Ecosystem Services

6. Ecosystem services of shallow
bays and inlets
6.1 Distribution and physical requirements
Shallow and wave sheltered bays and inlets with soft sediments are among the most
productive ecosystems in the northern Baltic Sea. These areas host a rich community
of vegetation, consisting of submerged rooted plants and charophytes with reed and
sedges close to the shore (Appelgren and Mattila 2005, Eriksson et al. 2004), and associated
macroinvertebrate fauna (Hansen et al. 2012, 2008). The isolated shallow bays
warm early in spring and constitute important recruitment habitats for many species of
coastal fish, by functioning as spawning and nursery areas (Härmä et al. 2008, Karås
1996a, 1996b, Karås and Hudd 1993, Lappalainen et al. 2008, Snickars et al. 2009, 2010,
Sundblad et al. 2009, 2014).
These bays and inlets provide a number of ecosystem services, especially in relation
to supporting services such as biodiversity, habitat and food web dynamics (HELCOM
2009). They also perform important regulating services, e.g. by storing carbon and nutrients
in biomass and sediments, and filtering runoff from land (e.g. Kautsky and
Kautsky 1991). Also more direct societal benefits and values for human well-being are
generated. For instance, both commercial and recreational fisheries are dependent on
these areas, as availability to these types of habitats has been shown to limit the sizes
of coastal fish populations (Sundblad et al. 2014). Bays and inlets of the northern Baltic
Sea are also being intensely used for recreational boating, since the wind and wave
sheltered conditions provide suitable places for jetties and small marinas, which, however,
simultaneously constitute a threat to the continued delivery of ecosystem services
(Bishop and Chapman 2004, Eriksson et al. 2004, Sandström et al. 2005, Sundblad and
Bergström 2014).
This chapter focuses on shallow (