The Oder Estuary - IOW

4 Salinity
The Pomeranian Bay shows a fairly stable salinity with about 6 %o (PSU) and can be addressed as
mesohalin. The Wielki Zalew, especially the area of the Swina channel in the northern lagoon is
influenced by water of the Pomeranian Bay (Fig. 4.1). Strong wind and higher water levels during
the winter semi-annual allow a prenetration of Pommeranian Bay water with higher salinitiy along
the shipping channel into the lagoon and increases the salinity in the lagoon temporarily up to 6 %o
(Fig. 4.1). Most parts of the Wielki Zalew as well as the Kleines Haff show an average salinty
around 2 PSU and are oligohalin. Despite that, the penetration of salt water into the lagoon causes
an annual cycle with higher salinity during winter and and a reduced salinity in summer (Fig. 4.2).
% o
% o
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Jan-1980
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Jan-1980
Jan-1981
Jan-1981
Jan-1982
Jan-1982
Jan-1983
Jan-1983
Jan-1984
Jan-1984
Jan-1985
Zeitreihe der Salinität in der Pommerschen Bucht
Jan-1985
Jan-1986
Jan-1986
Zeitreihe der Salinität im Kleinen Haff
Jan-1987
Jan-1987
Jan-1988
Jan-1988
Jan-1989
Jan-1989
Figure 4.1: Salinity (PSU) in the Kleines Haff (top) and the Pomeranian Bay (bottom) between
1980 and 2000. The line indicates the moving average. Data source: State Agency of
Environment, Protection of Nature and Geology Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (LUNG)
and West Pomeranian Voivodeship Inspectorate in Szczecin (WIOS).
Jan-1990
Jan-1990
Jan-1991
Jan-1991
Jan-1992
Jan-1992
Jan-1993
Jan-1993
Jan-1994
Jan-1994
Jan-1995
Jan-1995
Jan-1996
Jan-1996
Jan-1997
Jan-1997
Jan-1998
Jan-1998
Jan-1999
Jan-1999
Jan-2000
Jan-2000
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