Biodiversity assessment in the near-shore waters of Tianjin city, China based on the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) method

Parameters regarding water quality, biology, marine disasters, and anthropogenic factors were collected and analyzed from 2020 to 2021 to evaluate the marine biodiversity of Tianjin's near-shore sea area accurately. A total of 29 indicators obtained from the surveys were selected to form the biodiversity evaluation system. The Pressure-State-Response (PSR) framework model combined with the ecological environment characteristics was used as the assessment method. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) determined the weights of each indicator. The results showed that the main influencing factors of the water environment for species diversity monitoring were dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), and all water quality monitoring items were relatively stable without obvious pollution. The biomass of biological species in the near-shore sea area of Tianjin was relatively low, the species distribution was uneven, and the structure and function of the ecosystem need to be improved since environmental problems still existed. [Display omitted] •Biodiversity in Tianjin waters assessed by PSR model using analytic hierarchy process•The main influencing parameters of water quality in research areas were DIN and COD.•Ecosystem heterogeneity was proved in four types of ecosystems.•The overall status of marine biodiversity in Tianjin was at a medium category.•Based on the PSR model, the ecosystem structure and function need to be improved.