Ecology of the Baltic Sea

General geographical characteristics of the Baltic Sea region

“The Baltic Sea is a water area protruding into the mainland, belonging to the Atlantic Ocean basin and connected with the World Ocean only by the narrow Skagerrak and Kattegat straits, located in the glaciation umbrella. The length of the Baltic Sea drainage area from north to south is 1,700 km. The southernmost regions are located in Central Europe, and the northernmost regions are located above the Arctic Circle. A huge number of rivers located in different regions flow into the Baltic Sea. The largest of which are the Neva, which has its mouth in the Gulf of Finland; Kymijoki, the largest river in Finland, flowing into the Baltic, the mouth of which is at the northern end of the Gulf of Bothnia; Estonian Narva, which takes its source from the water area Lake Peipsi; Polish Vistula, flowing directly into the Baltic Sea. In the Baltic Sea fresh water The rivers mix with salty ocean water coming through the Danish Straits from the North Sea, and thus the mixed fresh-salt water of the Baltic Sea appears. As the average volumes of river water flowing into the Baltic Sea change, the salinity of the waters throughout the Baltic Sea will change. Brackish waters are quite unusual on Earth, and only a few species of animals and plants are adapted to live in them.” The high tide level in the Kattegat should have increased the flow of salt into the Baltic, but between Norway and Denmark there is a tide point that prevents the tidal wave from entering the Kattegat, and the magnitude of the tides in the Baltic does not exceed 0.1 - 0.2 m. The last glaciation gave the landscape a new look and created a load on the Earth’s crust. After the ice disappeared, the land began to rise. New areas of the bottom began to be exposed to waves. This means that the nutrient salts locked up in these old sediments can be reused by plankton and algae. Consequently, the few species of organisms living in the Baltic received a source of food. [ http://referat.kulichki.net/files/page.php?id=44815] The Baltic Sea is classified as an epicontinental sea. The term "epicontinental" means that the sea is actually located on a continent rather than between continents. Other similar areas of the world's oceans include Hudson Bay, the Persian Gulf and the North Sea. All these seas are shallow, their depth rarely exceeds 100 m, while the depth of the seas between continents usually reaches 2000 m (for example, the Mediterranean, Black and Red Seas). The epicontinental sea is more or less cut off from the oceans, unlike the so-called shelf seas. This explains the shallowness of the Baltic Sea, the average depth of which is just over 50 meters, but in the deep water there are several large depressions. Of these, the deepest is the Gotland Basin, which is located northwest of the island of Gotland and reaches 495 meters. In addition to the depressions, the entire water area of ​​the Baltic Sea is fragmented due to shallow zones, among which are the Danish Straits, where the average depth is only 14.3 meters. The shallow water zones also include the rapids south of the Åland Islands and Kvarken. The peculiarity of such thresholds and other seabed profiles is that they lead to the division of the Baltic Sea into separate parts, between which only partial water exchange occurs. The Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Riga are distinguished by the fact that they do not contain deep sea zones at all, this is especially true for the Gulf of Riga. The period of complete renewal of water in the Baltic Sea is about 30-50 years. The Baltic is located in high latitudes, and one of its characteristic features- presence of ice.
Ice is a very rare phenomenon in fresh-salt basins around the globe. The combination of salinity and ice cover requires all organisms inhabiting the Baltic Sea to have a special ability to adapt. At the southwestern tip of Finland in the so-called. zone of the Island Sea, water begins to freeze at temperatures a few tenths of a degree below zero. The thickness and duration of ice cover fluctuates from year to year, but the geographical pattern always repeats itself: ice lasts longest in the east and north, least in the southern part of the sea. In the northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia, the ice season lasts from 4 to 6 months, in the rest of the Gulf of Bothnia and in the waters of the Gulf of Finland from 2 to 4 months, in the waters of the Baltic Sea itself - less than a month. Ice conditions in the Baltic Sea have a significant impact impact on the entire Baltic ecosystem: the direction of currents changes, the light conditions deteriorate. The mechanical and physical effects of ice are reflected primarily on organisms living on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Those algae and animals that remained on the water boundary die under the influence of ice. [ At river mouths, a freshwater layer forms between the ice and the water mixing zone. Water flowing from river mouths and unsalted water from melting ice is lighter than salty seawater, and therefore it remains on the surface above a layer of fresh-salty, mixed water. The ice cover prevents the wind from mixing the layers of water with each other. As a result, this freshwater patch has important effects on living organisms close to the water surface that are accustomed to saltier water. After the ice melts, the wind immediately mixes the water layers, and the freshwater layer disappears. In summer, the Baltic Sea warms up quite strongly. The further south you go, the warmer the surface layer of water. The coastal waters (estuaries) of the Baltic Sea are warming up more than its other (littoral) parts. There is also a clear dependence of water temperature on depth. In sunny, warm weather, the top layers of soda become very hot. At depths of 10-20 meters there is a belt of temperature jump (thermocline), which divides the entire water mass into two parts that do not mix with each other - the upper layer of warm water. summer water and the cold bottom layer of winter water. In calm summer weather this can persist for a very long time. When there is a strong wind, the thermocline is destroyed in places, the water becomes colder, cool water floats to the surface, and rises to the surface nutrients. The thermocline phenomenon disappears in the fall, when the difference in temperature between summer and winter water decreases. Then comes the time of autumn storms, which destroy the remnants of the thermocline. In the north of the Gulf of Bothnia of the Baltic Sea, in autumn the water mixes throughout the entire depth right down to the very bottom, and in other areas of the Baltic, mixing extends only to the layer of the jump in the salinity of sea water, the so-called halocline. In winter, there are fewer temperature changes in the water, only near the ice cover it is warmer. Ice protects from winds, so in winter the mixing of water layers is weakened. Other distinguishing feature Baltic - the presence of archipelagos. For example, the archipelago near the capital of Sweden, Stockholm, has more than twenty-five thousand islands. Among other things, this provides opportunities for sailing and boating, and therefore fishing. The Baltic catchment is densely populated and industrialized. According to estimates by Uppsala University, about 80 million inhabitants live in the Baltic coastal waters. Between Berlin and Krakow there is a densely populated area with a very developed industry, which is drained by the Oder and Vistula rivers. So, there are many reasons that determine the uniqueness of the Baltic water system: 1) the sea is quite large. 2) it is very shallow. 3) The Baltic Sea is surrounded by land. 4) Has brackish water, and the salt concentration changes quite often.5) Cold climate.6) Coastal types are varied.7) The presence of a large number of archipelagos.8) The watershed is highly industrialized, the lands of the coast and rivers flowing into the Baltic are intensively used.9) Large population.10) Very developed fishing industry.11) Sensitive to pollution, but with great recreational potential.12) Current pollution poses a threat to people, flora and fauna of all countries with access to the Baltic Sea.

Therefore, we can draw the appropriate conclusion: if no measures are taken to resolve the issue of the ecology of the Baltic Sea, then not only the ecology of the countries located along the seashore will be in danger, but also the ecology of the world as a whole. Measures to combat environmental damage in Berlin, Krakow, most of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Russia leave much to be desired. The Baltic Sea is heavily polluted and very sensitive to this pollution, in particular due to the cold climate and limited water exchange with the ocean. Countries with access to the Baltic Sea are strenuously fighting for the ecology of this region and are trying to develop more and more new options for protecting the environment.

Species composition of the Baltic Sea. Marine and freshwater species

The main environmental problems of the Baltic

Firstly, the excess supply of nitrogen and phosphorus into the water area as a result of washout from fertilized fields, with municipal wastewater from cities and waste from some enterprises. Since the water exchange of the Baltic is not very active, the concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus and other wastes in the water becomes very strong. Due to biogenic elements in the sea, organic substances are not completely processed, and due to a lack of oxygen, they begin to decompose, releasing hydrogen sulfide, which is harmful to marine life. There are already dead hydrogen sulfide zones at the bottom of the Gotland, Gdansk, and Bornholm depressions. The second significant problem of the Baltic is water pollution with oil. Thousands of tons of oil enter the water area annually through various discharges. The film of oil that covers the surface of the water mirror does not allow oxygen to penetrate deeper. Toxic substances that are harmful to living organisms also accumulate on the surface of the water. Accidental oil spills in most cases occur in coastal and shelf zones, the most productive and at the same time vulnerable areas of the sea. Accumulation heavy metals- the third problem of the Baltic Sea. Mercury, lead, copper, zinc, cobalt, and nickel enter mainly into the Baltic waters with precipitation, the rest ends up through direct discharge into the water area or with river runoff of household and industrial waste. The amount of copper entering the water area annually is about four thousand tons, lead - 3 thousand tons, cadmium - about fifty tons, and mercury - 33 tons, per twenty-one thousand km3 of water volume of the water area. All environmental problems of the Baltic Sea are determined by its pollution from many different sources through rivers, pipelines, from the operation of ships and from the air.

