scholarly journals Impact of marine mercury cycling on coastal atmospheric mercury concentrations in the North- and Baltic Sea region

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 000111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Bieser ◽  
Corinna Schrum
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Atmospheric Mercury ◽  
Mercury Cycling ◽  
The North ◽  
Baltic Sea Region

Intercomparison of ship emission data models for the North and Baltic Sea region

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronny Petrik ◽  
Kristina Deichnik ◽  
Daniel Schwarzkopf ◽  
Volker Matthias ◽  
Armin Aulinger
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Data Models ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Accurate Estimation ◽  
Flexible Tool ◽  
Emission Data ◽  
The North ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
Ship Emission

<p>International ship traffic is steadily increasing since many years. The associated emission of pollutants like sulphur and nitrogen compounds has strong effects on the coastal air quality and the environment. For instance, investigations of Sofiev et al. (2018) show that the ships contribute about 20 % to the sulphur dioxide and 9 % to the global emission of nitrogen oxides. Thus, shipping is also important for climate change  through emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosol particles and the input of acidifying and eutrophying substances into coastal waters.</p><p>Therefore, an accurate estimation of ship emissions and their spatio temporal distribution is an important key to understand and investigate coastal ecosystems. The major prerequisite is a precise record of ship movements and related pollutant emissions. In our contribution we present an intercomparison between different ship emission data models for the North and Baltic Sea region. That is the inventory of the Bundesamt für Schiffahrt und Hydrography (EMMA) and the inventory of the HZG (HiMEMO-Ship, Aulinger 2016) are compared against a reference inventory from the Finnish Meteorological institute (STEAM, Jalkanen 2012). The HiMEMO-Ship is a highly flexible tool under ongoing development and allows for temporally and spatially highly-resolved ship emission data (>=30min and >=500 m) of 9 chemical species including aerosols. The tool is designed to consider also adaptation scenarios (e.g. MARPOL Annex VI regulation).<br>The uncertainty of the derived emissions are discussed on the basis of two means: a) a multi-parameter ensemble generated with the HZG-model and b) a multi-model ensemble using the 3 afore-mentioned approaches (“EMMA”, ”STEAM” and “HiMEMO-Ship”). The results imply that a large portion of emissions are related to ships with actually only insufficiently known characteristics, which thus cause a large range of uncertainty regarding their emission factors. Moreover, a large spread for mean NOx emissions is detected between inventories for the North Sea region. Because of complex manoeuvers and machine handling in the busy port areas, we also observe significant differences in emissions in that regions. Finally, a strategy is presented for treating the afore-mentioned issues with ship emission data in the framework of atmospheric chemistry transport modelling, i.e. deposition of pollutants <br>from the air.</p>

scholarly journals Effects of strengthening the Baltic Sea ECA regulations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Eiof Jonson ◽  
Michael Gauss ◽  
Jukka-Pekka Jalkanen ◽  
Lasse Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Emission Control ◽  
Ship Emissions ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Model Calculations ◽  
The North ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
Sulphur Emissions ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Oxidised Nitrogen

Abstract. Emissions of most land based air pollutants in western Europe have decreased in the last decades. Over the same period emissions from shipping have also decreased, but with large differences depending on species and sea area. At sea, sulphur emissions in the SECAs (Sulphur Emission Control Areas) have decreased following the implementation of a 0.1 % limit on sulphur in marine fuels from 2015. In Europe the North Sea and the Baltic Sea are designated as SECAs by the International maritime Organisation (IMO). Model calculations assuming present (2016) and future (2030) emissions have been made with the regional scale EMEP model covering Europe and the sea areas surrounding Europe including the North Atlantic east of 30 degrees west. The main focus in this paper is on the effects of ship emissions from the Baltic Sea. To reduce the influence of meteorological variability, all model calculations are presented as averages for 3 meteorological years (2014, 2015, 2016). For the Baltic Sea, model calculations have also been made with higher sulphur emissions representative of year 2014 emissions. From Baltic Sea shipping the largest effects are calculated for NO2 in air, but effects are also seen for PM2.5 and depositions of oxidised nitrogen, mainly in coastal zones close to the main shipping lanes. As a result country averaged contributions from ships are small for large countries that extend far inland like Germany and Poland, and larger for smaller countries like Denmark and the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, where ship emissions are among the largest contributors to concentrations and depositions of anthropogenic origin. Following the implementations of stricter SECA regulations, sulphur emissions from ships in the Baltic Sea shipping now have virtually no effects on PM2.5 concentrations and sulphur depositions in the Baltic Sea region. Following the expected reductions in European emissions, model calculated NO2 and PM2.5 concentrations, depositions of oxidised nitrogen, and partially also surface ozone levels, in the Baltic Sea region are expected to decrease in the next decade. Parts of these reductions are caused by reductions in the Baltic Sea ship emissions mainly as a result of the Baltic Sea being defined as a Nitrogen Emission Control Area from 2021.

