WELCOME to OCB 2018

1. WELCOME to OCB 2018

2. The Baltic Sea Ida Carlén Ida.carlen@ccb.se

3. The Baltic Sea • Enclosed sea • Surrounded by nine nations • Environmental issues • Bothnian Bay, • The Quark • Bothnian Sea • Åland Sea • Archipelago Sea • Gulf of Finland • Northern Baltic Proper • Western Gotland Basin • Eastern Gotland Basin • Gulf of Riga • Southern Baltic Proper • Gdansk Basin • Mecklenburg Bight • Kiel Bight • Little Belt • Great Belt • The Sound • Kattegat

4. Covered by ice • The entire Baltic region wascovered by iceduring the last ice age. • The icestartedmeltingapproximately 15 000 yearsago • The icewascompletelygone 10 000 yearsago Ancylus lake ~10 500 yr BP The Yoldia Sea ~11 000 yr BP Littorina sea ~6500 yr BP Baltic ice lake ~12 000 yr BP

5. Physical conditions • Land still rising • Series ofbasins • Salinity gradient • Limitedexchangewith Atlantic • Anoxicbottomwaters 5

6. Physical conditions • Series ofbasinswithshallowunderwater sills • Kattegat max 124 m • Belt Sea max 80 m • Inner Baltic Sea max 459 m • Sills between 18-50 m depth

7. Physical conditions Ice and currents

8. Physical conditions • Salinity gradient

9. Physical conditions • Limitedexchangewith Atlantic • Anoxicbottomwaters

10. Physical conditions

11. Physical conditions • Limitedexchangewith North Sea • Anoxicbottomwaters No influx of saline waters Oxygen to bottom waters Influx of saline water Stronger density gradient Anoxia in deep areas of the Baltic No mixing of waters

12. Habitats and species • Salt water species • Freshwater species • Hard bottom habitats • Soft bottom habitats • Habitat building species - eelgrass - bluemussel - bladder wrack 12 12

13. Species Brackish water environment Saltwater and freshwater species Relatively few species Sensitive ecosystem ”New” ecosystem 13 13 13

14. Species

15. Species Saltwater species Freshwater species Insert pic of perch, pike, sik etc

16. Species Soft substrate species Hard substrate species

17. Habitat building species • Bladder wrack • Structureprovidesshelter for juvenile fish and other organisms

18. Habitat building species • Bluemussel • Food source for manyseabirds • Creating hard substrate, almost like reefs 18

19. Habitat building species • Eelgrass • Important for juvenile fish • Binds the substrate, hindering erosion 19

20. Pressures • Eutrophication • Environmentalcontaminants • Underwaternoise • Overfishing • Invasive species 20 20

21. Pressures Eutrophication

22. Pressures Eutrophication Oxygen used in the decomposition of excess growth Oxygen to bottom waters No influxofsalinewaters Influxofsalinewater Strongerdensity gradient Anoxia in deep areas of the Baltic No mixingofwaters 22

23. Pressures Underwater noise • Affects marine mammalsbutalsofish species such as cod • Engine noise • Echosounders • Constructions • Piling • Active sonars • Explosions

24. Pressures Invasive species

25. Pressures Environmental contaminants

26. Pressures • Overfishing • Overfishing

27. Pressures • Overfishing

28. Pressures Overfishing Environmental contaminants Lack of top predators Fundamental changes to the ecosystem Flip from top-down to bottom-up control

29. Pressures

30. Relevant policy HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan

31. Relevant policy European Union strategies and directives 31

32. Marine protected areas 12% of Baltic Sea protected in MPAs

33. Thank you for listening 