scholarly journals Toward the Baltic Sea Socioeconomic Action Plan

AMBIO ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (11) ◽  
pp. 1377-1388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markku Ollikainen ◽  
Berit Hasler ◽  
Katarina Elofsson ◽  
Antti Iho ◽  
Hans E. Andersen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Policy Alternatives ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This paper analyzes the main weaknesses and key avenues for improvement of nutrient policies in the Baltic Sea region. HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), accepted by the Baltic Sea countries in 2007, was based on an innovative ecological modeling of the Baltic Sea environment and addressed the impact of the combination of riverine loading and transfer of nutrients on the ecological status of the sea and its sub-basins. We argue, however, that the assigned country-specific targets of nutrient loading do not reach the same level of sophistication, because they are not based on careful economic and policy analysis. We show an increasing gap between the state-of-the-art policy alternatives and the existing command-and-control-based approaches to the protection of the Baltic Sea environment and outline the most important steps for a Baltic Sea Socioeconomic Action Plan. It is time to raise the socioeconomic design of nutrient policies to the same level of sophistication as the ecological foundations of the BSAP.

scholarly journals The Good, the Bad and the Future: A SWOT Analysis of the Ecosystem Approach to Governance in the Baltic Sea Region

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10539
Author(s):  
Savitri Jetoo ◽  
Varvara Lahtinen
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Swot Analysis ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Systematic Assessment ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Good Ecological Status

The ecosystem approach has been used extensively as a guiding principle in water policies of the Baltic Sea Region since the 1970s. In addition to its operationalization as a management framework in this region, it also has expansive theoretical underpinnings. However, despite extensive literature on this approach, there has not yet been any systematic assessment of the internal and external factors that influence its implementation. This kind of assessment could form the basis for improved thinking around the concept and better implementation actions. As such, this article presents a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis of the ecosystem approach in the Baltic Sea Region by using content analysis on Baltic Sea documents. This study found that key strengths of the principle are its interdisciplinary focus and its acceptance as a framework for conservation, whilst resource intensiveness and its operational complexity are key weaknesses. The SWOT analysis revealed that a key opportunity in the external environment is the ease of alignment with other policies whilst the key external threat is the difficulty integrating disciplines. This study showed that with a streamlined allocation of resources, more stakeholder engagement through capacity building and political leadership, the ecosystem approach could facilitate interdisciplinary knowledge pooling to achieve a good ecological status of the Baltic Sea.

scholarly journals IMPACT OF BLUE GROWTH ON BALTIC SEA REGION PORTS

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 224
Author(s):  
Astrida Rijkure
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
Blue Growth ◽  
Smart Specialization ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Port Infrastructure

There is little attention in the Baltics dedicated to the research of ports as economic subjects and their impact on environment. It is vital to strengthen the links between the ports and the Blue Growth while raising awareness of the Blue Growth and making it a cross-cutting issue of the sea-oriented priority areas by creating a special mechanism to support Blue Growth which so far has had insignificant links to port operations. The aim of the article is to analyze the trends and summarize the measures already taken for promotion and integration of the Blue Growth in the Baltic Sea region, and to develop guidelines for ports based on the general and the Baltic Sea Blue Growth strategy, to draw conclusions and to submit proposals for improvement and increase of the Blue Growth. Latvia needs to develop an action plan in order, without unnecessary errors, to quickly implement sustainable port infrastructure and reduce pollution of the sea. The task is to identify the best practices for usage of marine/coastal resources for economic development, and for identification and testing of new smart specialization measures.

scholarly journals Projected change in atmospheric nitrogen deposition to the Baltic Sea towards 2020

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 21533-21567 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Geels ◽  
K. M. Hansen ◽  
J. H. Christensen ◽  
C. Ambelas Skjøth ◽  
T. Ellermann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Total N ◽  
Ship Traffic ◽  
Projected Change ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Projected Changes

