Annual sediment sampling data from 7 sites in waters around Northern Ireland, collected by DAERA Marine and Fisheries Division. The data is used to assess contaminant status and trends, contributing to UK obligations under the OSPAR Convention and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The dataset was last updated on 2026-07-08.
Use Cases
- Assessing contaminant concentration trends in sediment based on annual sampling.
- Evaluating regional marine environmental status for OSPAR Region III based on site data.
- Supporting national assessments like Charting Progress 2 based on Northern Ireland data.
- Informing policy for Descriptor 8 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive based on contaminant levels.
Strengths
- Data is collected annually, providing a time-series for trend analysis.
- Covers 7 specific monitoring sites assigned to distinct geographic regions.
- Used in official national and international assessments (OSPAR, MSFD).
- Managed by the competent monitoring authority (DAERA Marine and Fisheries Division).
Limitations
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the 7 Northern Ireland sites.
Provenance
- Source
- DAERA Marine and Fisheries Division, part of the UK-wide Clean Seas Environmental Monitoring Programme (CSEMP).
- Collection Method
- Annual sediment sampling at fixed monitoring sites.
- Time Range
- Annual sampling; specific start year is not provided in the description.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-07-08 13:32:37.757562; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- 7 sites in Northern Ireland waters: Belfast Lough Inner, Belfast Lough Outer, Larne Lough, Strangford Lough, Carlingford Lough (Irish Sea), Lough Foyle, Bann Estuary (Minches and Malin Sea).