Abstract
The Gulf of Finland is one of the most eutrophied areas of the Baltic Sea. The major part of the nutrient load enters the sea outside Finnish borders from the metropolis of St. Petersburg and the river Neva. Finnish local authorities are facing a difficult task of defining water protection measures, when the effects of local measures have to be weighted against transboundary influences. This complex situation can be demonstrated visually with the help of mathematical modelling.
We present here a nested 3D model application for the Gulf of Finland, where focus is set on the coast and archipelago outside the city of Kotka in the eastern Gulf of Finland. Our model describes the load and transport of soluble nutrients, the growth of two groups of phytoplankton and one group of littoral filamentous algae as well as the settling, sedimentation and regeneration of detritus nutrients. The results of both model calibration and validation are shown. We have used the model to demonstrate the effects of two scenarios, the Finnish National Water Protection Agenda and improvements in the sewage treatment in St. Petersburg, on the algal biomasses.
The effects of Finnish national measures take place in the inner archipelago, close to the local sources of nutrient loads. This is the area where eutrophication problems are accentuated and where most of the human activities take place. The effects of the measures carried out in St. Petersburg can be seen in the middle and outer archipelago and coastal areas further away from local nutrient sources. The influenced areas of the two scenarios are practically complementary and, thus, they cannot be understood as mutually exclusive ways to solve the problem of eutrophication. The national measures are the only way to improve the water quality in the heavily loaded parts of the coastline. However, without major water protection measures in St. Petersburg, the eutrophication of the whole Gulf of Finland cannot be stopped. This will not be possible in Russia without extensive international co-operation.
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Kiirikki, M., Välipakka, P., Korpinen, P., Koponen, J., Sarkkula, J. (2002). 3D Ecosystem Models as Decision Support Tools in the Gulf of Finland — the Kotka Archipelago as an Example. In: Schernewski, G., Schiewer, U. (eds) Baltic Coastal Ecosystems. Central and Eastern European Development Studies. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04769-9_22
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04769-9_22
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