First SMOS Sea Surface Salinity dedicated products over the Baltic Sea

This paper presents the first Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) dedicated products over the Baltic Sea. The SSS retrieval from L-band brightess temperature (TB) measurements over this basin is really challenging due to important technical issues, such as the land-sea and ice-sea contamination, the high contamination by Radio-Frequency Interferences (RFI) sources, the low sensitivity of L-band TB at SSS changes in cold waters and the poor characterization of dielectric constant models for the low SSS and SST ranges in the basin. For these reasons, exploratory research in the algorithms used from the level 0 up to level 4 has been required to develop these dedicated products. This work has been performed in the framework of the European Space Agency regional initiative Baltic+ Salinity Dynamics. Two Baltic+ SSS products have been generated for the period 2011–2019 and are freely distributed: the Level 3 (L3) product (daily generated 9-day maps in a 0.25° grid, https://doi.org/10.20350/digitalCSIC/13859) (González-Gambau et al., 2021a) and the Level 4 (L4) product (daily maps in a 0.05° grid, https://doi.org/10.20350/digitalCSIC/13860) (González-Gambau et al., 2021b)), that are computed by applying multifractal fusion to L3 SSS with Sea Surface Temperature (SST) maps. The accuracy of L3 SSS products is typically around 0.7–0.8 psu. The L4 product has an improved spatio-temporal resolution with respect to the L3 and the accuracy is typically around 0.4 psu. Regions with the highest errors and limited coverage are located in Arkona and Bornholm basins and Gulfs of Finland and Riga. The impact assessment of Baltic+ SSS products has shown that they can help in the understanding of salinity dynamics in the basin. They complement the temporally and spatially very sparse in situ measurements, covering data gaps in the region and they can also be useful for the validation of numerical models, particularly in areas where in situ data are very sparse.

Case Report: Vibrio fluvialis isolated from a wound infection after a piercing trauma in the Baltic Sea

Vibrio spp. are Gram-negative bacteria found in marine ecosystems. Non-cholera Vibrio spp. can cause gastrointestinal infections and can also lead to wound infections through exposure to contaminated seawater. Vibrio infections are increasingly documented from the Baltic Sea due to extended warm weather periods. We describe the first isolation of Vibrio fluvialis from a wound infection acquired by an impalement injury in the shallow waters of the Baltic Sea. The severe infection required amputation of the third toe. Whole genome sequencing of the isolate was performed and revealed a genome consisting of two circular chromosomes with a size of 1.57 and 3.24 Mb.

Effect of photovoltaic installation power and façade glazing ratio on the energy performance of a nursery building

PurposeThe aim of the research is to determine the influence of photovoltaic (PV) installation and the share of façade glazing on the energy profile of nursery buildings in the Baltic Sea region, as well as defining the most favorable configuration in terms of energy efficiency.Design/methodology/approachThe article provides comparative calculations of energy performance indicators (Ep, Ed, Eu) and CO2 emissions (mCO2) made for the defined model of the nursery. It includes calculations concerning energy performance of the building, depending on its PV power (0–60 kWp), PV efficiency (100 and 85%) and façade glazing ratio (GR = 25%, 50% and 75%).FindingsThe results of the research indicate that an increase in the PV power exerts proportional impact on the reduction of the Ep and Ed indicators, as well as on the CO2 emissions. Only low GR values (25%) reduce the Eu indicator significantly. Decrease in high range of GR values (over 50%) does not provide proportional effects. In the variant: 60 kWp (100% efficiency) with GR = 25%, the biggest share (99.5%) of RES was obtained. This proves that the concept of energy independent nursery buildings is feasible and reasonable in the examined location.Practical implicationsDesigning buildings towards environmental neutrality requires laborious pre-design conceptual work before developing the right solutions. The set of results of the relationship between the variables of the building's envelope, energy performance indicators and the required involvement of active RES installations to achieve high energy performance of a building presented in the article is valuable. It allows for a preliminary decision of the direction of the design solutions selection in the design process of public utility buildings, such as nurseries. Thus, it may significantly shorten the pre-design analysis process for the location of the southern part of the Baltic Sea region.Originality/valueThe novelty of the paper relies on examining the dependences between PV power and façade glazing ratio in terms of their influence on energy profile of nursery buildings.

Territorial Cooperation—A Factor Stimulating Baltic Sea Region Energy Transition

Energy transition is a multi-dimensional process of developing sustainable economies by seeking renewable energy sources, saving energy, and improving energy efficiency. This process follows the rules of sustainable development. The article presents an analysis of energy transition in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) enjoying long-term and intensive territorial cooperation. The region embraces 11 countries diversified in terms of their economic development level and the use of renewable energy sources. The article strives to answer the question of whether territorial cooperation contributes to BSR energy transition, and if so, in what way. Another goal is to identify the transition drivers that arise from the Baltic Sea Region’s unique characteristics. The authors applied the system analysis methodology. The performed literature studies allowed the researchers to identify the attributes of energy transition. Empirical research relied on secondary sources, including the European Union (EU) statistics, The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR), and related documents. The key role in the conducted research can be attributed to the EU projects database (keep.eu), which enabled identifying the 2016–2020 programmes and projects. The research identified 14 BSR territorial cooperation programmes and 1471 projects conducted under the programmes, including 137 energy transition-related projects. The project results were presented in quantitative and qualitative terms.

