Is eutrophication in European transitional, coastal and marine waters decreasing?

Key messages

(19 Oct 2018)

• The trends in chlorophyll concentrations show improvements in the eutrophication status in some of Europe’s seas, due to the successful implementation of nutrient management strategies.
• The highest chlorophyll concentrations are generally observed in transitional and coastal waters of the marine (sub)regions, in response to elevated nutrient concentrations in those waters.
• Decreasing chlorophyll concentrations were observed in the southwestern Baltic Sea and along the continental coast of the Greater North Sea (including Kattegat), showing the effects of measures to reduce nutrient inputs (OSPAR 2017, HELCOM 2018).
• For the other marine (sub)regions, only a few time series were available. In general, those time series did not show significant trends.

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