Abstract. The ecological status of the Baltic Sea has for many years been affected by the high input of both waterborne and airborne nutrients. The focus is here on the airborne input of nitrogen (N) and the projected changes in this input, assuming the new National Emission Ceilings directive (NEC-II), currently under negotiation in the EU, is fulfilled towards the year 2020. The Danish Eulerian Hemispheric Model (DEHM) has been used to estimate the development in N deposition based on present day meteorology combined with present day (2007) or future (2020) anthropogenic emissions. By using a so called tagging method in the DEHM model, the contribution from ship traffic and from each of the nine countries with coastlines to the Baltic Sea has been assessed. The annual deposition to the Baltic Sea is estimated to be 203 k tonnes N for the present day scenario (2007) and 165 k tonnes N in the 2020 scenario, giving a projected reduction of 38 k tonnes N in the annual load in 2020. This equals a decline in N deposition of 19 %. The results from 20 model runs using the tagging method show that of the total N deposition in 2007, 52 % came from emissions within the bordering countries. By 2020 this is projected to decrease to 48 %. For some countries the projected decrease in N deposition arising from the implementation of the NEC-II directive will be a considerable part of the reductions agreed on in the provisional reduction targets of the Baltic Sea Action Plan. This underlines the importance of including projections like the current in future updates of the Baltic Sea Action Plan.

scholarly journals The climate in the Baltic Sea region during the last millennium simulated with a regional climate model

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 1419-1433 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Schimanke ◽  
H. E. M. Meier ◽  
E. Kjellström ◽  
G. Strandberg ◽  
R. Hordoir
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
Nutrient Loads ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Variability and long-term climate change in the Baltic Sea region is investigated for the pre-industrial period of the last millennium. For the first time dynamical downscaling covering the complete millennium is conducted with a regional climate model in this area. As a result of changing external forcing conditions, the model simulation shows warm conditions in the first centuries followed by a gradual cooling until ca. 1700 before temperature increases in the last centuries. This long-term evolution, with a Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and a Little Ice Age (LIA), is in broad agreement with proxy-based reconstructions. However, the timing of warm and cold events is not captured at all times. We show that the regional response to the global climate anomalies is to a strong degree modified by the large-scale circulation in the model. In particular, we find that a positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) simulated during MCA contributes to enhancing winter temperatures and precipitation in the region while a negative NAO index in the LIA reduces them. In a second step, the regional ocean model (RCO-SCOBI) is used to investigate the impact of atmospheric changes onto the Baltic Sea for two 100 yr time slices representing the MCA and the LIA. Besides the warming of the Baltic Sea, the water becomes fresher at all levels during the MCA. This is induced by increased runoff and stronger westerly winds. Moreover, the oxygen concentrations in the deep layers are slightly reduced during the MCA. Additional sensitivity studies are conducted to investigate the impact of even higher temperatures and increased nutrient loads. The presented experiments suggest that changing nutrient loads may be more important determining oxygen depletion than changes in temperature or dynamic feedbacks.

scholarly journals Voicing and Visualizing Change: Perceptions of Environmental Heritage in the Baltic Sea Region

Heritage ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1566-1589
Author(s):  
Savitri Jetoo ◽  
Jaana Kouri
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
Interdisciplinary Knowledge ◽  
Complex Solutions ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Good Ecological Status ◽  
Human Actors

To address “wicked problems” that threaten the good ecological status of the Baltic Sea such as climate change with diverse stakeholder values and complex solutions, new interdisciplinary knowledge that incorporates citizen science is urgently needed. This paper scrutinizes environmental heritage in the Baltic Sea region by exploring what it means to persons living in the Baltic Sea environment. It asks the question, what is environmental heritage? It uses a qualitative research method using both texts and photographs—collected in an open competition—to consider humanistic viewpoints of persons living in the changing climate in the Baltic Sea Region. A thematic content analysis was utilized to identify emerging themes in the text and visual inquiry was used to decipher what meanings related to environmental change were conveyed in submitted the photographs. Some of the findings include that environmental heritage is perceived as experiences of living and interacting with the Sea and other non-human actors like animals, but also as material objects in the environment such as sustainable architecture. It also found that environmental heritage is articulated as a source of conflict, between users and uses and the traditional and new ways of life. Resolution of this conflict is important in guiding effective solutions to the challenge of climate change. It is thus important to develop interdisciplinary methods that facilitate the merging of different knowledge systems in order to generate effective solutions.

scholarly journals The impact of nitrogen and sulphur emissions from shipping on exceedances of critical loads in the Baltic Sea region

