OASIS - Helgoland marine environmental monitoring
Funded by the Schleswig-Holstein state agency for the environment, we are investigating in collaboration with external partners the ecological status of selected ecosystem components of the rocky island of Helgoland and adjacent seafloor habitats.
According to European legislation for marine conservation, the Federal Republic of Germany and state authorities are obliged to regularly report on the ecological status of the national marine territories. This requires a sound understanding of the structure and temporal variability of important ecosystem components. The Schleswig-Holstein state agency for the environment is funding the long-term monitoring program „Observation and Evaluation of the Schleswig-Holstein North Sea Coastal Benthic Ecosystem – OASIS“ on the dynamics of benthic habitats of the rocky island of Helgoland and adjacent seafloor areas. The populations of intertidal and subtidal seaweeds and their associated organisms as well as other selected benthic habitats and species communities are being assessed quantitatively with different methodologies. The resulting long-term data sets document the status and ongoing changes of the marine environment and the inherent ecological processes. With this knowledge of the structure and dynamics of the unique habitats of the island of Helgoland and the surrounding areas we contribute to the understanding of the ecosystem of the North Sea and support governmental responsibilities in marine conservation.
OASIS is integrated in POF-IV in sub-topic 4.2 “Coastal ecosystem sustainability against the backdrop of natural and anthropogenic drivers”.