Best Available Technology/Technique

The most effective and advanced stage in the development of activities and their methods of operation which indicate the practical suitability of particular techniques for providing in principle the basis for emission limit values designed to prevent and, where that is not practicable, generally to reduce emissions and their impact on the environment as a whole.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (5-day test)

The amount of oxygen used for biochemical oxidation by a unit volume of water at a given temperature over a 5-day period. BOD is an index of the degree of organic pollution in water.

Causal Chain Analysis

An analysis of the immediate, underlying and root causes leading to the generation of an environmental problem.

Commonwealth of Independent States

Countries arising from the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Chemical Oxygen Demand

The quantity of oxygen used in biological and non-biological oxidation of materials in water; a measure of water quality.

Catch Per Unit Effort

The catch in numbers or weight taken for a given amount of fishing effort over time using specific gear.

The Danube and Black Sea Task Force

The DABLAS Task Force comprises a number of representatives from the countries in the region, the International Commission for the Protection of the River Danube (ICPDR), the Black Sea Commission, International Financing Institutions (IFIs), the EC, interested EU Member States, other bilateral donors and other regional/ international organisations with relevant functions. The European Commission DG Environment holds the Secretariat of the Task Force.

Ecological Quality Objective

A desired level of ecological quality (EcoQ) relative to predetermined reference levels.

Ecotoxicological Assessment Criterion

The concentration level of a substance above which concern is indicated, and have been used by OSPAR to identify possible areas of concern and to indicate which substances might be a target for priority action.

Eutrophication

Excessive nutrient concentrations in a waterbody, usually caused by emissions of nutrients (animal waste, fertilisers, sewage) from land, which causes a dense growth of plant life (Phytoplankton and benthic macrophytes/macroalgae). The decomposition of the plants depletes the supply of oxygen, leading to the death of animal life;

Good Agricultural Practice

The way products should be used according to the statutory conditions of approval, which are stated on the label.

Gross Domestic Product

An estimate of the total money value of all the final goods and services produced in a given one-year period using the factors of production located within a particular country's border.

Goss Domestic Product, Value Added

Value added is defined as gross output minus intermediate consumption and equals the sum of employee compensation, net operating surplus and depreciation of capital assets. The shares of each sector are calculated by dividing the value added in each sector by total value added. Total value added is less than GDP because it excludes value-added tax (VAT) and similar product taxes.

Gross National Income per capita

GNI per capita (formerly GNP per capita) is the gross national income, converted to U.S. dollars using the World Bank Atlas method, divided by the midyear population. GNI is the sum of value added by all resident producers plus any product taxes (less subsidies) not included in the valuation of output plus net receipts of primary income (compensation of employees and property income) from abroad. GNI, calculated in national currency, is usually converted to U.S. dollars at official exchange rates for comparisons across economies, although an alternative rate is used when the official exchange rate is judged to diverge by an exceptionally large margin from the rate actually applied in international transactions. To smooth fluctuations in prices and exchange rates, a special Atlas method of conversion is used by the World Bank.

Integrated Coastal Zone Management

Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) is a dynamic, multidisciplinary and iterative process to promote sustainable management of coastal zones. It covers the full cycle of information collection, planning (in its broadest sense), decision making, management and monitoring of implementation. ICZM uses the informed participation and cooperation of all stakeholders to assess the societal goals in a given coastal area, and to take actions towards meeting these objectives. ICZM seeks, over the long-term, to balance environmental, economic, social, cultural and recreational objectives, all within the limits set by natural dynamics. 'Integrated' in ICZM refers to the integration of objectives and also to the integration of the many instruments needed to meet these objectives. It means integration of all relevant policy areas, sectors, and levels of administration. It means integration of the terrestrial and marine components of the target territory, in both time and space.

Marine Protected Area

An area of sea (or coast) especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means.

Neritic

Strictly: of or relating to the region of the sea over the continental shelf which is less than 200 meteres deep. However, in the Black Sea the depth limit refers only to oxygenated surface waters (typically 120-150 m deep)

Pelagic

The pelagic zone of the Sea begins at the low tide mark and includes the entire water column

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a very large number of naturally occurring and man-made chemicals. The pure compounds are white or yellowish crystalline solids. They are insoluble in water but dissolve readily in fats and oils. Well-known PAHs include the compounds benzo[a]pyrene, fluoranthene, naphthaline and anthracene.

Poly-chlorinated biphenyl

PCBs are mixtures of 209 different chemicals (cogeners) that come in various forms including oily liquids, solids and hard resins. PCBs are organochlorines that were manufactured until the mid-1980s, after which they were banned due to their toxicity and persistence. PCBs have been widely used as insulators in electrical equipment. They have also been used in the production of hydraulic fluids, lubricants, inks, adhesives and insecticides. They are still found in old electrical equipment and releases into the environment continue from landfills. PCBs are very persistent in the environment, taking years to degrade. They are fat-soluble and bioaccumulate in the tissues of animals. PCBs have become worldwide pollutants due to long-distance transport on air currents. Exposure to PCBs can permanently damage the nervous, reproductive and immune systems of the human body. PCBs are known carcinogens and have been linked with the development of various forms of cancer including skin and liver. In mammals, PCBs are passed via the placenta to developing young in the womb and via breast milk to newborn babies. The disposal of wastes containing PCBs is regulated by the Basel Convention.

Persistent Organic Pollutant

Persistant Organic Pollutants (POPs) are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and are toxic to humans and wildlife. POPs circulate globally and can cause damage wherever they travel. Such pollutants include toxic chemicals like DDT, Chlordane, and Endrin, Dioxins and Furans, among many others. The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs). In implementing the Convention, governments agree to take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment.

Strategic Action Programme

A regional strategic programme of measures designed to tackle the major environmental problems of a transboundary waterbody.

Sliding BOD

The measurement of BOD5 relies upon biological (bacterial) uptake of oxygen. However, if toxicants are present at high levels in a water sample, they suppress the rate of growth of bacteria, so that over a 5-day period of time, oxygen consumption by the bacteria is reduced. If the original (contaminated) water sample is diluted with "pure" water, the concentrations of toxins is reduced, so the growth of bacteria is less inhibited. Thus, samples with a lower concentration of biodegradable organic matter, can demonstrate higher  BOD5 levels if toxic substances are present. This phenomenon is known as sliding BOD.

Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis

A Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) is a scientific and technical assessment, through which the water-related environmental issues and problems of a region are identified and quantified, their causes analysed and their impacts, both environmental and economic, assessed. The analysis involves an identification of causes and impacts at national, regional and (sometimes) global levels, and the socio-economic, political and institutional context within which they occur. The identification of  causes can specify sources, locations, and sectors.

Total Organic Carbon

All of the organic (carbon-containing) substances in natural waters and sediments may be termed TOC. There are many natural and man-made substances that all contribute to TOC. TOC is partly broken down by micro-organisms, in the process consuming oxygen. At high TOC concentrations, so much oxygen in the water may be used up that there is not enough to support fish and other aquatic animals, which then die.