The first large-scale assessment of three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) biomass and spatial distribution in the Baltic Sea

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 1653-1665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Olsson ◽  
Eglė Jakubavičiūtė ◽  
Olavi Kaljuste ◽  
Niklas Larsson ◽  
Ulf Bergström ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Baltic Proper ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Bothnian Sea

Abstract Declines in predatory fish in combination with the impact of climate change and eutrophication have caused planktivores, including three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), to increase dramatically in parts of the Baltic Sea. Resulting impacts of stickleback on coastal and offshore foodwebs have been observed, highlighting the need for increased knowledge on its population characteristics. In this article, we quantify abundance, biomass, size structure, and spatial distribution of stickleback using data from the Swedish and Finnish parts of the Baltic International Acoustic Survey (BIAS) during 2001–2014. Two alternative methods for biomass estimation suggest an increase in biomass of stickleback in the Baltic Proper, stable or increasing mean size over time, and larger individuals toward the north. The highest abundance was found in the central parts of the Baltic Proper and Bothnian Sea. The proportion of stickleback biomass in the total planktivore biomass increased from 4 to 10% in the Baltic Proper and averaged 6% of the total planktivore biomass in the Bothnian Sea. In some years, however, stickleback biomass has ranged from half to almost twice that of sprat (Sprattus sprattus) in both basins. Given the recent population expansion of stickleback and its potential role in the ecosystem, we recommend that stickleback should be considered in future monitoring programmes and in fisheries and environmental management of the Baltic Sea.

Behavioural responses of voles to simulated risk of predation by a native and an alien mustelid: an odour manipulation experiment

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Fey ◽  
Peter B. Banks ◽  
Hannu Ylönen ◽  
Erkki Korpimäki
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Predation Risk ◽  
Myodes Glareolus ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Alien Predator ◽  
Risk Of Predation ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Impact

Context. Potential mammalian prey commonly use the odours of their co-evolved predators to manage their risks of predation. But when the risk comes from an unknown source of predation, odours might not be perceived as dangerous, and anti-predator responses may fail, except possibly if the alien predator is of the same archetype as a native predator. Aims. In the present study we examined anti-predator behavioural responses of voles from the outer archipelagos of the Baltic Sea, south-western Finland, where they have had no resident mammalian predators in recent history. Methods. We investigated responses of field voles (Microtus agrestis) to odours of native least weasels (Mustela nivalis) and a recently invading alien predator, the American mink (Mustela vison), in laboratory. We also studied the short-term responses of free-ranging field voles and bank voles (Myodes glareolus) to simulated predation risk by alien mink on small islands in the outer archipelago of the Baltic Sea. Key results. In the laboratory, voles avoided odour cues of native weasel but not of alien mink. It is possible that the response to mink is a context dependent learned response which could not be induced in the laboratory, whereas the response to weasel is innate. In the field, however, voles reduced activity during their normal peak-activity times at night as a response to simulated alien-mink predation risk. No other shifts in space use or activity in safer microhabitats or denser vegetation were apparent. Conclusions. Voles appeared to recognise alien minks as predators from their odours in the wild. However, reduction in activity is likely to be only a short-term immediate response to mink presence, which is augmented by longer-term strategies of habitat shift. Because alien mink still strongly suppresses vole dynamics despite these anti-predator responses, we suggest that behavioural naiveté may be the primary factor in the impact of an alien predator on native prey. Implications. Prey naiveté has long been considered as the root cause of the devastating impacts of alien predators, whereby native prey simply fail to recognise and respond to the novel predation risk. Our results reveal a more complex form of naiveté whereby native prey appeared to recognise alien predators as a threat but their response is ultimately inadequate. Thus, recognition alone is unlikely to afford protection for native prey from alien-predator impacts. Thus, management strategies that, for example, train prey in recognition of novel threats must induce effective responses if they are expected to succeed.

scholarly journals Nitrogen fixation estimates for the Baltic Sea indicate high rates for the previously overlooked Bothnian Sea

