OSPAR Science Agenda Knowledge Gap Portal

Knowledge gap description: The candidate indicator, size composition and spatial distribution of zooplankton (FW6), was not assessed because of lack of data.

Knowledge gap description: Because of data availability, the Feeding Guilds (FW7) candidate indicator includes only pelagic and demersal fish and elasmobranchs but will include data on higher and lower trophic levels in the future.

Knowledge gap description: It has not yet been possible to provide an integrated assessment of the state of the ecosystems in the five OSPAR Regions.

Knowledge gap description: Results from the 38 assessments conducted over four Regions show that need for additional data collection and research to support the mitigation of food web effects arising from the impacts of human activities.

Knowledge gap description: Arctic Waters (Region 1): There are major uncertainties linked to the short time series available for most of the biological groups.

Knowledge gap description: Greater North Sea (Region II) - Variable salinity ecosystems / Plankton community assessment: Plankton monitoring datasets were available for a limited number of assessment units, with significant gaps in time series. Lower confidence must therefore be assigned to these results, particularly for the zooplankton lifeform time-series.

Knowledge gap description: Greater North Sea (Region II) - Coastal ecosystems / Plankton community assessment: Data used to assess trends exhibited a high degree of confidence and the majority of assessment units were well represented, except for the gelatinous zooplankton lifeform. However, a high degree of variability resulted from linking trends in lifeform abundance with environmental pressures, and thus the associations with change in sea surface temperature and salinity lacked confidence.

Knowledge gap description: Greater North Sea (Region II) - Oceanic / beyond shelf ecosystem was not assessed for Greater North Sea since the ecosystem shares far greater overlap with the Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast (OSPAR Region IV).

Knowledge gap description: Greater North Sea (Region II) - Different trends were observed in Ecological Network Analysis-related indices, resulting in unknown status for the trophic network.

Knowledge gap description: Celtic Seas (OSPAR Region III): only the lower trophic levels of the pelagic food web were assessed.

Knowledge gap description: Celtic Seas (OSPAR Region III): Variable salinity ecosystem /Plankton community assessment. For the Common Indicator Assessment on Changes in Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Communities (PH1 / FW5), there was very low representation of assessment units for all zooplankton lifeforms. There are also gaps in existing relevant literature: scarce literature on primary production trends in the area and no investigation of the link between ocean acidification and primary production over long-term timescales. It is unclear if the decrease in primary production in the variable salinity and coastal habitats assessed here is due to decreasing pH or if it is the cause of decreasing pH. Further investigations is needed to understand links between phytoplankton activity (production and respiration) and long-term concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon and anthropogenic carbon dioxide.

Knowledge gap description: Celtic Seas (OSPAR Region III): Coastal ecosystems / Plankton community assessment. Common Indicator Assessment on Changes in Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Communities (PH1 / FW5): No data were available for the gelatinous zooplankton lifeform. As in variable salinity habitats, it is unclear whether the decrease in primary production detected was the consequence of ocean acidification.

Knowledge gap description: Celtic Seas (OSPAR Region III): Shelf ecosystems / Plankton community assessment. Common Indicator Assessment on Changes in Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Communities (PH1 / FW5): No data were available for the gelatinous zooplankton lifeform.

Knowledge gap description: Celtic Seas (OSPAR Region III) - Oceanic / beyond shelf ecosystem was not assessed for Celtic Seas since the ecosystem shares far greater overlap with the Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast (OSPAR Region IV).

Knowledge gap description: Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast (OSPAR Region IV): The status of fish-related indicators was unknown for all habitat types assessed.

Knowledge gap description: Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast (OSPAR Region IV): Variable salinity habitat / Plankton community assessment - There were no suitable plankton monitoring data available to evaluate the pelagic habitat indicators. For the Candidate Indicator Pilot Assessment of Primary Productivity (FW2), the assessment was also not possible because of lack of data.

Knowledge gap description: Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast (OSPAR Region IV): Coastal ecosystems / Plankton community assessments - For coastal habitats, only phytoplankton data were available to inform Common Indicator Assessment on Changes in Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Communities (PH1/FW5). For the Candidate Indicator Pilot Assessment of Primary Productivity (FW2), assessment was also not possible because of lack of data.

Knowledge gap description: Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast (OSPAR Region IV): Changes in average trophic level of marine predators assessment - The contrasting trends observed in coastal areas indicate an uncertain status for Mean Trophic Level (MTL), Changes in Average Trophic Level of Marine Consumers (FW4), in this ecosystem.

Knowledge gap description: Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast (OSPAR Region IV): Shelf ecosystems / Demersal fish community assessment - There was no clear pattern of change in fish community indicators of size-structure and of species composition in the Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast. This result has unclear implications.

Knowledge gap description: Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast (OSPAR Region IV): beyond shelf / Plankton community assessment. Common Indicator Assessment on Changes in Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Communities (PH1 / FW5): No data were available for the gelatinous zooplankton lifeform so it was not assessed.

Knowledge gap description: Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast (OSPAR Region IV): beyond shelf / Plankton community assessment. Candidate Indicator Pilot Assessment of Primary Productivity (FW2) - pilot assessment results indicated significant downward trend in primary production. Spatial assessment was limited to one area representing 20% of all sub-divisions in the habitat, resulting in low confidence in those results. Future projection of primary production in the Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast is subject to large uncertainty.

Knowledge gap description: Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast (OSPAR Region IV): beyond shelf / Changes in average trophic level of marine predators assessment - contrasting tends for the Changes in Average Trophic Level of Marine Consumers (FW4) indicator observed in deeper areas seemed to indicate an unclear status for the average trophic level of the benthodemersal communities in this habitat type.

Knowledge gap description: Wider Atlantic (OSPAR Region V): two Common Indicators that were assessed had an unknown status due to no trend being detected and the reference condition not being known. This resulted from a lack of data.

Knowledge gap description: Wider Atlantic (OSPAR Region V): Shelf ecosystems Demersal fish community assessment - No long-term changes were evident in the Wider Atlantic for the size-structure and community composition indicators and the implications of this are unknown.

Knowledge gap description: An integrated approach should be developed and implemented, taking into account all trophic guild compartments of the ecosystem, to better assess the state of food webs.