Current environmental issues in the Baltic Sea assessment

Current environmental issues in the Baltic Sea – assessment of conservation status of nature values (project MARMONI) Dr. biol. Solvita Strāķe Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology Daugavgrīvas 8, Rīga, LV 1048 e-pasts: solvita. strake@lhei. lv

Baltic sea research history • Beginning of regular observations in the Baltic Sea – flood measurements in St. Petersburg • Obtained with r/v Pommerania (Germany), Baltic Sea water temperature and salinity data starts from 1871 • Victor Hensen – founder of plankton research, invent plankton collection methods. Tested new equipment in the Baltic Sea expedition in 1883 – 86 • International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) founded in 1902 is the oldest intergovernmental organisation in the world concerned with marine and fisheries science

Baltijas sea research history • Russia expedition in the Baltic Sea 1908 – 1909, surveys in different Baltic Sea regions • Systematically Baltic Sea research starts after Second World War

Baltic Sea features • one of the world's largest bodies of brackish water • Semi-enclosed sea (restricted water exchange ~35 years) • Mean depth 52 m, max depth 459 m • Mean water salinity ~12‰ • Salinity stratification at 4070 m depth, restricted oxygen and nutrient exchange between upper and deeper water layers

Baltic Sea biodiversity • >60 marine landscapes • 150 biotopes • ~ 100 fish species • ~ 442 macrophytobenthoss species • ~ 1000 zoobenthos species • ~ 3000 plankton species • thousands of unknown bacteria and virus

Baltic Sea plankton • ~ 1700 species phytoplankton or microscopic algae, diatoms and dinoflagellates are typical species for more saline Baltic Sea subregions, cyanobacteria occur in less saline coastal regions • ~ 1200 zooplankton (micro-, meso-, macro-) species, where microplankton form major part

Baltic sea benthos • ~ 1500 species of macrozoobenthos or invertebrate organisms living on bottom– worms, crustacens, molluscs • ~ 600 species of meiobenthos, organisms less than 1 mm, turbellarians, nematodes, harpacticoid copepods, ostracods • Availability of oxygen in bottom layers determine occurence and distribution of benthic organisms in certain Baltic Sea depth

Baltic Sea macrophytes • ~ 450 macrophyte species • Ratio of annual / perennial macrophytes gives information about different Baltic Sea sub-basin quality • Green algae (Cladophora sp. ) occur in shallow coastal waters, brown algae (Fucus sp. ) around 3 -7 m depth, red algae (Furcellaria sp. ) around 12 -15 m depth. In each algae belt dwell certain invertebrate species

Baltic Sea fish species • ~ 100 fish species, including Kategat ~ 200 fish species • Cod (Gadus morhua), Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras), sprat (Sprattus sprattus), salmon (Salmo salar), flounder (Platichthys flesus), perch (Perca fluviatilis) u. c.

Baltic Sea mammals • Ringed seal Phoca hispida botnica requires ice for giving birth and does not occur in areas that are ice-free all year. In the Baltic its main residence areas are limited to the Bay of Bothnia, the Gulf of Riga and eastern Gulf of Finland • Grey seals Halichoerus grypus mainly inhabit the northern parts of the Baltic Sea • Harbor seal Phoca vitulina occur only in southern Sweden and the Danish Straits • Harbor porpoise Phocoena phocoena lives in all northern seas Beginning of 20 century size of open Baltic Sea population was~ 10 000 ~ 20 000 individuals, today’s estimation are ~ 300 ~ 600 individuals

Baltic Sea biotopes 1110 Sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water all the time 1130 Estuaries 1150 Coastal lagoons 1160 Large shallow inlets and bays 1170 Reefs

Reef biotope species complex Brown algae (Fucus vesiculosus), seagrass (Zostera marina), red algae (Furcellaria lumbricalis) beds and blue mussels (Mytilus edulis un M. trossulus) colonies are main reef biotope forming species. Such complex servs to other species as hatching, hiding and feeding place

Reef biotope species complex Fucus vesiculosus – common macrophyte species in the Baltic Sea: • • • widespread; high biomass; positive effect on biodiversity

Reef biotope species complex Blue mussels are important link between benthic and pelagic part; Within one year all colonies of blue mussels are able to filter amount of water comparable with whole Baltic Sea water volume

