| Text | 42245 2011 Water Framework Directive Reference conditions Common metrics Ecological quality Bringing european river quality into line an exercise to intercalibrate macro invertebrate classification methods Bennet C., Buffagni A., Erba S., Altri A. C. Bennett R. Owen Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Inverdee, House, Baxter Street, Aberdeen AB11 9QA, UK; S. Birk Department of Applied Zoology/Hydrobiology, University of Duisburg Essen, Universita¨tsstrasse 5, 45117 Essen, Germany; N. Mengin ECCEL Environnement, Arzacq Arraziguet 64410, France; J. Murray Bligh Environment Agency, Manley House, Kestrel Way, Exeter EX2 7LQ, UK; G. Ofenbo¨ck F. Wagner Bundesministerium fu¨ r Land und Forstwirtschaft, Umwelt und Wasserwirtschaft, Ref. VII 1 b, Gewa¨ssero¨kologie, Marxergasse 2, 1030 Wien, Austria; I. Pardo Departamento de Ecolog ´a y Biolog ´a Animal, Universidad de Vigo, Vigo, Spain; W. van de Bund European Commission Joint Research Centre, Institute, for Environment and Sustainability, T.P. 290, 21020 Ispra, VA, Italy; J. G. Wasson Cemagref, 3 bis Quai Chauveau, CP 220, 69336 Lyon Cedex 09, France. The Water Framework Directive WFD requires intercalibration to be performed to ensure that ecological status, as defined by the boundary values of national biological assessment systems, is consistent with the definitions outlined in the WFD and comparable between Member States MS . This article describes an intercalibration of 17 national river macro invertebrate assessment methods from the Central and Baltic regions of Europe. We explore the hypothesis that intercalibration should be successful if ratios of the observed biota to that expected in reference condition are used to compare assessments of different national assessment systems. National boundaries expressed as ecological quality ratios EQRs were converted to values of a common multimetric for the purpose of comparison. Twelve MS for the High/Good boundary and nine MS for the Good/Moderate boundary and four MS who subsequently harmonised their boundaries were within ±0.05 EQR units of the intercalibration boundaries and were deemed to be of comparable ecological standard. The use of a reference based approach was deemed to be successful given that all the critical pre requisites for intercalibration were satisfied. The boundaries derived from this intercalibration represent the first common interpretation of the ecological status of rivers based on macro invertebrate assessment methods across Europe. 667 Published version Bringing European river quality into line an exercise to intercalibrate macro invertebrate classification methods IC_bennetetal_hydrobiologia2011.pdf Articolo in rivista Kluwer Academic Publishers 0018 8158 Hydrobiologia The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia. The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia Dordrecht The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia Boston The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia London The Hague. Print andreastefano.buffagni BUFFAGNI ANDREA STEFANO stefania.erba ERBA STEFANIA TA.P04.032.003 La risposta delle comunita acquatiche bioindicatori e WFD |
