This dataset contains results on HELCOM Assessment unit level 4b for water clarity. The information provided represents the data and results from the HELCOM HOLAS 3 indicator evaluation for eutrophication, covering the data period from 2016-2021. Data reported from national monitoring programmes to the HELCOM COMBINE database (hosted by ICES) is utilized for open sea assessment units. Open sea data extraction is carried out by ICES for in-situ (bottle) data creating the underlying assessment dataset [link ]. Coastal assessment units (WFD water types or water bodies) are assessed based on WFD result data reported by countries. Indicator analysis of both open sea and coastal areas is carried out using the HEAT assessment tool (https://github.com/ices-tools-prod/HEAT). This analysis provide the basis of the HELCOM indicator evaluations and are utilized in the HOLAS 3 thematic assessment of eutrophication. Attribute description: ES = Eutrophication Status ES_SD = Standard Deviation ES_N = Number of Observations ES_N_Min = Minimum Number of Observations any given year ES_SE = Standards Error ES_CI = Confidence Interval ET = Eutrophication Target / Threshold ER = Eutrophication Ratio ACDEV = Acceptable Deviation BEST = ET / (1 + ACDEV / 100) EQR = Ecological Quality Ratio EQR_HG = Ecological Quality Ratio High/Good Boundary EQR_GM = Ecological Quality Ratio Good/Moderate Boundary EQR_MP = Ecological Quality Ratio Moderate/Poor Boundary EQR_PB = Ecological Quality Ratio Poor/Bad Boundary EQRS = Ecological Quality Ratio Scaled GTC = General Temporal Confidence STC = Specific Temporal Confindence TTC = Total Temporal Confidence GSC = General Spatial Confidence SSC = Specific Spatial Confidence TSC = Total Spatial Confidence TC = Total Confidence

This dataset describes fishing intensity for OT CRU mobile bottom contacting gear in 2010 based on VMS/Log book data processed by ICES Working Group on Spatial Fisheries Data (WGSFD). ICES secretariat collected during 2017 relevant VMS and logbook data for 2009-2016 to produce, as a technical service to HELCOM, updated spatial data layers on fishing intensity/pressure. Improved data quality control checks were implemented. Submitted data across the HELCOM area have improved in quality compared to previous data 2009-2013 published in 2015. Standardized methods were used to produce the requested data layers. The code used to create the data products is available here: https://github.com/ices-eg/wg_WGSFD For further technical information on the advice request, see http://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2017/Special_requests/helcom.2017.18.pdf HELCOM secretariat did the following processing to the shapefile provided by ICES: - Conversion to ETRS89LAEA coordinate system - Added feature and attribute "Reported" to display unreported areas. Dataset attribute information: c-square: Unique reference of the c-square polygon Year: Year of fishing activity mid_lat: latitude coordinate of the centroid of c-square inWGS84 decimal degrees mid_lon: longitude coordinate of the centroid of c-square inWGS84 decimal degrees SurfaceSAR: Surface area ratio (Swept area, < 2 cm penetration depth of the gear components) Subsurface: Subsurface area ratio (Swept area, subsurface =>2 cm penetration depth of the gear components) totweight: Total Weight (kg) totvalue: Total value (Euros) Kw Fishing Hours: (Kw*h) Fishing hours: (h) Reported: Yes=Reported data. No= No reported data (area that does not contain effort/intensity value due to lack of reported data). Please note that this dataset was updated (v2) in January 2019, see further details below in the lineage section.

Observations of Rosenvingiella constricta were collected from the Baltic Sea area for HELCOM Red List species list. The HELCOM Red List of Baltic Sea species in danger of becoming extinct (2013) is the first threat assessment for Baltic Sea species that covers all marine mammals, fish, birds, macrophytes (aquatic plants), and benthic invertebrates, and follows the Red List criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Almost 2800 species were considered in the Red List assessment and about 1750 were evaluated according to the IUCN Red List criteria. Rosenvingiella constricta has been placed to the Red List category of Data Deficient (DD) species. Dataset for download contains spatial grid of the Baltic Sea. Distribution of the species can be found in corresponding name column. Values are coded: 0 = no observations 1 = present before year 1995 or in 1995 2 = present after year 1995 3 = present before and after year 1995

Observations of Philomachus pugnax were collected from the Baltic Sea area for HELCOM Red List species list. The HELCOM Red List of Baltic Sea species in danger of becoming extinct (2013) is the first threat assessment for Baltic Sea species that covers all marine mammals, fish, birds, macrophytes (aquatic plants), and benthic invertebrates, and follows the Red List criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Almost 2800 species were considered in the Red List assessment and about 1750 were evaluated according to the IUCN Red List criteria. Philomachus pugnax has been placed to the Red List category of Vulnerable (VU) species. The map shows the species range only during breeding season.

