Intercomparison between DITTY Project Test Sites Using IFREMER's Coastal Lagoons Classification Scheme

In this work the classification scheme developed by IFREMER for French Mediterranean lagoons is applied to the five test sites of the DITTY project, to assess and compare their ecological status as well as their evolution using existing data sets. The classification scheme is based on aggregated indicators of ecosystem status and takes into account the different compartments of the lagoon ecosystem i.e. water column, sediments, phytoplankton, benthic macrophytes and macrofauna. The IFREMER scheme uses a colour code which ranges from blue (no significant impacts – good quality) to red (maximum degradation – bad quality). It was not possible to carry out the complete procedure, due to the scarcity of data and the difference in sample collection protocols as originally developed. However, based on the results so far obtained, it is possible to conclude that the classification scheme adopted allows to differentiate between the five test sites on the basis of currently available datasets.