Although making up about 1% of the total world ocean surface, the Mediterranean Sea is often used as a representative model of the world's oceans. Due to its practically enclosed character, it is also often used to assess the global change of the environment. Anthropogenic activities have contributed significantly to the existing nutrient enrichment and consequent eutrophication problems in the Mediterranean Sea. At the present, however, mainly due to the favourable circumstances regarding the hydrology, morphology as well as absence of significant upwelling of the Mediterranean basin as a whole, severe eutrophication cases are limited to specific coastal areas (UNEP 2003). To obtain a detailed knowledge of biogeochemical processes taking place in the Mediterranean Sea, a budget approach was adopted, as proposed by LOICZ. As part of the input to the LOICZ budget, the nutrient loads from contouring land need to be estimated. In fact, an evaluation of the nutrient loads from the adjacent land surfaces lends itself to be used to interpret past, existing and future legislation using scenario analyses, reflecting different expected or known events. The sequence of budgets follows four steps: water budget, salt budgets, nonconservative materials and stoichiometric linkages among non-conservative budgets.

STROBL Robert;  EVANS B.;  SOMMA Francesca;  GARCIA GORRIZ Elisa;  STIPS Adolf;  ZALDIVAR COMENGES Jose'; 

2008-10-15

The Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone International Project Office

JRC47808

2070-2442,   

www.loicz.org,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC47808,