessment system has been developed which considers the amount of foreign species within an ecosystem, the impact on native communities, and the trend indicator. The approach proposed for Descriptor 6 (seafloor integrity) is based on modelling the impact by combining pressure-specific sensitivity information for benthic habitats with data on the spatial and temporal extent of physical loss and damage. Due to large gaps in knowledge on pressures and impacts on hydrographical conditions and ecosystem components, it is currently not possible to present a detailed assessment concept for Descriptor 7 (hydrographical conditions). Instead, a first draft of an assessment concept is briefly outlined as a basic framework which should be open to changes and adaptable for future developments in research. One of the most important stressors in the marine environment is the chemical pollution which is covered by Descriptor 8 (contaminants). Initially, relevance of the contaminants, environmental quality targets, the biological effects in common, and the effects on marine mammals in particular have been examined. For Descriptor 10 (marine litter) an assessment system for litter on beaches has been developed. Concerning litter at the water surface, within the water column, and at the seafloor (particularly fisheries nets) existing data have been analysed to suggest environmental quality targets and effective monitoring strategies. In addition, the impact on marine birds has been examined when swallowing up litter. Moreover, possible approaches for an overall assessment concept for 'the good environmental status' according to the MSFD have been developed, with special regard to the results of recent MSFD projects.