This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 8, criterion 4. This dataset contains measurements on the 7-Ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity in Limanda limanda, Imposex (OTIN in Mytilus edulis), fish diseases and counts of oiled common guillemots in the Belgian part of the North Sea.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 8, criterion 1. This dataset contains the contaminant concentrations measured in sediments at 10 monitoring stations in the Belgian part of the North Sea between 2011 and 2015. 88 parameters are measured in the upper part of the sea bottom by a Van Veen grab sampler. The contaminants are analyzed on the fraction < 63 µm. PCBs and heavy metals are analyzed by ILVO (and CODA). PBDEs, PAHs and organotin compounds are analysed by KBIN-OD Nature, PAHs and organotin based on an accredited method (ISO/IEC 17025).

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 6, criterion 1. This dataset describes and maps the the physical loss of the seabed in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS) in the period 2011-2016. The dataset combines the different human activities responsible for a loss of seabed, including wrecks, measuring piles and radar stations, pipelines, power and telecommunication cables with their rock dump, and wind farms. The area lost is mapped and quantified per year, per activity and per benthic broad habitat.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 4, criterion 2. Three distinct datasets are published for this criterion.'Occurrence of breeding seabirds' describes the observation of eight seabird species (Common tern, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Small Black-backed Gull, Yellow-legged gull, Big Stern and Little Stern) on the Belgian coast between 1992 and 2015. 'Density of seabirds' describes the density of seabirds (N birds/km) observed at large in the Belgian part of the North Sea between 1987 and 2016 (three surveys a year). Thirteen species are monitored and the evolution of each species density is shown as diagrams.'Occurrence of important benthic species' describes the results of Van Veen sampling campaigns performed between 2009 and 2014 in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Benthic species are counted and identified (e.g. Annelida, Echinodermata,..).

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 1, criterion 2. The Raja clavata dataset describes the results of the Offshore Beam Trawl Surveys (BTS) in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS) between 2010 and 2017. Occurrences of Raja Clavata, along with dates and locations, are reported. The codes used in the attached file are based on the ICES DATRAS (Database of Trawl Surveys) standard. The seabirds dataset describes the density of seabirds (N birds/km) observed in the BPNS between 1987 and 2016 (three surveys a year).

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 8, criterion 2. This dataset contains measurements on the 7-Ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity in Limanda limanda, Imposex (OTIN in Mytilus edulis), fish diseases and counts of oiled common guillemots in the Belgian part of the North Sea.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 8, criterion 1. This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 8, criterion 1. This dataset contains the concentrations of priority substances (tributyltin, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs)) measured in the water column at three stations in the Belgian part of the North Sea between 2009 and 2014 (as reported in the frame of the WFD in 2016). In total, 45 different parameters are measured.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 8, criterion 1. This dataset describes the contaminant concentrations in biota. The priority substances mercury, hexachlorobutadiene and hexachlorobenzene are measured in mussels and flounder in the BPNS. Results for other parameters that are part of the OSPAR Coordinated Environmental Monitoring Program are also included: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, organotin-compounds and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) for the period 2011-2016. The analyses are performed by ILVO and KBIN-OD Nature that both participate in the Quasimeme ring tests for additional quality control. Bird eggs of 2008, 2010 and 2015 are measured for mercury (Hg), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH). Eggs from the are measured and compared with OSPAR norms Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) are gathered in Zeebrugge and are analyzed by the Insitut für vogelforschung in Wilhelmshaven according to a standard protocol.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 5, criterion 2. This dataset contains the average of the 90th percentile chlorophyll a concentration during the growing season (march-october) in the Belgian part of the North Sea for the years 2011-2016. Chlorophyll a concentration (Chl) was generated from satellite daily data from ocean colour sensors. Data is supplied at approximately 1 km resolution on a geographical grid with equal spacing in longitude and latitude covering the described region.

UNDER EMBARGO - This dataset contains seasonal physiological measurements from controlled laboratory experiments on two dominant suspension-feeding species expected to colonise floating offshore structures: the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis; AphiaID 140480) and the wrinkled barnacle (Balanus crenatus; AphiaID 106215). The measured parameters include clearance rates, respiration rates, faecal pellet production rates, and faecal pellet sinking velocities. Mussels were collected from an aquaculture longline at the Westdiep SeaFarm, while barnacles were manually retrieved from the intertidal beachhead at Raversijde (Oostende, Belgium). All experiments were conducted using natural seawater collected from offshore sites in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Measurements were repeated across multiple seasons to capture temporal variability in physiological performance. The dataset was produced within the SWiM and EcoMPV projects and is suitable for reuse in ecosystem and biogeochemical modelling, including simulations of phytoplankton dynamics associated with large-scale offshore marine photovoltaic (MPV) developments.