Chemical weapons burials in the Baltic Sea during the Second World War and the Cold War

The past generation left the modern population of the planet with a dangerous legacy of the Second World War - the chemical weapons of the Wehrmacht, sunk by the occupying forces in the Baltic Sea, as well as in the Skagerrak and Kattegat straits, which pose a huge environmental threat to the peoples of Western, Northern and of Eastern Europe. All information about the sinking of these chemical weapons in Moscow, London and Washington was carefully hidden until recently. After the surrender fascist Germany At the Potsdam Conference, it was decided to destroy all stockpiles of chemical weapons. The Wehrmacht chemical troops were armed with aerial bombs, shells and mines of various calibers, as well as chemical land mines, hand grenades and toxic smoke bombs. In addition, the German army was well equipped with special machines for quickly contaminating the area with persistent toxic substances. Germany's military arsenals accumulated large stocks of chemical munitions filled with mustard gas, lewisite, adamite, phosgene and diphosgene. In addition, during the war, the German chemical industry mastered in significant quantities the production of tabun (ethyl ester of cyanophosphoric acid dimethyl amide, a nerve agent) and sarin (isopropyl ester of methylphosphoric acid fluoride, a nerve agent). By the end of the war, the production of soman (pinacoline ester of methyl phosphoric acid fluoride, a nerve agent) was also established. According to available data, chemical weapons discovered in West Germany were sunk by American and British occupation forces in four coastal areas of Western Europe. In the Norwegian deep waters near Arendal; in the Skagerrak near the Swedish port of Lysekil; between the Danish island of Funen and the mainland; near Skagen, the northernmost point of Denmark. In total, in six areas of European waters, 302,875 tons of toxic substances lie on the seabed, or approximately 1/5 of the total stock of toxic substances. In addition, at least 120 thousand tons of chemical weapons were sunk in unspecified places in the Atlantic Ocean and in the western part of the English Channel, and at least 25 thousand tons were exported to the USSR. Foreign sources claim that many chemicals were sunk by the Germans during the war and in the Baltic Sea itself. And the Soviet military archives contain detailed information about what was discovered in the chemical arsenals of East Germany and sunk in the Baltic Sea: - 71469 250-kg aerial bombs filled with mustard gas - 14258 250-kg and 500-kg aerial bombs filled with chloroacetophen, diphenylchlorarsine and arsine oil and 50 kg aerial bombs filled with adamite - 408565 artillery shells of 75 mm, 105 mm and 150 mm caliber, filled with mustard gas - 34592 chemical landmines of 20 kg and 50 kg, filled with mustard gas - 10420 smoke chemical mines of 100 mm caliber, - 1004 technological tanks containing 1506 tons of mustard gas. - 8429 barrels, which contained 1030 tons of adamsite and diphenylchlorarsine, - 169 tons of technological containers with toxic substances, which contained cyanide salt, chlorarsine, cyanarsine and axelarsine. - 7860 cans of cyclone, which the Nazis widely used in 300 death camps for mass extermination prisoners in gas chambers.----

The chemical mustard gas and its role in the ecology of the Baltic Sea

As mentioned above, a large amount of toxic chemicals were buried in the Baltic Sea and adjacent waters. One of the most dangerous chemical substances is mustard gas or mustard gas. Mustard gas is a yellow-brown substance with a specific odor of garlic, horseradish and mustard plants. At normal temperatures a rather viscous substance that decomposes poorly in water and does well in fat, any oily environment, on the skin. First used by the German Army in September 1917, the mass production process was created for the war at the German company Bayer AG by Lommel and Steinkopf. Great Britain had to spend a year creating its own mustard gas weapon, which they were able to use for the first time in September 1918. Mustard gas was in the form of an aerosol, mixed with other chemicals, which gave it a yellowish-brown color and a specific smell. The structural formula of mustard gas is expressed as follows: β,β’-dichlorodiethyl sulfide. Gas masks were not effective against mustard gas, as it tends to penetrate the toxic chemicals used during the war. Its properties are so pungent that when added in small quantities to the ground its effect lasted for several weeks. Mustard gas causes internal and external bleeding, severely affects the bronchi, lungs and mucous membrane of the eye. Its effect is very painful: a person can lose vision. Those poisoned by mustard gas remain chained to the bed, it is difficult for them to inhale and exhale air, as mustard gas paralyzes respiratory system person. Usually a person dies within 4-5 weeks after mustard gas poisoning. There are different kinds mustard gas:: H, HD, HT, HL, HQ they differ depending on the oxygen concentration and the degree of purity. It can be synthesized by reacting sulfur dichloride (SCL2) with two moles of ethylene (C2H4). “Chemically, it is an aliphatic thioester with the formula C4H8CL2S.” Its structure can be described as 1,1-thio-bi-(2 chloroethane) or (CLCH2CH2)2S, 2,2'-dichlorodiethyl sulfide or bi-(2 chloroethyl)-sulfide. The melting point of mustard gas is 570F (140C) and decomposes at a boiling point of 4230°F (2180°C). Mustard gas tends to remain in the environment for a long time and cause various diseases. If mustard gas affected the clothing or equipment of one soldier, then others who came into contact with it or touched it also became poisoned. Towards the end of the war, mustard gas was used in strong concentrations as a weapon to “cleanse” territories, which forced soldiers to give up their positions due to its strong damaging effect on human health. Most of all, mustard gas was used by Germany during cold war. It was sunk in the Baltic Sea. From 1966 to 2002, fishermen found approximately seven hundred chemical weapons near Bornholm, most of which were mustard gas bombs. When mustard gas hit water, it formed into a resin-like gel and remained active for five years. It was easy to confuse a piece of polymerized mustard gas with amber, which could lead to common health problems. Shells containing mustard gas and other toxic substances left over from the First World War (as well as other explosives already known) can still be found today in the territories of France and Belgium. Previously, they were destroyed by exploding in the waters of nearby seas, but due to violations of the ecology of the environment and water, this was prohibited and the French government was forced to build automated factories to destroy and process deposits of these shells. In 1972, the Congress of the United States of America banned the practice of releasing chemical weapons into the ocean. Sixty-four million pounds of mustard gas was released into the ocean by the US Army. In 1998, William Brankowitz wrote a report that the US Army had invented at least 26 chemical weapons, which were then thrown into the ocean. Thus, the ecological situation of the Baltic Sea is really in danger and humanity must develop ways and means of countering the substances , which destroy not only the Baltic ecosystem, but also the world ecology. The ecology of the Baltic is only one link in the global ecological chain, since everything in the world is interconnected.

Environmental organizations of the Baltic Sea

A huge number of environmental protection organizations are being created. Each country with access to the Baltic Sea has an organization, community, committee or union for the protection of the ecology of the Baltic region. Helsinki Commission. Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM), Finland. [ The main goal of this organization is to protect the natural diversity of the Baltic Sea, striving to eliminate all sources of pollution, both from land and ships, and from the air, and to support scientific research dedicated to nature conservation. One of the most famous and visible measures of the Helsinki Commission is the Helsinki Convention, developed in 1974 and designed to improve the environmental condition of the Baltic region. They managed to ensure that the amount of emissions into the Baltic Sea decreased by 20-25%. HELCOM cooperates with Estonia, Russia, Germany, the European Community (EC), Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden and Denmark.] http://www.spb.ecology.net.ru/eis/helcom.htm] The Information Office for the Baltic Proper. County Administrative Board of Stockholm, Sweden. [ The office was founded as a result of the Swedish Environmental Bill. The main goal is to widely provide information on large-scale events in the marine environment of the Baltic region. It is important for this organization to prevent critical situation in the Baltic Sea. They try to fight bacteria and detect environmental damage.] http://www.ab.lst.se/templates/Proj_StartPage____7450.asp] Baltic Environmental Information Dissemination System. [ The project is intended for development on a regional scale for the Baltic, and was founded in Germany. As with all environmental network projects, the goal is the dissemination of information and its access. To begin with, the main topic was the problem of transport and the environment. Then the number of topics expanded. There are materials on the rational use of energy and the concept of sustainable development. This organization carries out its activities using the “intersection” of intra-sectoral connections within the environmental information sector and focusing on data on transport and energy problems. There are also international organizations for the protection of the ecology of the Baltic Sea. Many of them are similar because they have the same goals. They mainly appeared after the Second World War due to the fact that, as mentioned above, a huge amount of chemical weapons of mass destruction were sunk in the waters of this region.] http://beids.tec-hh.net/frames.html] Coalition Clean Baltic. [ The Clean Baltic Coalition (CCB) is a politically independent non-profit organization founded in Helsinki in February 1990 by a coalition of non-governmental environmental organizations from the countries of the Baltic Sea region. The purpose of creating the CCB was cooperation in solving problems related to the protection of the natural environment of the Baltic Sea. Currently, the CCB unites members of 27 organizations from Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden. Visions and Strategies around the Baltic 2010. (VASAB 2010) Intergovernmental program of the Baltic countries on multifaceted spatial planning and development region. This organization includes Lithuania, Russia, Poland, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Latvia, and Belarus.] http://www.spb.ecology.net.ru/eis/ccb.htm] United Nations Environment Program. United Nations Environment Program. (UNEP). The program was founded by the United Nations. Program mission: to increase public interest in environmental protection, inform it, and suggest ways to improve the quality of life in different countries without causing harm to future generations. One of the most important functions of UNEP is to promote environmental science and information. The program, depending on the nature protection objects and territories, is divided into divisions. International maritime organization. (IMO). “The coast of the Baltic Sea in the Kaliningrad region - a favorite holiday destination for tourists - is becoming increasingly polluted with oil products. At the beginning of April 2004, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) decided to give the Baltic Sea the status of a particularly vulnerable maritime area. However, official Russia takes this decision with hostility, being, as usual, only interested in petrodollars. A session of the environmental committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in early April in London overwhelmingly decided to give the Baltic Sea the status of a particularly vulnerable marine area (PSSA). The decision is sensational. This is the first time in history that an entire sea has received such status. This decision was not easy for the delegates. The debate was difficult and surprisingly fruitless. The Russian delegation took an extremely negative position when discussing the “Baltic issue”. The head of the Russian delegation, head of the State Maritime, Emergency and Rescue Coordination Service Vladimir Kareev believes that decision It is entirely populist and creates a “dangerous precedent” for recognizing entire seas as particularly vulnerable marine areas. “The only thing that giving PSMR status to the entire Baltic Sea can lead to is the disruption of the established shipping system,” he is sure. The Baltic Sea is surrounded by industrialized countries and is experiencing extremely intense anthropogenic pressure. Pollutants that are discharged into the sea remain there for a long time, accumulating in the bottom layer and living organisms. Low water temperatures allow contaminants to decompose slowly. And although international processes aimed at improving the environmental situation have been going on for more than thirty years, scientists admit that problems are being solved very slowly, and the real cost of large-scale measures is so high that no country on its own is capable of regulating the ecological state of the entire sea. However, with coordinated action, there is hope for success. Over the next two years, the Baltic countries will develop national packages of laws that will tighten liability for environmental violations in the Baltic waters. It can already be said that the set of proposed measures will include items on mandatory pilotage in dangerous areas, securing the routes of ships with dangerous goods and their escort, monitoring the technical condition of fleets and special training courses for crews. Responsibility for the discharge of polluted and ballast water will be strengthened. The need for pilotage is explained by the fact that the exit from the Baltic Sea runs through narrow straits with extremely busy traffic. This measure will strengthen control over the movement of ships, although it has opponents even in countries that have advocated the status of a particularly vulnerable maritime area.”

