SHARK - National marine environmental monitoring of Zoobenthos in Sweden since 1971

The national monitoring program was initiated by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and is now financed by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management.Monitoring is performed by Stockholm University, Gothenburg University, Umeå University and Linnaeus University.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.