scholarly journals Effects of strengthening the Baltic Sea ECA regulations

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (21) ◽  
pp. 13469-13487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Eiof Jonson ◽  
Michael Gauss ◽  
Jukka-Pekka Jalkanen ◽  
Lasse Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Coastal Zones ◽  
Ship Emissions ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Model Calculations ◽  
The North ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Sulfur Emissions

Abstract. Emissions of most land-based air pollutants in western Europe have decreased in the last decades. Over the same period emissions from shipping have also decreased, but with large differences depending on species and sea area. At sea, sulfur emissions in the SECAs (Sulphur Emission Control Areas) have decreased following the implementation of a 0.1 % limit on sulfur in marine fuels from 2015. In Europe the North Sea and the Baltic Sea are designated as SECAs by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Model calculations assuming present (2016) and future (2030) emissions have been made with the regional-scale EMEP model covering Europe and the sea areas surrounding Europe, including the North Atlantic east of 30∘ W. The main focus in this paper is on the effects of ship emissions from the Baltic Sea. To reduce the influence of meteorological variability, all model calculations are presented as averages for 3 meteorological years (2014, 2015, 2016). For the Baltic Sea, model calculations have also been made with higher sulfur emissions representative of year 2014 emissions. From Baltic Sea shipping the largest effects are calculated for NO2 in air, accounting for more than 50 % of the NO2 concentrations in central parts of the Baltic Sea. In coastal zones contributions to NO2 and also nitrogen depositions can be of the order of 20 % in some regions. Smaller effects, up to 5 %–10 %, are also seen for PM2.5 in coastal zones close to the main shipping lanes. Country-averaged contributions from ships are small for large countries that extend far inland like Germany and Poland, and larger for smaller countries like Denmark and the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, where ship emissions are among the largest contributors to concentrations and depositions of anthropogenic origin. Following the implementations of stricter SECA regulations, sulfur emissions from Baltic Sea shipping now have virtually no effects on PM2.5 concentrations and sulfur depositions in the Baltic Sea region. Adding to the expected reductions in air pollutants and depositions following the projected reductions in European emissions, we expect that the contributions from Baltic Sea shipping to NO2 and PM2.5 concentrations, and to depositions of nitrogen, will be reduced by 40 %–50 % from 2016 to 2030 mainly as a result of the Baltic Sea being defined as a Nitrogen Emission Control Area from 2021. In most parts of the Baltic Sea region ozone levels are expected to decrease from 2016 to 2030. For the Baltic Sea shipping, titration, mainly in winter, and production, mainly in summer, partially compensate. As a result the effects of Baltic Sea shipping on ozone are similar in 2016 and 2030.

Diverse Economic Patterns in the North Baltic Sea Region in the Late Neolithic and Early Metal Periods

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirva Pääkkönen ◽  
Elisabeth Holmqvist ◽  
Auli Bläuer ◽  
Richard P. Evershed ◽  
Henrik Asplund
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Organic Residue ◽  
Baltic Region ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
The North ◽  
Prehistoric Pottery ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
Pottery Sherds ◽  
Dairy Fats

Over 120 prehistoric pottery sherds from mainland Finland and the Åland Islands in the north Baltic region were studied for their organic residue content. Preserved fat residues found in these vessels indicated that the food procurement pattern was broad during the Neolithic and Early Metal periods. Based on previous research and these results, it appears that animal husbandry came to Finland with the Corded Ware culture. Groups using the succeeding Late Neolithic Kiukainen Ware did not, however, practice animal husbandry to any great extent, as there is an indication of dairy fats in only a single sherd. In general, even after dairy farming arrived in the area, prehistoric groups in southern and south-western Finland continued or returned to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. During the Early Metal period, animal husbandry increased in importance among the groups living in the area, and the level of dairying then intensified.

scholarly journals Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Region: A Summary