This dataset represents the underlying water data on core indicator Heavy metals – Lead.The core indicator evaluates the status of the marine environment based on concentrations of heavy metal Lead (Pb) in water, fish liver and sediments. Quantitative thresholds are used to evaluate if core indicators status is Achieve, Fail or Not assessed. Threshold values are based on Environmental quality standards (EQS), defined at EU level for substances included in the priority list under the Water Framework Directive. The Core indicator displays the result of the indicator in HELCOM Assessment Scale 4 (Division of the Baltic Sea into 17 sub-basins and further division into coastal and off-shore areas and division of the coastal areas by WFD water types or water bodies). Attribute information: "region" = MIME subregion "country" = country "station" = Unique text that identifies the station "stationNam" = name for the station "determinan" = determinant parameter (PB = Lead) "detGroup" = the grouping of determinands used to display the results "filtered" = Filtered or unfiltered water sample used in analysis "_shape" = shape used to map assessment results "colour" = colour used to map assessment results "l3area" = HELCOM assessment unit on scale 3 "l4area" = HELCOM assessment unit on scale 4 "nyall" = total number of years of data "nyfit" = number of years of data used in the assessment "nypos" = number of years with at least one measurement above the limit of detection "lastyear" = most recent year of data "prtrend" = the significance of the change over the most recent 20 years; for the assessment conducted in November 2017 and published in June 2018, this is the period 1996-2016 "rtrend" = annual ‘linear’ change over the most recent 20 years "meanLY" = fitted value in last monitoring year "clLY" = upper one-sided 95% confidence limit on fitted value in last monitoring year "EQS" = Threshold value "EQSdiff" = difference between clLY and EQS "EQSbelow" = whether the mean value in the last monitoring year is significantly below EQS

This core indicator evaluates the abundance of selected functional groups of coastal fish in the Baltic Sea. Quantitative thresholds are used to classify core indicators status in "Achieve", "Fail" or "Not assessed". As a rule, good status is achieved when the abundance of piscivores (i.e. fish that feed on other fish) is above a site-specific threshold value, and the abundance of cyprinids or mesopredators (i.e. mid trophic-level fish) is within an acceptable range for the specific site. The status of functional groups of coastal fish in the Baltic Sea has been evaluated by assessing the status of piscivores and cyprinids/mesopredators during the period 2011-2016. This dataset displays the result of the indicator for piscivores in HELCOM Assessment Scale 3 (Division of the Baltic Sea into 17 sub-basins and further division into coastal and offshore areas). Attribute information: "HELCOM_ID" = HELCOM ID of the HELCOM scale 3 assessment unit "Country" = Country/ Open sea "level_2" = Name of scale 2 HELCOM assessment unit "Name" = "level_3" = Name of scale 3 HELCOM assessment unit "Area (km2)" = Area of the HELCOM scale 3 assessment unit "Coastal" = Code of scale 3 HELCOM assessment unit  "Open sea" = Name of the open sea area "Coast_Code" = Code of scale 3 HELCOM assessment unit "Subbasin code" = Code of the HELCOM subbasin (scale 3) "Indicator" = Name of the indicator "Unit" = Unit of the indicator "Type" = 1 = boundary values increase/decrease monotonically, 2 = optimum range indicator "Threshold" = Threshold value of indicator "Indicator value" = Result value for the indicator "Status" = Status of the indicator (“Achieve”, “Fail” or “Not assessed”) "AULEVEL" = Assessment unit level used for the indicator "ConfA" = Confidence of classification "ConfT" = Temporal confidence of classification "ConfS" = Spatial confidence of classification "ConfM" = Methodological confidence of classification

