Submarine Groundwater Discharge
to the Bay of Puck, Southern Baltic Sea
and Its Possible Changes with Regard
to Predicted Climate Changes
Beata Szymczycha
Abstract The climate change is an ongoing phenomenon causing numerous
environmental problems, including modifications of the already seriously influenced by anthropogenic activity hydrological cycle. Estimating the climate change
influence on groundwater is challenging because climate change can modify
hydrological processes and groundwater resources directly and indirectly. Under
the climate scenarios for the southern Baltic, precipitation is projected to increase in
the entire Baltic Sea watershed in winter, while in summer increase of precipitation
is mainly projected in the northern part of the basin. Thus, the precipitation will
impact the groundwater discharge to the sea (SGD). Consequently, the already
substantial SGD to the Bay of Puck, southern Baltic Sea can increase. Not only the
additional amount of water will enter the marine environment by means of SGD but
also significant load of chemical substances.
Keywords Water resources Á Global change Á Adaptation
1 Introduction
The climate change is an ongoing phenomenon causing numerous environmental
problems, including modifications of the hydrological cycle which is already
seriously influenced by anthropogenic activity (Dragoni and Sukhija 2008). Climate
change affects water resources (e.g. the quality and quantity of groundwater) with
wide-ranging consequences for society and ecosystems (Zekster and Loaiciga 1993;
Bates et al. 2008; Green et al. 2011).
Estimating the climate change influence on groundwater is challenging because
climate change can affect hydrological processes and groundwater resources
directly and indirectly (Dettinger and Earman 2007). Moreover, there is a lack of
B. Szymczycha (&)
Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot, Poland
e-mail: beat.sz@iopan.gda.pl
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015
T. Zielinski et al. (eds.), Impact of Climate Changes on Marine Environments,
GeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-14283-8_6
61
to the Bay of Puck, Southern Baltic Sea
and Its Possible Changes with Regard
to Predicted Climate Changes
Beata Szymczycha
Abstract The climate change is an ongoing phenomenon causing numerous
environmental problems, including modifications of the already seriously influenced by anthropogenic activity hydrological cycle. Estimating the climate change
influence on groundwater is challenging because climate change can modify
hydrological processes and groundwater resources directly and indirectly. Under
the climate scenarios for the southern Baltic, precipitation is projected to increase in
the entire Baltic Sea watershed in winter, while in summer increase of precipitation
is mainly projected in the northern part of the basin. Thus, the precipitation will
impact the groundwater discharge to the sea (SGD). Consequently, the already
substantial SGD to the Bay of Puck, southern Baltic Sea can increase. Not only the
additional amount of water will enter the marine environment by means of SGD but
also significant load of chemical substances.
Keywords Water resources Á Global change Á Adaptation
1 Introduction
The climate change is an ongoing phenomenon causing numerous environmental
problems, including modifications of the hydrological cycle which is already
seriously influenced by anthropogenic activity (Dragoni and Sukhija 2008). Climate
change affects water resources (e.g. the quality and quantity of groundwater) with
wide-ranging consequences for society and ecosystems (Zekster and Loaiciga 1993;
Bates et al. 2008; Green et al. 2011).
Estimating the climate change influence on groundwater is challenging because
climate change can affect hydrological processes and groundwater resources
directly and indirectly (Dettinger and Earman 2007). Moreover, there is a lack of
B. Szymczycha (&)
Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot, Poland
e-mail: beat.sz@iopan.gda.pl
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015
T. Zielinski et al. (eds.), Impact of Climate Changes on Marine Environments,
GeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-14283-8_6
61