Mecklenburg Bight Research Articles

High-resolution history of oxygen depletion in the SW Baltic Sea since the mid-19th century as revealed by bivalve shells

The Baltic Sea serves as a model region to study processes leading to oxygen depletion. Reconstructing past low-oxygen occurrences, specifically hypoxia, is crucial to understand current ecological disturbances and developing future mitigation strategies. The history of dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in some Baltic Sea basins has been investigated in previous studies, but temporally well-constrained, inter-annual and better resolved DO reconstructions are still scarce. Here, we present precisely dated, high-resolution DO record since the mid-19th century reconstructed from Mn/Cashell values of Arctica islandica (Bivalvia) collected in the Mecklenburg Bight. According to the data, this area experienced similar low oxygenation during the second half of the 19th century and the late 20th century, but DO variability increased: A 12–15-yr oscillation prevailed in the 19th century, but a 4–6-year period dominated in the late 20th century. Shortly after the onset of the Industrial Revolution around 1850, Mn/Cashell values increased, indicating a DO decrease, probably caused by strong anthropogenic nutrient input. More recently, phosphate levels and inflows of oxygen-rich North Sea water have been identified as major factors controlling the bottom water oxygenation. For example, the increase in DO in the mid-1990s was linked to the decrease in phosphate content and several Major Baltic Inflows. The strong Ba/Cashell rise between the 1860s and the turn of the century most likely reflects changes in diatom community structure rather than a bloom of mass phytoplankton. This is supported by largely unchanged Mn/Cashell and shell growth. Decadal and multi-decadal cycles of shell growth rate correlated strongly with the Atlantic Multidecadal Variability, likely reflecting changes in atmospheric circulation patterns, precipitation rate and riverine nutrient supply. To further improve the management and protection of ecosystems in the Baltic Sea, a larger number of such high-resolution retrospective studies covering long periods of time and large regions are needed.

Natural and Anthropogenic Sediment Mixing Processes in the South-Western Baltic Sea

Natural and anthropogenic sediment mixing can significantly impact the fidelity of sedimentary records of climate and environmental variability and human impact. This can lead to incorrect interpretations of the previous state(s) of a given ecosystem, its forcing mechanisms, and its future development. Here, natural and anthropogenic sediment mixing processes (i.e. bioturbation, hydroturbation and direct anthropogenic impact) are investigated in the south-western Baltic Sea by sedimentological, ichnological, geochemical, and radionuclide analyses to assess their impact on time-marker profiles and sediment deposition. Depth profiles of mercury and caesium-137 display a varyingly strong disturbance down to 5-25 cm. The deviations from undisturbed profiles can be used to estimate the relative degree of sediment mixing. Sedimentary fabric analysis of high-resolution X-radiographs provides further insight into bioturbation. Ichnofossils identified in short sediment cores suggest that the primary sedimentary structure is partly overprinted by burrowing organisms living in the upper 5-7 cm of sediment. Meteorological and hydrological data from automated measuring stations combined with results from resuspension experiments show that hydrodynamic events, such as storms and saline water inflows from the North Sea, have the potential to resuspend and laterally transport sediment particles in the south-western Baltic Sea. Partially graded layers in the scale of mm to cm in the investigated cores are likely associated with such hydrodynamic events. Multiple generations of linear traces on the seafloor are made visible through sidescan-sonar mapping and document a strong anthroturbation in the muddy sediments of the Mecklenburg Bight and the Arkona Basin, e.g. by bottom trawling. Depending on the core location and assumed mixing depth, determined mean net linear sedimentation rates range between 0 and 3.5 mm/a and reconstructed net mass accumulation rates range between 0 and 1.86 kg/m2/a in the mud basins. The calculable inventory of anthropogenic contaminants in the sediments illustrates the important, at least temporary storage function of the mud basins and of the adjacent sandy areas over industrial times. The findings of this study help identify the influence of natural and anthropogenic mixing on sediment profiles, and demonstrates the use of mixed sediment profiles for inferring information about past environmental conditions and anthropogenic impact.