Tallinna Ehituskool

In Ecology on the topic:

Ecological problems

Baltic Sea

Dmitry Shimanov

Introduction

Humans are not the only creature susceptible to seasickness. When the sea becomes sick, many living things suffer. But in the end, we ourselves still suffer.

The Estonian Nature Foundation's marine program aims to help our unique Baltic Sea. The sea seems limitless and bottomless, and the amount of water in it is infinite. Yet it is abundantly clear that reckless human activity is having a detrimental effect on the health of the sea. The Baltic Sea, which washes the shores of Estonia, is considered today one of the most polluted seas in the world. This is facilitated by both slow water exchange and human activity: toxic substances discharged into water accumulate in the tissues of plants and animals and affect health marine organisms. Wastewater and chemicals carried by rivers into the sea lead to rapid growth of algae, causing oxygen to disappear from the deep layers of the sea, rapid overgrowth of coastal shallow waters and shallow bays, and bottom sediments turning into toxic mud. In addition, many other water properties change and spawning conditions worsen. One of the problems is the increasing volume of shipping in the Baltic Sea and the accompanying accidental oil spills.

Environmental problems of the Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a water area protruding deeply into the mainland, belonging to the Atlantic Ocean basin and connected with the World Ocean only by narrow straits. Such seas, which are called internal or Mediterranean, are found in various climatic zones of the globe.

Water exchange with the World Ocean, carried out only through the narrow and shallow straits of Skagerrak and Kattegat (leading to the North Sea), is slow: complete renewal of water can occur on average in 30-50 years. This semi-enclosed nature of the Baltic Sea makes it extremely sensitive to anthropogenic impacts. The Baltic Sea serves as a receiving basin for more than two hundred rivers. More than half of the total area of ​​the Baltic Sea basin is drained by the largest rivers - Neva, Vistula, Western Dvina (Daugava), Neman (Nemunas), and it is into them that most of the pollutants generated as a result of anthropogenic activities in the territory fall. the flow of pollutants exceeded the natural ability of the water area to cleanse itself.

The number one environmental problem in today's Baltic is the excess supply of nitrogen and phosphorus into the water area as a result of washout from fertilized fields, with municipal wastewater from cities and waste from some enterprises. Because of these nutrients, the sea becomes “overfertilized”; organic substances are not completely processed and, with a lack of oxygen, begin to decompose, releasing hydrogen sulfide, which is harmful to marine life. Dead hydrogen sulfide zones already occupy the bottom of the largest depressions of the Baltic Sea - Bornholm, Gotland and Gdansk.

The second most important problem in the Baltic Sea is the accumulation of heavy metals - mercury, lead, copper, zinc, cadmium, cobalt, nickel. About half of the total mass of these metals ends up in the sea with precipitation, the rest - through direct discharge into the water area or with river runoff of household and industrial waste. The amount of copper entering the water area annually is about 4 thousand tons, lead - 3 thousand tons, cadmium - about 50 tons, and mercury - “only” 33 tons. For 21 thousand km3 of water volume of the water area, it would seem that there is little . However, these metals, even in negligible concentrations, are extremely dangerous for humans and marine life. organisms.

The third most pressing problem in the Baltic is oil pollution, a long-time enemy of the sea. With various discharges, up to 600 thousand tons of oil enter the water area annually. Oil covers the surface of the water surface with a film that does not allow oxygen to penetrate deeper. Substances that are toxic to living organisms accumulate. Accidental oil spills in most cases occur in coastal and shelf zones, the most productive and at the same time vulnerable areas of the sea.

All environmental problems of the Baltic Sea are determined by its pollution from many different sources through rivers, pipelines, landfills, operation of ships and, finally, from the air.

The public is increasingly concerned about the pollution of the Baltic waters, the main cause of which, as indicated, is oil spills in the waters of the Neva and Finnish bay.

The state of the Baltic Sea and especially the Gulf of Finland is causing widespread concern. The Gulf of Finland is one of the most polluted parts of the Baltic Sea. An excess of nutrients causes eutrophication of both the open sea and coastal zones. There has been an increase in toxic blue-green algae species, blooms, cloudy waters, and contamination of shorelines and fishing gear. In addition, the growing number of unwanted non-indigenous species threatens to damage and destroy the marine ecosystem.

In the future, mainly due to rapid growth transportation, there will be significant changes in the use of land and sea. Increases in land and sea transport and port operations will increase the pollution risk associated with the transport of petroleum products and chemicals.

Priorities:

Eutrophication, especially the contribution of agriculture;

Hazardous substances;

Ground transportation;

Maritime transport, including in the implementation of the Baltic Strategy;

Impacts on the environment in the process of fishing and the application of various practices;

Protection and conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity;

Implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Program of Environmental Activities in the Region Baltic Sea;

Marine scientific expedition – Gretagrund

The Government of the Republic of Estonia decided in 2010 to create the Gretagrund Marine Reserve to protect the unique habitat different plants, animals and rare bird species.

According to the bill, at the proposal of the Estonian Nature Foundation, the Gretagrund sandbank, located in Saare County, is taken under protection. A new natural protected area will be created on the sandbank - the first nature reserve in Estonia to be located entirely in the sea.

Studying the natural environment of the Gretagrund Bank in cooperation with marine biologists and proposing the creation of a nature reserve is part of the work of the Estonian Nature Foundation to protect marine flora and fauna.

There are several types of protected natural areas on the Baltic Sea. Some of them, such as Baltic Sea Protected Areas (BSPAs) or Important Bird Areas (IBAs), are created for the benefit of different countries international organizations, for example HELCOM and BirdLife. Such territories are important for the entire Baltic Sea. Marine areas of the Natura 2000 network are another example of efforts to protect marine ecosystems. They are approved at the national level. National protected areas also play a major role in preserving the marine environment. Created in the most important and vulnerable areas, they guarantee the conservation of marine natural values.

An important point is the creation of a network of marine protected areas. Such a network is especially important for moving groups of animals such as birds, mammals and fish, especially migrants. If only wintering areas are protected and breeding areas remain unprotected, the species may face the risk of extinction. Some coastal areas are also connected in special ways.

Reefs are probably the most attractive and ecologically important biotopes in the eastern Baltic Sea, true oases providing a high biodiversity of fish, birds, invertebrates and plants. Reefs can be biological in origin (for example, coral reefs) or geological - like the reefs in the Baltic Sea, formed on soils and rocks rising from the sandy bottom. Depending on the environmental conditions in each region, they form unique formations that become home to specific types of plants and animals.

The most typical species in such conditions are red, brown and green algae, as well as species of animals associated with the bottom, for example, ascidians, bryozoans, bivalves (Modiolus modiolus, Mytilus sp., Dreissena polymorpha), crustaceans, benthic fish.

Reefs are used for spawning by most commercial fish species and provide feeding grounds for diving birds that feed on molluscs and crustaceans. Reefs attract fish, which are followed by seals, so reefs play important role in food chains.

Defense of the Baltic Sea

The development of transport infrastructure in the Baltic region, active transportation of oil and petroleum products, increasing consumption levels - all this significantly increases the threat of destruction of the natural complexes of the Baltic. Reducing this threat is only possible if there is a strong and consolidated position and joint actions of all environmental organizations in the region.

The WWF Baltic program brings together the efforts of WWF Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, WWF Latvian and Polish program offices, as well as the Estonian Nature Fund (ELF) and the Baltic Nature Fund (Russia) to preserve the environment of the Baltic Sea as an integral part of the ecoregion " Northeast Atlantic".

WWF's Baltic program aims to develop integrated management of the territories, coasts and waters of the entire Baltic drainage basin and to expand the capabilities of local residents to sustainably use the resources of the Baltic Sea. WWF is currently working to expand the network of marine and coastal protected areas to preserve the most important natural sites of the Baltic Sea and its basin. WWF is taking measures aimed at establishing fishing-free zones, using exclusively environmentally friendly fishing methods and introducing administrative and market mechanisms to support environmentally friendly fishing enterprises.

Back in 1996–1999, WWF implemented a program that contributed to the return of the white-tailed eagle to the Baltic region.

