WFD Cycle 2 Transitional Water Phytoplankton Ecological Quality Classifications

Phytoplankton classification data for transitional water bodies under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The dataset contains Ecological Quality Ratio (EQR) scores used to assign water bodies a status of High, Good, Moderate, Poor, or Bad based on phytoplankton population and chlorophyll data. It was produced by the Environment Agency and is now retired, superseded by a newer record.

Use Cases

• Assessing nutrient pollution in transitional waters based on phytoplankton indicator data.
• Calculating Ecological Quality Ratios (EQR) for Water Framework Directive compliance.
• Tracking changes in water body classification status over time based on phytoplankton blooms.

Strengths

• Data is specifically focused on transitional water bodies, a distinct ecological zone.
• Classification outputs (High, Good, Moderate, Poor, Bad) are directly tied to a major regulatory framework (WFD).

Limitations

• The dataset is retired and superseded by a newer version, indicating potential obsolescence.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Environment Agency

Collection Method

Likely contains classification data derived from phytoplankton population and chlorophyll measurements.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-17 15:09:07.399747; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Transitional water bodies in the United Kingdom.