OSPAR Common Indicators
The common indicators have been adopted by the OSPAR Commission. These indicators are the basis for regular OSPAR assessments of the changing status of the marine environment and the intensity of pressures from human activities. Common indicators are adopted for specific OSPAR Regions and ensure consistency and comparability of updated assessments over time.
Indicators under development are referred to as candidate indicators. The list of candidate indicators is a live document and is not published here. OSPAR publishes pilot assessments based on the candidate indicators occasionally to demonstrate the concept and to make information from the candidate indicators available.
The common indicators deliver assessments at regular intervals which are published in the OSPAR Assessment Portal. The frequency of updates to the indicators vary depending e.g. on the frequency of monitoring efforts or the speed at which the indicator is foreseen to demonstrate a change. Typically, indicator assessments are update every 2 or 3 years or every 6 years.
The indicators are based on information from monitoring programmes described in the Coordinated Environment Monitoring Programme (CEMP). The programmes are described in the CEMP Appendices, and details, including method descriptions for the indicator calculations, are included in the CEMP Guideline Agreements.
Marine Mammal Common Indicators
Common indicator name | Common in OSPAR Region | Latest assessment (OAP) | CEMP appendix (OAP) | CEMP guideline |
Seal Abundance and Distribution (M3) | I, II, III | |||
Abundance and Distribution of Marine Mammals (M4) | II, III, IV | |||
Grey Seal Pup Production (M5) | I, II, III | |||
Marine Mammal Bycatch (M6) | II, III, IV | Agreement 2022-03 | ||
| Marine mammal candidate indicators | QSR 2023 - Pilot Assessment of Marine Mammal By-catch in Arctic Waters QSR 2023 - Pilot Assessment of Status and Trends of Persistent Chemicals in Marine Mammals |
Marine Bird Common Indicators
Common indicator name | Common in OSPAR Region | Latest assessment (OAP) | CEMP appendix (OAP) | CEMP guideline |
Marine Bird Abundance (B1) | I, II, III, IV | |||
Marine Bird Breeding Productivity (B3) | I, II, III, IV | |||
| Marine Bird Candidate Indicators | QSR 2023 - Pilot assessment of marine bird bycatch QSR 2023 - Pilot assessment of marine bird habitat quality QSR 2023 - Pilot assessment of marine bird abundance - Non-breeding offshore birds |
Fish Community Common Indicators
Common indicator name | Common in OSPAR Region | Latest assessment (OAP) | CEMP appendix (OAP) | CEMP guideline |
| Recovery in the population abundance of sensitive fish species (FC1) | II, III, IV, V | BB6 (FC1) | ||
Proportion of Large Fish (Large Fish Index) (FC2) | II, III, IV, V | |||
| Fish community candidate indicator |
Benthic Habitat Common Indicators
Common indicator name | Common in OSPAR Region | Latest assessment (OAP) | CEMP appendix (OAP) | CEMP guideline |
Sentinels of the Seabed (BH1) | IV | Agreement 2023-02 | ||
Condition of Benthic Habitat Communities (BH2a) | I, II, III, IV, V | BB8 (BH2) | ||
| Condition of Benthic Habitat Communities (BH2b) | II | BB8 (BH2) | Agreement 2018-06 | |
Extent of Physical Damage to Predominant and Special Habitats (BH3a) | I, II, III, IV, V | QSR 2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Aggregate Extraction | BB9 (BH3) | |
Extent of Physical Damage to Predominant and Special Habitats (BH3b) | I, II, III, IV, V | QSR 2023 - Extent of Physical Disturbance to Benthic Habitats: Fisheries with mobile bottom-contacting gears | BB9 (BH3) | Agreement 2017-09 |
| Area of Habitat Loss (BH4) | II | B20 (BH4) | Agreement 2024-05 |
Pelagic Habitat Common Indicators
Common indicator name | Common in OSPAR Region | Latest assessment (OAP) | CEMP appendix (OAP) | CEMP guideline |
| Changes in plankton functional types (life form) index Ratio (PH1/FW5) | II, III, IV | QSR 2023 - Changes in Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Communities | ||
