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Palaeoenvironmental History of the Baltic Sea: One of the Largest Brackish-Water Ecosystems in the World

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Applications of Paleoenvironmental Techniques in Estuarine Studies

Part of the book series: Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research ((DPER,volume 20))

Abstract

The past of the Baltic Sea has been intensively investigated using a wealth of techniques. By far the largest number of studies has focused on sea level and salinity changes, driven by global climate and isostatic crustal rebound after the Baltic Sea emerged underneath the Weichselian Ice Sheet ca. 15,000 cal. years BP. The post-glacial history of the Baltic has included both freshwater and brackish water stages depending on the connection of the Baltic Sea with the world’s oceans. As the Baltic is one of the most polluted sea areas in the world, many studies have also focused on both the long-term trends in nutrients and productivity and the relatively recent anthropogenic eutrophication. The long-term changes in the trophic state of the Baltic Sea have been found to be linked to changes in climate, which controls freshwater discharge from the catchment and weathering rates, as well as marine water inflow from the North Sea. The productivity of the Baltic Sea has followed major climate patterns: it was high during warm periods and lower during phases of deteriorating climate. Recent eutrophication of the Baltic Sea can mainly be explained by a marked increase in discharge of nutrients caused by a growing population and changes in the agricultural practice, although long-term climate variability also plays a part. Signs of recovery have recently been detected, however, the Baltic Sea is still far from its pre-industrial trophic state.

The original version of this chapter was revised. An erratum to this chapter can be found at DOI 10.1007/978-94-024-0990-1_25

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the Stockholm County Council, The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies and the European Commission (Marie Curie IEF-project CLIMICE, grant agreement 236678) for funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Øster Voldgade 10, Copenhagen, 1350, Denmark

    Kaarina Weckström

  2. Department of Geography, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, UK

    Jonathan P. Lewis & David B. Ryves

  3. School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies, Södertörn University, Huddinge, 141 89, Sweden

    Elinor Andrén

  4. Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2D, Copenhagen, 1353, Denmark

    Marianne Ellegaard

  5. Department of Environmental Archaeology and Material Science, National Museum of Denmark, I.C. Modewegsvej, Brede, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark

    Peter Rasmussen

  6. Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Allégaten 55, Bergen, 5007, Norway

    Richard Telford

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Correspondence to Kaarina Weckström .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Kaarina Weckström

  2. Institute of Geography and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Krystyna M. Saunders

  3. Water Research Network, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University Australia, Mt Helen, Victoria, Australia

    Peter A. Gell

  4. School of Life Sciences, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia

    C. Gregory Skilbeck

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Weckström, K. et al. (2017). Palaeoenvironmental History of the Baltic Sea: One of the Largest Brackish-Water Ecosystems in the World. In: Weckström, K., Saunders, K., Gell, P., Skilbeck, C. (eds) Applications of Paleoenvironmental Techniques in Estuarine Studies. Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research, vol 20. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0990-1_24

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