Tidal oscillations in the Baltic Sea

Long-term hourly data from 35 tide gauge stations, including 15 stations in the Gulf of Finland, were used to examine tidal sea level oscillations of the Baltic Sea. High-resolution spectral analysis revealed the well-defined fine structure of tidal peaks with diurnal peaks at most stations being higher than semidiurnal. At some stations (e.g., Narva, Daugava, and Wladyslawowo), high frequency radiational tidal peaks with periods multiple of the solar day (3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 cpd) were detected; the respective oscillations are supposed to be caused by seabreeze winds. Harmonic analysis of tides for individual yearly sea level series followed by vector averaging over the entire observational period was used to estimate the amplitudes and phases of 16 tidal constituents. The maximum tidal oscillations of 17–19 cm were found to be observed in the Gulf of Finland and, first of all, in Neva Bay (in the head of the gulf). Diurnal or mixed diurnal tides are predominant in almost the entire Baltic Sea. The comparison of the observed tides with those theoretically computed showed that the existing numerical models of the main tidal harmonics generally quite accurately reproduce the structure of the tides in the Baltic Sea except for some regions of the Gulf of Bothnia.     

Dissolved uranium in the Baltic Sea

Filtered water from the Baltic Sea was analysed for uranium concentration and ²³⁴U/²³⁸U activity ratio with alpha-ray spectrometry. The uranium concentration shows a strong correlation to salinity, the correlation coefficient being close to 0.98. Consequently, the uranium concentration increases from 0.15 μg kg⁻¹ in the northern part, dominated by fresh water, to above 1.0 μg kg⁻¹ in the Belt Sea. However, the data also show that dissolved uranium is not strictly conservative in the Baltic. In deeper intermittently anoxic basins of the Baltic Proper, the element is removed from the water phase and incorporated into the sediment. This is most evident in the Gotland Deep, which has been anoxic below 200 m depth since 1979.     

Pole tide in the Baltic Sea

The pole tide, which is driven by the Chandler Wobble, has a period of about 14 months and typical amplitudes in the World Ocean of ～0.5 cm. However, in the Baltic Sea the pole tide is anomalously high. To examine this effect we used long-term hourly sea level records from 23 tide gauges and monthly records from 64 stations. The lengths of the series were up to 123 years for hourly records and 211 years for monthly records. High-resolution spectra revealed a cluster of neighboring peaks with periods from 410 to 440 days. The results of spectral analysis were applied to estimate the integral amplitudes of pole tides from all available tide gauges along the coast of the Baltic Sea. The height of the pole tide was found to gradually increase from the entrance (Danish Straits, 1.5–2 cm) to the northeast end of the sea. The largest amplitudes—up to 4.5–7 cm—were observed in the heads of the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia. Significant temporal fluctuations in amplitudes and periods of the pole tide were observed during the 19th and 20th centuries.     

In situ pore-pressure evolution during dynamic CPT measurements in soft sediments of the western Baltic Sea

We present in situ strength and pore-pressure measurements from 57 dynamic cone penetration tests in sediments of Mecklenburg (n?=?51), Eckernförde (n?=?2) and Gelting (n?=?4) bays, western Baltic Sea, characterised by thick mud layers and partially free microbial gas resulting from the degradation of organic material. In Mecklenburg and Eckernförde bays, sediment sampling by nine gravity cores served sedimentological characterisation, analyses of geotechnical properties, and laboratory shear tests. At selected localities, high-resolution echo-sounder profiles were acquired. Our aim was to deploy a dynamic cone penetrometer (CPT) to infer sediment shear strength and cohesion of the sea bottom as a function of fluid saturation. The results show very variable changes in pore pressure and sediment strength during the CPT deployments. The majority of the CPT measurements (n?=?54) show initially negative pore-pressure values during penetration, and a delayed response towards positive pressures thereafter. This so-called type B pore-pressure signal was recorded in all three bays, and is typically found in soft muds with high water contents and undrained shear strengths of 1.6–6.4 kPa. The type B signal is further affected by displacement of sediment and fluid upon penetration of the lance, skin effects during dynamic profiling, enhanced consolidation and strength of individual horizons, the presence of free gas, and a dilatory response of the sediment. In Mecklenburg Bay, the remaining small number of CPT measurements (n?=?3) show a well-defined peak in both pore pressure and cone resistance during penetration, i.e. an initial marked increase which is followed by exponential pore-pressure decay during dissipation. This so-called type A pore-pressure signal is associated with normally consolidated mud, with indurated clay layers showing significantly higher undrained shear strength (up to 19 kPa). In Eckernförde and Gelting bays pore-pressure response type B is exclusively found, while in Mecklenburg Bay types A and B were detected. Despite the striking similarities in incremental density increase and shear strength behaviour with depth, gas occurrence and subtle variations in the coarse-grained fraction cause distinct pore-pressure curves. Gaseous muds interbedded with silty and sandy layers are most common in the three bays, and the potential effect of free gas (i.e. undersaturated pore space) on in situ strength has to be explored further.     