Baltic Sea protection – Helsinki convention • For the first time ever, all the sources of pollution around an entire sea were made subject to a single convention, signed in 1974 by then seven Baltic coastal states. New convention was signed in 1992 by all the states bordering on the Baltic Sea, and the European Community • The governing body of the Convention is the Helsinki Commission Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission. States around Baltic Sea implement common principles to protect Baltic Sea environment • Also from Latvia different organizations and experts are involved in HELCOM work

Baltic Sea Action Plan (2007) • The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan is an ambitious programme to restore the good ecological status of the Baltic marine environment by 2021. • A healthy Baltic Sea environment with diverse biological components functioning in balance, resulting in a good ecological status and supporting a wide range of suistainable human economic and social activities

Baltic Sea Action Plan (2007. ) Baltic Sea unaffected by eutrophication Natural nutrient levels Clear water Natural oxygen levels Favourable status of Baltic Sea biodiversity Baltic Sea life undisturbed by hazardous substances Natural landscapes and seascapes Concentrations close to natural levels Thriving and balances communities of plants and animals Natural level of algal blooms Natural distribution and occurrence of plants and animals Maritime activities carried out in an environmentally friendly way Negligible illegal pollution No accidents with significant environmental impact Healthy wildlife Adequate preparedness to react to shipping accidents All fish safe to eat Viable populations of species Radioactivity at pre. Chernobyl level No new introductions of non-indigenous species Minimum air pollution from ships

Natural landscapes and seascapes protect both terrestrial and submerged ecosystems, processes and cultural values. Thriving and balanced communities of plants and animals are essential for the favourable status of the Baltic Sea biodiversity.

Baltic Sea unaffected by eutrophication Eutrophication is the enrichment of water as a result of an increase in nutrients, which can have a negative impact on the marine and coastal environment. The negative effects of eutrophication on marine ecosystems includes: algal blooms, increased growth of macroalgae, increased sedimentation and oxygen consumption, oxygen depletion in the bottom water and sometimes the death of benthic animals and fish.

Baltic Sea unaffected by eutrophication Reduced Secchi depth Algal bloom frequency Measurements of Secchi depth in the Open Baltic

Favourable status of Baltic Sea biodiversity (targets) • By 2010, to have an ecologically coherent and well managed network of coastal and offshore BSPAs, NATURE 2000 areas • By 2012 to have common broadscale spatial planning principles for protection marine environment and reconciling various interests concerning sustainable use of coastal and offshore areas • By 2021 to ensure that “natural” and near natural marine landscapes are adequately protected and the degraded areas will be restored (good ecological status)

Favourable status of Baltic Sea biodiversity • LIFE+ programme “Innovative approaches for marine biodiversity monitoring and assessment of conservation status of nature values in the Baltic Sea” (MARMONI) 2010. – 2015. • Central Baltic Programme 2007 -2013. “Good environmental status through regional cooperation and capacity building” (GES-REG) 2011. – 2013. • LIFE+ programme "Static Acoustic Monitoring of the Baltic Sea Harbour Porpoise” (SAMBAH) 2010. – 2014.

Baltic Sea life undisturbed by hazardous substances • Substances or groups of substances that : i. toxic, persistent and liable to bioaccumulate ii. may occur in the marine environment and are Carcinogenic, Mutagenic or toxic to Reproduction (CMR) iii. identified as causing probable serious effects to human health or the environment (HELCOM Recommendation 31 E/3) Loads and impacts of some hazardous substances have been reduced considerably during the past 20 -30 years, but concentrations of some other substances have increased in the marine environment.

Baltic Sea life undisturbed by hazardous substances • Central Baltic Sea Programme 2007 -2013. “Control of Hazardous Substances in the Baltic Sea” (COHIBA) (2009. – 2012. ) - aim of the project was to analyse 11 substances and substance groups assessed by HELCOM as priority substances. - to contribute to the identification of sources for the 11 hazardous substances (mercury, cadmium, organotins, phenolic substances, endosulfans, dioxins etc. ) in BSAP by performing screening in municipal and industrial waste waters, landfill effluents and storm waters, in all participating countries.

Thank you for attention!