As part of SLU's focus on Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (FoMA), we have central role in the monitoring of inland surface waters. This work is financed by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), municipalities and communities, water authorities and organisations.
National monitoring of inland surface waters
The national monitoring programme of inland surface waters was revised at the start of 2007 to fulfil the requirements stipulated by the European Commission's Water Framework Directive. The present programme consists of:
- Monitoring of the river mouths of large rivers
- Trend streams
- Trend lakes
- National surveys
The main aim of the trend monitoring programmes of lakes and watercourses is to address questions of long-term changes, e.g. changes related to global change or regional, human-generated stressors. In revising the national monitoring programme more focus has been placed on the monitoring of biological variables, and in some instances chemical monitoring has decreased in favour of bioassessment.
Surveys provide the spatial data needed to determine regional patterns, and coupled with time-series data, changes in surface water quality. Replacing national surveys previously conducted every 5th year; the present-day surveys are conducted yearly but limited in spatial scope. In the revised monitoring programme, each site (lake) will be sampled once every 6th year.
Besides survey monitoring, the national monitoring programme for liming of inland waters annually monitors water chemistry and biological variables in a number lakes and watercourse. Monitoring consists of both spatial (survey) and time-series studies. A total of ca. 4900 lakes were sampled in the spring of 2008. Data from this study is not presently available from our website, but will be later this year.
Other than the above mentioned programmes, a number of specialized monitoring programmes are currently running: Integrated Monitoring of the effects of liming (IKEU), Integrated monitoring of small catchments (IM), as well as monitoring of Sweden's three largest lakes (Vänern, Vättern and Mälaren). For a complete description of the national and regional monitoring programmes please refer to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency homepage.
Regional and local monitoring
A number of regional and local monitoring programmes exist with varying mandates. The programmes are often focused on supplying higher spatial and in some instances temporal resolution of minimally disturbed and impaired sites than that provided by the national monitoring programmes. We are currently involved in the monitoring of surface water quality and certain biological variables in lakes Vänern and Mälaren, and the Kolbäcks river basin. These and other monitoring projects of lakes and streams are financed by regional municipalities.
Contracted by the SEPA, we are also responsible for collation and storage of regional monitoring data, as well as water chemistry data from coordinated recipient monitoring (SRK).