WWF's information support contributed to the fact that in 2004 the Baltic Sea was declared a particularly vulnerable marine area. We managed to achieve this decision, despite the active opposition of those who transport petroleum products on old and environmentally hazardous ships. The designation of the Baltic Sea as a particularly sensitive maritime area means that all ships passing through the Baltic Sea must take additional precautions when navigating.

ELF has trained several oil pollution response teams that can take part in the response to an oil spill in the Baltic Sea.

WWF is currently working to expand the network of marine and coastal protected areas to preserve the most important natural sites of the Baltic Sea and its basin. WWF is taking measures aimed at establishing fishing-free zones, using exclusively environmentally friendly fishing methods and introducing administrative and market mechanisms to support environmentally friendly fishing enterprises. WWF works to reduce nutrient inputs into the Baltic Sea by supporting sustainable agricultural practices, effective cleaning wastewater, wetland conservation and restoration.

Nord Stream and environmental safety of the Baltic Sea

The project for the construction of the North European Gas Pipeline has been developed since 1997, but only in 2006 did construction begin on its onshore part from Portovaya Bay near the city of Vyborg to the east towards the city of Gryazovets (Vologda region) and further to the Yuzhnorusskoye oil and gas field with a total length of 920 km. The length of the two strings of the offshore part of the gas pipeline along the bottom of the Baltic Sea should be 1,200 km and another about 400 km along Germany to connect to the main gas-carrying network of Europe.

For the construction of the gas pipeline, steel pipes of strength class K60 with a diameter of 1220 mm and a thickness of 36 mm with an external three-layer anti-corrosion coating 5.0 mm thick and an internal epoxy coating were used. All this will be reinforced with a layer of concrete 8-10 cm thick.

There are two possible options for laying the gas pipeline: directly or with an intermediate compressor station built on a metal platform on a bank near the island of Gogland. A compressor station with a capacity of 425 MW will be built in the Portovaya Bay area, which will allow pumping 55 billion m3 of natural gas per year. Compression stations for gas pumping must maintain high pressure in two pipeline strings (calculated using the Poiseuille formula) of up to 21 MPa. To safely isolate sections of the gas pipeline in the event of accidents occurring on them during operation, pneumatic-hydraulic ball valves, as well as linear valves with remote telemechanical control, will be used as shut-off valves on the pipeline. In the event of extreme situations along the North European Gas Pipeline route, it is possible to safely stop the technological process using an automated gas transport control system.

In order to increase the level of environmental safety of the gas pipeline, the pipes must be buried and laid in trenches in potentially dangerous shallow areas of the Baltic Sea bottom. To ensure the stability of the position of the gas pipeline from floating, it is provided for ballasting with female weights.

Compared to land pipelines, sea pipelines are characterized by a significantly lower explosion and fire hazard during operation due to the absence of large amounts of oxygen in the water. However, the absence of fire due to a gas leak from an underwater pipeline does not yet indicate the environmental safety of this facility. For example, natural gas leaking from a damaged pipeline rises and forms a toxic cloud over the surface of the water area, which is carried by the wind. The ascent of gas occurs in the form of a two-phase jet, consisting of individual bubbles, forming on the surface of the water a kind of “fluidized layer” with a diameter of up to 100 m. On the shelf it is smaller, but on it gas, when leaked (with a guillotine rupture of a pipe), can form gas-water fountains up to a height of 60 m. At a depth of more than 100 m, no fountains are formed during a guillotine rupture of a pipe.

In the case of laying pipelines buried in the ground, a trench is dug in loose soils (several meters wide and deep), and a large amount of suspended matter is formed. This is one of the main impacts of laying pipelines on the seabed. Other types of impact include the following:

changing the morphology and distribution of sediments due to the physical presence of pipes and trench digging;

changes in the composition of bottom biocenoses due to fouling if the pipe lies on the surface;

an obstacle to the migration of mobile benthic organisms if the pipe lies on the bottom surface;

noise, thermal and electromagnetic effects.

Obviously, the most severe harmful effects when laying offshore pipelines occur in spawning areas, for example, cod in the Baltic Sea.

The average number of incidents per year related to navigation is 60±3 (of which 8±2 are ship collisions). The highest density of incidents with ships occurs in the coastal zone, near ports and in the Kattegat Strait (about 2,000 large ships can be at sea at the same time). The statistical risk of such accidents may double by 2015, which will be associated with both an increase in the number of ships in the Baltic Sea and a doubling of the volume of transported oil. Although it should be noted that the pollution of the Baltic Sea is largely determined by the contribution of the waters of the 250 rivers flowing into it, which are influenced by industry and agriculture (with a population of more than 80 million people living in the area around the Baltic Sea).

The depth of the Baltic Sea can reach 459 m, with an average value of 86 m. Data on the likelihood of ice formation indicate additional difficulties in navigating ships, especially in the Gulf of Finland. Water exchange between the Baltic Sea and the open North Sea occurs through narrow and shallow straits between Sweden and Denmark. The sea is susceptible to eutrophication.

In the event of a gas pipeline rupture, the negative consequences will consist of the poisonous effect on fish of natural gas passing through the upper layers of water, and hydrogen sulfide carried away by this gas from the anaerobic zone. Methane and other hydrocarbons have a narcotic and neuroparalytic effect on aquatic organisms, which increases with increasing water temperature. Its effect is based on hypoxia, which sharply increases in the presence of ethane, propane, butane and other homologues of this series. The death of juvenile and adult fish will occur in water masses with a methane concentration of 0.7-1.4 mg-l exposure for tens of hours. The safe level of hydrogen sulfide in water for freshwater fish, given in foreign literature, is 0.002 mg-l.

If a gas pipeline ruptures on the shelf, the negative impact of natural gas on fish in the early stages of development will be enhanced by a powerful hydrodynamic shock that will occur during a volley release of gas pumped under high pressure.

Another factor in the negative impact of a gas pipeline rupture on the ichthyofauna will be an increase in the concentration of suspended matter formed during the explosion. This impact is similar to the impact during construction, but it is more short-lived.

A very important problem of laying the North European gas pipeline along the bottom of the Baltic is associated with buried chemical and conventional weapons (explosives), carried out by decision of the allied countries after the end of World War II.

From 1945 to 1948, almost 300 thousand tons of chemical munitions were discovered on German territory, which Hitler never decided to use. The Americans found 93,995 tons in their zone, the British - 122,508, the French - 9,100, and in the Soviet zone there were 70,500 deadly tons.

Perhaps at that time the Allies did not have the strength or capacity to reprocess and dispose of Germany's chemical weapons. By decision of the triple commission of the victorious countries, more than half of all toxic substances were sunk in the waters of the Baltic Sea. In the Skagerrak Strait, 130 thousand tons were “buried” at the bottom, east of the island of Bornholm and south of the island of Gotland - 40 thousand tons.

Air bombs and shells, mines and containers, high-power bombs and smoke grenades were sunk. This work was undertaken by the USA and the USSR. Moreover, the Americans lowered ships to the bottom, and the Russians threw weapons from the side of the ship while it was moving. With this method of flooding - “in bulk” - it was assumed that the shells would go into the ground and would no longer pose a particular danger. Decisions made half a century ago today lead to tragic consequences.

Now environmentalists believe that the fatal mistake of the Allies was the very idea of ​​​​flooding 0B in the waters of the Baltic. Another miscalculation was the immersion of weapons in the depressions of the Baltic Sea. Later it turned out that these depressions were formed under the influence of strong currents. Currents continuously wash them and transport masses of sand. That is, shells and bombs buried there are subject not only to chemical corrosion, but also to accelerated abrasive destruction.

In the second half of the 90s. The first signs of disaster appeared: the casings of some bombs and shells collapsed, and toxic substances entered the Baltic. Diseases among Swedish fishermen are not the only example of the influence of 0B leaking into the sea. There have been cases of poisoning from contaminated fish in Denmark, Sweden, and Poland.

However, they try not to advertise these incidents. In particular, on the island of Gotland, travel companies are not interested in wide publicity. It seems that many people adhere to the point of view “maybe everything will go away on its own.”

On the Danish island of Bornholm, a possible environmental disaster was taken much more seriously. A treatment plant was built. Little by little, chemical weapons are being picked up and sent for processing. But the capacity is clearly not enough.

5 thousand tons of chemical weapons were buried directly off the coast of Germany. The leadership of Germany back in the 50s. reburied them on land. But a huge part of the 0V ammunition still lies at the bottom of the Baltic, is destroyed, and therefore poses a serious threat to all countries in the region. At the bottom of the Baltic Sea there are cold currents from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Finland. And warm currents are near the surface (in the opposite direction). It is clear that all states of the Baltic basin will suffer from the release of pollutants into the environment, and the entire ecosystem will irreversibly change.

Burying chemical weapons at the bottom of the sea is not a well-thought-out decision, and its consequences are an example of environmental terrorism towards the Baltic Sea ecosystem and the people who live and work there. The weapons were buried, both in concentrated form and in bulk, in the Baltic Sea in the Skagerrak and Kattegat straits, near the Swedish port of Lysekil, between the Danish island of Funen and the mainland. In total, in six areas of the water area, the American and British occupation forces sank 302,875 tons of toxic substances. Chemical weapons arsenals discovered Soviet troops in East Germany, were also sunk in the Baltic Sea and included:

71469 aerial bombs weighing 250 kg, filled with mustard gas;

14258 aerial bombs weighing 250 and 500 kg. filled with chloroacetophenone and arsine oil and aerial bombs weighing 50 kg, filled with adamsite;

408,565 artillery shells of 75, 105 and 150 mm caliber, filled with mustard gas and lewisite;

34592 chemical land mines of 20 and 50 kg, filled with mustard gas;

10420 smoke chemical mines of 100 mm caliber;

1004 technological tanks containing 1506 tons of mustard gas;

8429 barrels containing 1030 tons of adamsite and diphenylchlorarsine;

169 tons of technological containers containing cyanide salt, chlorarsine, cyanarsine and axelarsine;

7840 cans of cyclone, which the Nazis used in death camps for the mass extermination of prisoners in gas chambers.