Late Pleistocene and early Holocene drainage events in the eastern Fehmarn Belt and Mecklenburg Bight, SW Baltic Sea

The Fehmarn Belt is a key area for the Late Pleistocene and Holocene development of the Baltic Sea as it was a passage for marine and fresh water during its different stages. The pre‐Holocene geological development of this area is presented based on the analysis of seismic profiles and sedimentary gravity cores. Late Pleistocene varve sediments of the initial Baltic Ice Lake were identified. An exceptionally thick varve layer, overlain by a section of thinner varves with convolute bedding in turn covered by undisturbed varves with decreasing thicknesses is found in the Fehmarn Belt. This succession, along with a change in varve geochemistry, represents a rapid ice‐sheet withdrawal and increasingly distal sedimentation in front of the ice margin. Two erosional unconformities are observed in the eastern Mecklenburg Bight, one marking the top of the initial Baltic Ice Lake deposits and the second one indicating the end of the final Baltic Ice Lake. These unconformities join in Fehmarn Belt, where deposits of the final Baltic Ice Lake are missing due to an erosional hiatus related to a lake‐level drop during its final drainage. After this lake‐level drop, a lowstand environment represented by river deposits developed. These deposits are covered by lake marls of Yoldia age. Tilting of the early glacial lake sediments indicates a period of vertical movements prior to the onset of the Holocene. Deposits of the earliest stages of the Baltic Sea have been exposed by ongoing erosion in the Fehmarn Belt at the transition to the Mecklenburg Bight.

Mercury species in dab (Limanda limanda) from the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Icelandic waters in relation to host-specific variables

In the framework of the ICON project (Integrated Assessment of Contaminant Impacts on the North Sea), muscle tissue from a total of 135 common dab (Limanda limanda) (20–28 cm total length) was collected in seven offshore sampling areas in the North Sea, at Iceland and in the Baltic Sea during Aug/Sept and December 2008 for a chemical mercury speciation analysis by means of gas chromatography and detection by cold vapour atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (GC-CVAFS). There was a highly significant correlation between concentrations of methylmercury (MeHg+) and inorganic mercury (Hg2+) in individual fish, and the mean ratio of MeHg+ compared to Σ Hg (MeHg+ + Hg2+) was 94.0%. The results revealed statistically significant differences in concentrations of MeHg+ and Hg2+, respectively, between sampling areas. Mean concentrations in the German Bight (North Sea), in Icelandic waters and in Mecklenburg Bight (Baltic Sea) were low (MeHg+: 0.023–0.036; Hg2+: 0.001–0.002 mg/kg wet weight), while concentrations in dab from the Dogger Bank, Firth of Forth and the vicinity of the Ekofisk oil field (all North Sea) were significantly higher (MeHg+: 0.059–0.101; Hg2+: 0.003–0.004 mg/kg wet weight). Statistical correlation analysis on effects of host-specific factors revealed that neither length, weight, age, sex nor condition factor showed a significant relationship with Hg concentrations. However, Hg concentrations were significantly correlated with the Fish Disease Index (FDI), indicating a relationship between Hg concentrations and the health status of dab. Multiple linear regression analysis aiming to find factors affecting Hg concentrations revealed that only the sampling area had a highly significant main effect on Hg concentrations, and in some cases, additionally the condition factor contributed significantly to the final model. From the results, it cannot be excluded that elevated Hg concentration recorded in dab were linked to discharges from offshore oil and gas installations and that Hg affected the health status of dab.

Characteristics of the spring/summer production in the Mecklenburg Bight (Baltic Sea) as revealed by long-term pCO2 data

Summary Automated CO 2 partial pressure, pCO 2 , measurements were performed on a cargo ship that commutes between the Gulf of Finland and the Mecklenburg Bight in the southwest of the Baltic Sea. The data from 2004 to 2014 along a sub-transect in the Mecklenburg Bight are used to analyze the timing and intensity of the net community production (NCP). The start of the spring bloom, identified by the first continuous drop of the pCO 2 below the atmospheric level, spanned from mid-February to mid-March. Converting the pCO 2 decrease during spring to changes in the total CO 2 concentration and taking into account air-sea gas exchange, the spring NCP was determined. The NCP increased by about 80% during 2004–2014, the mean amounted to 40 μmol L −1 . In two years a distinct second pCO 2 minimum in mid-summer succeeded the minimum in spring. This was attributed to production fuelled by nitrogen fixation since the nitrate concentrations were virtually zero and since the atmospheric deposition could not satisfy the NCP nitrogen demand. Furthermore, investigations of the plankton composition revealed a cyanobacteria biomass peak in the year with the highest mid-summer NCP. Based on the calculation of the mid-summer NCP in the two particular years and on the C/N ratio of particulate organic matter, the corresponding nitrogen fixation activity was calculated. These values and the analysis of the relationship between the integrated NCP and temperature indicated that the nitrogen fixation activity in the Mecklenburg Bight was by a factor 3–4 lower than in the central Baltic Sea.

