Baltic proper, Northern Baltic Sea, Gotland Basin, Gdansk Basin during the period 1981-1983 (data set limits: 54 39 - 59 14N; 19 15 - 22 11E); Baltic proper, Gotland Basin, Gdansk Basin during the period 1984-1991 (data set limits: 54 39 - 57 23N; 19 51 - 21 20E); Lithuanian territorial and exclusive economic zone since 1992 (data set limits: 55 19 - 56 02N; 20 21 - 21 05E)

Zoobenthos taxonomy-related abundance per unit area of the littoral zone; Zoobenthos non taxonomy-related wet weight biomass per unit area of the bed; Zoobenthos taxonomy-related wet weight biomass per unit area of the bed; Zoobenthos generic abundance

Benthos samplers

The aim of the researches is to evaluate the state of macrozoobenthos in the Baltic Sea. Macrozoobenthos is one of the most important hydrobiological parameters of marine environmental monitoring programme, which influences the feeding base of fish and is a direct reflection of the ecological condition of a water basin. Main objectives of the researches: to study macrozoobenthos species composition, to determine its abundance and biomass as well as to evaluate year-to-year dynamics of macrozoobenthos qualitative and quantitative development. In accordance with the national and international Baltic Sea monitoring (HELCOM) programme monitoring cruises have been fulfilled with Lithuanian research vessels 'Okeanografas', 'Vetra', 'Vejas'. Since 1981 investigations of macrozoobenthos have been carried out in a wide net of stations in national (Lithuanian territorial and economic waters) and international (Baltic proper) waters (data set limits: 54 39 - 59 14N; 19 15 - 22 11E). Since1992 the net of station became more narrow and the researches has been carried out only one time a year in the territorial and exclusive economic zone of Lithuania (55 19 - 56 02N; 20 21 - 21 05E). The data are fully quality controlled. Systematic certification of laboratories, participation in an international intercalibrations, internal control, introduced managing system for researches' quality, use of high quality reagents determine quality of data. All data is stored in archive (written form) and is saved on hard disk.

N. Budajeva (1998) Distribution of mesozooplankton in the Klaipeda strait of the Kurshiu Marios Lagoon and the Baltic coastal zone / The environmental status of the Baltic Sea and Kurshiu Marios Lagoon (Articles in Lithuanian with English summaries), Virginija Cizauskiene; S. Solovjova (1998) Distribution of the macrozoobnthos in the Lithuanian national monitoring stations in the Baltic Sea in 1992-1996 / The environmental status of the Baltic Sea and Kurshiu Marios Lagoon (Articles in Lithuanian with English summaries), Virginija Cizauskiene

Department of Marine Research of the Environmental Protection Agency
Taikos Av. 26
Klaipeda

LT-91149
Lithuania