scholarly journals Trends, insights and effects of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) implementation in the light of the Polish coastal zone eutrophication

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 342-354
Author(s):  
Michał Preisner ◽  
Marzena Smol ◽  
Dominika Szołdrowska
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Urban Wastewater ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Urban Wastewater Treatment

AbstractThe intensification of the Baltic Sea eutrophication is associated with the increase of anthropogenic nutrients loads, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus introduced into surface waters from a diffuse, point and natural background sources. Despite the observed decreasing trends in nutrient concentrations in some parts of the Baltic Sea, eutrophication-related indicators continue to deteriorate. This accelerates harmful algal blooms and dissolved oxygen deficits resulting in severe ecosystem disturbance. The paper presents trends, insights and effects of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 91/271/EEC implementation in Poland based on the nutrient riverine loads from Polish territory with particular attention given to the development of municipal wastewater treatment plants under the National Wastewater Treatment Programme 2003–2016. Environmental effects of wastewater infrastructure modernisation are investigated by using available data on the changing nutrient concentrations in the coastal water in 3 basins (Gdansk Basin, Bornholm Basin and Eastern Gotland Basin) belonging to the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone within the Baltic Sea. The results show that the decreasing trend regarding phosphorus loads reduction from municipal effluents was achieved while a stable trend with temporary increases was achieved in terms of nitrogen loads. Moreover, the investigation provides information about the potential bioavailability of discharged effluents before and after the Directive implementation by including total and inorganic forms of nitrogen and phosphorus in the analysis.

scholarly journals Seasonal changes of the concentrations of mineral forms of nitrogen and phosphorus in watercourses in the agricultural catchment area (Bay of Puck, Baltic Sea, Poland)

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 986-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Wojciechowska ◽  
N. Nawrot ◽  
K. Matej-Łukowicz ◽  
M. Gajewska ◽  
H. Obarska-Pempkowiak
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Phosphorus Compounds ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Sources Of Pollution ◽  
Biogenic Compounds ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract The Baltic Region countries are obliged to meet the stringent limits of N and P discharge set by HELCOM for 2021. Area sources of pollution, including agriculture, are considered the main contributors of biogenic compounds. The Bay of Puck as an inner part of the Baltic Sea is particularly sensitive to eutrophication caused by nutrient inflow from agricultural lands. Rivers and streams inflowing to the Bay of Puck transport nitrogen and phosphorus compounds washed out from fields. The article discusses concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds measured during annual research (VII.2017 – VI.2018) at three watercourses: Płutnica, Reda and Błądzikowski Stream inflowing to the Bay of Puck. The concentrations ranged from 0.01 to 0.13 mg/L N-NO2, from 0.39 to 7.55 mg/L N-NO3, from 0.03 to 0.58 mg/L N-NH4, from 0.44 to 9.51 mg/L TN, from 0.05 to 0.45 mg/L P-PO4 and from 0.03 to 1.89 mg/L TP. Seasonal changes of nutrient concentrations were observed, with maximum concentrations of nitrates in August and September after application of fertilizers to arable land.

scholarly journals Effects of surface current/wind interaction in an eddy-rich general ocean circulation simulation of the Baltic Sea

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Dietze ◽  
U. Löptien
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Surface Currents ◽  
Wind Effects ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract. Deoxygenation in the Baltic Sea endangers fish yields and favours noxious algal blooms. Yet, vertical transport processes ventilating the oxygen-deprived waters at depth and replenishing nutrient-deprived surface waters (thereby fuelling export of organic matter to depth), are not comprehensively understood. Here, we investigate the effects of the interaction between surface currents and winds (also referred to as eddy/wind effects) on upwelling in an eddy-rich general ocean circulation model of the Baltic Sea. Contrary to expectations we find that accounting for current/wind effects does inhibit the overall vertical exchange between oxygenated surface waters and oxygen-deprived water at depth. At major upwelling sites, however, as e.g. off the south coast of Sweden and Finland, the reverse holds: the interaction between topographically steered surface currents with winds blowing over the sea results in a climatological sea surface temperature cooling of 0.5 K. This implies that current/wind effects drive substantial local upwelling of cold and nutrient-replete waters.

scholarly journals Hydrological and hydrochemical underpinnings of primary production and division of the Russian sector in the Gdansk basin of the Baltic sea

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-71
Author(s):  
E. A. Kudryavtseva ◽  
S. V. Aleksandrov
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Bottom Topography ◽  
Water Area ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Environment Temperature ◽  
Russian Sector ◽  
The Baltic

The distribution patterns of absolute and specific values of primary production in the upper 10-m layer depending on the physical and chemical condition of the marine environment (temperature, salinity, depth, bottom topography and configuration of the coastline, and nutrient concentrations) were distinguished in the Russian sector in the Gdansk Basin of the Baltic Sea based on long-term research data (2003–2015). Based on the results, the considered water area was divided into five regions: Cape Taran, the base of the Curonian Spit, the plateau of Rybachy, the open sea, and the Gdansk Bay (northeastern part). These regions are characterized by higher correlations of primary production and parameters of the marine environment compared to regression analysis for the regions distinguished by bathymetry. Primary production is the most closely correlated with temperature over the entire water area and with nutrients concentrations in seaward regions.

scholarly journals Future socioeconomic conditions may have a larger impact than climate change on nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea

