The task group on eutrophication of check details the Marine Strategy Framework Directive [15] emphasized the advantages of using remote sensing for monitoring eutrophication. Eutrophication is defined here as ‘a process driven by enrichment of water by nutrients, especially compounds of nitrogen and/or phosphorus, leading to: increased growth, primary production

and biomass of algae; changes in the balance of organisms; and water quality degradation. The consequences of eutrophication are undesirable if they appreciably degrade ecosystem health and/or the sustainable provision of goods and services’ [15]. In Sweden, the use of remote sensing in coastal management is still in its infancy. The aim of this case study is to illustrate how remote sensing and bio-optics can be incorporated in integrated coastal zone management of the Baltic Sea in general, and of Himmerfjärden (Fig. 2) in particular. Furthermore, it is described how optical parameters can be used as indicators for ecosystem health and eutrophication. In the following sections

the reader will first be introduced to the area of investigation; Himmerfjärden bay, and the basics of bio-optics and remote sensing using Himmerfjärden as a case study. The work has been published in a more technical form in selleck various remote sensing articles [2], [16] and [17] and here relevant concepts are interpreted in relation to the WFD. After this, the development of an operational remote sensing system for the coastal zone is described. The system was developed in close collaboration with end-users, and the process of SPICOSA stakeholder involvement in system development

Megestrol Acetate is shown. Himmerfjärden is a fjord-like bay situated in the Southern Stockholm Archipelago, just south of 60° N, opening into the Baltic Sea (Fig. 2). With a mean depth of about 17 m Himmerfjärden is rather shallow and consists of a sequence of basins divided by several sills. The bay and its adjacent waters have been well studied for many years, in part because of concern about nutrient enrichment by urban waste water [18] and [19]. Due to the low freshwater input (flushing rate 0.025 d−1) and the presence of the sills Himmerfjärden has a weak circulation, and as observed generally in the Baltic Sea, there is virtually no tidal influence. The local catchment area consists of 57% forest, 33% land, 4% lakes and 5% urban areas [21]. Himmerfjärden is subject to frequently occurring blooms of filamentous cyanobacteria during summer, dominated by Aphanizomenon sp. and Pseudanabaena limnetica [20], as well as occasional surface blooms of Nodularia spumigena. Blooms of N. spumigena, however, are more frequent and more intense in the open Baltic Sea, where they may cover large areas that can be monitored from space. The development of large surface accumulations of cyanobacteria are usually related to persistent warm weather during summer, induced during the development of a seasonal thermocline. In particular, N.