Identification

Title

Marine Environment Monitoring and Assessment National database (MERMAN) Contaminants, nutrients, biological and eutrophication effects in water - 1999 onwards

Alternative title(s)

British Oceanographic Data Centre record 1048MERMAN_CW

Abstract

The Marine Environment Monitoring and Assessment National database (MERMAN) is a national database which holds and provides access to data collected under the Clean Safe Seas Environmental Monitoring Programme (CSEMP) formerly the National Marine Monitoring Programme (NMMP). The data collected are the responsibility of the Competent Monitoring Authorities (CMAs) who collect the samples from stations in UK waters using water sampling techniques, trawls, nets or grabs. The CMAs then send the collected samples to accredited laboratories where they are analysed. A weighting is calculated, based on the quality of the analysis. The weighting score incorporates the laboratory accreditation, reference material, inter-laboratory comparisons, detection limits, uncertainties and standard deviations. Where data do not meet a threshold score they are given a status of ‘FAIL’ and although they are stored they are not made available to external users. The MERMAN contaminants, nutrients, biological and eutrophication effects in water data start in 1999. Data are submitted by the CMAs annually and an annual submission may include updates to legacy data to provide additional data or improve data/metadata. The data held in MERMAN fulfils the UK's mandatory monitoring requirements under the Oslo and Paris Convention (OSPAR) Joint Assessments and Monitoring Programme (JAMP). These data are used in support of European Commission (EC) directives and national assessments, such as Charting Progress 2 and are also supplied to the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODNET).

Resource type

dataset

Resource locator

https://www.bodc.ac.uk/resources/portals_and_links/merman/assessments_and_data_access/

name: MERMAN data information webpage

description: BODC webpage describing aacess to the data

function: information

Unique resource identifier

code

EDMED6540

codeSpace

http://www.bodc.ac.uk/

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

authority code

OGP

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

oceans

biota

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

originating controlled vocabulary

title

SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2023-12-12

Keyword set

keyword value

originating controlled vocabulary

title

GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2009-07-31

Keyword set

keyword value

originating controlled vocabulary

title

MEDIN metadata record availability

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2012-01-11

Keyword set

keyword value

originating controlled vocabulary

title

SeaVoX Vertical Co-ordinate Coverages

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2020-05-21

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

-11.28

East bounding longitude

4.9145

North bounding latitude

62.00

South bounding latitude

48.0453

Extent

Extent group

authority code

title

SeaVoX water bodies

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2023-09-13

code identifying the extent

North Sea

Extent group

authority code

title

SeaVoX water bodies

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2023-09-13

code identifying the extent

Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland

Extent group

authority code

title

SeaVoX water bodies

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2023-09-13

code identifying the extent

Irish Sea

Extent group

authority code

title

SeaVoX water bodies

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2023-09-13

code identifying the extent

Bristol Channel

Extent group

authority code

title

SeaVoX water bodies

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2023-09-13

code identifying the extent

Celtic Sea

Extent group

authority code

title

SeaVoX water bodies

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2023-09-13

code identifying the extent

English Channel

Extent group

authority code

title

SeaVoX water bodies

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2023-09-13

code identifying the extent

Norwegian Sea

Extent group

authority code

title

SeaVoX water bodies

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2023-09-13

code identifying the extent

Northeast Atlantic Ocean (40W)

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

1999-07-18

End position

2024-08-13

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2017-10-03

date type

creation

effective date

2016-06-22

date type

revision

effective date

2021-04-21

Frequency of update

asNeeded

Quality and validity

Lineage

The Competent Monitoring Authorities send the collected samples to accredited laboratories where they are analysed. A weighting is calculated, based on the quality of the analysis. The weighting score incorporates the laboratory accreditation, reference material, inter-laboratory comparisons, detection limits, uncertainties and standard deviations.The MERMAN Management Team facilitate and coordinate the data submissions. This achieved by liaising with the CMAs, providing advice and managing the database through database enhancements and the implementation of database rules.Once submissions are complete the MERMAN Management Team curate and check the data submissions investigating any noticeable errors. This is done by using visual tools from various local software and running the data through ICES checking software. Any errors to the data are then ranked by status, the CMAs are informed and the most critical errors are corrected and resubmitted.

Conformity

Conformity report

specification

title

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

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2010-12-08

degree

true

explanation

BODC protocols are based on the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) model enabling BODC to iterate towards compliance with the on-going evolution and development of community requirements including FAIR (Findable,Accessible,Interoperable,Reusable), TRUST (Transparency, Responsibility, User community, Sustainability, Technology) and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics). Data managers quality assure submissions and assemble the metadata necessary for curation. Submissions (as received) are placed in a long-term accession and stored in triplicate across multiple sites. Appropriate data are transferred into a standard internal format with source variable names mapped to controlled vocabularies, documentation assembled, and metadata loaded into BODC databases. Access to these data is through direct request, the BODC website and through partner repositories such as SeaDataNet. Access control is attained by assigning a data policy to each set of data and this policy is used to administer access when data are requested. Discovery metadata is aligned with EU INSPIRE (through MEDIN) and SeaDataNet community standards. Data are converted to open community formats including Ocean Data View ASCII and SeaDataNet NetCDF, with data described using terms from the NERC vocabulary server. BODC submission agreements are documented on the BODC website and customer service is assured with a dedicated requests team that serve data following local regulations including General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018 and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) 2004.

