Marine scientist says Baltic Sea conditions are improving

Conditions in the Baltic Sea are gradually improving, although persistent problems remain, Tallinn University of Technology marine scientist Urmas Lips told ERR’s Terevisioon programme.

Lips, a professor at the university’s Institute of Marine Systems, said he wanted to focus more on positive developments on Baltic Sea Day. He said cooperation between countries under the convention on protecting the Baltic Sea environment had produced results, including a reduction in nutrient loads from agriculture. Many hazardous substances have also been banned.

Human activity remains a source of concern because waste cannot yet be eliminated completely, Lips said. Protecting the marine environment is necessary so people can continue to use and enjoy the sea, including fishing, sailing and swimming.

Climate and atmospheric changes have meanwhile worsened some conditions. Oxygen levels are lower near the seabed, and warm summers bring cyanobacteria blooms. Estonia has largely avoided major blooms this summer, Lips said, but very large blooms have occurred in southern parts of the Baltic Sea.

The Institute of Marine Systems has conducted continuous measurements for years in cooperation with Tallink on routes between Tallinn and Helsinki and between Tallinn and Stockholm. It also uses autonomous equipment at sea to measure oxygen and chlorophyll, while remote sensing and other devices have expanded the collection of marine data over the past decade.