Detecting sinks and sources of CO2 and CH4 by ferrybox-based measurements in the Baltic Sea: Three case studies

A fully automated measurement system for recording of the surface water CO2 partial pressure, pCO2, was deployed on VOS (voluntary observation ship) “Finnpartner/Finnmaid” in 2003. Since 2009, an amendment of the system also allows for the continuous detection of the surface water partial pressure of methane, pCH4. The ship commutes regularly at 2–3day intervals between the Gulf of Finland (Helsinki) and the Mecklenburg Bight (Lübeck) in the southwest of the Baltic Sea.The pCO2 data in the central Gotland Sea showed a pronounced seasonality that was mainly controlled by the biological production and decomposition of organic matter in combination with stratification/mixing of the water column. CO2 consumption in spring/summer caused pCO2 that were by up to 300μatm below the atmospheric level. In contrast, the pCO2 exceeded the atmospheric values during autumn/winter when deep mixing transports CO2-enriched water to the surface. To identify the central Baltic Sea as a sink or source for atmospheric CO2, an air–sea CO2 gas exchange balance was established for three selected years (2005, 2008 and 2009). During each year the surface water acted as a net sink for atmospheric CO2 with uptake rates ranging between 0.60 and 0.89molm−2yr−1. The rates correspond approximately to the enhanced carbon burial in sediments during the last century and suggest a link between eutrophication and CO2 uptake.The data of the surface methane concentration are used to focus on situations were extraordinarily high methane concentrations were observed. Temporary methane peaks were observed south of the Island of Gotland, which could clearly be attributed to frequent upwelling events.Between spring 2012 and 2013, Finnmaid went at a few occasions to St. Petersburg in the east of the Gulf of Finland. Methane concentration of up to 130nmolL−1 where found close to the River Neva mouth but decreased rapidly to the west. The plume of methane-enriched waters was observed farthest to the west during the winter period. This was attributed to air–sea gas exchange that was most effective during summer but inhibited during winter because of the ice coverage.

The influence of dissolved organic matter on the acid–base system of the Baltic Sea

To assess the influence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the acid–base system of the Baltic Sea, 19 stations along the salinity gradient from Mecklenburg Bight to the Bothnian Bay were sampled in November 2011 for total alkalinity (AT), total inorganic carbon concentration (CT), partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2), and pH. Based on these data, an organic alkalinity contribution (Aorg) was determined, defined as the difference between measured AT and the inorganic alkalinity calculated from CT and pH and/or CT and pCO2. Aorg was in the range of 22–58μmolkg−1, corresponding to 1.5–3.5% of AT. The method to determine Aorg was validated in an experiment performed on DOM-enriched river water samples collected from the mouths of the Vistula and Oder Rivers in May 2012. The Aorg increase determined in that experiment correlated directly with the increased DOC concentration caused by enrichment of the >1kDa DOM fraction. To examine the effect of Aorg on calculations of the marine CO2 system, the pCO2 and pH values measured in Baltic Sea water were compared with calculated values that were based on the measured alkalinity and another variable of the CO2 system, but ignored the existence of Aorg. Large differences between measured and calculated pCO2 and pH were obtained when the computations were based on AT and CT. The calculated pCO2 was 27–56% lower than the measured value whereas the calculated pH was overestimated by more than 0.4 pH units. Since biogeochemical models are based on the transport and transformations of AT and CT, the acid–base properties of DOM should be included in calculations of the CO2 system in DOM-rich basins like the Baltic Sea. In view of our limited knowledge about the composition and acid/base properties of DOM, this is best achieved using a bulk dissociation constant, KDOM, that represents all weakly acidic functional groups present in DOM. Our preliminary results indicated that the bulk KDOM in the Baltic Sea is 2.94·10−8molkg−1. Although this KDOM has no thermodynamic meaning, it can be a useful tool in numerical studies as it allows an approximation of Aorg in seawater.

