This dataset contains seawater monitoring data reported by Contracting Parties of HELCOM to ICES DOME database and extracted for use in Hazardous substances indicators under the HELCOM Third Holistic Assessment of the Ecosystem Health of the Baltic Sea (HOLAS 3). Attribute specifications and units: series region l3area: HELCOM ID for HELCOM assessment units in scale 3 l4area: HELCOM ID for HELCOM assessment units in scale 4 country station_co: station code station_na: station name station_lo: station long name latitude: latitude longitude: longitude MSTAT WLYTP determinan: determinand determin_1: determinand group filtered basis unit series_typ: series type sym_shape colour n_year_all n_year_fit n_year_pos: n year positive first_year: first year all first_ye_1: first year fit last_year p_nonlinea p_linear p_overall p_linear_t: p linear trend linear_tre: linear trend p_recent_t: p recent trend recent_tre: recent trend detectable: detectable trend mean_last_: mean last year climit_las: climit last year EAC_type EAC_value EAC_diff EAC_achiev EAC_below

Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSA) are special areas in world's oceans that serve important purposes, in one way or another, to support the healthy functioning of oceans and the many services that they provide. Following the voluntary commitment from HELCOM Contracting Parties at the United Nations Oceans Conference in June 2017, HELCOM started the process of identifying EBSAs in the Baltic Sea. The February 2018 EBSA workshop resulted in a proposal for areas for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to consider during the later half of 2018. Nine Baltic marine areas were described by the workshop participants as ecologically or biologically significant, including five transboundary areas covering waters of two or more countries. The described EBSAs extend into 14 of the 17 Baltic Sea sub-basins. Altogether, they cover 23% of the Baltic Sea, slightly higher than the 19% the average in other areas of the world. The described EBSAs are: - Northern Bothnian Bay - Kvarken Archipelago - Åland Sea, Åland Islands and the Archipelago Sea of Finland - Eastern Gulf of Finland - Inner Sea of West Estonian Archipelago - Southeastern Baltic Sea Shallows - Southern Gotland Harbour Porpoise Area - Fehmarn Belt - Fladen and Stora and Lilla Middelgrund. This dataset contains borders of these 9 areas and related attribute information.

Summary Estimated observations of the biotope AB.H4U1 were collected from the Baltic Sea area by expert judgements for HELCOM Red List of biotopes, habitats and biotope complexes. Description Baltic aphotic muddy sediment dominated by meiofaunaThe HELCOM Red List of Baltic Sea underwater biotopes, habitats and biotope complexes (2013) is an updated and improved version of the Red List assessment of marine and coastal biotopes and biotope complexes published in 1998. The classification of the report follows the proposed International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria and assessment principals but with some modifications for the Baltic Sea.Altogether, the HELCOM Underwater Biotope and habitat classification (HELCOM HUB) includes 209 biotopes of which 59 were red-listed. Many of the red-listed biotopes are located in deep areas of the Baltic Sea due to oxygen-free nature as well as in the southwestern Baltic Sea due to the salinity restricted distribution of species in certain biotope. The HELCOM assessment relies heavily on expert judgment and inference, and the questionnaire data represents the estimated presence-absence data not in-situ measured data. This must be taken in account when observing the map presentation. The biotopes are shown on the map using the EEA 100 km grid. This dataset displays estimated presence of AB.H4U1 according to HELCOM RED LIST assessment experts:The biotope is assumed to occur throughout the Baltic Sea both in shallow coastal waters and in the deeper central parts of the sea. The distribution map indicates the area in the 100 x 100 km grid where biotope is reported to occur. The biotope may have a significantly wider distribution.(Data (expert judgements) collected in HELCOM RED LIST project, released in May 2013)

This dataset describes fishing intensity for SSC DMF mobile bottom contacting gear in 2011 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.