AMBIO ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malin Olofsson ◽  
Isabell Klawonn ◽  
Bengt Karlson
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
External Input ◽  
Nitrogen Loading ◽  
External Loading ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Bothnian Sea

AbstractDense blooms of diazotrophic filamentous cyanobacteria are formed every summer in the Baltic Sea. We estimated their contribution to nitrogen fixation by combining two decades of cyanobacterial biovolume monitoring data with recently measured genera-specific nitrogen fixation rates. In the Bothnian Sea, estimated nitrogen fixation rates were 80 kt N year−1, which has doubled during recent decades and now exceeds external loading from rivers and atmospheric deposition of 69 kt year−1. The estimated contribution to the Baltic Proper was 399 kt N year−1, which agrees well with previous estimates using other approaches and is greater than the external input of 374 kt N year−1. Our approach can potentially be applied to continuously estimate nitrogen loads via nitrogen fixation. Those estimates are crucial for ecosystem adaptive management since internal nitrogen loading may counteract the positive effects of decreased external nutrient loading.

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 Effect of Maneuvering on Ice-Induced Loading on Ship Hull: Dedicated Full-Scale Tests in the Baltic Sea

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 759
Author(s):  
Mikko Suominen ◽  
Fang Li ◽  
Liangliang Lu ◽  
Pentti Kujala ◽  
Anriëtte Bekker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Load Duration ◽  
Ship Control ◽  
Level Ice ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Full Scale Tests ◽  
The Impact

Maneuvers in level ice are common operations for icebreakers and polar supply vessels. Maneuvering exposes the midship and stern area to ice interaction, influencing the magnitude and frequency of ice-induced loading in these areas. However, full-scale measurements do not typically cover the midship and stern areas, as measurements have commonly focused on the bow area. Controlled maneuvering tests were conducted during the ice trials of S.A. Agulhas II in the Baltic Sea. During these tests, ice-induced loading at different hull areas was measured simultaneously with ship control, navigation, and ice condition data. This work studied the effect of maneuvers on the characteristics and statistics of ice-induced loading at different hull areas and compared the impact to ahead operations. The study showed that the maneuvers had minor impact to the magnitude, frequency, and duration of loading at the bow and bow shoulder. On the other hand, maneuvers had a clear effect on the load magnitude and frequency at the stern shoulder. Additionally, a statistical analysis showed that the load magnitude increased as a function of load duration in all hull areas. Furthermore, the analyzed measurement data are presented and made available with the paper.

scholarly journals Geodetic SAR for Height System Unification and Sea Level Research—Observation Concept and Preliminary Results in the Baltic Sea

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 3747
Author(s):  
Thomas Gruber ◽  
Jonas Ågren ◽  
Detlef Angermann ◽  
Artu Ellmann ◽  
Andreas Engfeldt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Tide Gauge ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Early Results ◽  
Height System ◽  
First Results ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Sea Area ◽  
The Impact

Traditionally, sea level is observed at tide gauge stations, which usually also serve as height reference stations for national leveling networks and therefore define a height system of a country. One of the main deficiencies to use tide gauge data for geodetic sea level research and height systems unification is that only a few stations are connected to the geometric network of a country by operating permanent GNSS receivers next to the tide gauge. As a new observation technique, absolute positioning by SAR using active transponders on ground can fill this gap by systematically observing time series of geometric heights at tide gauge stations. By additionally knowing the tide gauge geoid heights in a global height reference frame, one can finally obtain absolute sea level heights at each tide gauge. With this information the impact of climate change on the sea level can be quantified in an absolute manner and height systems can be connected across the oceans. First results from applying this technique at selected tide gauges at the Baltic coasts are promising but also exhibit some problems related to the new technique. The paper presents the concept of using the new observation type in an integrated sea level observing system and provides some early results for SAR positioning in the Baltic sea area.

scholarly journals Geoelectric Monitoring of Wind-Driven Barotropic Transports in the Baltic Sea

2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 1655-1664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny A. U. Nilsson ◽  
Peter Sigray ◽  
Robert H. Tyler
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Correlation Study ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Barotropic Flow ◽  
Spatial Coverage ◽  
Baltic Proper ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Scale Motion ◽  
Geoelectric Monitoring