The greatest danger to living organisms is mustard gas, most of which lies on the seabed in the form of pieces of poisonous jelly. Mustard gas and lewisite hydrolyze well and form toxic substances that retain their properties for quite a long time. The properties of lewisite are similar to those of mustard gas; however, lewisite contains arsenic, so both the products of its transformation and the possibility of their transfer along trophic chains are environmentally dangerous. Therefore, the construction of special sarcophagi for sunken chemical weapons and the use of other measures to isolate and neutralize toxic substances is an urgent task, the solution of which should ensure the environmental safety of the Baltic Sea ecosystem.

Environmental risks associated with the destruction of the shells of chemical weapons containing tabun, mustard gas, lewisite and phosgene can lead to the emergence of a affected area (by volume) from 102 to 105 m3 with a duration of action from 0.3 to 11 hours. However, it should be noted that it is possible to neutralize mustard gas with the help of bacteria Pseudomonas doudoroffii. Explosives contained in grenades, shells and aerial bombs, when exploded, can have an impact at a distance of 5 to 300 m. Adhering to the principle of “do no harm”, the designers of the NEGP route (Gazprom, Giprospegaz and Peter Gas) will build route in a 500 m wide zone beyond the range of these weapons.

All this, including information about the geological features of the Baltic Sea bottom, about the main shipping routes (about 200 thousand ships per year) and all information about regular monitoring of potentially dangerous places during the transportation of hydrocarbons, should be concentrated and archived on the basis of GIS technologies, which could would be used to analyze the state of the ecosystem, and in case of emergency situations would allow making management decisions to eliminate such situations.

In the event of a pipeline rupture, initial period, if ignition does not occur, gas dispersion processes will occur in the surrounding space with the formation of “gas-contaminated” zones. At volumetric gas concentrations from 5 to 15%, such zones become fire hazardous and can, in the event of a fire source, ignite with the formation of a secondary wave overpressure and deflagration flame, which pose a certain danger to recipients who find themselves within such a zone. In the absence of combustion, the gas cloud will eventually rise into the upper atmosphere and dissipate. The dispersal of the cloud is facilitated by a sharp decrease in the intensity of gas emission from the ends of the destroyed pipeline, as a result of which, within the first minutes after the rupture, the gas contaminated zone, having reached its maximum size, will begin to rapidly decrease.

The greatest danger is posed by accidents involving gas ignition in the initial period, i.e. immediately after a gas pipeline rupture. At the same time, the nature of gas combustion and the scale of the fire’s impact on the environment depend on a large number and specific combination of a number of factors, the main of which are the following:

operating gas pressure, gas pipeline diameter and location of the rupture;

the presence and location of isolation valves, as well as the possibility of overlapping them:

method of laying the pipeline;

general dimensions destruction (linear crack path);

characteristic dimensions (length, width, depth) and shape of the ground formation (trench or pit);

soil mass properties;

relative position of the axes of the fixed ends of the destroyed pipeline.

Projects of this kind require subregional cooperation between HELCOM countries in order to examine, monitor and improve environmental safety standards, in particular, shipping and fishing in the Baltic Sea.

Eutrophication and its impact on the Baltic Sea ecosystem

In the past century, as a result of human anthropogenic activity, the volume of phosphorus in the Baltic Sea basin has increased eightfold, and nitrogen fourfold. This human impact on the Baltic Sea ecosystem has led to a very large increase in the biomass of algae, which, falling to the bottom of the sea in large quantities and decomposing there, lead to a reduction in oxygen, and then as a result of activity anaerobic bacteria Hydrogen sulfide begins to be released, which kills all living things at the bottom. The effect of eutrophication on the species composition of fish is as follows: in the Baltic Sea, reproduction is observed, primarily of roaches and those species of fish that feed on primary producers. In the mid-80s, half of the fish biomass came from roaches alone.

A toxic blue-green algae bloom appearing in the open sea at the end of summer season, is caused by cyanobacteria that bind molecular nitrogen dissolved in water from the atmosphere. About half of the nitrogen entering the sea comes from the atmosphere, where it comes from the burning of fossil fuels and from ammonia evaporated from agriculture. Intensive transport and cattle breeding, highly developed in Central Europe, lead to the fact that the largest amount of nitrogen precipitation falls over the Baltic Sea.

Phosphorus, in turn, enters the sea through rivers and has agricultural and forestry origins. Abundant fertilizers easily flow from the fields into local reservoirs, from where they are subsequently carried into the sea by rivers. Some phosphorus enters the sea through the atmosphere or from point sources of pollution such as hygienic and sewage waste from populated areas and industrial enterprises. As a result of human agricultural activities along the shores of the Baltic Sea, 200,000 tons of nitrogen and 5,000 tons of phosphorus enter the sea annually, which is 30-40% for nitrogen and 10% for phosphorus of the total load on the entire Baltic Sea basin. As a result of the increasing phenomenon of eutrophication, the degradation of the food web in the Baltic Sea ecosystem begins; the food chain becomes completely one-sided due to a sharp increase in some species and a sharp decrease in others.

In addition, blue-green algae, during their bloom, release various toxins that are very poisonous to humans. The ban on swimming has become a sad reality on many beaches in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and last year also in Estonia. In mid-July, due to algae, the seashores in our country were closed to swimming in Pirita and Stromka in Tallinn, as well as in Toila and Narva-Jõesuu in the north-east of the country. Among the symptoms of human poisoning by blue-green algae, doctors call redness of the skin and eyes, poor health, upset stomach, fever, runny nose, cough, muscle aches, dry lips and loss of coordination.

Conclusion

The Baltic Sea is a water area protruding deeply into the mainland, belonging to the Atlantic Ocean basin and connected with the World Ocean only by narrow straits.

The Baltic Sea serves as a receiving basin for more than two hundred rivers. More than half of the total area of ​​the Baltic Sea basin is drained by the largest rivers - Neva, Vistula, Western Dvina (Daugava), Neman (Nemunas), and it is into them that most of the pollutants generated as a result of anthropogenic activities in the territory fall.

The results of the study showed that the environmental risks associated with the project to build the North European Gas Pipeline along the bottom of the Baltic Sea are an order of magnitude lower than in the case of transporting oil by ship. The risk of accidents is highest during oil tanker transportation. And although natural gas is less dangerous than oil and its derivatives, both of these energy carriers, when released into the marine environment, contribute to pollution and changes in the trophic conditions of the Baltic Sea ecosystem. Therefore, environmental monitoring of hydrocarbon transportation routes in the Baltic Sea should be comprehensive and regular, with permanent automated control posts at the most dangerous places along oil and gas transportation routes.

Ensuring the environmental safety of the flora and fauna of the Baltic Sea and the marine ecosystem as a whole should be carried out within the framework of international law and close cooperation of the Baltic Sea countries.

Bibliography

1. Furman E., Munsterhulm R., Saleman H., Välyapakk P. “Baltic Sea. Environment and Ecology", Kh.: Printing Digitone Oy, 2002.

2. Rastoskuev V.V., Shalina E.V. “Geoinformation technologies for solving environmental safety problems”, St. Petersburg: VVM, 2006.

3. Alkhimenko A.I. “Accidental oil spills at sea and combating them. Textbook for universities", St. Petersburg: OM-Press, 2004.

4. Goncharov V.K., Pimkin V.G. “Forecasting the environmental consequences of the release of toxic substances into the marine environment from old chemical weapons sunk in the Baltic Sea. Environmental chemistry", 2000

5. Yakovlev V.V. “Oil, gas, consequences of emergency situations”, St. Petersburg: SPbSPU, 2003.

Regulatory acts

6. Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (Helsinki Convention), 03/22/1974, entered into force 05/03/1980

Electronic sources

7. http://www.mnr.gov.ru/files/part/3396_nord_stream_espoo_report_russia_binder_3-small.pdf

Workshop

"Ecological problems of the Baltic Sea"

Target: Consider the main environmental problems of the Baltic Sea and develop

Ways to solve these problems and an action program for the next few years.

Tasks:

Educational:

1. formation of analytical skills when working with text;
2. development of skills in targeted selection of material and creation of a monologue statement;
3. formation of communicative competence among students.

Educational:

Development

1. critical and imaginative thinking;
2. reading interest of students;
3. creativity and imagination;
4. personal reflection

Educators:

1. formation of spiritual, moral and communicative qualities of the individual, independence, tolerance and creativity.

Equipment : multimedia presentation, projector, sheets of paper, assignments.

Form of work: group.

Lesson type: workshop.

Workshop progress:

Cabinet preparation:

1. Arrange tables for group work;
2. Place sheets of paper, pencils and pens on the tables;
3. Set up the projector to display the presentation.

Conducting a lesson:

1. Students are divided into 6 groups and seated in prepared places;
2. Teacher's opening speech.

1. “Inductor” - (“guidance” - problem situation, question) creating an emotional mood, including the student’s feelings, creating a personal relationship to the subject of discussion. inclusion in work.

