Interim report of the HELCOM CORESET project

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Table 5.1. (continues)
Supplementary pressure indicators Objective of the indicator
Nitrogen emissions to the air in the Baltic Sea Describe anthropogenic pressures for all biota in the
area
form of eutrophication: http://www.helcom.fi /BSAP_
assessment/ifs/ifs2010/en_GB/NitrogenEmissionsAir/
Emissions from the Baltic Sea shipping in 2009 Describe anthropogenic pressures for all biota in the
form of contamination and eutrophication: http://
www.helcom.fi /BSAP_assessment/ifs/ifs2010/en_GB/
ShipEmissions/
Atmospheric nitrogen depositions to the Baltic Describe anthropogenic pressures for all biota in the
Sea during 1995-2008
form of eutrophication: http://www.helcom.fi /BSAP_
assessment/ifs/ifs2010/en_GB/n_deposition/
Spatial distribution of the winter nutrient pool Describe anthropogenic pressures for all biota in the
form of eutrophication.http://www.helcom.fi /BSAP_
assessment/ifs/ifs2010/en_GB/WinterNutrientPool/
Waterborne inputs of heavy metals to the Describe anthropogenic pressures for all biota in the
Baltic Sea
form of contamination: http://www.helcom.fi /BSAP_
assessment/ifs/ifs2010/en_GB/waterborne_hm/
Atmospheric deposition of heavy metals on Describe anthropogenic pressures for all biota in the
the Baltic Sea
form of contamination: http://www.helcom.fi /BSAP_
assessment/ifs/ifs2010/en_GB/hm_deposition/
Atmospheric deposition of PCDD/Fs on the Describe anthropogenic pressures for all biota in the
Baltic Sea
form of contamination:http://www.helcom.fi /BSAP_
assessment/ifs/ifs2010/en_GB/pcddf_deposition/
Shipping Describes the extent of underwater noise, disturbance
for sea birds, vector for non-indigenous species, offshore
wastewater and, in shallow areas, seabed disturbance.
Illegal discharges of oil in the Baltic Sea during Describe anthropogenic pressures for all biota, par-
2009
ticularly seabirds, in the form of contamination: http://
www.helcom.fi /BSAP_assessment/ifs/ifs2010/en_GB/
illegaldischarges/
5.2. Ratio of diatoms and dinofl agellates
It has been widely suggested that the ratio of diatoms and dinofl agellates indicates environmental change
in marine ecosystems. Most often changes in that ratio have been contributed to eutrophication or climatic
changes. The same factors have been suggested to have caused the increase of dinofl agellates in the Baltic
Sea spring bloom over the last decades, both in the northern Baltic Sea (Jaanus et al. 2006, Kremp et al.
2008, Olli & Trunov 2010), as well as in the central and southern parts (Wasmund & Uhlig 2003, Alheit et
al. 2005). Klais et al. (2011) however concluded that on the time scale of previous four decades there has
been no visible Baltic Sea wide trend in the ratio, but that the role of dinofl agellates has increased in the
Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia, where also eutrophication process has taken place at the same
time.
At the moment, the indicator for the ratio of diatoms and dinofl agellates is seen by the CORESET project as
a supplementary indicator and its applicability to indicate anthropogenic eutrophication in different areas
of the region should be tested.