This core indicator evaluates the status of the marine environment based on concentrations of heavy metal cadmium (Cd) in sediment. Quantitative thresholds are used to evaluate if core indicators status is "Achieve", "Fail" or "Not assessed". Threshold values are based on Environmental quality standards (EQS), defined at EU level for substances included in the priority list under the Water Framework Directive. This dataset displays the result of the indicator in HELCOM Assessment Scale 4 (Division of the Baltic Sea into 17 sub-basins and further division into coastal and off-shore areas and division of the coastal areas by WFD water types or water bodies). Attribute specifications and units: "HELCOM_ID" = Code of the HELCOM scale 4 assessment unit "country": country in which the HELCOM assessment unit is located or a mention to an open sea area "level_2" = Name of the HELCOM assessment unit in scale 2 "Name" = Name of the HELCOM assessment unit in scale 4 "Open_sea" = Name of the HELCOM assessment unit in the open sea "F2_Name" = Name of the HELCOM assessment unit "determinan" = Determinat "est" = The estimated mean loge concentration in the assessment unit "se" = The standard error on the estimated mean log concentration in the assessment unit "fit" = The estimated mean concentration in the assessment unit "upper_cl" = Upper one-sided 95% confidence limit on the mean concentration: exp(est + qnorm(0.95) * see) "Status" = Overall Status of the indicator according to one-out-all-out

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

This dataset describes fishing intensity for Otter mobile bottom contacting gear in 2012 based on VMS/Log book data processed by ICES Working Group on Spatial Fisheries Data (WGSFD). ICES secretariat collected during 2017 relevant VMS and logbook data for 2009-2016 to produce, as a technical service to HELCOM, updated spatial data layers on fishing intensity/pressure. Improved data quality control checks were implemented. Submitted data across the HELCOM area have improved in quality compared to previous data 2009-2013 published in 2015. Standardized methods were used to produce the requested data layers. The code used to create the data products is available here: https://github.com/ices-eg/wg_WGSFD For further technical information on the advice request, see http://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2017/Special_requests/helcom.2017.18.pdf HELCOM secretariat did the following processing to the shapefile provided by ICES: - Conversion to ETRS89LAEA coordinate system - Added feature and attribute "Reported" to display unreported areas. Dataset attribute information: c-square: Unique reference of the c-square polygon Year: Year of fishing activity mid_lat: latitude coordinate of the centroid of c-square inWGS84 decimal degrees mid_lon: longitude coordinate of the centroid of c-square inWGS84 decimal degrees SurfaceSAR: Surface area ratio (Swept area, < 2 cm penetration depth of the gear components) Subsurface: Subsurface area ratio (Swept area, subsurface =>2 cm penetration depth of the gear components) totweight: Total Weight (kg) totvalue: Total value (Euros) Kw Fishing Hours: (Kw*h) Fishing hours: (h) Reported: Yes=Reported data. No= No reported data (area that does not contain effort/intensity value due to lack of reported data). Please note that this dataset was updated (v2) in January 2019, see further details below in the lineage section.

This dataset represents the underlying data on core indicator Zooplankton mean size and total stock (MSTS). The core indicator evaluates zooplankton community structure to determine whether it reflects good environmental status. Quantitative thresholds are used to evaluate core indicators status in Achieve, Fail or Not assessed. As a rule, achieve status occur when large sized zooplankters occur abundantly in the plankton community. Due to strong environmental gradients, size distribution and total stock of the zooplankton corresponding to achieve status vary between the Baltic Sea sub-basins. This dataset displays the result of the indicator in HELCOM Assessment Scale 2 (Division of the Baltic Sea into 17 sub-basins). The dataset contains following attributes: "HELCOM_ID" = ID of the HELCOM scale 2 assessment unit "SB_Code" = Code of the HELCOM subbasin "Name" = Name of the HELCOM scale 2 assessment unit "Threshold value" = Threshold value for this indicator "Indicator value" = Value for the indicator in HELCOM scale 2 assessment unit "Status" = Status of the indicator (“Good”, “Not good” or “Not assessed”) "Info" = additional information "AULEVEL" = Assessment unit level used for the indicator "ConfA" = confidence of classification "ConfT" = Temporal confidence of classification "ConfS" = Spatial confidence of classification "ConfM" = Methodological confidence of classification