Methodology for defining homogeneous water bodies for management purposes

• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113004
• Publication Date: 2021-09-30T10:02:26Z
• Authors: Vibe Schourup-Kri...; Marie Maar; Janus Larsen; Christian Mohn; Jens Murawski; Jun She; Hans H. Jakobsen
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; Salinity; Transitional waters; Water; Homogeneous water masses; 01 natural sciences; 6. Clean water; Estuarine management; 13. Climate action; Limfjorden; 14. Life underwater; Toxic algae management; Environmental Monitoring; Shellfish; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

European legislation requires monitoring of toxic algae in marine areas where shellfish are harvested for consumption. Monitoring assumes the existence homogeneous water bodies, definition which have important implications stakeholders and consumers. Yet, bodies remains unclear. Here we present a methodology to divide coastal estuarine waters into monitor algae. The proposed method is mainly based on transport, secondarily oceanographic characteristics; salinity sea surface height. We apply Limfjord Denmark demonstrate its usefulness with complicated morphology. descriptors applied standard outputs from hydrodynamical models. Provided that validated high resolution model output available given area, technique thus adaptable other morphologically oceanographically necessary.