WWF: Climate change to increase amount of algae in Gulf of Finland

Climate change will come down most heavily on the situation in those areas of the Baltic Sea where there is already a lot of algae. The effects will be greatest in the Gulf of Finland, the Finnish Archipelago Sea to the south-west of the country, and the Bay of Riga, where eutrophication is already extensive.
      Hence the nutrient load straining the Baltic Sea has to be cut significantly from what has been agreed on so far, a report by WWF Finland states.
      For the first time the report included models of the local effects of climate change in the Baltic Sea region.
     
As the climate gets warmer and winter precipitation increases, the flow of nutrients from rivers into the sea will be augmented.
      Especially the spring blooming of algae will be intensified, and more and more dead algae will pile up on the bottom of the sea, explains Harri Kuosa, professor of Baltic Sea ecology at the University of Helsinki. Kuosa is responsible for the scientific conclusions of the report.
      Dead algae, in turn, worsens the lack of oxygen situation at the bottom of the troubled inland sea.
      Furthermore, the toxic blue-green algae, which technically are not algae, but a phylum of bacteria that obtain their energy through photosynthesis, will also benefit from the additional nutrients and the warmer summers.

For example in the HELCOM strategies agreed on last year, the effects of climate change were not taken into account. HELCOM, or the Helsinki Commission as it is more commonly known, is the governing body of the "Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area".
      The HELCOM programme defines the discharge limits for the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea.
      Phosphorous emissions, for one, should be reduced by 30 per cent in the Gulf of Finland area, and by 65 per cent in the area of the Baltic Sea main body of water.
      The aim is return the Baltic Sea to a good ecological state, where eutrophication no longer is a threat, by the year 2021. The programme is yet to be implemented in the countries surrounding the sea.
     
According to WWF, even when implemented, the emission limits would merely smooth out the effects of the anticipated climate change.
      According to WWF marine expert Sampsa Vilhunen, the emission limits have to be tightened and allocated to problem areas. “The coastal fish farming and the agricultural burden brought in by rivers are both issues that must be addressed”, Vilhunen says.
      “And if we can slow down the process of climate change, that would also improve the Baltic Sea’s situation.”


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Baltic Sea panel calls for tighter emission restrictions (19.5.2008)
  New project to treat Poland´s waste water; Finnish foundation helps develop removal of phosphorus (14.5.2008)
  Baltic Sea needs urgent attention (14.4.2008)

Links:
  WWF Finland
  John Nurminen Foundation: Clean Baltic Sea
  HELCOM