Sandbanks (according to Habitats Directive Annex I) are areas elevated from their surroundings that consist mainly of sand, but where cobbles and boulders can occur. Distribution map is based on data submission by HELCOM contracting parties. Most of the submitted data is based on modelling, GIS analysis and only limited ground-truthing has been carried out. Data coverage, accuracy and the methods in obtaining the data vary between countries.

This dataset contains all heavy metal monitoring station locations, observed matrix, biota matrix and monitored species as reported to HELCOM secretariat by HELCOM Contracting Parties by 2016.

This dataset contains the commercial Ports of Baltic Sea. The dataset was created in 2016 to be used in HELCOM Assessments. Attribute specification and units port: Name of the port Country: Name of the country LOCodes: the United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations

Number of hunted cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) per year per county. A total sum and a calculated average (hunted individuals / year) is given for the time period 2011-2015. The data was made available by HELCOM Contracting Parties in response to data request. The data was received from Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Sweden. The activity was declared as not relevant in Germany, Lithuania and Poland. From Latvia and Russia no data was reported. Attribute specification and units: Country: Country County: County SUM: Total number of hunted individuals during 2011 – 2015 AVERAGE: A calculated five (or four) year average of hunted cormorants per year (hunted individuals/year) 2011 – 2015: Number of hunted cormorants in the year in question

This dataset contains all heavy dioxins in biota monitoring station locations, observed matrix, biota matrix and monitored species as reported to HELCOM secretariat by HELCOM Contracting Parties by 2016.

This dataset contains all HBCD in seawater monitoring station locationsas reported to HELCOM secretariat by HELCOM Contracting Parties by 2016.

This dataset contains all PBDE in seawater monitoring station locationsas reported to HELCOM secretariat by HELCOM Contracting Parties by 2016.

Broad-scale habitat maps for the Baltic Sea have been produced in the EUSeaMap project in 2016. For German and Estonian marine areas, national (more accurate) datasets were used. German data included both substrate and light information (division into infralittoral/circalittoral). Estonian data included only substrate and the division into light regimes was obtained from the EuSeaMap data. Here, the habitat class “circalittoral sand includes classes “Sand” and “Muddy sand” of the original data, in the circalittoral zone. The original polygon maps have been converted to 1 km x 1km grid. The scale of the substrate data used in broad-scale habitat maps varies from 1:250 000 to 1:1M (data from EMODnet Geology). Coarser resolution data has been used in areas, where 1: 250 000 substrate data has not been available. Due to different scales used, the habitat classes may show different sized patterns in different areas.

The dataset contains the location of fossil fuel energy production facilities derived from the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR). E-PRTR cover all HELCOM Contracting Parties except Russia. Attribute specification and units: See E-PRTR code lists at https://www.eionet.europa.eu/schemas/eprtr/listOfValues In the HELCOM data review process, some facility locations appeared to be spatially slightly misplaced, adding up to uncertainty of data products derived from this dataset.

Broad-scale habitat maps for the Baltic Sea have been produced in the EUSeaMap project in 2016. For German and Estonian marine areas, national (more accurate) datasets were used. German data included both substrate and light information (division into infralittoral/circalittoral). Estonian data included only substrate and the division into light regimes was obtained from the EuSeaMap data. Here, the habitat class “circalittoral hard substrate” includes classes “Rock and other hard substrate” and “Coarse substrate” of the original data, in the circalittoral zone. The original polygon maps have been converted to 1 km x 1 km grid. The scale of the substrate data used in broad-scale habitat maps varies from 1:250 000 to 1:1M (data from EMODnet Geology). Coarser resolution data has been used in areas, where 1: 250 000 substrate data has not been available. Due to different scales used, the habitat classes may show different sized patterns in different areas.