scholarly journals Effects of Recreational Boating on Microbial and Meiofauna Diversity in Coastal Shallow Ecosystems of the Baltic Sea

mSphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Iburg ◽  
Dandan Izabel-Shen ◽  
Åsa N. Austin ◽  
Joakim P. Hansen ◽  
Johan S. Eklöf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Coastal Ecosystems ◽  
Recreational Boating ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic

With the increase of recreational boating activity and development of boating infrastructure in shallow, wave-protected areas, there is growing concern for their impact on coastal ecosystems. In order to properly assess the effects and consider the potential for recovery, it is important to investigate microbial and meiofaunal communities that underpin the functioning of these ecosystems.

Climate change and recovery from eutrophication reduce benthic fauna and carbon processing in a coastal sea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Ehrnsten ◽  
Alf Norkko ◽  
Bärbel Müller-Karulis ◽  
Erik Gustafsson ◽  
Bo Gustafsson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Coastal Ecosystems ◽  
Benthic Macrofauna ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Nutrient Loads ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Carbon Processing

<p>Nutrient loading and climate change affect coastal ecosystems worldwide. Unravelling the combined effects of these pressures on benthic macrofauna is essential for understanding the future functioning of coastal ecosystems, as it is an important component linking the benthic and pelagic realms. In this study, we extended an existing model of benthic macrofauna coupled with the physical-biogeochemical BALTSEM model of the Baltic Sea to study the combined effects of changing nutrient loads and climate on biomass and metabolism of benthic macrofauna historically and in scenarios for the future. Based on a statistical comparison with a large validation dataset of measured biomasses, the model showed good or reasonable performance across the different basins and depth strata in the model area. In scenarios with decreasing nutrient loads according to the Baltic Sea Action Plan, but also with continued recent loads (mean loads 2012-2014), overall macrofaunal biomass and carbon processing were projected to decrease significantly by the end of the century despite improved oxygen conditions at the seafloor. Climate change led to intensified pelagic recycling of primary production and reduced export of particulate organic carbon to the seafloor with negative effects on macrofaunal biomass. In the high nutrient load scenario, representing the highest recorded historical loads, climate change counteracted the effects of increased productivity leading to a hyperbolic response: biomass and carbon processing increased up to mid-21<sup>st</sup> century but then decreased, giving almost no net change by the end of the 21<sup>st</sup> century compared to present. The study shows that benthic responses to environmental change are nonlinear and partly decoupled from pelagic responses and indicates that benthic-pelagic coupling might be weaker in a warmer and less eutrophic sea.</p>

scholarly journals Ecological coherence of Marine Protected Areas: New tools applied to the Baltic Sea network

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per R. Jonsson ◽  
Per‐Olav Moksnes ◽  
Hanna Corell ◽  
Erik Bonsdorff ◽  
Martin Nilsson Jacobi
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Ecological Coherence

Eutrophication assessment of the Baltic Sea Protected Areas by available data and GIS technologies

2011 ◽  
Vol 63 (5-12) ◽  
pp. 209-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Ranft ◽  
Roland Pesch ◽  
Winfried Schröder ◽  
Dieter Boedeker ◽  
Hanna Paulomäki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Gis Technologies ◽  
Eutrophication Assessment ◽  
The Baltic

scholarly journals Temporal development of coastal ecosystems in the Baltic Sea over the past two decades

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 2539-2548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Olsson ◽  
Maciej T. Tomczak ◽  
Henn Ojaveer ◽  
Anna Gårdmark ◽  
Arno Põllumäe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Coastal Ecosystems ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Common Denominator ◽  
Temporal Development ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract Coastal areas are among the most biologically productive aquatic systems worldwide, but face strong and variable anthropogenic pressures. Few studies have, however, addressed the temporal development of coastal ecosystems in an integrated context. This study represents an assessment of the development over time in 13 coastal ecosystems in the Baltic Sea region during the past two decades. The study covers between two to six trophic levels per system and time-series dating back to the early 1990s. We applied multivariate analyses to assess the temporal development of biological ecosystem components and relate these to potential driving variables associated with changes in climate, hydrology, nutrient status, and fishing pressure. Our results show that structural change often occurred with similar timing in the assessed coastal systems. Moreover, in 10 of the 13 systems, a directional development of the ecosystem components was observed. The variables representing key ecosystem components generally differed across systems, due to natural differences and limitation to available data. As a result of this, the correlation between the temporal development of the biological components in each area and the driving variables assessed was to some extent area-specific. However, change in nutrient status was a common denominator of the variables most often associated with changes in the assessed systems. Our results, additionally, indicate existing strengths as well as future challenges in the capacity of currently available monitoring data to support integrated assessments and the implementation of an integrated ecosystem-based approach to the management of the Baltic Sea coastal ecosystems.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document