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Jutterström ◽  
Filip Moldan ◽  
Jana Moldanová ◽  
Matthias Karl ◽  
Volker Matthias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Critical Loads ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Sea Area ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The emissions of nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S) species to the atmosphere from shipping significantly contribute to S and N deposition near the coast, and to acidification and/or eutrophication of soils and freshwaters. In the countries around the Baltic Sea the shipping volume and its relative importance as a source of emissions are expected to increase if an efficient regulation would not be implemented. To assess the extent of environmental damage due to ship emissions for the Baltic Sea area, the exceedance of critical loads (CLs) for N and S has been calculated for the years 2012 and 2040. The paper evaluates the effects of several future scenarios including the implementation of NECA and SECA (Nitrogen resp. Sulphur Emission Control Areas). The implementation of NECA and SECA caused a significant decrease in exceedance of critical loads for N as a nutrient while the impact on the – already much lower – exceedance of critical loads for acidification was less pronounced. The relative contribution from Baltic shipping to the total deposition decreased from 2012 to the 2040 scenarios for both S and N. In contrast to exceedances of CLs for acidification, shipping still has an impact on exceedances for eutrophication in 2040.

scholarly journals Cooperation, Media and Framing Processes

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (s1) ◽  
pp. 41-55
Author(s):  
Anna Maria Jönsson ◽  
Mikael Karlsson
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Media Framing ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
Controversial Topic ◽  
The One ◽  
The Baltic

AbstractCooperation and communication play an important role for environmental governance. This holds true for the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe, one of the most disturbed ecosystems in the world, where insufficient cooperation between different stakeholders is one reason for goal failure. This article addresses the linkages between (media) framing on the one hand, and cooperation on the other. The case in focus is a set of negotiations related to the Baltic Sea Action Plan, the most central governance strategy in the Baltic Sea region. Our results show that in order to influence political decision-making, key stakeholders compete over the power to define and interpret problems, causes and solutions to an extent impeding cooperation. We focus the analysis on eutrophication, which we show to be a complex and controversial topic, framed in incompatible ways by different stakeholders.

scholarly journals The competitiveness of ferry and air transport in the Baltic Sea Region: infrastructure approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 01029
Author(s):  
Marta Mańkowska ◽  
Dariusz Tłoczyński
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Air Transport ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Passenger Traffic ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
Time Availability ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Impact

The main aim of the article is attempt to get the answer to the question about the impact of services offered by point elements of transport infrastructure on meeting the expectations and preferences of passengers in various modes of transport. Based on the presented objective, the assessment of the competitiveness of air and ferry transport in the service of passenger traffic was carried out through taking into the consideration selected elements affecting the quality of services offered by airports and ferry terminals. One of the key factors of the competitiveness of ports is time availability. The main objective of the research undertaken in the article was therefore to assess the competitiveness of seaports and airports in terms of their time availability. The article uses the case study method of selected airports and ferry terminals located in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). The comparative analysis covered the time competitiveness of port ground access. The results of the research allow to make a general conclusion that ferry terminals have better ground access for individual car journeys and airports are becoming more competitive in the case of the arrival and departure function of public transport. This indicates that the system of ground access for seaports and airports is adapted to the segment of passengers having the largest share in transport by the analyzed transport branches, i.e. the motorized passengers in ferry transport and non-motorized passengers in air transport.

scholarly journals Strengthening the policy framework to resolve lax implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan for agriculture

AMBIO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark V. Brady ◽  
Mikael Skou Andersen ◽  
Anna Andersson ◽  
Emils Kilis ◽  
Sanna-Riikka Saarela ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Manure Management ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Advisory Services ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
Legal Mandates ◽  
The Baltic

AbstractIn this perspective article, we provide recommendations for strengthening the policy framework for protecting the Baltic Sea from agricultural nutrient pollution. The most striking weakness is the lax implementation of prescribed abatement measures, particularly concerning manure management, in most countries. Institutions of the EU should also be leveraged for achieving Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) goals. In contrast to the Helsinki Convention, the European Union has economic, political and legal mandates to further implementation and compliance. Equally important is the need for strengthening of local institutions, particularly Water Boards and independent agricultural advisory services in the eastern Baltic Sea Region countries. There is also an urgent need for implementation of voluntary land-use measures where EU funding available to farmers is more broadly and effectively used by providing it on the basis of estimated abatement performance, which can be realized through modelling. The enormous potential for funding performance-based schemes, manure management infrastructure and advisory services through the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy are currently underutilized.

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