scholarly journals Quantifying Contemporary Organic Carbon Stocks of the Baltic Sea Ecosystem

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maike Iris Esther Scheffold ◽  
Inga Hense
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Carbon Pools ◽  
Consistent Estimate ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic

The identification of carbon pools and the quantification of carbon stocks is necessary to (1) track changes in ecosystem dynamics, (2) inform science-based ecosystem and blue-carbon management, and (3) evaluate ecosystem and food web models. However, estimates of organic carbon stocks in marine ecosystems are incomplete or inconsistent. Therefore, we provide a first consistent estimate of relevant organic carbon stocks of a distinct marine ecosystem- the Baltic Sea. We estimate its contemporary standing stocks of 18 non-living and living organic carbon pools using data from literature and open-access databases. In contrast to existing data, our estimates are valid for the entire Baltic Sea, include necessary pools and are verifiable, as we describe data sources, methods and the associated uncertainties in detail to allow reproduction and critical evaluation. The total organic carbon (TOC) in the Baltic Sea ecosystem amounts to 1,050 ± 90 gC/m2 (440 ± 40 Mt). The non-living stocks account for about 98.8% and the living stocks for 1.2% of the TOC. Our estimates indicate that benthos has the highest living organic carbon stock and that the stock of particulate organic carbon (POC) has been underestimated in some previous studies. In addition, we find a partially inverted biomass distribution with a higher stock of primary consumers than primary producers. Our estimates provide a baseline of the size and distribution of the organic carbon in the Baltic Sea for the current period. Analyses of inorganic carbon stocks and the interplay between inorganic and organic stocks must follow to further define the baseline of total carbon stocks in the Baltic Sea.

scholarly journals The carbon budget of the Baltic Sea

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 3219-3230 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Kuliński ◽  
J. Pempkowiak
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Carbon Budget ◽  
The Other ◽  
Minor Importance ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Sources And Sinks ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive study of the Baltic Sea carbon budget. The Baltic Sea is very much influenced by terrestrial carbon input. Rivers are the largest carbon source, and their input amounts to 10.90 Tg C yr−1 (Tg = 1012 g) with a 37.5% contribution of organic carbon. On the other hand, carbon is effectively exported from the Baltic to the North Sea (7.67 Tg C yr−1) and is also buried in bottom sediments (2.73 Tg C yr−1). The other sources and sinks of carbon are of minor importance. The net CO2 emission (1.05 Tg C yr−1) from the Baltic to the atmosphere was calculated as the closing term of the carbon budget presented here. There is a net loss of organic carbon, which indicates that the Baltic Sea is heterotrophic.

scholarly journals A three-dimensional view on biodiversity changes: spatial, temporal, and functional perspectives on fish communities in the Baltic Sea

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (7) ◽  
pp. 2463-2475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romain Frelat ◽  
Alessandro Orio ◽  
Michele Casini ◽  
Andreas Lehmann ◽  
Bastien Mérigot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract Fisheries and marine ecosystem-based management requires a holistic understanding of the dynamics of fish communities and their responses to changes in environmental conditions. Environmental conditions can simultaneously shape the spatial distribution and the temporal dynamics of a population, which together can trigger changes in the functional structure of communities. Here, we developed a comprehensive framework based on complementary multivariate statistical methodologies to simultaneously investigate the effects of environmental conditions on the spatial, temporal and functional dynamics of species assemblages. The framework is tested using survey data collected during more than 4000 fisheries hauls over the Baltic Sea between 2001 and 2016. The approach revealed the Baltic fish community to be structured into three sub-assemblages along a strong and temporally stable salinity gradient decreasing from West to the East. Additionally, we highlight a mismatch between species and functional richness associated with a lower functional redundancy in the Baltic Proper compared with other sub-areas, suggesting an ecosystem more susceptible to external pressures. Based on a large dataset of community data analysed in an innovative and comprehensive way, we could disentangle the effects of environmental changes on the structure of biotic communities—key information for the management and conservation of ecosystems.

scholarly journals Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio in PM1 and size segregated aerosol particles over the Baltic Sea

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inga Garbarienė ◽  
Vidmantas Remeikis ◽  
Agnë Mašalaitė ◽  
Andrius Garbaras ◽  
Tpmasz Petelski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Size Range ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Formation Mechanisms ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
The Baltic