Morphological evolution of gravel and sand extraction pits, Tromper Wiek, Baltic Sea

The growing demand for marine mineral resources introduces anthropogenic impacts in the coastal zone, among others also through aggregate dredging. Pits created by anchor hopper dredging may affect local sediment budgets, local hydrodynamics and biological habitats. In this study we investigate the processes and time-scales of pits refilling at two extraction sites over 6 years following cessation of dredging. We focused on the evolution of a single pit at a gravel extraction site and the development of a group of three pits located at a sand extraction site. In the case of the gravel pit, a series of six sonograph and two multibeam surveys were evaluated. We observed a spatial expansion of the edge of the pit, decreasing availability of screened sand in the neighbourhood of the pit (a possible source of refilling), and a slowing down of the refilling process with time. At the sandy pit site a series of seven sonographs and two multibeam surveys were available. We observed a smoothing of the edges and larger mean refilling rates than in the gravel pit case. We conclude that the most effective method for monitoring of pit evolution is to make measurements every six months by simultaneously deploying sidescan sonar and multibeam devices.     

南海西部风驱离岸急流次中尺度锋面的动力学分析

本文利用卫星观测资料和500 m分辨率数值模拟结果,结合理论分析,对南海西部夏季风场驱动的离岸急流海域次中尺度锋面及其不稳定对背景流场的动力学影响进行了研究。卫星观测和模拟结果表明,南海西部（WSCS）存在侧向尺度为O（1-10）km的次中尺度锋面,在地转和非地转运动的共同作用下,次中尺度密度锋面具有一阶Rossby（Ro）和Richardson（Ri）数。锋面诊断结果显示,沿锋面急流方向的风场强迫引起了显著的跨锋面Ekman净输送,有效地在跨锋面方向将表层冷水平流输送至暖水侧,导致海表浮力损失。减弱的垂向层结和增强的水平浮力梯度使得锋面海域出现负Ertel位涡（PV）,表明该密度锋面易受次中尺度对称不稳定（SI）的影响。次中尺度锋面不稳定引起的跨锋面次级环流能够显著增强垂向速度,其最大值可达100 m·d^-1。能量评估结果表明,次中尺度湍流的两个主要能量源,即地转剪切项（GSP）和垂向浮力通量（BFLUX）在锋面海域显著增强表明在沿锋面急流方向的风场强迫作用下,大尺度地转流的地转剪切动能和锋面有效位能能有效地通过锋面不稳定向次中尺度过程传递。因此,次中尺度锋面及其不稳定有助于增强局地垂向交换和正向串级地转能量,可以为夏季WSCS高叶绿素浓度的相干结构和锋面地转能量的正向传递提供新的动力解释。     

X-ray tomographic analysis of sediment macrostructure in Eckernförde Bay,western Baltic Sea

X-ray computed tomography analysis of sediment cores from Eckernförde Bay (western Baltic Sea) indicates that the primary macrostructures and sources of physical property variability are feeding pockets and laminae. Burrowing produces easily discernible macrostructures, yet has a nominal effect overall on sediment property variability. Grain-size distribution is a dominant parameter determining the sediment macrostructure—physical property relationship: the largest variation in sediment properties was associated with sandy sediment and the smallest with muds. However, equally significant is the sorting or spatial distribution of grains within a particular sediment horizon, i.e., whether spatially uniform or patchy.     