Nienhagen Reef: Abiotic Boundary Conditions at a Large Brackish Water Artificial Reef in the Baltic Sea

Schygulla, C. and Peine, F., 2013. Nienhagen Reef: abiotic boundary conditions at a large brackish water artificial reef in the Baltic Sea. This paper briefly describes the abiotic boundary conditions at the artificial reef area in Nienhagen on the coast of the German Baltic Sea. This reef, the largest man-made reef in the Baltic Sea (about 4 ha), was built in autumn 2003 by the state research institute for agriculture and fisheries (LFA) in 12 m water depth. The artificial reef area in the Mecklenburg Bight was mainly constructed to enhance fish populations, especially for the commercially important Baltic cod population. Reef monitoring of abiotic factors (temperature, salinity, O2, pH) started in 2003 and is still in progress, complemented by sediment sampling. The reef rises from the seafloor, up to 3 m at the central structures and between 1 and 2 m in the outer regions. The reef units were chosen for their long life and high stability and for the creation of cavity systems and hideaways for juvenile organisms. The used concrete material was composed in a special way to reach neutral pH values, with regard to the surrounding waterbody, on the surfaces of the structures. The reef units were placed on a strong marl layer with a thin sediment layer of sand and gravel. The grain size distribution and sediment composition within the reef area has changed compared with the surrounding areas since the installation of the reef units.

One year of continuous measurements constraining methane emissions from the Baltic Sea to the atmosphere using a ship of opportunity

Abstract. Methane and carbon dioxide were measured with an autonomous and continuous running system on a ferry line crossing the Baltic Sea on a 2–3 day interval from the Mecklenburg Bight to the Gulf of Finland in 2010. Surface methane saturations show great seasonal differences in shallow regions like the Mecklenburg Bight (103–507%) compared to deeper regions like the Gotland Basin (96–161%). The influence of controlling parameters like temperature, wind, mixing depth and processes like upwelling, mixing of the water column and sedimentary methane emissions on methane oversaturation and emission to the atmosphere are investigated. Upwelling was found to influence methane surface concentrations in the area of Gotland significantly during the summer period. In February 2010, an event of elevated methane concentrations in the surface water and water column of the Arkona Basin was observed, which could be linked to a wind-derived water level change as a potential triggering mechanism. The Baltic Sea is a source of methane to the atmosphere throughout the year, with highest fluxes occurring during the winter season. Stratification was found to promote the formation of a methane reservoir in deeper regions like Gulf of Finland or Bornholm Basin, which leads to long lasting elevated methane concentrations and enhanced methane fluxes, when mixed to the surface during mixed layer deepening in autumn and winter. Methane concentrations and fluxes from shallow regions like the Mecklenburg Bight are predominantly controlled by sedimentary production and consumption of methane, wind events and the change in temperature-dependent solubility of methane in the surface water. Methane fluxes vary significantly in shallow regions (e.g. Mecklenburg Bight) and regions with a temporal stratification (e.g. Bornholm Basin, Gulf of Finland). On the contrary, areas with a permanent stratification like the Gotland Basin show only small seasonal fluctuations in methane fluxes.

Identification and validation of novel SNP markers in European populations of marine Mytilus mussels

Mussels of the genus Mytilus are widespread in both northern and southern hemispheres. Mytilus taxa are very important components of marine coastal ecosystems, but are difficult to differentiate morphologically. Sequencing and Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX genotyping technology was used to identify and verify novel SNP markers in three European taxa of Mytilus: M. edulis, M. galloprovincialis, and M. trossulus. SNPs were localized in coding and non-coding sequences of some functionally important genes. Eight SNPs located in genes of the histone family, hsp70 and p53, were discovered and applied as novel markers for Mytilus taxa on a large European scale. Five of these differentiated the M. trossulus genome, two M. galloprovincialis, and one M. edulis. Other SNPs differentiated populations within taxa. The new SNPs will be a valuable tool for population studies of European Mytilus mussels. The percentage of polymorphic SNPs ranged from 19 to 100 % in 24 samples of mussels studied. Populations from Scotland, Mecklenburg Bight, and Norway had over 90 % polymorphic loci. Most loci were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium in all samples except for the one from Scotland. The highest percentages of heterozygotes were observed in the Atlantic (Banyuls and Vigo) and North Sea (Tjarno and Westerschelde) populations. An excess of homozygotes was observed in samples from Scotland, Norway, and the Barents Sea. Correspondence and Structure analysis also demonstrated the great heterogeneity of these three samples.

