EUROCAT will develop a quantifiable framework of analysis for improved planning and management of catchments by analysing the response of the coastal sea to changes in fluxes of nutrients and contaminants from the catchments. These changes in fluxes are caused by the implementation of regulations, management schemes and by socio-economic changes. In addition the rate of change is modified by the biogeochemical and physical properties of the catchment. To elucidate these various factors, six regional catchment studies will be carried out using a common framework of analysis (DPSIR) in different socio-economic settings and geographical conditions. To link the socio-economic drivers in the catchment to the coastal response, the concept of critical loads will be extended to the catchment-coast continuum.
