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Faculty of Arts and HumanitiesDean's Office, Faculty of Arts and HumanitiesJakobi 2, r 116-121 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of History and ArchaeologyJakobi 2 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of Estonian and General LinguisticsJakobi 2, IV korrus 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of Philosophy and SemioticsJakobi 2, III korrus, ruumid 302-337 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of Cultural ResearchÜlikooli 16 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of Foreign Languages and CulturesLossi 3 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0School of Theology and Religious StudiesÜlikooli 18 50090 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Viljandi Culture AcademyPosti 1 71004 Viljandi linn, Viljandimaa EST0Professors emeriti, Faculty of Arts and Humanities0Associate Professors emeriti, Faculty of Arts and Humanities0Faculty of Social SciencesDean's Office, Faculty of Social SciencesLossi 36 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of EducationJakobi 5 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Johan Skytte Institute of Political StudiesLossi 36, ruum 301 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0School of Economics and Business AdministrationNarva mnt 18 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of PsychologyNäituse 2 50409 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0School of LawNäituse 20 - 324 50409 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of Social StudiesLossi 36 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Narva CollegeRaekoja plats 2 20307 Narva linn, Ida-Virumaa EST0Pärnu CollegeRingi 35 80012 Pärnu linn, Pärnu linn, Pärnumaa EST0Professors emeriti, Faculty of Social Sciences0Associate Professors emeriti, Faculty of Social Sciences0Faculty of MedicineDean's Office, Faculty of MedicineRavila 19 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of Biomedicine and Translational MedicineBiomeedikum, Ravila 19 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of PharmacyNooruse 1 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of DentistryL. Puusepa 1a 50406 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of Clinical MedicineL. Puusepa 8 50406 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of Family Medicine and Public HealthRavila 19 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of Sport Sciences and PhysiotherapyUjula 4 51008 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTProfessors emeriti, Faculty of Medicine0Associate Professors emeriti, Faculty of Medicine0Faculty of Science and TechnologyDean's Office, Faculty of Science and TechnologyVanemuise 46 - 208 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of Computer ScienceNarva mnt 18 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of GenomicsRiia 23b/2 51010 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTEstonian Marine Institute0Institute of PhysicsInstitute of ChemistryRavila 14a 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of Mathematics and StatisticsNarva mnt 18 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of Molecular and Cell BiologyRiia 23, 23b - 134 51010 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTTartu ObservatoryObservatooriumi 1 61602 Tõravere alevik, Nõo vald, Tartumaa EST0Institute of TechnologyNooruse 1 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of Ecology and Earth SciencesJ. Liivi tn 2 50409 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTProfessors emeriti, Faculty of Science and Technology0Associate Professors emeriti, Faculty of Science and Technology0Institute of BioengineeringArea of Academic SecretaryHuman Resources OfficeUppsala 6, Lossi 36 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Area of Head of FinanceFinance Office0Area of Director of AdministrationInformation Technology Office0Administrative OfficeÜlikooli 18A (III korrus) 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Estates Office0Marketing and Communication OfficeÜlikooli 18, ruumid 102, 104, 209, 210 50090 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Area of RectorRector's Strategy OfficeInternal Audit OfficeArea of Vice Rector for Academic AffairsOffice of Academic Affairs0University of Tartu Youth AcademyUppsala 10 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Student Union OfficeÜlikooli 18b 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Centre for Learning and TeachingArea of Vice Rector for ResearchUniversity of Tartu LibraryW. Struve 1 50091 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Grant OfficeArea of Vice Rector for DevelopmentCentre for Entrepreneurship and InnovationNarva mnt 18 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0University of Tartu Natural History Museum and Botanical GardenVanemuise 46 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0International Cooperation and Protocol Office0University of Tartu MuseumLossi 25 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0
Cop4ESTCoast – A web application for monitoring Estonian coastal waters
Clean water is fundamental to human health, ecosystems, and economic activities, making its monitoring and management a global priority. However, human activities, climate change, and pollution continue to threaten water quality, leading to issues such as eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and declining biodiversity.
To address these challenges, the European Union has implemented the Water Framework Directive (WFD), which obliges all member states to assess, report, and improve the ecological status of their surface waters. The goal is to achieve at least a "Good" water quality status across all European waters by 2027.
In Estonia, coastal waters are particularly affected by nutrient enrichment, which leads to excessive phytoplankton growth and reduced water transparency. Effective monitoring tools are essential to assess these impacts and support decision-making for water management and environmental protection.
A web application for monitoring Estonian coastal Waters
The Cop4ESTCoast project was developed to provide a user-friendly web application that enables stakeholders to track key water quality indicators—Chlorophyll-a and transparency—using data from Copernicus Marine Service products (Figure 1). By delivering daily and monthly statistics, the tool supports water quality assessment, early detection of eutrophication, and compliance with WFD reporting requirements. In addition, the platform incorporates nutrient level data (PO₄ and NO₃) for a more comprehensive analysis of eutrophication trends.
In the second phase of the project, water quality status classifications will be assigned to each Estonian coastal region, allowing policymakers and local authorities to make informed decisions about water resource management, conservation efforts, and tourism-related activities.
This initiative not only helps Estonia meet EU environmental regulations but also contributes to the broader goal of preserving and improving the ecological health of the Baltic Sea.
Cop4ESTCoast – How does it work?
Cop4ESTCoast integrates CMEMS products and OpenStreetMap to provide accurate and up-to-date water quality information.eekvaliteeti toitainete üleküllus, mis soodustab liigset fütoplanktoni kasvu ja vähendab vee läbipaistvust. Kaugseire pakub võimalusi hinnata nii fütoplanktoni hulka kui vee läbipaistvust sagedasti ja ülevaatlikult, aidates teha otsuseid keskkonnakaitse ja veemajanduse valdkondades.
- Transparency calculation: Chlorophyll-a is obtained directly from CMEMS products, while transparency is derived using the algorithm by Alikas et al., 2015 based on Kd490 values.
- Spatial data processing: A buffer zone of 500 meters around islands and 1 km around the mainland is applied to reduce adjacency effects from land and sea bottom reflectance, ensuring better data accuracy.
- Computing infrastructure: The system runs on a University of Tartu server capabilities.
What products are used?
Baltic Sea Biogeochemistry Analysis and Forecast
Baltic Sea Multiyear Ocean Colour Plankton, Reflectances and Transparency L3 daily observations
What are the benefits for users?
- Monitoring water quality indicators (Chlorophyll-a and Transparency) in Estonian coastal areas, supporting better overview of the general phytoplankton bloom situation for summer tourism.
- Cop4ESTCoast helps Estonia meet the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requirements by providing reliable, science-backed data for official reports.