Summary Estimated observations of the biotope AA.E1C4 were collected from the Baltic Sea area by expert judgements for HELCOM Red List of biotopes, habitats and biotope complexes. Description Baltic photic shell gravel dominated by kelpThe HELCOM Red List of Baltic Sea underwater biotopes, habitats and biotope complexes (2013) is an updated and improved version of the Red List assessment of marine and coastal biotopes and biotope complexes published in 1998. The classification of the report follows the proposed International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria and assessment principals but with some modifications for the Baltic Sea.Altogether, the HELCOM Underwater Biotope and habitat classification (HELCOM HUB) includes 209 biotopes of which 59 were red-listed. Many of the red-listed biotopes are located in deep areas of the Baltic Sea due to oxygen-free nature as well as in the southwestern Baltic Sea due to the salinity restricted distribution of species in certain biotope. The HELCOM assessment relies heavily on expert judgment and inference, and the questionnaire data represents the estimated presence-absence data not in-situ measured data. This must be taken in account when observing the map presentation. The biotopes are shown on the map using the EEA 100 km grid. This dataset displays estimated presence of AA.E1C4according to HELCOM RED LIST assessment experts:The kelp biotopes are common from Kattegat to the Bornholm Basin. The spatial restriction to the Western and Southern Baltic Sea is due to the salinity requirements of the dominant kelp species. The higher the salinities, the higher the diversity of the biotope with respect to accompanying plant species and inhabiting invertebrate and fish communities. The distribution map indicates the areas where the biotope can occur in a 100x100 km grid.(Data (expert judgements) collected in HELCOM RED LIST project, released in May 2013)

Summary Estimated observations of the biotope 1140 were collected from the Baltic Sea area by expert judgements for HELCOM Red List of biotopes, habitats and biotope complexes. Description Mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tideThe HELCOM Red List of Baltic Sea underwater biotopes, habitats and biotope complexes (2013) is an updated and improved version of the Red List assessment of marine and coastal biotopes and biotope complexes published in 1998. The classification of the report follows the proposed International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria and assessment principals but with some modifications for the Baltic Sea.Altogether, the HELCOM Underwater Biotope and habitat classification (HELCOM HUB) includes 209 biotopes of which 59 were red-listed. Many of the red-listed biotopes are located in deep areas of the Baltic Sea due to oxygen-free nature as well as in the southwestern Baltic Sea due to the salinity restricted distribution of species in certain biotope. The HELCOM assessment relies heavily on expert judgment and inference, and the questionnaire data represents the estimated presence-absence data not in-situ measured data. This must be taken in account when observing the map presentation. The biotopes are shown on the map using the EEA 100 km grid. This dataset displays estimated presence of the biotope 1140 according to HELCOM RED LIST assessment experts:Mudflats and sandflats not covered by sea water at low tide occur in all parts of the Baltic Sea area, but patterns and descriptions of their distribution are mostly missing. In the Lahemaa area (Southern Gulf of Finland) for example, they are representing 3% of all habitats and also in the German Baltic Sea region they form a very narrow strip along some the coastlines. No information is available on their historical distribution. The distribution map indicates the area in the 100 x 100 km grid where biotope is known to occur (Naturvårdverket 2011, EUNIS Database).(Data (expert judgements) collected in HELCOM RED LIST project, released in May 2013)

This dataset describes fishing intensity for SDN DMF mobile bottom contacting gear in 2015 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 Population trends and abundance of seals 2018. This dataset contains reported observations for harbour seals. The core indicator evaluates seal distribution to determine whether it reflects good status. Quantitative thresholds are used to evaluate if core indicators status is Good, Not good or Not assessed. Attribute information: "Species" = Species (HS = Harbour seal) "Country" = Country (2 digit acronym) "Site" = Name of site "Area" = Area "HELCOM_SUB" = Name of HELCOM Level 2 assessment unit "Latitude" = Latitude (WGS84 decimal degrees) of site "Longitude" = Longitude (WGS84 decimal degrees) of site "N2000_ID" = Natura2000 ID, if the site is located within Natura 2000 site (if available) "Year" = Year of observation "Month" = Month of observation "Day" = Day of observation (if available) "Count" = Number of individuals observed on site "Count_type" = County type "Age" = Age of individuals (if available) "No_surveys" = Number of surveys "Method" = Method of survey "CV_Estimate" "Estimate_T" = Estimate type: Modelled / minimum (observed) "Source" = Data source

This dataset describes fishing intensity for OT SPF 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.

Observations of Cryptonatica affinis 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. Cryptonatica affinis 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: 1 - Present before year 2000 or in 2000, 2 - Present after year 2000, 3 - Present both before and after year 2000.