Abstract The possibility of using data from a cable-based observational system for long-term monitoring of barotropic flow in the Baltic Sea was investigated. Measurements were made of the induced potential differences between Visby on the island of Gotland and Västervik on the Swedish mainland and a yearlong period was studied in order to ensure the presence of seasonal fluctuations. The predictions from a 2D electric-potential model, forced by velocity fields from a shallow-water circulation model, proved to be well correlated with the observations. A winter and a summer period were selected for a thorough analysis, the results of which indicated a stronger correlation during winter. This implies that the relative importance of the barotropic forcing tends to weaken during summer. The spatial coverage of the induced potential differences for the cable region was found to encompass a considerable part of the Baltic proper. The correlation study indicated that the winter circulation in the Baltic proper showed “broad-scale” motion, whereas summer conditions were characterized by a barotropic gyre. An overall result of the investigation is that geoelectric monitoring is capable of providing useful data for oceanographic purposes.

FOREIGN TOURISTS IN THE PROVINCE OF WESTERN POMERANIA IN 2006-2016

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 43-56
Author(s):  
Czesław Koźmiński
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Duration Of Stay ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Overnight Stays

Purpose. To assess the number, structure, seasonality and duration of foreign tourists’ visits to the Province of Western Pomerania in 2006-2016 as well as to identify preferred destinations in the Province. Methods. The research was based on monthly and annual data on foreign tourists’ visits and overnight stays in Western Pomerania counties in 2006-2016. The data supplied by the Statistical Office in Szczecin were used to model: the temporal (by month) and spatial (by country) distribution of the number of foreign tourists in the Province, the variability and seasonality of the tourism flow, and the mean duration of stay at accommodation facilities. Statistical data from counties situated in Lakeland areas were used to assess the numbers of foreign tourists visiting Western Pomeranian Lakelands. Results. The analysis showed positive, highly significant linear trends in the number of foreign tourists’ visits to the Province (R²=0.7369) and in overnight stays (R²=0.8309) over the analysed period (2006-2016). Foreign tourists accounted for 23.6% of all the tourists visiting Western Pomerania; they stayed for an average of 5.0-5.5 days depending on the year, no distinct trend in the duration of stay being visible. Seasonality in the foreign tourists’ visits, as expressed by the ratio between the number of tourists in summer (June-August) and winter (December-February) and averaging 2.4, was almost two times lower than that of Polish tourists, an effect resulting from a fairly uniform distribution of visits for recreation and medical treatment throughout the year. The coefficient of variation (CV) was found to range from 15.7% in June to 26.7% in February. Due to weather conditions, 37.1% of the annual number of foreign tourists (mainly from Germany) come in summer months (June-August). The preferred destination of foreign tourists in the Province of Western Pomerania is the Baltic Sea coast (63.6% of all visits); the city of Szczecin attracts 30.1% of all the foreign tourists, whereas Western Pomeranian Lakelands are visited by as few as 3.2%. A similar percentage (3.1%) visit the seven remaining counties. Tourists stay the longest (7.1 days on average) at the seaside, the shortest visits (1.9 day) occurring in Szczecin and Koszalin. Research and conclusions limitations. A more detailed assessment of the temporal and spatial distribution of foreign tourists’ visits in the Province is hampered by incomplete reports on tourism flow in numerous municipalities. Compared to the Baltic Sea, more beneficial thermal conditions in lakes (water temperature higher by 2Cº- 4 Cº) and a longer (by 2-3 weeks) bathing season should be taken advantage of by regional and local authorities and tourist organisations to promote foreign tourists visits to and stays in the Lakeland areas. Originality. Local authorities and tourist organisations should monitor and analyse the increase in the number of foreign tourists’ visits from year to year, and should pay attention to the highly uneven spatial distribution of foreign tourists’ visits. Practical implication. The results obtained should help local governments and tourist organisations to improve services used by foreigners in the province. Type of work. Results of empirical studies are presented.

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