Anthropogenic Pressure and Environmental Effects on the Gulf of Gdansk: Recent Management Efforts

Abstract

The Gulf of Gdansk is a water-body that is formally shared between Poland and Russia and that is under strong anthropogenic influence. The most pronounced pressure is due to nutrient loads coming mainly from the Vistula River but also from atmospheric input and the direct sources of the Tri-City area (Gdansk, Gdynia, Sopot) and Kaliningrad. The input of total nitrogen from the Vistula River (118,000 t y−1, on average) amounts to 15%, and the input of total phosphorus (7,000 t y −1, on average) consists of 19% of the total riverine discharge into the Baltic Sea. The high contribution from the Vistula River is due to the nature of its drainage area, 60% of which is agricultural land. The Vistula River basin is inhabited by 20 million people, i.e. 27% of the whole population inhabiting the drainage area of the Baltic Sea. The load of organic matter from all allochtonic sources is estimated at 450,000 t C y−1. As a result of anthropogenic pressure, the ecosystem of the Gulf of Gdansk has been subject to significant changes during the last 50 years.