Oceanologia最新文献

Droughts and heatwaves are natural phenomena that can cause severe damage to the economy, infrastructure, human health, and agriculture, among others. However, in recent years, it has been noted that their combined effect, known as compound drought and heatwave events (CDHE), often results in even greater harm. The main aim of this study was to identify CDHEs in this region during summers from 1950 to 2022 and assess the frequency and intensity of these events. To this end, the periods of droughts and heatwaves that occurred between 1950 and 2022 were determined, and the recurrence, extent, and intensity of these phenomena were evaluated. In this study, 1-month Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) values calculated for each summer day were used to identify droughts, while heatwaves were defined as a period of five or more consecutive days when the daily maximum air temperature (T_max) was higher than the 90^th percentile of T_max. Precipitation and T_max data (with a spatial resolution 0.25° x 0.25°) were obtained from the European Centre of Medium-Range Weather Forecast ERA-5 reanalysis dataset. The study showed that in most of the eastern part of the Baltic Sea region, the number of drought days had decreased from 1950 to 2022, while the number of heatwave days had increased significantly. In total, ten CDHEs were identified during the summers of 1950–2022. Eight of these events were recorded in 1994 or later. However, a statistically significant increase of CDHEs was found only in a small part of the study area.

To develop an oxygen indicator for the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland (EGOF), a dataset covering 1900–2021 was compiled. The analysis revealed a long-term declining trend in dissolved oxygen concentrations in the EGOF deep layer of 0.022 mg L^–1 a^–1 and multi-decadal variations associated with the observed changes in hydrographic conditions. About 27% of the decline in oxygen concentrations for 1900–2021 and 40% for 1990–2021 can be explained by the decrease in solubility due to the temperature increase and changes in hydrographic conditions. The water volume and bottom area under low oxygen conditions in 2016–2021, characterized by dissolved oxygen concentrations <= 6 mg L^–1, have increased, compared to the selected reference period with almost no human impact in the 1920s–1950s, from 9.8 km³ to 78.0 km³ (from 2.6% to 20.9% of the EGOF total volume) and from 1190 km² to 4950 km² (from 13.4% to 56.0% of the EGOF total area), respectively. The environmental status of the EGOF was assessed as not good based on the introduced oxygen indicator. We conclude that, in the long-term, low oxygen conditions have expanded mostly due to the excess load and accumulation of nutrients in the system and temperature-related changes in biogeochemical processes and fluxes. However, on a decadal scale, changes in hydrographic conditions, i.e. stratification and mixing, can significantly impact the sub-surface oxygen conditions in the EGOF and similar estuarine basins.

A high-resolution model with a horizontal resolution of 250 m was used to analyze the surface eddy fields and the distribution of kinetic energy in the Baltic Sea. The results indicate a close relationship between the wind speed and the kinetic energy at the surface and the vertically averaged kinetic energy in the sea, and a lagged correlation between the kinetic energy at the surface and the eddy field. The spatial patterns of kinetic energy indicate more energetic currents in the western and southern parts of the Baltic Sea. The distribution of vorticity is inhomogeneous and differs significantly between sea areas. Submesoscale features are also inhomogeneously distributed and occur more frequently in the Gdańsk Basin, the Gulf of Finland, and the western part of the northern Baltic proper.

The study included the analysis of changes in sea surface and water column temperature and air temperature in the years 1959–2019 in the southern Baltic Sea based on in situ measurement (CTD probe), satellite data, and model data (ERA5). SST increased on average by 0.6°C per decade. Analyses at different depths showed that the highest temperature increase per decade at 0.60–0.65°C characterised the layers from 0 to 20 m. The smallest increase (0.11°C) was recorded at a depth of 70 m, below which the temperature change per decade increases again to 0.24°C. The results from satellite observations covering 1982–2019 were consistent with measurement data. The most intense water warming occured in the spring – summer (0.8–1°C per decade); in the winter, the change did not exceed 0.2°C. In the offshore area, in 1951–2020, air temperature increased by approx. 2°C, with an average increase of 0.37°C per decade. The average increase in seawater temperature in the coastal zone was 0.2°C per decade. The most intense warming characterised March to May (0.25–0.27°C). The average annual air temperature increase on the coast from 1951 to 2020 was 0.34°C per decade. The results represent an important contribution to research and prediction of changes in the marine environment caused by global climate change.

