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Comparing aspirations: intercalibration of ecological status concepts across European lakes for littoral diatoms

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Abstract

Eleven European countries participated in an exercise to harmonise diatom-based methods used for status assessment in lakes. Lakes were divided into low, medium and high alkalinity types for this exercise. However, it was not possible to perform a full intercalibration on low alkalinity lakes due to the short gradient and confounding factors. Values of the Trophie Index were computed for all samples in order that national datasets could all be expressed on a common scale. Not all participants had reference sites against which national methods could be standardised and, therefore, a Generalised Linear Modelling approach was used to control the effect of national differences in datasets. This enabled the high/good and good/moderate status boundaries to be expressed on a common scale and for deviations beyond ±0.25 class widths to be identified. Those countries which had relaxed boundaries were required to adjust these to within ±0.25 class widths whilst the intercalibration rules allowed those countries with more stringent boundaries to retain these. Despite biogeographical and typological differences between countries, there was broad agreement on the characteristics of high, good and moderate status diatom assemblages, and the exercise has ensured consistent application of Water Framework Directive assessments around Europe.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bowburn Consultancy, 11 Monteigne Drive, Bowburn, Durham, DH6 5QB, UK

    Martyn Kelly

  2. Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Gorazd Urbanic

  3. Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Gorazd Urbanic

  4. Danube Research Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Centre for Ecological Research, Javorka S. u. 14, 2131, Göd, Hungary

    Eva Acs & Gabor Varbiro

  5. Department of Geography, Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK

    Helen Bennion & Amy Burgess

  6. Irstea, UR REBX, 50 avenue de Verdun, 33612, Cestas, France

    Vincent Bertrin, Soizic Morin & Juliette Rosebery

  7. Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Kliniekstraat 25, 1070, Brussels, Belgium

    Luc Denys

  8. Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7050, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden

    Steffi Gottschalk & Maria Kahlert

  9. Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), University of Oulu, P.O. Box 413, 90014, Oulu, Finland

    Satu Maaria Karjalainen

  10. EPA, John Moore Road, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland

    Bryan Kennedy

  11. National Institute of Biology, Vecna pot 111, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Gorazd Kosi

  12. CNR Institute of Ecosystem Study, Largo Tonolli 50, 28922, Verbania Pallanza, Italy

    Aldo Marchetto

  13. Wrocław Branch, Department of Ecology, Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, Parkowa 30, 51-616, Wrocław, Poland

    Joanna Picinska-Fałtynowicz

  14. European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Ispra, Italy

    Sandra Poikane

  15. Bureau for Diatom Analysis, Professor-Zeller-Straße 2, 15366, Neuenhagen, Germany

    Ilka Schoenfelder

  16. Brandenburg State Office of Environment, Health and Consumer Protection, Seeburger Chaussee 2, 14476, Potsdam, OT Groß Glienicke, Germany

    Joerg Schoenfelder

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  1. Martyn Kelly
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  2. Gorazd Urbanic
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  3. Eva Acs
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  4. Helen Bennion
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Kelly, M., Urbanic, G., Acs, E. et al. Comparing aspirations: intercalibration of ecological status concepts across European lakes for littoral diatoms. Hydrobiologia 734, 125–141 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-1874-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-1874-9

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