波罗的海地震的危险性

俄罗斯等国积累了地震分区和评价地震高危地区的重要经验。地台属于地震程度较小的地区,更不用说在地台范围内的海区了。但波罗的海及其东部,实际上处于专家们的视线之外。在2004年9月21日,加里宁格勒强度(I)为6·5的4·9级(M)地震发生之后,这个工作上的不到位特别明显地暴露出     

Variations in the Baltic Sea wave fields

The surface waves in the Baltic Sea are hindcast with the spectral wave model HYPAS during a 12-month period. The model results show a strong temporal and spatial variation in the wave field due to the physical dimensions of the different basins and the predominant wind field. The highest waves in the area are found in the outer part of Skagerrak, as well as in the central and southern parts of the Baltic Proper. To get significant waves above 6 m high, strong winds (15–20 m/s) must have been blowing for 6 to 24 h from a favourable direction over a deep area.     

Methane fluxes in the southeastern Baltic Sea

New data from surveys of gas-bearing mud areas in the Gdansk Deep (southeastern Baltic Sea) were collected during four research cruises in 2009–2011. These revealed the presence of seven large pockmarks apart from the three already known, and enabled significant improvement of the existing digital map of gassy mud distribution. Based on geochemical sediment analyses, calculated diffusive methane fluxes from the upper (0–5?cm) seabed layer into near-bottom waters were highest—3.3?mmol/(m²?day)—in pockmark mud, contrasting strongly with the minimum value of 0.004?mmol/(m²?day) observed in typical, background mud. However, fluxes of less than 0.1?mmol/(m²?day) were observed in all sediment types, including pockmarks. In a newer attempt to roughly estimate budgets at a more regional scale, diffusive methane venting amounts to 280?×?10⁶?mmol/day for southeastern Baltic Sea muddy sediments. Elongated pockforms in the southern Gotland Deep, known since the end of the 1980s as pockmarks, had methane concentrations that were similar to those of gassy mud from the Gdansk Basin, and there was no geo-acoustic evidence of considerably increased gas levels.     

Factors controlling aggregate formation in the benthic boundary layer of the Mecklenburg Bight (western Baltic Sea)

Studies on aggregate formation and size distribution in relation to bottom water composition and flow regime were carried out in November 1994 at two transects in the inner and outer Mecklenburg Bight (Baltic Sea). The bottom water sampler ‘BIOPROBE' (BWS) was used to collect 10-dm³ water samples at 5, 10, 20 and 40 cm above the seabed. The outer transect samples tended to be more influenced by the open western Baltic Sea, whereas the inner transect samples were more affected by the coastal hydrography. Aggregate size distribution was investigated using a newly developed particle camera allowing identification of particles down to 150 μm size. Increasing concentrations of total particulate matter (TPM), particulate organic carbon (POC) and chlorophyll pigment equivalents (CPE) towards the seafloor together with a low proportion of POC/TPM (<5%) implied that the material was of resuspended origin. Aggregate size in both transects was positively correlated with TPM, transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) and bacterial cell abundance. Higher particle concentrations and aggregate numbers in the outer transect indicated a higher resuspension frequency, or lateral advection processes. The higher concentration of aggregates at the outer transect may reflect the larger amount of near-bottom transported material.     

Variability of Sea Surface Heights in the Baltic Sea: An Intercomparison of Observations and Model Simulations

Sea level changes in the Baltic Sea are dominated by internal, short-term variations that are mostly caused by the ephemeral nature of atmospheric conditions over the Baltic area. Tides are small and their influence decreases from western parts of the Baltic Sea to the Baltic Proper. Superimposed to the large short-term sea level changes (up to few decimeters from day to day) are seasonal and interannual variations (centimeters to decimeters). This study focuses on the comparison of sea surface heights obtained from observations and from a high resolution oceanographic model of the Baltic Sea. From this comparison, the accuracy of the modeled sea surface variations is evaluated, which is a necessary precondition for the further use of the oceanographic model in geodetic applications. The model reproduces all observed Baltic sea level variations very reliably with an accuracy of 5 to 9 cm (rms) for short-term variations (up to 2 months) and 8 cm (rms) for long-term variations (>2 months). An additional improvement of the model can be attained by including long-period sea level variations of the North Sea. The model performs well also in the case of extreme sea level events, as is shown for a major storm surge that occurred at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in November 1995.     