We analysed δ13C of total carbon (TC) and δ15N of total nitrogen (TN) in submicron (PM1) and size segregated aerosol particles (PM0.056–2.5) collected during a cruise in the Baltic Sea from 9 to 17 November 2012. PM1 were characterized by the highest δ13C (–26.4‰) and lowest δ15N (–0.2 and 0.8‰) values when air masses arrived from the southwest direction (Poland). The obtained δ13C values indicated that combined emissions of coal and diesel/gasoline combustion were the most likely sources of TC. The depleted δ15N values indicated that TN originated mainly from liquid fuel combustion (road traffic, shipping) during this period. The lowest δ13C and highest δ15N values were determined in PM1 samples during the western airflow when the air masses had no recent contact with land. The highest δ15N values were probably associated with chemical aging of nitrogenous species during long-range transport, the lowest δ13C values could be related to emissions from diesel/gasoline combustion, potentially from ship traffic. The δ13C analysis of size-segregated aerosol particles PM0.056–2.5 revealed that the lowest δ13C values were observed in the size range from 0.056 to 0.18 µm and gradual 13C enrichment occurred in the size range from 0.18 to 2.5 µm due to different sources or formation mechanisms of the aerosols.

Environmental factors affecting recent benthic foraminiferal distribution in the south-eastern Baltic Sea

Baltica ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-70
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Ponomarenko ◽  
Viktor Krechik ◽  
Evgenia Dorokhova
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Benthic Foraminifera ◽  
Bottom Water ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
The South ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
The Baltic

The Baltic Sea is characterized by a restricted exchange of deep waters due to permanent stratification of the water column. The aim of the present study is to investigate the distribution of benthic foraminifera in the south-eastern part of the Baltic Sea in relation to environmental parameters. The distribution of benthic foraminifera was analyzed in 26 surface sediment samples collected in the south-eastern part of the Baltic Sea and in the Bornholm Basin during springtime and wintertime 2016. Foraminiferal diversity in the studied region was extremely low. Agglutinated specimens dominated the assemblages and were represented by small-sized individuals which belong to Psammosphaera, Pseudothurammina, Saccammina, and Reophax genera. Calcareous foraminifera were dominated by Cribroelphidium genus. Micropaleontological data were compared to the environmental parameters characterizing bottom water (temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen content) and substrate conditions (grain size composition and total organic carbon content). Higher foraminiferal concentrations and diversity were found in deeper parts of the study region where fine-grained sediments with a higher total organic carbon content were accumulated under stable hydrographical conditions. Calcareous tests were found only at the stations with elevated salinity, indicating that bottom water salinity is the main factor limiting the distribution of calcareous foraminifera. On the other hand, substrate parameters and hydrodynamic conditions appear to play a major role in the distribution of agglutinated foraminifera.

36year trends in dissolved organic carbon export from Finnish rivers to the Baltic Sea

2012 ◽  
Vol 435-436 ◽  
pp. 188-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti Räike ◽  
Pirkko Kortelainen ◽  
Tuija Mattsson ◽  
David N. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Carbon Export ◽  
The Baltic

scholarly journals Developing benthic monitoring programmes to support precise and representative status assessments: a case study from the Baltic Sea

2020 ◽  
Vol 192 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Nygård ◽  
Mats Lindegarth ◽  
Alexander Darr ◽  
Grete E. Dinesen ◽  
Ole R. Eigaard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Monitoring Data ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Baltic

AbstractBenthic habitats and communities are key components of the marine ecosystem. Securing their functioning is a central aim in marine environmental management, where monitoring data provide the base for assessing the state of marine ecosystems. In the Baltic Sea, a > 50-year-long tradition of zoobenthic monitoring exists. However, the monitoring programmes were designed prior to the current policies, primarily to detect long-term trends at basin-scale and are thus not optimal to fulfil recent requirements such as area-based periodic status assessments. Here, we review the current monitoring programmes and assess the precision and representativity of the monitoring data in status assessments to identify routes for improvement. At present, the monitoring is focused on soft-bottoms, not accounting for all habitat types occurring in the Baltic Sea. Evaluating the sources of variance in the assessment data revealed that the component accounting for variability among stations forms the largest proportion of the uncertainty. Furthermore, it is shown that the precision of the status estimates can be improved, with the current number of samples. Reducing sampling effort per station, but sampling more stations, is the best option to improve precision in status assessments. Furthermore, by allocating the sampling stations more evenly in the sub-basins, a better representativity of the area can be achieved. However, emphasis on securing the long-term data series is needed if changes to the monitoring programmes are planned.

Particulate organic carbon (POC) in surface sediments of the Baltic Sea

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 175-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Leipe ◽  
Franz Tauber ◽  
Henry Vallius ◽  
Joonas Virtasalo ◽  
Szymon Uścinowicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Particulate Organic Carbon ◽  
Surface Sediments ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic
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