1.1. Contact organisation
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union
1.2. Contact organisation unit
E2: Environmental statistics and accounts; sustainable development
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Joseph Bech building
5, Rue Alphonse Weicker
L-2721 Luxembourg
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
8 March 2023
2.2. Metadata last posted
30 April 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
30 April 2025
The indicator is part of the EU Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicator set. It is used to monitor progress towards SDG 14 on conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine recources for sustainable development, which is embedded in the European Commission’s Priorities under 'Sustaining our quality of life: food security, water and nature'.
SDG 14 aims to achieve conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources, that also requires among other things preventing and reducing marine pollution and the impacts of ocean acidification.
The indicator can be considered as similar to the global SDG indicator 14.1.1: (a) "Index of coastal eutrophication".
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires Member States to report on eutrophication for their regional seas every 6 years.
4.1. Data description
The indicator shows the share of eutrophic marine waters in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). An area is classified as eutrophic if for more than 25 % of the observation days of a given year the chlorophyll concentrations as a proxy for eutrophication are above the 90th percentile of the 1998–2017 reference base line.
Eutrophication is the process by which an excess of nutrients – mainly phosphorus and nitrogen – leads to increased growth of plant material, particularly algal blooms, in an aquatic body resulting in a decrease in water quality. This can, in turn, cause death by hypoxia of aquatic organisms. Anthropogenic activities, such as farming, agriculture, aquaculture, industry and sewage, are the main source of nutrient input in problem areas.
The Copernicus Marine Service has calculated the indicator from satellite imagery.
4.2. Unit of measure
km2 and % of Exclusive Economic Zone
4.3. Reference Period
Calendar year
4.4. Accuracy - overall
Indicator from non-ESS source. For assessment of accuracy please refer to the original source (see link to external data source and metadata in section “Annexes”).
4.5. Source data
4.5.1. Source data - Organisation
Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS)
4.5.2. Source data - Comment
Data source: Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS)
Data provider: CMEMS (through Mercator Ocean International)
5.1. Frequency of dissemination
5.1.1. Frequency of dissemination - Grade
Every year5.1.2. Frequency of dissemination - Comment
Indicator is updated annually in February.
5.2. Timeliness
5.2.1. Timeliness - Grade
T+1 year5.2.2. Timeliness - Comment
New data points are disseminated within one years after the reference year.
6.1. Reference area
6.1.1. Reference Area - Grade
> 75% EU MS and EU aggregate6.1.2. Reference Area - Comment
Data are presented for all EU Member States but do not apply to Czechia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia (landlocked countries).
6.2. Comparability - geographical
6.2.1. Comparability - geographical - Grade
All EU MS6.2.2. Comparability - geographical - Comment
Data are comparable between all EU Member States (as far as applicable).
6.3. Coverage - Time
6.3.1. Time Coverage - Grade
> 10 years6.3.2. Time Coverage - Comment
Presented time series (including EU aggregates) starts in 1998.
6.4. Comparability - over time
6.4.1. Comparability - over time - Grade
> 4 data points6.4.2. Comparability - over time - Comment
Length of comparable time series without methodological break is > 4 data points.
7.1. Dissemination format - Publications
Analysis of indicator is presented in Eurostat's annual monitoring report on Sustainable development in the EU (progress towards SDGs in the EU context).
7.2. Dissemination format - online database
see table sdg_14_60
7.3. Dissemination format - other
Eurostat dedicated section on SDGs: overview.
Copyrights: Eurostat Copyright/Licence Policy is applicable.
Annexes:
Global Ocean Chlorophyll-a anomalies
Copernicus Ocean State Report, issue 6 on methodology and alignment with UN method