Nitrogen and phosphorus budgets in the Baltic Sea

The paper reports the budgets of inorganic and total nitrogen and phosphorus based on a recalculation of the existing water balance. The nitrogen budgets indicate that humus carried by river runoff probably dominates in the sedimentation of nitrogenous organic matter, while the excess transferred to the layer below the halocline is controlled by the amounts added by river runoff and waste disposal. The budgets appear to be considerably influenced by eutrophication and human activity. The phosphorus budget indicates that the supply of organic phosphorus and oxygen in the layers below the halocline are in a precarious balance with each other. Phosphorus and nitrogen compounds appear to sediment in almost the same proportions as their concentrations in the bottom water.     

Paleogeographic sedimentation settings in the northern Baltic Sea

The grain-size and chemical composition of the bottom sediments and their diatom assemblages from the northern Baltic Sea is discussed. Characteristic layers are distinguished based on the lithostratgraphy and sediment core correlation, which reflect the transition from the lacustrine to marine sedimentation settings during the initial Holocene. Sediment cores demonstrate lateral variations in the sedimentation patterns during the marine (Yoldia Sea), the lacustrine (Ancylus Lake), and the subsequent marine (Littorina Sea) stages: first two stages were characterized by the clay deposition, while the latter one featured accumulation of silty-clayey and clayey muds in bottom depressions. Sea-level fluctuations and corresponding environmental changes are recorded in microlaminated sequences, in particular, sapropelic muds.     

Topographically constrained deep-water flows in the Baltic Sea

Density-driven currents have a significant impact on the deep-water characteristics of the Baltic Sea since they account for the water exchange between the deeper parts of neighbouring basins. The essential quantitative problem is to determine the flow rates in relation to a set of external parameters such as the strait topography, the stratification, and the internal circulation of the upstream basin. Using hydraulic theory it is possible to accomplish this by analysing the dynamical constraints that limit the deep-water flux between adjacent basins. On the basis of these results, the deep-water flows through the Bornholm Channel and the Irbe Strait are compared.     

Dissolved silica budget for the Baltic Sea

A budget model covering the Baltic Sea was developed for the time period 1980–2000 to estimate water and dissolved silica (DSi) fluxes as well as internal DSi sinks/sources. The Baltic Sea was resolved by eight basins, where the largest basin — the Baltic Proper — was divided laterally into north/west and southern/east parts as well as vertically to take into account the existence of the permanent halocline. The basins demonstrated rather different patterns with regard to silica cycling. The Gulfs of Finland and Riga together with the northernmost basins, Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea, are distinguished by substantial specific rates of silica removal accounting for 1.6–4.9 g Si m^− 2 yr^− 1. Bearing in mind the large total primary production, the basins comprising the Baltic Proper with the specific removal rates 0.2 and 1.2 g Si m^− 2 yr^− 1, do not appear as regions with a high silica accumulation. The Arkona and the Kattegat mainly behave as regions of rapid through-flows. These results point out the northernmost Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulfs of Riga and Finland as areas with a larger share of biogenic silica accumulation than in the Baltic Proper. It is attributed to hydrographic and hydrochemical features. An estimate of diatom export production was made for the Baltic Proper showing that the diatom contribution accounts for 19–44% of the net export production.     

Cost-effectiveness of the Baltic Sea Action Plan

The governments around the Baltic Sea have agreed on a new set of targets for nutrient load reductions. The major motive for this is new and better knowledge about the link between nutrient loads and water transparency in different parts of the sea. The Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) defines target for transparency in different marine basins, the load reductions necessary to meet transparency targets and a scheme for the distribution of the abatement burden between countries adjacent to the sea.