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 Assessing the costs and environmental benefits of IMO regulations of ship-originated SOx and NOx emissions in the Baltic Sea

AMBIO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sari Repka ◽  
Anne Erkkilä-Välimäki ◽  
Jan Eiof Jonson ◽  
Maximilian Posch ◽  
Janne Törrönen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Critical Loads ◽  
Considerable Effect ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Ecosystem Impacts ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
Emission Regulation ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Exhaust Gas Emissions

AbstractTo assess the value of the environmental benefits of the Sulphur Emission regulation (SECA) that came into force in 2015, changes in depositions of SOx and NOx from ship exhaust gas emissions were modelled and monetized for the Baltic Sea region for the years 2014 and 2016. During this period, the total deposition of SOx in the study area decreased by 7.3%. The decrease in ship-originated SOx deposition from 38 kt to 3.4 kt (by over 88%) was translated into a monetary value for the ecosystem impacts of nearly 130 million USD, according to the EcoValue08 model. This is less than the modelled health benefits, but it is not insignificant. For NOx, there was no decreasing trend. The exceedance of the critical loads of SOx and NOx was also estimated. The effect of Baltic shipping on the exceedance of critical loads of acidification after SECA is very small, but Baltic shipping still has a considerable effect on the exceedance of critical loads for eutrophication.

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 Characterization of OMI tropospheric NO<sub>2</sub> over the Baltic Sea region

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 2021-2042 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Ialongo ◽  
J. Hakkarainen ◽  
N. Hyttinen ◽  
J.-P. Jalkanen ◽  
L. Johansson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
Tropospheric No2 ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Sea Area ◽  
The City

Abstract. Satellite-based data are very important for air quality applications in the Baltic Sea area, because they provide information on air pollution over sea and there where ground-based network and aircraft measurements are not available. Both the emissions from urban sites over land and ships over sea, contribute to the tropospheric NO2 levels. The tropospheric NO2 monitoring at high latitudes using satellite data is challenging because of the reduced light hours in winter and the snow-covered surface, which make the retrieval complex, and because of the reduced signal due to low Sun. This work presents a detailed characterization of the tropospheric NO2 columns focused on part of the Baltic Sea region using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) tropospheric NO2 standard product. Previous works have focused on larger seas and lower latitudes. The results showed that, despite the regional area of interest, it is possible to distinguish the signal from the main coastal cities and from the ships by averaging the data over a seasonal time range. The summertime NO2 emission and lifetime values (E = (1.0 ± 0.1) × 1028 molec. and τ = (3.0 ± 0.5) h, respectively) in Helsinki were estimated from the decay of the signal with distance from the city center. The method developed for megacities was successfully applied to a smaller scale source, in both size and intensity (i.e., the city of Helsinki), which is located at high latitudes (∼60° N). The same methodology could be applied to similar scale cities elsewhere, as far as they are relatively isolated from other sources. The transport by the wind plays an important role in the Baltic Sea area. The NO2 spatial distribution is mainly determined by the contribution of strong westerly winds, which dominate the wind patterns during summer. The comparison between the emissions from model calculations and OMI NO2 tropospheric columns confirmed the applicability of satellite data for ship emission monitoring. In particular, both the emission data and the OMI observations showed similar year-to-year variability, with a drop in year 2009, corresponding to the effect of the economical crisis.

The Importance of Containers for the Deposition and Non-Retrieval of Silver Hoards

2018 ◽  
pp. 169-188
Author(s):  
Jacek Gruszczynski
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Soil Chemistry ◽  
Viking Age ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Northern Germany ◽  
New Model ◽  
Local Soil ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Sea Area ◽  
The Impact

This chapter investigates the reasons for the deposition and non-retrieval of Viking Age silver hoards, focusing on the two areas with the biggest hoard concentrations in the Baltic zone: Gotland and Pomerania (the southern shore of the Baltic sea area in modern-day northern Germany and Poland). The chapter advances a new model for determining the possible reasons for hoard deposition and non-retrieval, arguing that hoards intended for retrieval were placed in containers, with containerless hoards likely deposited for ritual motives, without the intention of recovery. The impact on local soil chemistry on the preservation of hoard containers is considered. The evidence for containers is then integrated with analysis of the weight of hoards and local settlement archaeology. A key finding is that, on Gotland, the practice of symbolically depositing small silver hoards on ‘broken fields’ (newly established farms) was widespread.

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 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 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 Editorial Foreword

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-6
Author(s):  
Silviu-Marian Miloiu
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Holy Land ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Literature Teaching ◽  
Baltic Countries ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Impact

On 28-29 May 2020 in full Coronavirus pandemic upsurge and lockdown conditions the Eleventh Conference on Baltic and Nordic Studies gathered on Zoom instead of The Palace of Culture and The Middle Age Citadel of Târgu Mureș as initially planned. The meeting was summoned in partnership with Rethinking Europe in order to reflect, from the perspective of the Baltic Sea Region, upon the Old Continent in the context of Brexit and the pandemic. Questions on the impact of the recent evolutions on Baltic and Scandinavian states have been raised, but the perspective was much wider looking on how the countries of this region responded to structural changes or alterations of the international environment over time. The two plenary sessions on the EU after Brexit: Perspectives on the Future of Europe and Constructions of Christian Identity and the Idea of the Holy Land in the Northern Periphery: The Sawley World Map in Twelfth-Century England appropriately mirrored the sequential diversity of the conference. Panels have been devoted to Encounters, fantasies and perceptions in shaping Europe, Rethinking Europe in Nordic and Baltic cultures, Rethinking the Baltic Sea Region in Europe during the interwar period, Rethinking Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea Region in Europe during the two world wars, Intercultural relations in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Reception of Nordic literature, New perspectives on Norwegian literature, Teaching and use of Nordic languages. The main theories, concepts and ideas presented are resumed in the Book of Abstracts published before the conference, while the full papers are assembled in volume 12, issues 1 and 2 of our biannual peer review journal. The Honorary Chair of the Conference, Her Excellency Dr. Violeta Motulaitė, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania in Romania and Bulgaria, Honorary President of the Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies, has focused in her lecture, published in this issue, on the Lithuanian perspective of the current European Brexit and Covid crisis, professing that:

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