AMBIO ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (11) ◽  
pp. 1325-1336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alena Bartosova ◽  
René Capell ◽  
Jørgen E. Olesen ◽  
Mohamed Jabloun ◽  
Jens Christian Refsgaard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Dynamic Modelling ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Nutrient Loads ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Socioeconomic Drivers ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The Baltic Sea is suffering from eutrophication caused by nutrient discharges from land to sea, and these loads might change in a changing climate. We show that the impact from climate change by mid-century is probably less than the direct impact of changing socioeconomic factors such as land use, agricultural practices, atmospheric deposition, and wastewater emissions. We compare results from dynamic modelling of nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea under projections of climate change and scenarios for shared socioeconomic pathways. Average nutrient loads are projected to increase by 8% and 14% for nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively, in response to climate change scenarios. In contrast, changes in the socioeconomic drivers can lead to a decrease of 13% and 6% or an increase of 11% and 9% in nitrogen and phosphorus loads, respectively, depending on the pathway. This indicates that policy decisions still play a major role in climate adaptation and in managing eutrophication in the Baltic Sea region.

scholarly journals Nutrient transports in the Baltic Sea – results from a 30-year physical–biogeochemical reanalysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2113-2131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye Liu ◽  
H. E. Markus Meier ◽  
Kari Eilola
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Optimal Interpolation ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Gulf Of Riga ◽  
Baltic Proper ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract. Long-term oxygen and nutrient transports in the Baltic Sea are reconstructed using the Swedish Coastal and Ocean Biogeochemical model (SCOBI) coupled to the Rossby Centre Ocean model (RCO). Two simulations with and without data assimilation covering the period 1970–1999 are carried out. Here, the weakly coupled scheme with the Ensemble Optimal Interpolation (EnOI) method is adopted to assimilate observed profiles in the reanalysis system. The reanalysis shows considerable improvement in the simulation of both oxygen and nutrient concentrations relative to the free run. Further, the results suggest that the assimilation of biogeochemical observations has a significant effect on the simulation of the oxygen-dependent dynamics of biogeochemical cycles. From the reanalysis, nutrient transports between sub-basins, between the coastal zone and the open sea, and across latitudinal and longitudinal cross sections are calculated. Further, the spatial distributions of regions with nutrient import or export are examined. Our results emphasize the important role of the Baltic proper for the entire Baltic Sea, with large net transport (export minus import) of nutrients from the Baltic proper into the surrounding sub-basins (except the net phosphorus import from the Gulf of Riga and the net nitrogen import from the Gulf of Riga and Danish Straits). In agreement with previous studies, we found that the Bothnian Sea imports large amounts of phosphorus from the Baltic proper that are retained in this sub-basin. For the calculation of sub-basin budgets, the location of the lateral borders of the sub-basins is crucial, because net transports may change sign with the location of the border. Although the overall transport patterns resemble the results of previous studies, our calculated estimates differ in detail considerably.

scholarly journals Cost of Urban Wastewater Treatment and Ecotaxes: Evidence from Municipalities in Southern Europe

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Encarnación Moral Pajares ◽  
Leticia Gallego Valero ◽  
Isabel Román Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Wastewater Management ◽  
Management Service ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
Urban Wastewater ◽  
Urban Wastewater Treatment

The principle of cost recovery established by the Water Framework Directive underlines the need for tax rates, which can raise enough revenue to finance the cost of treatments applied to wastewater. The objective of this research is to gain an understanding the different types of charges related to urban wastewater treatment that can be levied by the authorities responsible for this service. This paper also aims to determine whether these taxes contribute to guaranteeing the economic feasibility of the wastewater treatment plants. The proposed methodological approach is applied to 18 municipalities of a province in southern Europe in 2017. The results confirm that in most of these cases, the taxes levied do not guarantee adequate tax revenues to cover the running, maintenance and investment costs of municipal wastewater treatment plants. This situation leads to a lack of financial self-sufficiency in the wastewater management service, meaning that the imbalance between income and expenditure has to be covered by government subsidies. The results of this study will help guide authorities around the world that are in charge of managing urban wastewater treatment services.

scholarly journals Practical Applicability and Preliminary Results of the Baltic Environmental Satellite Remote Sensing System (Satbałtyk)

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 43-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirosława Ostrowska ◽  
Mirosław Darecki ◽  
Adam Krężel ◽  
Dariusz Ficek ◽  
Kazimierz Furmańczyk
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Wave Radiation ◽  
Satellite Monitoring ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Structural And Functional Properties ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The University

Abstract The SatBałtyk (Satellite Monitoring of the Baltic Sea Environment) project is being realized in Poland by the SatBałtyk Scientific Consortium, specifically appointed for this purpose, which associates four scientific institutions: the Institute of Oceanology PAN in Sopot - coordinator of the project, the University of Gdańsk (Institute of Oceanography), the Pomeranian Academy in Słupsk (Institute of Physics) and the University of Szczecin (Institute of Marine Sciences). The project is aiming to prepare a technical infrastructure and set in motion operational procedures for the satellite monitoring of the Baltic Sea ecosystem. The main sources of input data for this system will be the results of systematic observations by metrological and environmental satellites such as TIROS N/NOAA, MSG (currently Meteosat 10), EOS/AQUA and Sentinel -1, 2, 3 (in the future). The system will deliver on a routine basis the variety of structural and functional properties of this sea, based on data provided by relevant satellites and supported by hydro-biological models. Among them: the solar radiation influx to the sea’s waters in various spectral intervals, energy balances of the short- and long-wave radiation at the Baltic Sea surface and in the upper layers of the atmosphere over the Baltic, sea surface temperature distribution, dynamic states of the water surface, concentrations of chlorophyll a and other phytoplankton pigments in the Baltic waters, spatial distributions of algal blooms, the occurrence of coastal upwelling events, and the characteristics of primary production of organic matter and photosynthetically released oxygen in the water and many others. The structure of the system and preliminary results will be presented.

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