HELCOM and operational oceanography Juha-Markku Leppänen HELCOM Secretariat

HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan Regional implementation of Ecosystem Approach Regional implementation of European Marine Strategy/Directive HELCOM as the regional environmental focal point HELCOM in linking science and policy

HELCOM monitoring and assessment strategy To provide timely and reliable information on the state of the ecosystem and long-term trends Forecasts and scenarios for the future Management decisions should be based on sound scientific advice

HELCOM monitoring Started in 1970’s PLC-Air and PLC-Water COMBINE Programme physical forcing, nutrient chemistry, biota (phyto- and zooplankton, zoobenthos, phytobenthos, coastal fish, and sediment Hazardous substances in water biota and sediments MORS inputs and state of radionuclides in the various compartments (water, biota, sediment) Surveillance of deliberate illegal oil discharges Inventory of marine accidents the number

HELCOM operational assessment system Policy Advice Science Monitoring and Data Indicator reports Thematic reports Holistic assessments Scientific reports & Modelling Monitoring and Data Concrete targets Policy advice Status Reports Actions

Operational Oceanography EuroGOOS systematic and long-term routine measurements rapid interpretation and dissemination Important products derived from operational oceanography are: nowcasts providing the most usefully accurate description of the present state of the sea including living resources forecasts providing continuous forecasts of the future condition of the sea for as far ahead as possible hindcasts assembling long-term data sets which will provide data for description of past states, and time series showing trends and changes HELCOM Long-term monitoring activities (PLC, COMBINE, MORS…) Response activities, bloom reports HELCOM products Indicator Fact Sheets and thematic assessments Forecasts for e.g. climate change, responses of the marine ecosystem on nutrient inputs scenarios Historical reference conditions for indicators

Observations SOOP Satellite Buoys Hull thermometers Alg@line CPR Surface temperature Ice cover and quality Chl-a Cyanobacteria Oil Buoys Temperature, salinity Currents Waves

Current indicator reports based on operational oceanography Total and regional Runoff to the Baltic Sea Water exchange between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, and conditions in the deep Basins Wave climate in the Baltic Sea 2005 Development of Sea Surface Temperature in 2005 The ice season 2005-2006 Nitrogen emissions to the air and deposition Heavy metal emissions and atmospheric depositions Atmospheric emissions of PCDD/Fs and depositions Temporal and spatial variation of dissolved nutrients in 2005 Chlorophyll-a concentrations, temporal variations and regional differences from satellite remote sensing Phytoplankton spring bloom biomass in the Gulf of Finland, Northern Baltic Proper and Arkona Basin in 2006 Cyanobacterial bloom in the Baltic Sea Cyanobacteria bloom index Oil spills in the Baltic Sea Ship traffic statistics

Thematic Assessments Eutrophication Biodiversity Inputs of N & P Nutrient budgets Reference Conditions Targets for good ecological status Status Future projections Biodiversity Landscape distributions Habitat distributions Species distribution Reference conditions Future projections