Baltic Sea

Figure 1.2: Bathymetric map of the Eastern Gotland Basin (blue square in Fig. 1.1) with positions of
the mooring sites northeast (NE) and south-west (SW) deployed 1997-98, the central Baltic monitoring
station BMP271 of the HELCOM programme (star) and hydrographic stations of the MESODYN M-
7 (13×16 stations) and M-8 (13×15 stations) campaigns (small dots). The horizontal line marks the
position of the vertical sections in Fig. 3.5. Note the 170 m isoline bounds the enclosed parts of the deep
basin.
terminated by a substantial inow event observed in 1993. It was the objective of a number
of investigations. Changes in meso-scale thermohaline variability and driving mechanisms of
intrusions as a result of this inow were analysed on the base of eld observations as well
as by scenarios simulated by hydrographic circulation models, Zhurbas and Paka (1997),
Zhurbas and Paka (1999), Zhurbas et al. (2003) and Kuzmina et al. (2005).
Zhurbas and Paka (1997) and Zhurbas and Paka (1999) used closely spaced CTD
proles ranging from the Stolpe Channel to the Gotland Basin three months after the 1993
inow to also investigate intrusive layering and its most important features. Thus, these
authors presented results which describe several consequences of such deep water intrusions,
especially with respect to the generation of eddy-like features on the meso-scale. Kuzmina
et al. (2005) also studied associated driving mechanisms and concluded that embedded
diusive convection also works in the Baltic halocline. It triggers diapycnal mixing, regardless
of the overwhelming stratication. Due to the observed homogenisation of the deep water,
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