The Arctic Ocean covers a large area with harsh climatic conditions. x01x02 There are strong seasonal and geographical variations in light, temperature and ice cover. x01x02 The European part of the Arctic Ocean covers only about 8 % of the total area of the Arctic Ocean, but due to its great...

The North Sea is a shallow and rather young ecosystem formed by the flooding of a landmass some 20 000 years ago. Its coasts and waters are still being colonised by new species from the Atlantic. The strong coupling between benthic and pelagic communities in the shallow parts of the sea makes it...

The Caspian is the largest enclosed sea in the world. It is brackish, with salinity up to 13.7 u0089. Significant changes in water levels occur. These, combined with the presence of large shallow areas, constitute a potential threat to biodiversity and especially to the many endemic species. The...

Human activity, including tourism, puts increasing pressure on a Mediterranean Sea that is still remarkably alive in spite of many problems, particularly in coastal areas. The report, prepared by the EEA and its European Topic Centre on the Marine and Coastal Environment in co-operation with the...

The North-east Atlantic Ocean is a part of the Atlantic Ocean and is dominated by deep ocean basins, except the Celtic Sea, the shelf along the Bay of Biscay and Iberian coast. The formation of the North Atlantic deep water is one of the driving forces for the thermohaline circulation of the...

The Mediterranean Sea is oligotrophic: it is rich in oxygen and poor in nutrients. Oligotrophy increases from west to east. The fauna and flora is one of the species richest of the world and there is a high rate of endemism. Introduced alien species are increasing in the eastern basin. Compared...

The Boreal region is the largest biogeographical region of Europe. The climate is cool and mainly continental. It is Europeu0092s forest region, dominated by conifers. The forest area increases, getting more uniform and with less tree species and less biodiversity in the stands. The southern...

The development of coastal indicators by EEA in the period 1998-2001 is described in this report, the first of three volumes. It explains the process and results of a study of potential state and pressure indicators for eutrophication. The report also describes the development of, and...

This report provides an assessment of trends in concentrations of six hazardous substances in mussels and fish in Europe's seas since 1985. The trends are linked to reduction measures, foodstuff limit values and trends in inputs to coastal and marine waters. The results are presented in a series...

The Arctic is one of the planet's last pristine areas where indigenous peoples pursue their traditional lifestyles. However, as Europe's dependence on the Arctic's resources grows, the region is coming under increasing pressure from unsustainable development, land fragmentation, climate change...