The names of the Baltic Sea are displayed on the screen different languages. What sea are we talking about?

IN Tales of Bygone Years called the Varangian Sea.

1. English: Baltic Sea
2. Latin: Oceanus Sarmaticus (Sarmatian Ocean)- according to Geography Ptolemy (book 3, chapter 5, 1): Greek Σαρματικων.
3. Danish: Østersøen (East Sea)
4. German: Ostsee (East Sea)
5. Latvian: Baltijas jūra
6. Lithuanian: Baltijos jūra
7. Polish: Morze Bałtyckie
8. Finnish: Itämeri (East Sea) - exception; the name istracing paperfrom the Swedish name (in fact the sea is located to the west and south of Finland)
9. Swedish: Östersjön (East Sea)
10. Estonian: Läänemeri (Western Sea)
11. Old Norse: Eystrasalt or austan haf (East Sea)

1. Self-construction.

What associations does the name “Baltic Sea” evoke in you? What pictures does your imagination paint?

The children name any characteristics associated with this concept, and the teacher writes them down on a piece of Whatman paper or on the board. And now, using the presentation, we will summarize our ideas and, perhaps, add new characteristics.

What would you like to add to your associations?

1. Socioconstruction – group work.

Today we will take part in a meeting of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), whose activities are aimed at protecting the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, and we will reflect on the environmental problems of the Baltic Sea. When completing tasks, you are given complete freedom to choose your path, do as you feel.

Each group receives a package of documents: a brief information about the work of HELCOM, a description of one of the environmental problems of the Baltic Sea (see appendix), blank sheets of paper for creating a cluster (a graphical way of organizing material into blocks of ideas) its program of action

1. Socialization – presentation of the created intellectual product by the participants of the lesson, group performance in front of the audience. Creating a commoncluster “Environmental problems of the Baltic Sea and ways to solve them.”

1. Reflection is a stage of the workshop in which feelings, sensations are reflected, an analysis of one’s own state and intellectual level of development takes place. The children are invited to write down their feelings, and those who wish to, voice them to the whole class.

Final words from the teacher:

Today we had unique opportunity get acquainted with the activities of the Helsinki Commission, which is aimed at protecting the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from various sources pollution. We tried to briefly consider the environmental problems of the Baltic, and, most importantly, we were able to develop our own action programs to solve these problems. Thank you for the high-quality, productive work! I wish you success and good luck in all your endeavors! Thanks for the lesson.

REMINDER:

1. Carefully read the text “About HELCOM” and detailed information on the environmental problem of the Baltic Sea proposed to you;

1. Discuss the essence of the problem in a group: find out its causes and consequences;

1. What are the possible ways to solve the environmental situation? P.S. Don't forget that you are representatives of HELCOM.

1. Draw symbols on a map of the Baltic Sea or describe in words the causes, consequences and solutions to this environmental problem;

1. Justify your conclusions and decisions.

1. Create a poster: “We are against...”

Or “We stand for...”

ABOUT HELCOM

The activities of the Helsinki Commission or HELCOM are aimed at protecting the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and are implemented within the framework of intergovernmental cooperation between Germany, Denmark, the European Community, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Estonia.

HELCOM is the governing body of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea, known as the Helsinki Convention.

HELCOM sees the Baltic Sea environment in the future as one favorable to human health, with diverse components functioning in a balanced manner and supporting a wide range of human economic and social activities.

To achieve this goal, the riparian countries have joined forces in joint activities within the framework of the Helsinki Commission, acting as:

Initiator of the implementation of environmental policy for the Baltic Sea region through the development of general environmental goals and measures for their implementation;

Ecological Center for providing information on the state of the marine environment; the effectiveness of steps taken to protect it; joint initiatives and positions that form the basis for decision-making in other international forums;

Authority to develop relevant specific needs of the Baltic Sea, its own Recommendations, as well as additional Recommendations for measures taken by other international organizations;

A supervisory body designed to ensure the implementation of environmental standards by all Baltic Sea countries and countries in its catchment area;

A coordinating body that organizes a multilateral response in the event of major maritime incidents.

For three decades now, HELCOM's activities have been aimed at protecting the marine environment of the Baltic Sea and, although it has led to improvements in various areas, much remains to be done.

“Your group is members of HELCOM. Which environmental problem of the Baltic is the most important and requires a solution first (scientific, material, social, political, etc.)? Give reasons for your answer and suggest ways to solve this problem, i.e. develop a program of action for the next few years. Know how to substantiate each of your statements, otherwise priority will be given to the problem presented by other HELCOM representatives (other groups).”

Eutrification of the Baltic Sea waters.

Over the past 70 years, the environmental situation in the Baltic Sea has deteriorated sharply, and according to experts, if the same rate of pollution continues, within 10 years the water will no longer be able to be used for food purposes, and the fauna risks disappearing forever.

This summer we once again had the opportunity to see how far the process has goneEUTRIFICATION – accumulation of nutrients in waters under the influence of anthropogenic or natural factors,manifested in the “blooming” of water due to the massive development of blue-green algae, a decrease in the transparency of sea water and, as a result, a decrease in biological diversity. Rapidly reproducing algae consume a lot of oxygen when they decay, as a result of which there is less and less oxygen at the bottom, and when there is a deficiency of oxygen, the substances decompose, releasing hydrogen sulfide, which is harmful to marine life. Now the concentration of hydrogen sulfide zones at the bottom of the largest depressions of the Baltic Sea - Bornholm, Gotland and Gdansk is so great that not a single living organism can exist there. Also, the lack of oxygen limits the growth and development of living creatures on the bottom, which ultimately destroys food for fish. The diversity of life forms in the Baltic Sea is decreasing, as currently separate areas the seabed is dead, and some biotopes (relatively homogeneous areas of biocenosis) are completely destroyed. This, in turn, has led to a decrease in the number of individuals of some species, while the number of others is increasing uncontrollably.

In addition, blue-green algae, during their bloom, release various toxins that are very poisonous to humans. The ban on swimming has become a sad reality on many beaches in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Estonia. Among the symptoms of human poisoning by blue-green algae, doctors call redness of the skin and eyes, poor health, upset stomach, fever, runny nose, cough, muscle aches, dry lips and loss of coordination.

Eutrophication is caused by:

Wastewater;

Phosphorus and nitrogen, which make up agricultural and fishing waste, which comes as a result of fertilizers being washed away from fields and with municipal drains from cities, and waste from some enterprises.

In terms of nitrogen emissions into the Baltic Sea, Poland's share is 27% of the total emissions of 9 countries in the Baltic region. In second place is Sweden - 17%, and then Russia - 14%. Poland also leads in terms of phosphorus discharges - 35%, Russia accounts for 17%. First of all, this difference is associated with the developed agriculture in Poland. Many harmful substances enter the Vistula River, and then they are carried out to the sea. The international conference, taking into account the development of production in countries, developed standards for permissible discharges. For Russia they amounted to 2.5 tons of phosphorus and about 7 thousand tons of nitrogen. The most high standards given to Poland, the annual nitrogen emissions are more than 60 thousand tons.

The city sewerage system of St. Petersburg alone annually discharges about 1,500 million cubic meters of wastewater into the waters of the Neva River and Neva Bay, although in the European part the city currently has some of the best treatment facilities.

A significant problem in the Baltic Sea is water pollution with oil.

Baltic Sea. Oil films, dissolved petroleum hydrocarbons (PHH), emulsions, and oil aggregates were found here. Every year, 20-70 thousand tons of oil enter the sea. A significant amount of OHC comes from land via rivers with industrial, domestic, and storm drains. The film of oil that covers the surface of the water mirror does not allow oxygen to penetrate deeper. Toxic substances that are harmful to living organisms, poison them, or enter the food chain also accumulate on the surface of the water.

Accidental oil spills in most cases occur in coastal and shelf zones, the most productive and at the same time vulnerable areas of the sea. Recently, the amount of oil entering the sea as a result of accidental spills has increased significantly. From 1969 to 1995, 39 major accidents were recorded in the Baltic Sea, each with oil releases of 120 tons or more. On average, about three accidental spills of 225 tons each occur in the Baltic Sea per year.

Serious sources of pollution are enterprises and organizations involved in the transportation and disposal of petroleum products. It is likely that oil losses associated with emergency situations will increase, since in the current decade the volume of oil transportation, according to preliminary calculations, may increase to 177 million tons per year. Every year, up to 600 thousand tons of oil enter the Baltic Sea, as a result of which, off the coast of neighboring Sweden, the content of oil products in the water exceeds the norm ten times. The traffic volume of vessels with a carrying capacity of up to 5,000 tons transporting petroleum products is 8-10 ships per day, and the annual cargo turnover of petroleum products reaches 5 million tons. Many vessels used for transhipment of petroleum products are outdated, as they have been in use for more than 20 years and do not meet international environmental safety requirements. The level of pollution is noticeably higher along oil transportation routes, in places of intense shipping, in coastal waters and near large cities. The intensity of shipping in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland is already one of the highest in the World Ocean. Over the past 10 years, cargo turnover has increased several times. This is due to the fact that new ports are being created on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. By 2010, the overall risk of oil spills in the Baltic Sea increased by an additional 40%, and in the Gulf of Finland region by 100%.

Petroleum hydrocarbons can exist in the sea for a long time, be transported over long distances by currents, and migrate repeatedly from the marine environment to bottom sediments and back. Therefore they provide toxic effects on marine organisms and birds. Together with seafood products, petroleum hydrocarbons can enter the human body, causing cancer and other diseases.