Ichnological trends along an open-water transect across a large marginal-marine epicontinental basin, the modern Baltic Sea

Late Holocene sediments in the Baltic Sea provide an opportunity to study lateral changes in the assemblages of identifiable biogenic sedimentary structures (ichnofossils) in a large, high-latitude semi-enclosed sea with instrumentally determined gradients in biodiversity and environmental factors such as salinity and oxygen availability. Integrated sedimentological and ichnological analysis is carried out on 6 long cores collected along an open-sea, declining salinity transect across the basin. Muddy sediments in euhaline (Kattegat) and polyhaline (Mecklenburg Bight) sites are characterized by the archetypal Cruziana Ichnofacies, portrayed by subsurface deposit-feeding structures ( Scolicia and Planolites), surface deposit-feeding structures ( Skolithos), and structures that reflect both these feeding strategies ( Palaeophycus, Arenicolites/ Polykladichnus and unnamed biodeformational structures produced by bivalves). The ichnofossils are tiered to 3 levels. The Cruziana Ichnofacies is impoverished in the higher mesohaline Arkona Basin and even more so with declining salinity farther inland. The deepest, oxygen-restricted study sites (Gotland Deep and the western Gulf of Finland) below a permanent halocline are characterized by very small and shallow deposit-feeding structures ( Planolites and rare flat Arenicolites/ Polykladichnus), and poorly developed tiering. The nearly freshwater eastern Gulf of Finland is characterized by the Cenozoic archetypal Mermia Ichnofacies, dominated by narrow and shallow subsurface and surface deposit-feeding structures ( Planolites and flat Arenicolites/ Polykladichnus). Large Planolites (3–7 mm in diameter) at this site are untypical of Mermia Ichnofacies assemblages. These results confirm the earlier observations that marine forms dominate brackish-water ichnoassemblages, with the ichnofossil size and diversity decreasing with declining salinity. The results also confirm the predicted decreases in the ichnofossil size and vertical extent at low-oxygen levels. Poorly developed tiering is a particularly useful indicator of oxygen stress in the salinity-restricted system.

Long-term trends in phytoplankton composition in the western and central Baltic Sea

The phytoplankton biomass data of the period 1979–2005 of the Belt Sea area and the Baltic Proper, separated into spring, summer and autumn data, were checked for trends, together with the relevant abiotic factors (temperature, salinity, and nutrient concentrations). The Mann–Kendall test was used for detecting monotonic trends over the whole investigation period or, if trend breaks occurred, over the period before and after the trend breaks. The relationships between phytoplankton community composition and the environmental variables were assessed by a redundancy analysis (RDA), which could support some results of the trend analyses. Water temperature increased but salinity and inorganic nitrogen concentrations decreased in the southern Baltic Proper. Spring phytoplankton biomass and chlorophyll a concentrations increased in the Baltic Proper and decreased in Mecklenburg Bight. The biomass of Diatomophyceae decreased in spring at some stations but increased in autumn. If the Diatomophyceae spring blooms decreased, the total Dinophyceae biomass increased. Strong spring blooms of Diatomophyceae occurred in the 1980s and since 2000, but those of Dinophyceae in the 1990s. These two groups showed alternating oscillations. Trends in most phytoplankton components were different in the Baltic Proper and the Belt Sea area, confirming that Darss Sill is a biological border.

