Climate change is already happening. The summer of 2018 was extremely warm which affected not only agriculture and fresh water supplies but also the Baltic Sea. Water temperatures at the coast was the highest since 1926. The heatwave lead to increased release of carbon dioxide and methane from the sea floor sediments to an extent comparable to hot spots of methane release in Siberia. In the long-term release from the bottom of the sea will impact climate change.
Increased temperature also affects the coastal ecosystems. The richest marine biodiversity is found at the coast, providing key ecosystem services for humans, which are challenged by climate change.
Research at the Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre shows that the amounts of phosphorous and nitrogen in the Baltic Sea no longer increases. In other words, the external load has been reduced so much that the Baltic Sea is no longer charged with more nutrients. Model simulations even show that the sea slowly will lose nutrients and over time less eutrophication will be present. But the yearly variations in the sea are large and can cover long term trends. Which time perspectives are we talking about?
The level of eutrophication of course affects the whole ecosystem; plankton, benthic organisms, fish etc are all impacted by the level of nutrients. The impact is not always direct nor obvious.
Professor Alf Norkko, University of Helsinki, will talk about what research can tell us about the impact of climate change on the Baltic Sea. How is the sea’s salinity and temperature affected? Will increased precipitation on land lead to more nutrient run off entering the sea and giving more eutrophication? How will this affect biodiversity?
Associate Professor Tatiana Eremina, Russian State Hydrometeorological University, is the leading author of the regular assessment reports on climate change for the Russian Meteorological Service and will present the current data from the research on the Eastern Gulf of Finland and its ecosystem.
Participating speakers
Tatiana Eremina, Associate Professor and Director of the Institute of Hydrology and Oceanology at the Russian State Hydrometeorological University.
Alf Norkko, Professor and Scientific leader of Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki.
Practical information
Date and time: 21 May 9:00 - 9:45 CEST (Local time in Sweden); 10:00 - 10-45 Moscow time.
Access: The English version of the webinar will be streamed at Youtube and accessable through this webpage. No registration is needed.
To follow the webinar in Russian, please use this link to register and you will get a Zoom link an hour before the event: Изменение климата и его влияние на Балтийское море (timepad.ru)
Questions: We are happy to adsress questions from the audience. Questions may be sent before the webinar by email to ostersjocentrum@su.se. It's also possible to ask questions during the webinar through Youtube/Zoom.
To be invited to upcoming webinars please use this link
About Baltic Breakfast Russia edition
Baltic Breakfast Russia edition is a special edition of the Baltic Sea Centre's webinar series Baltic Breakfast and organized in collaboration with the Consulate General of Sweden in St. Petersburg.
The webinars bring research and knowledge from the Baltic Sea Centre together with that from Russian experts. Baltic Breakfast Russia edition is available in both English and Russian.
