Baltic Sea Portal

The Baltic Sea Information pages contain a wide range of information on the Baltic Sea, its characteristic features and species, and the state and future of the Baltic.    

The Baltic Sea

General information On the Baltic. General description of the Baltic Sea and its characteristic features.
Water movements. Information on the hydrography, upwelling areas and water level variations.
Ice conditions. Information on sea ice cover, its formation and movements, the ice winter in the Baltic and the interaction between sea, ice and the atmosphere.
Life in the Baltic Sea. Review of ecosystems and marine species groups in The Baltic Sea.

State of the Baltic Sea

Reports on the state of the Baltic Sea.  Monitoring reports on the state of the Baltic from the year 1996.
Eutrophication. An information package on eutrophication, nutrient loading and nutrient limitation in the Baltic Sea.
Climat change. Climate change and the Baltic Sea – How are the effects of climate change seen in the Baltic?
Harmful substances. Harmful substances in the Baltic Sea – heavy metals, oil, organic and radioactive substances.
Invasive species. Information on invasive species in the Baltic Sea, e.g. the spiny water flea and the American comb jelly.

Monitoring the State of the Baltic Sea

Helcom monitoring. Information on the coordination of Baltic Sea monitoring by HELCOM, the Helsinki Commission, i.e. the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission.
Algaline monitoring. Newest measurements, time series and species reports of the Algaline monitoring.

Newest State of the Baltic Sea News

Better tools for monitoring the state of the sea to be developed on the Aranda 20.7.2010

(Finnish Environment Institute SYKE)

Real-time monitoring commences in the Gulf of Bothnia, the Baltic Proper and the Kattegat  7.6.2010

(SYKE and Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute SMHI)

First year experiments of oxygenation research show decreased levels of hydrogen sulphide 20.4.2010

(Finnish Environment Institute SYKE and Stockholm Water)

Higher wintertime nutrient concentrations in the Baltic Sea - American ctenophores not found in the Finnish sea areas 23.2.2010

(Finnish Environment Institute and Finnish Meteorological Institute)

HELCOM passes the 10% landmark for the Baltic Sea protected areas (HELCOM) 16.2.2010