Distribution of benthic macrofaunal communities in the western Baltic Sea with regard to near-bottom environmental parameters. 1. Causal analysis

In this study we relate patterns in the spatial distribution of macrofaunal communities to patterns in near-bottom environmental parameters, analysing the data observed in a limited area in the western Baltic Sea. The data used represents 208 stations, sampled during the years 2000 to 2007 simultaneously for benthic macrofauna, associated sediment and near-bottom environmental characteristics, in a depth range from 7.5 to 30 m. Only one degree of longitude wide, the study area is geographically bounded by the eastern part of the Mecklenburg Bight and the southwestern Darss Sill Area. Spatial distribution of benthic macrofauna is related to near-bottom environmental patterns by means of various statistical methods (e.g. rank correlation, hierarchical clustering, nMDS, BIO-ENV, CCA). Thus, key environmental descriptors were disclosed. Within the area of investigation, these were: water depth, regarded as a proxy for other environmental factors, and total organic content. Distinct benthic assemblages are defined and discriminated by particular species ( Hydrobia ulvae–Scoloplos armiger, Lagis koreni–Mysella bidentata and Capitella capitata–Halicryptus spinulosus). Each assemblage is related to different spatial subarea and characterised by a certain variability of environmental factors. This study represents a basis for the predictive modeling of species distribution in the selected study area.

Ecotoxicological characterization of sediment cores from the western Baltic Sea (Mecklenburg Bight) using GC–MS and in vitro biotests

The Mecklenburg Bight (Western Baltic Sea) near Luebeck, Germany was historically used to dump industrial waste at sea and, thus, sediments in some regions are highly polluted at present. While earlier studies identified hot spots of chemical pollution, little is known about biological activities and impacts on exposed marine organisms. This study aimed to assess the pollution in the Mecklenburg Bight to determine the degree of contamination with sediment-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as well as biological activities. Sediment cores with a depth of 30 cm were sampled at a dumping site and at a reference site, sliced in distinct layers, freeze-dried, and processed using the accelerated solvent extraction method. Sediment was characterized measuring total organic carbon (TOC) and soot contents. Concentrations of the 16 EPA-PAHs were determined with chemical analysis (gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy) in each sediment slice and referred to the determined TOC content. Further on, in vitro biotests were applied to determine toxic effects of contaminants in the sediment. The acute neutral red retention assay indicated no specific cytotoxic effects. Arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-mediated activities were measured using the mechanism-specific 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase induction assay. Both biotests were performed with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) liver cells (RTL-W1). Analyzed compound concentrations and biological activities were given in toxicological equivalent concentrations (chem- and bio-TEQs) to determine shares of analyzed EPA-PAHs to the overall activity. TOC and soot contents indicated a significant alteration through the sediment core at the dumping site. EPA-PAH concentrations were referred to TOC and indicated elevated concentrations at the dumping site. Maximum PAH concentrations (14 to 16 cm depth; 5.44 µg/g TOC) were 300-fold increased at the dumping site, compared to the reference site (4 to 6 cm depth; 0.017 µg/g TOC). Cytotoxicity as determined in the neutral red retention assay was elevated in some layers at the dumping site (maximum in 4 to 6 cm depth; NR50 = 14 mg/ml), but not correlated with TOC or soot contents. Ah receptor agonist activities were clearly elevated in highly PAH-loaded layers at both sites. At the dumping site, maximum activities were determined reflected by a bio-TEQ of 223,000 pg/g (19 to 22 cm), in contrast to a bio-TEQ of 41,000 pg/g (6 to 8 cm) at the reference site. Further on, shares of EPA-PAHs to the overall activity were determined and contributed >40% at the dumping site and between 4% and 17% at the reference site. Chem-TEQs were found to exceed bio-TEQs in a depth of 11 to 22 cm, indicating the presence of Ah receptor antagonistic or inhibitive compounds. Sediments from the dumping site were determined to be highly contaminated and caused toxic effects in depths that are known to be influenced by dumping activities. In contrast, the reference sediment indicated only near to surface layers to be minor contaminated. In comparison with highly polluted sediments from other marine sites, the contamination of the dumping site could be ranked as elevated. Chem-TEQs exceeding bio-TEQs in a depth of 11 to 22 cm seem to be caused by AhR antagonistic compounds in the dumped material. Furthermore, particle-bound PAH concentrations assessed in this study were discussed against freely dissolved concentrations in interstitial water, as determined in a different study with the same sediment core. