2022 CSEMP Biota regional data

The file biota_regional_data.csv contains the summary measures used to make regional assessments of status and trends in contaminants and biological effects in biota in the 2022 assessment of the UK's Clean Seas Environment Monitoring Programme (CSEMP). The summary measures are obtained from timeseries models fitted to the contaminant and biological effect data in biota_data.csv which in turn are based on data extracted from the MERMAN database on 11 January 2023 (supplemented by micronucleated cell and fish disease index data provided by the Marine Directorate of the Scottish Government and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science). Details of the modelling procedures can be found in the method help files for contaminants, PAH metabolites, imposex and other biological effects.

The regional assessments are the basis for the biota component of the following Descriptor 8 Indicators in the UK's 2025 Marine Strategy Assessment:
* Status and Trends of Metals (including lead, cadmium and mercury) in Biota and Sediment
* Status and Trends in Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Biota and Sediment
* Status and Trends of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Biota and Sediment
* Status and Trends of Polybrominated Diphenylethers (PBDEs) in Biota and Sediment
* Status and Trends in the Levels of Imposex in Marine Gastropods
* Biological effects (EROD enzyme activity) in fish
* Biological effects (micronucleus) of contaminants in fish
* External Fish Disease

There are also regional assessments using human health thresholds for metals, PAHs, PCBs and PBDEs. Full details can be found in the links below:
* regional assessment of metal concentrations in biota (health)
* regional assessment of PAH concentrations in biota (health)
* regional assessment of PCB concentrations in biota (health)
* regional assessment of PBDE concentrations in biota (health)

The file biota_regional_data.csv is UTF-8-BOM encoded so can be read directly into Excel, or into R using the function read.csv with the argument fileEncoding = “UTF-8-BOM”.

The data mostly relate to chemical concentrations and the variable descriptions are written with that in mind. Any differences are usually related to imposex time series and these are detailed in the notes accompanying each variable.

The variables in the file are:

series
Description: timeseries identifier
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: 1945
Note: links to the timeseries data in biota_data.csv

MSFD_subregion
Description: Marine Strategy Framework Directive subregion
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: Greater North Sea, Celtic Seas
Note: in the map of biogeographic regions the Greater North Sea comprises the Northern North Sea, Southern North Sea, and Eastern Channel, whilst the Celtic Seas comprises the Western Channel and Celtic Sea, Irish Sea, Minches and Western Scotland, Scottish Continental Shelf, and Atlantic North-West Approaches.

biogeographic_region
Description: biogeographic region
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: Northern North Sea, Southern North Sea, Eastern Channel, Western Channel & Celtic Sea, Irish Sea, Minches & Western Scotland, Scottish Continental Shelf
Notes:
* regional assessments are conducted at the biogeographic regional scale
* there are 8 biogeographic regions but only 7 with results that feed into regional assessments

CSEMP_region
Description: CSEMP region
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: 17
Notes:
* there are 22 monitoring regions in the CSEMP but only 17 with results that feed into regional assessments
* the CSEMP regions are aggregated into 8 biogeographic regions for regional assessments

CSEMP_stratum
Description: subdivision of the CSEMP region
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: 84
Note: there are 818 CSEMP strata, most of which are WFD water bodies, but only 84 with results that feed into regional assessments

station_governance
Description: organisation responsible for the monitoring station
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: CEFAS, DAERA, EANat, MDSG, SEPA
Notes:
* Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS)
* Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA)
* Environment Agency (EANat)
* Marine Directorate of the Scottish Government (MDSG)
* Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)

station_code
Description: monitoring station identifier
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: 142
Note:

station_name
Description: name associated with the monitoring station
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: 142
Note:

station_latitude
Description: station latitude
Unit: decimal degrees
Type: continuous
Range: 50.08, 60.78
Note: this is a nominal position: sampling occurs in a pre-defined area broadly centred on this position

station_longitude
Description: station longitude
Unit: decimal degrees
Type: continuous
Range: -7.11, 2.90
Note: this is a nominal position: sampling occurs in a pre-defined area broadly centred on this position

station_type
Description: type of monitoring station
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: RH, IH
Note: reference (RH) or impacted (IH)

waterbody_type
Description: station typography
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: Estuary, Coast, Open Sea
Note: only coastal and open sea stations are used in regional assessments, apart for the imposex regional assessment where estuarine stations are also used

determinand_group
Description: contaminant or biological effect group
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: Metals, PAH parent compounds, PAH metabolites, Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, Polychlorinated biphenyls, Imposex, Biological effects (other)
Note:

determinand
Description: contaminant or biological effect
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: 50
Notes:
* See ICES reference codes for PARAM
* SBDE6 is the code used for the sum of BDE28, BDE47, BDE99, BD100, BD153 and BD154
* FDI is the code used for the fish disease index

species
Description: species
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: 6
Note:
* Limanda limanda: AphiaID = 127139
* Merlangius merlangus: AphiaID = 126438
* Mytilus edulis: AphiaID = 140480
* Nucella lapillus: AphiaID = 140403
* Platichthys flesus: AphiaID = 127141
* Pleuronectes platessa: AphiaID = 127143

matrix
Description: sample matrix (tissue)
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: BI, ER, LI, LIS9, MU, SB, WO
Note: see ICES reference codes for MATRX

basis
Description: basis of the assessment
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: dry weight (D), lipid weight (L) or wet weight (W)
Note:

unit
Description: unit of measurement
Unit:
Type: discrete
Levels: idx, nr/1000 cells, pmol/min/mg protein, st, ug/kg, ug/ml
Note:

sex
Description: sex
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: F, M
Note: only provided for EROD where separate time series are assessed for females (F) and males (M)

method_analysis
Description: method of chemical analysis
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: FLM-SS
Notes:
* see ICES reference codes for METOA
* only provided for PAH metabolites where the assessment concentrations depend on the method of analysis

last_year
Description: last year of the timeseries
Unit: y
Type: discrete
Range: 2016, 2021
Note: only timeseries with some data in the last six monitoring years are included in the assessment (i.e. 2016-2021 for the 2022 assessment)

mean_last_year
Description: the fitted mean concentration (or equivalent for biological effects) in last_year
Unit: see unit
Type: continuous
Range: -0.46, 172939
Note:

BAC_type
Description: the name of the Background Assessment Concentration (BAC) or equivalent
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: BAC
Note:

BAC_value
Description: the value of the BAC (or equivalent)
Unit: see unit
Type: continuous
Range: 0.0054, 63000
Note: more details can be found in the help files on assessment criteria for contaminants in biota and biological effects

status_BAC
Description: the log ratio of mean_last_year to the BAC
Unit: dimensionless
Type: continuous
Range: -3.2, 7.27
Notes:
* contaminants, PAH metabolites, EROD and micronucleated cells: status_BAC = log(mean_last_year / BAC_value), with a value above / below 0 indicating that the fitted mean concentration in the last monitoring year is above / below the BAC; the standard error is given by status_se
* fish disease index: status_BAC = mean_last_year - BAC_value, with a value above / below 0 indicating that the fitted mean index in the last monitoring year is above / below the BAC; the standard error is given by status_se
* imposex: status_BAC = sqrt(mean_last_year / BAC_value), with a value above / below 1 indicating that the estimated mean VDS in the last monitoring year is above / below the BAC; the standard error is given by status_se / sqrt(BAC_value)

EAC_type
Description: the name of the Environmenal Assessment Criterion (EAC) or equivalent
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: EAC, FEQG, QSsp
Notes:
* EAC = Environmental Assessment Criterion
* FEQG = Federal Environmental Quality Guideline
* QSsp = Quality Standard secondary poisoning

EAC_value
Description: the value of the EAC (or equivalent)
Unit: see unit
Type: continuous
Range: 1.67, 2400
Note: more details can be found in the help files on assessment criteria for contaminants in biota and biological effects

status_EAC
Description: the log ratio of mean_last_year to the EAC
Unit: dimensionless
Type: continuous
Range: -10, 2.6
Notes:
* contaminants, PAH metabolites, EROD and micronucleated cells: status_EAC = log(mean_last_year / EAC_value), with a value above / below 0 indicating that the fitted mean concentration in the last monitoring year is above / below the EAC; the standard error is given by status_se
* fish disease index: status_EAC = mean_last_year - EAC_value, with a value above / below 0 indicating that the fitted mean concentration in the last monitoring year is above / below the EAC; the standard error is given by status_se
* imposex: status_EAC = sqrt(mean_last_year / EAC_value), with a value above / below 1 indicating that the estimated mean VDS in the last monitoring year is above / below the EAC; the standard error is given by status_se / sqrt(EAC_value)

HAC_type
Description: the name of the (human) Health Assessment Criterion (HAC)
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: MPC, QShh
Notes:
* MPC = Maximum Permissible Concentration
* QShh = Quality Standard human health
* there are no HAC for biological effects (as one might expect)

HAC_value
Description: the value of the HAC
Unit: see unit column
Type: continuous
Range: 0.052, 9146
Note: more details can be found in the help file on assessment criteria for contaminants in biota

status_HAC
Description: the log ratio of mean_last_year to the HAC
Unit: dimensionless
Type: continuous
Range: -5.4, 4.4
Note: status_HAC = log(mean_last_year / HAC_value), with a value above / below 0 indicating that the fitted mean concentration in the last monitoring year is above / below the HAC; the standard error is given by status_se

status_profile
Description: the log of mean_last_year standardised to a common basis
Unit: log unit
Type: continuous
Range: -4.5, 6.44
Note: these values are used to investigate concentration profiles of selected PAH parent compounds, Polybrominated diphenyl ethers and Polychlorinated biphenyls, and have been standardised to the basis given in basis_profile

basis_profile
Description: the basis of status_profile
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: dry weight (D) or lipid weight (L)
Note:

status_se
Description: the standard error of log mean_last_year
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: 0.017, 2.06
Notes:
* contaminants, PAH metabolites, EROD and micronucleated cells: this is the also the standard error of status_BAC, status_EAC, status_HAC and status_profile
* fish disease index: this is the standard error of mean_last_year
* imposex: this is the standard error of sqrt(mean_last_year)

trend
Description: the estimated yearly change in log concentration in the last 20 years, multiplied by 100
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: -59, 29.6
Notes:
* contaminants, PAH metabolites, EROD and micronucleated cells: trend can loosely be interpreted as the percentage yearly change in concentration in the last 20 years assuming the trend in concentration is log-linear; values below / above 0 indicate a decreasing / increasing trend
* fish disease index: trend is the estimated yearly change in index in the last 20 years assuming the change in index is linear
* imposex: trend is the estimated odds ratio of the VDS of an individual being above the EAC in one year relative to the previous year; values below / above 1 indicate a decreasing / increasing trend

trend_se
Description: the standard error of trend
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: 0.021, 33.3
Note:

biota_regional_data.csv

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Field	Value
mimetype	text/csv
filesize	652.86 KB
resource type	file upload
timestamp	Jun 02, 2025

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