The present study aims to understand the impact of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) on a coastal area with different lithology and degrees of SGD. Sampling campaigns took place in Puck Bay and the Gulf of Gdańsk, southern Baltic Sea encompassing years between 2009 and 2021. The methodological approach combined geophysical characterization of the surface sediments with detailed spatial and temporal (isotope) biogeochemical investigations of pore and surface waters, and was supported by nearshore groundwater and river surveys. Acoustic investigations identified areas of disturbance that may indicate zones of preferential SGD release. The composition of porewater and the differences in the bay's surface waters disclosed SGD as common phenomenon in the study area. Regional SGD was estimated through a radium mass balance. Local estimation of SGD, based on porewater profiles, revealed highest SGD fluxes at the sandy shoreline, but relatively low elemental fluxes. Though SGD was low at the muddy sites corresponding elemental fluxes of nutrients and dissolved carbon exceeded those determined at the sandy sites due to intense diagenesis in the top sediments. SGD appears to be sourced from different freshwater endmembers; however, diagenesis in surface sediments substantially modified the composition of the mixed solutions that are finally discharged to coastal waters. Overall, this study provides a better understanding of the SGD dynamics in the region by a multi-approach and emphasizes the need to understand the processes occurring at the sediment-water interface when estimating SGD.

In the Baltic Sea region, a significant increase in solar radiation has been detected during the past half-century. Changes in shortwave irradiance are associated with atmospheric transparency and cloudiness parameters like cloud fraction and albedo. One of the most important reasons for day-to-day changes in cloudiness is the synoptic-scale atmospheric circulation; thus, we look for reasons for solar radiation trends due to changes in atmospheric circulation. We analysed regional time series and trends from satellite-based cloud climate data record CLARA-A2 for the Baltic Sea region in 1982–2018. As the rise in solar radiation depends on the seasonally averaged values of total fractional cloud cover (CFC), surface incoming shortwave radiation (SIS) and occurrences of circulation types were analysed. We show that the shift in seasonality connected to the earlier accumulated sums of SIS is at least partly explained by the changes in synoptic-scale atmospheric circulation.

In this study, we report the environmental impact of water exchange blocking by a 3 km road dam built in 1896 in the shallow Väike Strait, north-eastern Baltic Sea. Using a multidisciplinary measurement campaign and numerical simulations, we show ecological conditions in the strait have considerably altered; the previously free-flowing strait now comprises two bays with separate circulation systems. Water exchange in the area close to the dam has decreased 10–12-fold. Since advection is weakened, exchange with the atmosphere and sediments has a relatively greater role in shaping water characteristics. Consequently, occasional very high sea surface temperature, salinity, and total nitrogen, and strong diurnal cycles in water temperature (>4°C) and dissolved oxygen (>4 mg l⁻¹) were observed near the dam in summer. Oxygen levels are continuously below saturation in winter and concentration occasionally drops to hypoxic levels with ice cover. Nitrogen content in sediments near the dam is 3–4 times higher than in neighboring areas. The dam also modifies sea level, wind wave and suspended matter patterns in the strait. Sediments near the dam show elevated content of hazardous substances likely associated with traffic on the dam road. The phytobenthos community near the dam is dominated by annual green algae, which massively decompose during winter. The dam likely impedes fish migration between suitable feeding and spawning areas, also there have been fish kills caused by rapid fluctuations in sea levels, amplified by dam. The construction of new openings would alleviate negative impacts of the dam.

The Argo float measurement network is increasingly effectively covering internal seas and shelf areas. In this paper, a specific approach to using Argo floats as ‘virtual moorings’ within the conditions of the Baltic Sea is presented. Following a series of successful deployments with standard configurations, it was decided that the settings forcing the float to stay at the bottom between profiles should be tested. This significantly reduced the drift of the float and allowed measurements to be made in a limited water area for a longer time. The data obtained from Argo floats used as virtual mooring can be a valuable source for monitoring and analysing the hydrology of individual basins of the Baltic Sea. The results show that the temporal and spatial variability of the observed fields of temperature, salinity, and other properties of seawater is very high. More data are needed to correctly determine the mean properties of the basins and their temporal variability. Therefore, Argo floats can be a source of efficient and inexpensive hydrographic data for shallow seas such as the Baltic.

Wave energy is still insufficiently explored and exploited as a future energy source. Climate change is an additional force that affects energy potential changes. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the wave energy under climate change and to project it for the near (2025–2044) and far (2081–2100) future by applying the wave energy flux (WEF) approach and statistical relations between wind speeds and wave heights. The study was concentrated on the Baltic Sea nearshore at the Lithuanian territorial water. The analysis of existing relations between wind speeds and wave heights was found based on historical observations of the reference period (1995–2014), and the projections of WEF were created using the downscaled output of best-fit global climate models (GCMs) according to four scenarios of Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP). The results indicated strong relations between wind speed and wave height, especially for the west-origin winds. Depending on the selected scenarios, the projected WEF may increase up to 10% (SSP5-8.5) and 11% (SSP1-2.6) in the near and far future respectively. The absence of large differences between the periods may be caused by the rough resolution of grid cells of GCMs. The comparison with the results based on regional climate models output could be a future perspective in order to reach a better representation of regional forces and to introduce more clarity to the obtained results. The results of this study may be advantageous for the primary planning of renewable energy sources (RES) development, especially in the face of climate change.