In general, it should be noted that there is a gradual decrease in sea pollution from petroleum hydrocarbons. This is especially noticeable in the decrease in the number of oil films on the sea surface.

Environmental problem: accumulation of heavy metals.

Heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, zinc, copper, etc.), as well as arsenic, are among the common and highly toxic pollutants. In terms of danger, they rank second among harmful substances, second only to pesticides. The acute nature of this pollution is determined by: the high concentration of heavy metal compounds in the coastal areas of the sea; the formation of highly toxic organometallic complexes, which are included in the abiotic component of the ecosystem and are assimilated by aquatic organisms; accumulation of metals by marine organisms in doses dangerous to humans. The amount of copper entering the water area annually is about 4 thousand tons, lead - 3 thousand tons, cadmium - about 50 tons, and mercury - 33 tons, per 21 thousand cubic km of water volume of the water area.

The main sources of heavy metals entering the sea are runoff from land, since their use in various industries leads to pollution of industrial wastewater, as well as atmospheric transfer. Among the heavy metals, the largest amounts are zinc, lead and copper, with less mercury and cadmium. The amount of copper entering the water area annually is about 4 thousand tons, lead - 3 thousand tons, cadmium - about 50 tons, and mercury - 33 tons, per 21 thousand cubic km of water volume of the water area. Moreover, the influx of metals caused by anthropogenic activities already exceeds the natural removal of many metals by rivers. However, in general, the content of heavy metals in waters, with the exception of some harbors, does not exceed the permissible level.

After entering the sea, heavy metals accumulate in bottom sediments. Intensive accumulation of zinc and lead occurs in algae and invertebrates, zinc and mercury in fish. It is not always possible to detect the effect of heavy metals on various organisms.

In addition, there are known cases of toxic metals being buried at the bottom of the Baltic Sea in containers. High levels of arsenic were discovered in the waters of the southern Baltic, leading to the discovery that almost 60 years ago, 7,000 tons of arsenic were dumped in concrete containers - an amount sufficient to kill the world's population three times over if used appropriately.

Environmental problem: accumulation of organic matter.

Organochlorine hydrocarbons are one of the most widespread and at the same time dangerous pollutants in the Baltic Sea. They are distinguished by their stability over time, the ability to accumulate and be transmitted by almost all marine organisms. It has been established that the annual intake of, for example, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is 8 tons. At the same time, about 3.5 tons of PCBs are removed from the Baltic during water exchange with the North Sea. The concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Baltic is several times higher than in the North Sea and the open ocean, as they continue to be used in the production of plastics, dyes, transformers, and capacitors. The southern parts of the sea are most contaminated with PCBs and pesticides, especially the Gulf of Gdansk, the Danish Straits and the waters of large ports.

The presence of organochlorine compounds in the marine environment causes irreparable damage. They are substances alien to the marine environment, most of them are poisonous, slowly decompose and accumulate in the fatty tissues of marine organisms, therefore they are dangerous even in small doses. Chlorinated hydrocarbons have a relatively small amount of use. They are mainly used as pesticides in a number of industries (pulp and paper, textiles).

One of the most common and at the same time dangerous pesticides is DDT, the production of which has now been discontinued by all countries, including Russia. Although the concentration of the pesticide DDT has stopped increasing, its content in the Baltic Sea is 5 times higher than the average in the World Ocean, since this pollutant, banned in the Baltic countries, continues to arrive here through atmospheric transport from the tropics and subtropics. DDT is toxic to humans, animals and fish, affecting mainly the central and peripheral nervous systems and liver. Concentrations of a number of harmful substances that cause cancer and birth defects in children, especially in herring and salmon fish, exceed the levels permitted by the European Union for food products.

Environmental problem associated with the development of nuclear energy.

Radioactive contamination of the Baltic Sea is associated with four sources: the Chernobyl accident in April 1986, nuclear weapons testing in the 1960s, nuclear waste discharges from French and English factories into the English Channel and the Irish Sea, and nuclear installations located in the drainage areas to the Baltic Sea. The Baltic region is characterized by a complex radiation situation associated with the presence and operation of many nuclear and radiation hazardous enterprises and facilities. For example, in the Baltic Sea there are 12 Swedish, 4 Finnish and 19 German operating power units, and in the Gulf of Finland there is the Leningrad NPP. Nuclear submarines and land-based vessels are created, based and repaired on the coast, some of which are subject to disposal.In addition, in the depths of the Baltic Sea lie several sunken nuclear submarines. All this has led to the fact that the content of strontium and cesium in fish caught in the Baltic Sea is 5 times higher than the norm.

Another important source of artificial radionuclides was global fallout from nuclear weapons testing. Radionuclides from this source were more evenly distributed throughout the Baltic Sea. These fallouts were dominated by 137Cs and 90Sr in a ratio of about 1.6. Discharges from nuclear fuel reprocessing plants at Sellafield and La Hague have influenced radionuclide levels in the Baltic Sea through the entry of contaminated seawater through the Danish Straits. However, with significant reductions in discharges at Sellafield and La Hague in recent years, these sources are playing a less and less prominent role. The least significant impact on the content of artificial nuclides in the Baltic is exerted by discharges from nuclear enterprises located in the drainage basin of the Baltic Sea. Most nuclides can only be detected in the immediate vicinity of the source of contamination. The total content of 137Сs in the Baltic Sea increased more than 10 times in 1986 and then decreased by half by 1991 due to sedimentation processes (settling of suspended particles in a body of water under the influence of gravity) and removal outside the region. In 1991, the concentration of 137Сs in the Baltic Sea was significantly higher than in any other shelf seas of the world, such as in the central part of the North Sea, where the average level reached values ​​of about 20 Bq/m3. Currently, the largest amount of artificial radionuclides is concentrated in bottom sediments. They accumulate radioactive substances and living organisms. When eating seafood, they enter the human body.

Flooding and burial of obsolete bombs, shells, chemical ammunition.

The problem of chemical weapons sunk in the Baltic Sea is becoming the most important environmental problem of the Baltic Sea, the problem of survival of the population of the Baltic Sea countries. Today, no one living here can say that this problem does not concern him. After the end of World War II, by a joint decision of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition (USSR, Great Britain and the USA) and in accordance with the decision of the Postdam Conference of 1951 in various regions of the Baltic, and Also, in the straits connecting the Baltic Sea with the North Sea, chemical weapons and ammunition were sunk (air bombs, shells and mines filled with mustard gas, phosgene, tabun, Clarke, adamsite, lewisite, arsine oil).
According to already available data, chemical weapons discovered in Germany were sunk by American and British occupation forces in four areas of the coastal waters of Western Europe: in the Norwegian deep waters near the city of Arendal; in the Skagerrak near the Swedish port of Lysekil; between the Danish island of Funen and the mainland; near Skagen, the northernmost point of Denmark. In total, in six areas of the Baltic Sea, 302,875 tons of toxic substances lie on the seabed.
Russian scientists were the first (oddly enough) to sound the alarm. More than once, doctors have sounded the alarm about skin diseases that arise after swimming in the waters of the Baltic Sea of ​​the Gulf of Finland. Their symptoms are remarkably similar to those caused by small doses of blister gases. Scientists claim that under a layer of water this poison can persist for years without losing its toxicity. Lewisite decomposes with water, but at the same time turns into another, no less toxic substance, which, in the form of a water-insoluble suspension, begins to be carried by currents throughout the surrounding area. In addition, lewisite contains poisonous arsenic, which is accumulated by plankton and then enters the bodies of fish. Recent studies by English geneticists have shown that mustard gas and lewisite at the level of individual molecules have mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. That is, even infinitely small doses of them can cause such serious disorders in the human body as failures of the genetic code and cause oncological diseases. Mustard gas and lewisite, even in negligible concentrations, disrupt the functioning of genes, causing diseases resembling radiation sickness. In this they are akin to radiation and therefore their effect on the human body is called “radiation gases”.
Based on the results of the research, specialists from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and scientists who carried out the research warned the world community about the danger of chemical contamination in the Baltic Sea. Most real danger for the environment today is the Lusikil burial site of German captured chemical ammunition in the Baltic. Scientists using a remote-controlled deep-sea vehicle inspected the sunken ships. It turned out that toxic substances were constantly leaking into the water from ammunition casings destroyed by corrosion at depths of 190-215 meters. Now experts no longer exclude the possibility of a “volley” release of chemical toxic substances and their transformation products. And other burials can be dangerous. The affected areas may include densely populated areas of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
The problem can only be solved through the combined efforts of many interested and involved states. The EU Environmental Commission in 2005 allocated 2.2 million euros for the implementation of the MERCW project, which showed the presence dead zone in the Bartol depression under the influence of chemical weapons.

Reflection:

1. What did you like most?
2. Was it difficult to work on this topic?
3. How did you find solutions within your group?
4. Did you feel responsible for the decisions made?
5. Was it easy to solve environmental problems as HELCOM representatives?
6. Do you think it is important to introduce children to the environmental problems of the Baltic?
7. Did you learn anything new?

