Baltic Sea

160
170
180
Volume of EGB below 170m
regression from CTD data
regression from model data
model bathymetry
190
Depth (m)
200
210
220
230
240
250
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Volume (km 3 )
Figure 4.16: Calculated volume of the EGB from CTD data (blue stars) and from model data (red
circles). The black line and stars show volume taken from model bathymetry.
of 72.5 km 3 between 170.05 to 241.8 m, the model data results to a slightly smaller volume
between 170.5 − 241.8 m of 71.6 km 3 . The second method simply calculates the volume of
the deep EGB from the model bathymetry. By retrieving the volume of the deep EGB from
the model bathymetry instead of assuming the shape of the basin as parabolic gives a more
precise results, since the regression is only an approximation of the real bathymetry. The
volume from the model bathymetry between 170.5 and 240.5 m results to a volume of 83.1
km 3 . Hence, for further computations the volume obtained from the model bathymetry is used
from hereon. With a volume of 83.1 km 3 and an estimated mean volume transport through
the Stolpe Channel of 0.75 km 3 /d (Table 4.1) it would take around 111 days to ll up the
deep EGB below 170 m.
The total salinity in the EGB below 170 m in a volume of 83 km 3 was extracted from
the model between 2002 and 2009. Fig. 4.17 (main graph, blue curve) illustrates that the
largest inuence in the salt content of the deep basin was the deep inow in 2003, dramatically
increasing its salt content in these 7 years of simulation. According to Fig. 4.17 the next bigger
and most noteworthy inow occurred directly after the end of the measuring campaign in the
RAGO project (May 2006 - March 2007). The time period of the inset picture in Fig. 4.17
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