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Limitations on public access

Data are freely available to all following agreement to the terms and conditions of a Data Licence

Constraint set

Limitations on public access

Usage restrictions are specified in the terms of the licence

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

Unknown

organisation name

Natural Resources Wales

full postal address

Tŷ Cambria

Cardiff

CF24 0TP

United Kingdom

telephone number

+44 (0) 300 065 3000

email address

enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

web address

http://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

responsible party role

owner

Responsible party

contact position

Unknown

organisation name

Natural Resources Wales

full postal address

Tŷ Cambria

Cardiff

CF24 0TP

United Kingdom

telephone number

+44 (0) 300 065 3000

email address

enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

web address

http://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

responsible party role

originator

Responsible party

contact position

Unknown

organisation name

Environment Agency Head Office

full postal address

Rio House

Waterside Drive

Aztec West

Almondsbury

BS32 4UD

United Kingdom

email address

enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

web address

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk

responsible party role

owner

Responsible party

contact position

Unknown

organisation name

Environment Agency Head Office

full postal address

Rio House

Waterside Drive

Aztec West

Almondsbury

BS32 4UD

United Kingdom

email address

enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

web address

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk

responsible party role

originator

Responsible party

contact position

Unknown

organisation name

Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Stirling Office

full postal address

Strathallan House

Stirling

FK9 4TZ

United Kingdom

telephone number

+44 (0)1786 452595

email address

inapplicable

web address

https://www.sepa.org.uk/

responsible party role

owner

Responsible party

contact position

Unknown

organisation name

Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Stirling Office

full postal address

Strathallan House

Stirling

FK9 4TZ

United Kingdom

telephone number

+44 (0)1786 452595

email address

inapplicable

web address

https://www.sepa.org.uk/

responsible party role

originator

Responsible party

contact position

Unknown

organisation name

Marine Scotland Science

full postal address

Marine Laboratory, PO Box 101

Aberdeen

AB11 9DB

United Kingdom

telephone number

+44 (0)1224 876544

email address

inapplicable

responsible party role

owner

Responsible party

contact position

Unknown

organisation name

Marine Scotland Science

full postal address

Marine Laboratory, PO Box 101

Aberdeen

AB11 9DB

United Kingdom

telephone number

+44 (0)1224 876544

email address

inapplicable

responsible party role

originator

Responsible party

contact position

Unknown

organisation name

Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory

full postal address

Pakefield Road

Lowestoft

NR33 OHT

United Kingdom

telephone number

+44 (0)1502 562244

email address

datamanager@cefas.co.uk

web address

http://www.cefas.co.uk/

responsible party role

owner

Responsible party

contact position

Unknown

organisation name

Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory

full postal address

Pakefield Road

Lowestoft

NR33 OHT

United Kingdom

telephone number

+44 (0)1502 562244

email address

datamanager@cefas.co.uk

web address

http://www.cefas.co.uk/

responsible party role

originator

Responsible party

contact position

Unknown

organisation name

Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute

full postal address

AFBI Headquarters

Newforge Lane

Belfast

BT9 5PX

United Kingdom

telephone number

+44 (0)28 90 255689

email address

info@afbini.gov.uk

web address

http://www.afbini.gov.uk/

responsible party role

owner

Responsible party

contact position

Unknown

organisation name

Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute

full postal address

AFBI Headquarters

Newforge Lane

Belfast

BT9 5PX

United Kingdom

telephone number

+44 (0)28 90 255689

email address

info@afbini.gov.uk

web address

http://www.afbini.gov.uk/

responsible party role

originator

Responsible party

contact position

Director

organisation name

British Oceanographic Data Centre

full postal address

Joseph Proudman Building

6 Brownlow Street

Liverpool

L3 5DA

United Kingdom

email address

enquiries@bodc.ac.uk

web address

https://www.bodc.ac.uk/

responsible party role

custodian

Responsible party

contact position

Director

organisation name

British Oceanographic Data Centre

full postal address

Joseph Proudman Building

6 Brownlow Street

Liverpool

L3 5DA

United Kingdom

email address

enquiries@bodc.ac.uk

web address

https://www.bodc.ac.uk/

responsible party role

distributor

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact

contact position

MERMAN Data Manager

organisation name

British Oceanographic Data Centre

full postal address

Joseph Proudman Building

6 Brownlow Street

Liverpool

L3 5DA

United Kingdom

email address

enquiries@bodc.ac.uk

web address

https://www.bodc.ac.uk/

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata date

2024-08-13T08:40:26

Metadata language

eng