Seasonality of cruise ship activityin neighboring regions

The continuous growth of the cruise industry has brought with it a series of threats. Among them is the management of the seasonality of cruise activity in order to address its negative effects. This study examines the monthly cruise passenger movement distribution among a group of harbors located in the northeast sector of the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea with the aim of determining the existence of seasonality patterns in cruise traffic and their relationship between different regions. A database of cruise passenger movements during the period from 2007 to 2019 among 24 harbors forms the backbone of the empirical analysis. First, the seasonal variation index of each harbor was calculated to determine the seasonality pattern. Second, a cluster analysis was performed to classify harbors into clusters with analogous seasonality patterns. The results reveal that seasonality of cruise activity in a consolidated region is explained by own factors of the region, but also by an induced seasonality imported from neighboring cruise regions.

Spatial Distribution, Diversity, and Activity of Microbial Phototrophs in the Baltic Sea

Microbial plankton is essential for ocean biogeochemistry. As part of the prokaryotic phototrophic microbial community, both oxygenic phototrophs (OP) and anoxygenic phototrophs (AP) are widely distributed in the ocean and may play a significant role in carbon flow and oxygen production. However, comparative studies of microbial OP and AP have received very little attention, even though their different roles might be important in various marine environments, especially in oxygen minimum zones (OMZ). We explored the spatial distribution of the microbial community in the Baltic Sea, including an OMZ region, with a particular focus on the distribution and activity of OP and AP. We used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing in combination with a qPCR-based quantification of photosynthesis marker genes. We found that specific bacterial groups dominated surface and intermediate depths, the OMZ, and deep waters, respectively. Salinity, temperature, oxygen, and depth were significant factors explaining the microbial community composition and distribution. A high diversity of OP and AP was observed, including OP-Chlorophyta, Diatoms, Cyanobacteria and Cryptomonads, and AP-Proteobacteria and Chloroflexota. OP were more abundant at most stations compared to AP. OP showed high photosynthetic activity and more photosynthesis activity in higher temperature and upper waters, while AP photosynthesis cannot be detected in most stations. Both, cyanobacterial and eukaryotic OP preferred to live in higher temperature and upper waters, but Cyanobacteria also preferred to live in oxic water while the whole OP community showed preference to live in higher salinity area. However, AP did not show any significant hydrochemical preference but prefer to live with OP community. The Baltic Sea is exposed to multiple climate change related stressors, such as warming, decreasing salinity, and deoxygenation. This study contributes to understanding and interpretation of how microbial community, especially phototrophic groups, might shift in their distribution and activity in a changing ocean like the Baltic Sea.

Antioxidant Responses in Copepods Are Driven Primarily by Food Intake, Not by Toxin-Producing Cyanobacteria in the Diet

The association between oxidative processes and physiological responses has received much attention in ecotoxicity assessment. In the Baltic Sea, bloom-forming cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena is a significant producer of various bioactive compounds, and both positive and adverse effects on grazers feeding in cyanobacteria blooms are reported. To elucidate the effect mechanisms and species sensitivity to the cyanobacteria-dominating diet, we exposed two Baltic copepods, Acartia bifilosa and Eurytemora affinis, to a diet consisting of toxin-producing cyanobacteria N. spumigena and a high-quality food Rhodomonas salina at 0–300 μg C L−1; the control food was R. salina provided as a monodiet at the same food levels. The subcellular responses to food type and availability were assayed using a suite of biomarkers – antioxidant enzymes [superoxide dismutases (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferases (GST)] and acetylcholinesterase (AChE). In parallel, we measured feeding activity using gut content (GC) assayed by real-time PCR analysis that quantified amounts of the prey DNA in copepod stomachs. As growth and reproduction endpoints, individual RNA content (a proxy for protein synthesis capacity), egg production rate (EPR), and egg viability (EV%) were used. In both toxic and nontoxic foods, copepod GC, RNA content, and EPR increased with food availability. Antioxidant enzyme activities increased with food availability regardless of the diet type. Moreover, CAT (both copepods), SOD, and GST (A. bifilosa) were upregulated in the copepods receiving cyanobacteria; the response was detectable when adjusted for the feeding and/or growth responses. By contrast, the diet effects were not significant when food concentration was used as a co-variable. A bimodal response in AChE was observed in A. bifilosa feeding on cyanobacteria, with up to 52% increase at the lower levels (5–25 μg C L−1) and 32% inhibition at the highest food concentrations. These findings contribute to the refinement of biomarker use for assessing environmental stress and mechanistic understanding of cyanobacteria effects in grazers. They also suggest that antioxidant and AChE responses to feeding activity and diet should be accounted for when using biomarker profiles in field-collected animals in the Baltic Sea and, perhaps other systems, where toxic cyanobacteria are common.