SHARK - Regional marine environmental monitoring, recipient control and monitoring projects of Zoobenthos in Sweden since 1972

The monitoring is financed by the Swedish county administration boards, Swedish municipalities, Swedish coalitions of water conservation and Swedish companies. Recipient control data financed by companies are also included. Monitoring is performed by Swedish universities, agencies and consulting firms. Data are stored in the Swedish Ocean Archive database (SHARK), by the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. The purpose of the monitoring program is to detect long term and short term changes in the soft bottom macrozoobenthos (>1mm) communities. Changes in the macrofauna community can indicate changes in environmental threats like eutrophication, environmental toxins and climate change. Data should be sampled and analyzed according to Leonardsson K. 2004. (In Swedish) Metodbeskrivning för provtagning och analys av mjukbottenlevande makroevertebrater i marin miljö. Umeå universitet, Institutionen för ekologi och geovetenskap, 26 p (https://www.havochvatten.se/download/18.1690613b166605675de898f4/1539942622449/rapport-umu-metodbeskrivning-provtagning-analys-mjukbottenlevande-makroevertebrater-i-marin-miljo.pdf). However, deviations from the manual might occur. Information about the program and the methods are available in Swedish at the website of Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, https://www.havochvatten.se/vagledning-foreskrifter-och-lagar/vagledningar/ovriga-vagledningar/undersokningstyper-for-miljoovervakning/undersokningstyper/mjukbottenlevande-makrofauna-trend--och-omradesovervakning.html and https://www.havochvatten.se/vagledning-foreskrifter-och-lagar/vagledningar/ovriga-vagledningar/undersokningstyper-for-miljoovervakning/undersokningstyper/sediment---basundersokning.html.