The Baltic Sea is a water area protruding deeply into the mainland, belonging to the Atlantic Ocean basin and connected with the World Ocean only by narrow straits. Such seas, which are called internal or Mediterranean, are found in various climatic zones of the globe. Water exchange with the World Ocean, carried out only through the narrow and shallow straits of Skagerrak and Kattegat (leading to the North Sea), is slow: complete renewal of water can occur on average in 30-50 years. This semi-enclosed nature of the Baltic Sea makes it extremely sensitive to anthropogenic impacts. The Baltic Sea serves as a receiving basin for more than two hundred rivers. More than half of the total area of ​​the Baltic Sea basin is drained by the largest rivers - Neva, Vistula, Western Dvina (Daugava), Neman (Nemunas), and it is into them that most of the pollutants generated as a result of anthropogenic activities in the Baltic Sea fall. The influx of pollutants exceeded the natural ability of the water area to cleanse itself. In the past century, as a result of human anthropogenic activity, the volume of phosphorus in the Baltic Sea basin has increased eightfold, and nitrogen fourfold. This human impact on the Baltic Sea ecosystem has led to a very large increase in the biomass of algae, which sink to the bottom of the sea in large quantities and, decomposing there, lead to a reduction in oxygen, and then, as a result of the activity of anaerobic bacteria, hydrogen sulfide begins to be released, which kills all living things on the bottom. The effect of eutrophication on the species composition of fish is as follows: in the Baltic Sea, reproduction is observed, first of all, of roach and those species of fish that feed on primary producers. In the mid-80s, half of the fish biomass came from roaches alone

The number one environmental problem in today's Baltic is the excess supply of nitrogen and phosphorus into the water area as a result of washout from fertilized fields, with municipal wastewater from cities and waste from some enterprises. Since the water exchange of the Baltic is not very active, the concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus and other wastes in the water becomes very strong. Some phosphorus enters the sea through the atmosphere or from point sources of pollution such as hygienic and sewage waste from populated areas and industrial enterprises. As a result of human agricultural activities along the shores of the Baltic Sea, 200,000 tons of nitrogen and 5,000 tons of phosphorus enter the sea annually, which is 30-40% for nitrogen and 10% for phosphorus of the total load on the entire Baltic Sea basin. As a result of the increasing phenomenon of eutrophication, degradation of the food web in the Baltic Sea ecosystem begins; the food chain becomes completely one-sided due to a sharp increase in some species and a sharp decrease in others.

Blooms of toxic blue-green algae, which appear in the open sea at the end of the summer season, are caused by cyanobacteria that bind molecular nitrogen dissolved in water from the atmosphere. About half of the nitrogen entering the sea comes from the atmosphere, where it comes from the burning of fossil fuels and from ammonia evaporated from agriculture. Intensive transport and cattle breeding, intensively developed in Central Europe, lead to the fact that the largest amount of nitrogen precipitation falls over the Baltic Sea

In addition, blue-green algae, during their bloom, release various toxins that are very poisonous to humans. The ban on swimming has become a sad reality on many beaches in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and last year also in Estonia. In mid-July, due to algae, the sea coasts in our country were closed for swimming in Pirita and Stromka in Tallinn, as well as in Toila and Narva-Jõesuu in the north-east of the country. Among the symptoms of human poisoning by blue-green algae, doctors call redness of the skin and eyes, deterioration of health, upset stomach, fever, runny nose, cough, muscle aches, dry lips and loss of coordination.

Due to biogenic elements in the sea, organic substances are not completely processed, and due to a lack of oxygen, they begin to decompose, releasing hydrogen sulfide, which is harmful to marine life. At the bottom of the Gotland, Gdansk, and Bornholm depressions, dead hydrogen sulfide zones already exist.

The second most important problem in the Baltic Sea is the accumulation of heavy metals: mercury, lead, copper, zinc, cadmium, cobalt, nickel. About half of the total mass of these metals ends up in the sea with precipitation, the rest through direct discharge into the water area or with river runoff of household and industrial waste. The amount of copper entering the water area annually is about 4 thousand tons, lead - 3 thousand tons, cadmium - about 50 tons, and mercury - “only” 33 tons. For 21 thousand km3 of water volume of the water area, it seemed would be a little. However, these metals, even in negligible concentrations, are extremely dangerous for humans and marine organisms.

The third most pressing problem in the Baltic is oil pollution, a longtime enemy of the sea. Up to 600 thousand tons of oil enter the water area annually with various discharges. Oil covers the surface of the water table with a film that does not allow oxygen to penetrate deeper.

Toxic substances that are harmful to living organisms also accumulate on the surface of the water. Accidental oil spills in most cases occur in coastal and shelf zones, the most productive and at the same time vulnerable areas of the sea.

The public is increasingly concerned about the pollution of the Baltic waters, the main cause of which, as indicated, is oil spills in the waters of the Neva and the Gulf of Finland.

The twentieth century brought many problems to our seals, since they were among the most vulnerable parts of the ecosystems of the Baltic Sea and Ladoga. Water pollution from industrial waste weakened the immunity of these animals and they began to get sick a lot. Snowmobiles and hovercraft, intensive shipping, and the development of water tourism greatly disturb seals in their breeding and summer rest areas. Fishing nets pose a great danger to them. A particularly alarming situation has developed in Ladoga, where, according to St. Petersburg scientist M.V. Verevkin, about 10 - 15% of the entire population of Ladoga seals die in nets per year. As a result, today all species of pinnipeds in the Baltic region are listed in the Red Book of Russia and require strict protection.

The situation has become especially aggravated in recent years, when climate warming has led to a sharp reduction in the area of ​​ice and its early melting. This dramatically reduces the breeding success of ringed seals, which rely solely on snow lairs on ice fields where mothers feed their young. The Baltic subspecies of gray seal, whose pups also spend the initial period of their lives on the ice, is also in a vulnerable position. As a result, in recent years, seal cubs have been increasingly found on the coast, having lost their mothers and doomed to death. In 2008, at the Leningrad Zoo, for the first time, seven gray seal pups, two Baltic and two Ladoga ringed seals were raised by people and returned to the wild.

The main environmental problems of the Baltic Sea include: 1 - excess supply of nitrogen and phosphorus into the water area as a result of washout from fertilized fields, with municipal wastewater from cities and waste from some enterprises, 2 - accumulation of heavy metals: mercury, lead, copper, zinc, cadmium, cobalt , nickel, 3 - oil pollution.

Environmental problems of the Baltic Sea

The number one environmental problem in the Baltic today is excess supply of nitrogen and phosphorus to the water area as a result of washout from fertilized fields , with municipal wastewater from cities and waste from some enterprises. Because of these nutrients, the sea becomes “overfertilized”; organic substances are not completely processed and, with a lack of oxygen, begin to decompose, releasing hydrogen sulfide, which is harmful to marine life.

The second most important problem of the Baltic Sea is accumulation of heavy metals - mercury, lead, copper, zinc, cadmium, cobalt, nickel . About half of the total mass of these metals ends up in the sea with precipitation, the rest - through direct discharge into the water area or with river runoff of household and industrial waste. Lead, cadmium, mercury - all these metals, even in minute concentrations, are extremely dangerous for humans and marine organisms.

The third of the most pressing problems of the Baltic is oil pollution, a long-time enemy of the sea . Up to 600 thousand tons of oil enter the water area annually with various discharges. Oil covers the surface of the water table with a film that does not allow oxygen to penetrate deeper. Substances that are toxic to living organisms accumulate. Accidental oil spills in most cases occur in coastal and shelf zones, the most productive and at the same time vulnerable areas of the sea.

All environmental problems of the Baltic Sea are determined by its pollution from many different sources through rivers, pipelines, landfills, from the operation of ships and, finally, from the air.

The public is increasingly concerned about the pollution of the Baltic waters, the main cause of which, as indicated, is oil spills in the waters of the Neva and the Gulf of Finland.

International organization "Coalition Clean Baltic" , which unites environmentalists from 10 Baltic countries, draws attention to the dangerous situation in connection with the commissioning of the oil loading port of Primorsk. “According to the information we have, the necessary infrastructure for eliminating large oil spills has not been created here, although tankers with a deadweight of over 100 thousand tons are loaded. Any serious accident can cause a full-scale ecological disaster for our entire region."

The state of the Baltic Sea and especially the Gulf of Finland is causing widespread concern. The Gulf of Finland is one of the most polluted parts of the Baltic Sea . An excess of nutrients causes eutrophication of both the open sea and coastal zones.

There has been an increase in toxic blue-green algae species, blooms, cloudy waters, and contamination of shorelines and fishing gear.

In addition, the growing number of unwanted non-indigenous species threatens to damage and destroy the marine ecosystem.

The main environmental problems of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland are usually associated with many aspects of society, such as energy production and consumption, industry, forestry, agriculture, fishing, tourism, transport, processing wastewater, regional and urban planning and nature conservation.

Environmental measures will not be effective if taken in isolation. Environmental aspects, such as those related to soil, water and air, should be an integral part of decision-making in all areas of society.

Environmental education and raising public awareness of environmental issues are of utmost importance. In accordance with Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration and the principles of the Aarhus Convention, citizens should have the right to access environmental information, participate in decision-making and seek justice in relation to environmental problems.

The Baltic Sea is a unique body of water , in need of protection from destructive human activities. We must remember that the consequences of our rash actions may only appear after decades, because the Baltic waters are renewed very slowly, and the anthropogenic impact on the Baltic Sea ecosystem can become a time bomb.

The countries of the Baltic region are faced with serious environmental problems, which can only be solved through interaction at various levels. Active cooperation of all Baltic countries is necessary, the adoption of legislative projects that protect the Baltic Sea. It is necessary to popularize an environmentally sustainable lifestyle and environmental education of people. The main thing is not to remain indifferent, and then there is hope that through joint efforts we can preserve the environment and learn to live in harmony with nature.

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