4f4c4942-4343-5764-6473-313136333039 English Natural Resources Wales (NRW) Maes-y-Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DW, Wales enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk http://naturalresources.wales/?lang=en 2026-03-03T17:29:49.556Z NRW 1.0 wel British National Grid (EPSG::27700) OSPAR River Monitoring Programme OSPAR River Monitoring Programme Rhaglen Monitro Afonydd OSPAR AfA023 OSPAR 2022-11-01 NRW_DS116309 The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic know as the OSPAR Convention 1998 (Oslo Convention 1972 and Paris Convention 1974), is an agreement signed by a number of European countries (including the United Kingdom) to protect the quality of the North East Atlantic. The objective of the OSPAR Convention is to take all possible steps to prevent and eliminate pollution entering the sea. The OSPAR Convention provides standard methods for estimating the inputs of selected pollutants to the sea by using fixed sampling schedule and a standard input calculation. In Wales, all principal rivers are sampled monthly (12 times a year) just upstream of their tidal limits. For those rivers carrying the heaviest contaminant loads the sampling frequency maybe increased beyond the minimum of 12. Major trade effluents and sewage effluents to estuaries or coastal waters are also sampled monthly to assess direct discharges to marine waters. Flow values of discharges direct to estuary or sea are sometimes provided by the operators themselves. This is usually part of statutory monitoring arrangements. The aim of these programmes is to assess the level of contamination entering the sea from Wales (the 'load') and to chart the progress in the reduction of this load. This dataset contains the results and data obtained from these programmes. The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic know as the OSPAR Convention 1998 (Oslo Convention 1972 and Paris Convention 1974), is an agreement signed by a number of European countries (including the United Kingdom) to protect the quality of the North East Atlantic. The objective of the OSPAR Convention is to take all possible steps to prevent and eliminate pollution entering the sea. The OSPAR Convention provides standard methods for estimating the inputs of selected pollutants to the sea by using fixed sampling schedule and a standard input calculation. In Wales, all principal rivers are sampled monthly (12 times a year) just upstream of their tidal limits. For those rivers carrying the heaviest contaminant loads the sampling frequency maybe increased beyond the minimum of 12. Major trade effluents and sewage effluents to estuaries or coastal waters are also sampled monthly to assess direct discharges to marine waters. Flow values of discharges direct to estuary or sea are sometimes provided by the operators themselves. This is usually part of statutory monitoring arrangements. The aim of these programmes is to assess the level of contamination entering the sea from Wales (the 'load') and to chart the progress in the reduction of this load. This dataset contains the results and data obtained from these programmes. Cytundeb a arwyddwyd gan nifer o wledydd Ewropeaidd (gan gynnwys y Deyrnas Unedig) yw Cynhadledd Gwarchod Amgylchedd Forwrol Gogledd-Ddwyrain yr Iwerydd a elwir yn Gynhadledd OSPAR 1998 ("Oslo Convention 1972 & Paris Convention 1974") er mwyn gwarchod ansawdd Gogledd-Ddwyrain yr Iwerydd. Amcan y Gynhadledd OSPAR yw cymryd pob cam posib i atal a dileu llygredd rhag mynd i mewn i'r môr. Mae'r Gynhadledd OSPAR yn darparu dulliau safonol o amcangyfrif mewnbwn llygryddion penodol i'r môr gan ddefnyddio amserlen samplu benodol a chyfrifiad mewnbwn safonol. Mae'r prif afonydd i gyd yn cael eu samplu'n fisol (12 gwaith y flwyddyn) i fyny'r afon o'u cyfyngiadau llanw. Ar gyfer yr afonydd hynny sy'n cario'r llwythau difwyno trymaf gall y samplu gynyddu o'r isafswm o 12. Mae'r prif elifiannau masnach a'r elifiannau carthffosiaeth i aberoedd neu ddyfroedd arfordirol hefyd yn cael eu samplu yn fisol i asesu dadlwythiadau uniongyrchol i ddyfroedd morwrol. Pwrpas y rhaglenni hyn yw asesu lefel y difwyno sy'n y môr (y 'llwyth') ac i ddilyn gwelliant yn lleihad y llwyth hwn. Cydnabyddiaeth Yn cynnwys gwybodaeth Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru © Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru a Hawl Cronfa Ddata. Cedwir pob hawl. Darllenwch y drwydded i ddeall amodau defnyddio'r data. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) Maes-y-Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DW, Wales enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk http://naturalresources.wales/?lang=en Natural Resources Wales (NRW) Maes-y-Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DW, Wales enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk http://naturalresources.wales/?lang=en Natural Resources Wales (NRW) Maes-y-Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DW, Wales enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk http://naturalresources.wales/?lang=en Natural Resources Wales (NRW) Maes-y-Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DW, Wales enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk http://naturalresources.wales/?lang=en Environmental monitoring facilities GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 2008-06-01 geonetwork.thesaurus.external.theme.httpinspireeceuropaeutheme-theme pollutants water quality monitoring OSPAR NRW Thesaurus 2025-01-08 geonetwork.thesaurus.local.theme.converted_nrw-keywords Contaminant fluxes between the terrestrial and marine environment SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary 2024-06-19 geonetwork.thesaurus.external.theme.rdf+xml Water quality IPSV Subjects List 2020-11-18 geonetwork.thesaurus.external.theme.subjects Ecosystem (SMNR) Freshwater and Wetlands (SMNR) Water Quality (SMNR) Hydrological Processes (SMNR) Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (SMNR) Natural Resources (Incl. Features and Processes) (SMNR) Water Resources (SMNR) Management Areas (SMNR) Soil and Land (SMNR) NRW SMNR Keywords 2024-06-26 geonetwork.thesaurus.local.theme.converted_nrw-smnr-keywords There are no access restrictions on this data. NRW may release, publish or disseminate it freely. no limitations © CNC/NRW Data may be re-used under the terms of the Open Government Licence providing it is done so, acknowledging both the source and NRW's copyright. It is the recipient's responsibility to ensure the data is fit for the intended purpose. Contains Natural Resources Wales information © Natural Resources Wales and Database Right. All rights Reserved. Open Government Licence English environment SeaVoX Vertical Co-ordinate Coverages 2021-01-06 water column Wales (WLS) -5.777741 -2.608865 51.240829 53.513067 1998-01-01 2022-09-30 Database Unknown MS Access database https://datamap.gov.wales/documents/2629 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Download Data Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services 2010-12-08 This dataset has not been assessed for conformance to the referenced INSPIRE regulation. false The substances controlled under OSPAR are: Mercury, Cadmium, Copper, Zinc, Lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), gamma-HCH (Hexachlorocyclohexane), Orthophosphate, Phosphorous (total), Nitrate, Nitrogen (total) and suspended particulate material. The load of contamination to the sea is measured at over 300 sites around the coast of England and Wales. These sites have been grouped into thirty two coastal zones. OSPAR data is updated annually approximately 6 months through the year for the previous year. Data held ranges from 1998 to the present. It’s high/low based on twelve annual samples. This product provides a pair of annual estimates for each sampling point, known as high load, and low load. The difference between the high and low load estimates is owing to the way in which the samples with results at the 'limit of detection' are treated. The limit of detection is the lowest concentration of a substance that can be reliably measured - any real concentration lower than this level, including zero, is reported as being present at 'less than' the limit of detection concentration. Where the substance has been analysed for but the concentration is below the limit of detection, a calculation can be made assuming that it is not present at all (a low load estimate). Alternatively, a calculation can be made by assuming that the substance is present exactly at the limit of detection (a high load estimate). The low load calculation gives an optimistic estimate of the real load, whereas the high load calculation gives a pessimistic estimate. The real load discharged will be somewhere between these two figures. The substances controlled under OSPAR are: Mercury, Cadmium, Copper, Zinc, Lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), gamma-HCH (Hexachlorocyclohexane), Orthophosphate, Phosphorous (total), Nitrate, Nitrogen (total) and suspended particulate material. The load of contamination to the sea is measured at over 300 sites around the coast of England and Wales. These sites have been grouped into thirty two coastal zones. OSPAR data is updated annually approximately 6 months through the year for the previous year. Data held ranges from 1998 to the present. It’s high/low based on twelve annual samples. This product provides a pair of annual estimates for each sampling point, known as high load, and low load. The difference between the high and low load estimates is owing to the way in which the samples with results at the 'limit of detection' are treated. The limit of detection is the lowest concentration of a substance that can be reliably measured - any real concentration lower than this level, including zero, is reported as being present at 'less than' the limit of detection concentration. Where the substance has been analysed for but the concentration is below the limit of detection, a calculation can be made assuming that it is not present at all (a low load estimate). Alternatively, a calculation can be made by assuming that the substance is present exactly at the limit of detection (a high load estimate). The low load calculation gives an optimistic estimate of the real load, whereas the high load calculation gives a pessimistic estimate. The real load discharged will be somewhere between these two figures.