limitation within next decades which can result in changing the present nitrogenlimited coastal primary production (Slomp and Van Cappellen 2004; Taniguchi
et al. 2008).
2 The Characterization of the Baltic Sea
and Its Future Climate
2.1 The Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is located in the Northern Europe and is almost entirely surrounded
by land. The eastern, southern and western parts of the Baltic Sea border with the
European continent (Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark), while the northern part is limited by Scandinavian Peninsula (Finland and
Sweden). The only connection to the North Sea is through the Kattegat and the
Skagerrak. The Baltic Sea is one of the largest brackish seas in the world with a
total surface area of 415,240 km
2 (including the Danish Sounds and the Kattegat)
and the corresponding volume of water 21,706 km
3 (Voipio 1981). Generally, the
Baltic Sea is separated into several basins by elevations and thresholds: the
Bothnian Bay, the Bothnian Sea, the Gulf of Finland, the Gulf of Riga, the Baltic
Proper, the Danish Sounds and the Kattegat.
The total drainage area of the Baltic Sea is 1,729,000 km
2 . Thus, it is more than
four times larger than the sea itself. The major Baltic Sea rivers are Neva, Vistula,
Oder, Neman, and Daugava which drain the southern and south-eastern lowlands.
River water plays an important role as a component of the water balance, and
forming and modifying the salinity of the Baltic Sea water. The Baltic Sea catchment
includes also a large number of lakes of postglacial origin (e.g. Ladoga and Onega).
The Baltic Sea is impacted by substantial fresh water inputs and the sporadic
inputs of saline, North Sea water (Voipio 1981). The salinity in the Baltic Sea varies
depending on the depth and location. Usually, the surface water and deeper water
domains are separated by stable halocline. In the rivers mouths the surface water
salinity can reach zero while in the Bothnian Bay, Gulf of Finland and Gulf of Riga
the salinity increase to 3–5. In the Baltic Proper surface water salinity equals to
some 7.5. Characteristic of the Baltic Sea is a layered distribution of salinity in the
vertical profile. Within the profile two layers can be distinguished: an upper, less
saline isohaline layer and lower layer of more salty water. The layers are separated
by a halocline. The depth of the halocline is spatially variable.
The Baltic Sea fills a depression in the continental crust below present sea level
(Uścinowicz and Miotk-Szpiganowicz 2011). There are several forces like erosion,
tectonic and glacio-isostatic processes that influence the geology, morphology and
bathymetry of the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea continental catchment area is characterized by lowlands covered by Quaternary deposits (Uścinowicz and MiotkSzpiganowicz 2011).
64
B. Szymczycha
et al. 2008).
2 The Characterization of the Baltic Sea
and Its Future Climate
2.1 The Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is located in the Northern Europe and is almost entirely surrounded
by land. The eastern, southern and western parts of the Baltic Sea border with the
European continent (Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark), while the northern part is limited by Scandinavian Peninsula (Finland and
Sweden). The only connection to the North Sea is through the Kattegat and the
Skagerrak. The Baltic Sea is one of the largest brackish seas in the world with a
total surface area of 415,240 km
2 (including the Danish Sounds and the Kattegat)
and the corresponding volume of water 21,706 km
3 (Voipio 1981). Generally, the
Baltic Sea is separated into several basins by elevations and thresholds: the
Bothnian Bay, the Bothnian Sea, the Gulf of Finland, the Gulf of Riga, the Baltic
Proper, the Danish Sounds and the Kattegat.
The total drainage area of the Baltic Sea is 1,729,000 km
2 . Thus, it is more than
four times larger than the sea itself. The major Baltic Sea rivers are Neva, Vistula,
Oder, Neman, and Daugava which drain the southern and south-eastern lowlands.
River water plays an important role as a component of the water balance, and
forming and modifying the salinity of the Baltic Sea water. The Baltic Sea catchment
includes also a large number of lakes of postglacial origin (e.g. Ladoga and Onega).
The Baltic Sea is impacted by substantial fresh water inputs and the sporadic
inputs of saline, North Sea water (Voipio 1981). The salinity in the Baltic Sea varies
depending on the depth and location. Usually, the surface water and deeper water
domains are separated by stable halocline. In the rivers mouths the surface water
salinity can reach zero while in the Bothnian Bay, Gulf of Finland and Gulf of Riga
the salinity increase to 3–5. In the Baltic Proper surface water salinity equals to
some 7.5. Characteristic of the Baltic Sea is a layered distribution of salinity in the
vertical profile. Within the profile two layers can be distinguished: an upper, less
saline isohaline layer and lower layer of more salty water. The layers are separated
by a halocline. The depth of the halocline is spatially variable.
The Baltic Sea fills a depression in the continental crust below present sea level
(Uścinowicz and Miotk-Szpiganowicz 2011). There are several forces like erosion,
tectonic and glacio-isostatic processes that influence the geology, morphology and
bathymetry of the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea continental catchment area is characterized by lowlands covered by Quaternary deposits (Uścinowicz and MiotkSzpiganowicz 2011).
64
B. Szymczycha