| Plankton biomass and/or abundance (PH2) | II, III, IV, V | QSR 2023 - Changes in Phytoplankton Biomass and Zooplankton Abundance | Agreement 2019-07 | |
| Changes in biodiversity index(s) (PH3) | II, III, IV | Agreement 2019-07 - 2023 update |
Food Web Common Indicators
Common indicator name | Common in OSPAR Region | Latest assessment (OAP) | CEMP appendix (OAP) | CEMP guideline |
Size Composition in Fish Communities (FW3) | II, III, IV | |||
Change in average trophic level of marine predators in the Bay of Biscay (FW4) | IV | QSR 2023 - Changes in average trophic level of marine predators | ||
| Food web candidate indicators | QSR 2023 - Pilot Assessment of Ecological Network Analysis Indices |
Non-Indigenous Species Common Indicators
Common indicator name | Common in OSPAR Region | Latest assessment (OAP) | CEMP appendix (OAP) | CEMP guideline |
Trends in New Records of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) Introduced by Human Activities (NIS) | II, III, IV, V | QSR 2023 - Trends in new records of non-indigenous species introduction by human activities | BB13 |
Marine Litter Common Indicators
Common indicator name | Common in OSPAR Region | Latest assessment (OAP) | CEMP appendix (OAP) | CEMP guideline |
Beach litter | I, II, III, IV | QSR 2023 - Abundance, composition and trends of beach litter | Agreement 2020-02 | |
Fulmar | II | QSR 2023 - Plastic particles in fulmar stomachs in the North Sea | BE3 - Monitoring of plastic particles in stomachs of seabirds | |
Seafloor litter | II, III, IV | QSR 2023 – Composition and spatial distribution of litter on the seafloor | ||
| Litter ingested by sea turtles | IV | QSR 2023 - Marine litter ingested by sea turtles | BE8 - Litter ingested by sea turtles | Agreement 2020-03 |
Underwater Noise Common Indicators
Common indicator name | Common in OSPAR Region | Latest assessment (OAP) | CEMP appendix (OAP) | CEMP guideline |
Impulsive noise | II, III, IV | QSR 2023 - Distribution of reported impulsive sound in the sea QSR 2023 - Risk of impact from anthropogenic impulsive sound | ||
| Ambient noise candidate indicator | II | QSR 2023 - Pilot Assessment of Ambient Noise |
Inputs to the marine environment common indicators
Common indicator name | Common in OSPAR Region | Latest assessment (OAP) | CEMP appendix (OAP) | CEMP guideline |
Nutrient inputs | I, II, III, IV, V | CAMP - Nutrient Inputs via the Atmosphere RID - Nutrient Inputs From Land-Based (Diffuse and Point) Sources | ||
Heavy metals inputs | II | QSR 2023 - Inputs of Mercury, Cadmium and Lead via Water and Air to the Greater North Sea | RID - Contaminant Inputs From Land-Based (Diffuse and Point) Sources |
Eutrophication Common Indicators
Common indicator name | Common in OSPAR Region | Latest assessment (OAP) | CEMP appendix (OAP) | CEMP guideline |
Nutrient inputs | I, II, III, IV, V | CAMP - Nutrient Inputs via the Atmosphere RID - Nutrient Inputs From Land-Based (Diffuse and Point) Sources | ||
Nutrient concentrations | II | E1 - Nutrient concentrations in seawater (*DIN *DIP) | Agreement 2016-05 | |
Chlorophyll-a concentrations | II, III | Agreement 2016-05 | ||
Phaeocystis | II | E2 - Direct and indirect eutrophication effects including chlorophyll, water transparency , abundance of macrophytes, benthic species shift, phytoplankton species shift and oxygen | Agreement 2016-05 | |
Dissolved oxygen concentrations | II, III, IV | E2 - Direct and indirect eutrophication effects including chlorophyll, water transparency , abundance of macrophytes, benthic species shift, phytoplankton species shift and oxygen | Agreement 2016-05 |
Hazardous Substances Common Indicators
Other Indicator-Related OSPAR Publications and Resources
To support the coordinated effort to develop biodiversity common indicators an advice manual and background document was developed (publication 581).
When a new indicator is being developed, a common template is used.
When an indicator is proposed to be extended to another OSPAR Region, a template has been used to collect information from concerned Contracting Parties.