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. E. Markus Meier ◽  
Madline Kniebusch ◽  
Christian Dieterich ◽  
Matthias Gröger ◽  
Eduardo Zorita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Food Web ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Earth System ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The North ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract. Based on the Baltic Earth Assessment Reports of this thematic issue in Earth System Dynamics and recent peer-reviewed literature, current knowledge about the effects of global warming on past and future changes in climate of the Baltic Sea region is summarized and assessed. The study is an update of the Second Assessment of Climate Change (BACC II) published in 2015 and focusses on the atmosphere, land, cryosphere, ocean, sediments and the terrestrial and marine biosphere. Based on the summaries of the recent knowledge gained in paleo-, historical and future regional climate research, we find that the main conclusions from earlier assessments remain still valid. However, new long-term, homogenous observational records, e.g. for Scandinavian glacier inventories, sea-level driven saltwater inflows, so-called Major Baltic Inflows, and phytoplankton species distribution and new scenario simulations with improved models, e.g. for glaciers, lake ice and marine food web, have become available. In many cases, uncertainties can now be better estimated than before, because more models can be included in the ensembles, especially for the Baltic Sea. With the help of coupled models, feedbacks between several components of the Earth System have been studied and multiple driver studies were performed, e.g. projections of the food web that include fisheries, eutrophication and climate change. New data sets and projections have led to a revised understanding of changes in some variables such as salinity. Furthermore, it has become evident that natural variability, in particular for the ocean on multidecadal time scales, is greater than previously estimated, challenging our ability to detect observed and projected changes in climate. In this context, the first paleoclimate simulations regionalized for the Baltic Sea region are instructive. Hence, estimated uncertainties for the projections of many variables increased. In addition to the well-known influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation, it was found that also other low-frequency modes of internal variability, such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Variability, have profound effects on the climate of the Baltic Sea region. Challenges were also identified, such as the systematic discrepancy between future cloudiness trends in global and regional models and the difficulty of confidently attributing large observed changes in marine ecosystems to climate change. Finally, we compare our results with other coastal sea assessments, such as the North Sea Region Climate Change Assessment (NOSCCA) and find that the effects of climate change on the Baltic Sea differ from those on the North Sea, since Baltic Sea oceanography and ecosystems are very different from other coastal seas such as the North Sea. While the North Sea dynamics is dominated by tides, the Baltic Sea is characterized by brackish water, a perennial vertical stratification in the southern sub-basins and a seasonal sea ice cover in the northern sub-basins.

Setting up the NEMO (Nucleus for European Modeling of the Ocean) for Baltic Sea region - open boundary conditions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Andrzejewski ◽  
Jaromir Jakacki ◽  
Maciej Muzyka ◽  
Anna Przyborska
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Water Exchange ◽  
Open Boundary ◽  
Open Boundary Conditions ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The North ◽  
Baltic Sea Region ◽  
The Baltic

<p>The Baltic Sea is inland, Shelf Sea in northern part of Europe. It is shallow with average depth of 52 meters and deepest point 459 meters located at Landsort Deep. Baltic Sea is connected with North Sea via the Danish Straits (comprising of Great Belt, Little Belt and Øresund). These systems ensure only limited exchange between oceanic waters and seawaters, which affect the low salinity in Baltic reservoir. Runoff from surrounding lands (approximately 200 rivers) and positive difference of precipitation minus evaporation additionally refreshes water and makes Baltic a brackish sea. The only charge of salt comes from the North Sea with so-called inflows or less frequent occurring Major Baltic Inflows (MBI). This exchange between Danish Straits is the key for properly working simulation. In this work the tool, well known as NEMO, was used to perform the numerical simulation for the Baltic Sea area. This presentation is focused on the first stage of validation of the model results for the Baltic Sea region where influence of open boundary conditions is noticeable as soon as possible. The main change in the model is the assimilation of sea surface height in Kattegat area. Also water outflow mass controlling from the Baltic Sea has been introduced. The properly working open boundary conditions affect the water exchange between Baltic Sea and North Sea, thus the MBI and minor salty inflows are well represented. This is very important part in modeling the Baltic<br>Sea, where narrow Danish Straits limits the water exchange which controls the salt budget, adding the salt with inflows and receiving brackish outflow out to the Ocean. This work presents comparison between model output with results measured in situ and from other validated model, the period which is compared is the Major Baltic Inflow in the beginning of 1993.</p>

Russian Oil: Production and Exports

2003 ◽  
pp. 136-146
Author(s):  
K. Liuhto
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Statistical Data ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Oil Transportation ◽  
Sea Ports ◽  
The Baltic

Statistical data on reserves, production and exports of Russian oil are provided in the article. The author pays special attention to the expansion of opportunities of sea oil transportation by construction of new oil terminals in the North-West of the country and first of all the largest terminal in Murmansk. In his opinion, one of the main problems in this sphere is prevention of ecological accidents in the process of oil transportation through the Baltic sea ports.

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