The Clean Seas Environment Monitoring Programme (CSEMP), formerly the UK National Marine Monitoring Programme (NMMP), was established to provide a coordinated approach to environmental monitoring in coastal and estuarine areas. The programme brings together the statutory marine monitoring agencies throughout the UK around the need to provide reliable and harmonised information for the UK coastal area.
The main drivers for the CSEMP are the UK's commitment to contribute to the Joint Assessment and Monitoring Programme of the Oslo and Paris Commission OSPAR/JAMP, and the need to carry out monitoring programmes to meet the requirements of a range of EC Directives, including:
FRS contributes actively to the CSEMP through undertaking field surveys and laboratory analyses, participation in Working Groups, and assisting in the preparation of reports.
One of the unique aspects of the CSEMP is the high profile given in the programme to Quality Assurance (QA). A series of subgroups have been established to cover the QA/QC needs in specialist topic areas, including:
- Benthic biology (National Marine Biological Analytical Quality Assurance group, NMBAQC)
- Ecotoxicology (NMEAQC)
- Chemistry (UK NMCAG)
In addition, laboratories contributing data to CSEMP must undertake an assessment of their data through particpation in a laboratory performance study (LPS) such as QUASIMEME.
FRS currently hosts the NMMP, which carries details of the current programme, reports of Workshops and periodic reports of the results of the programme.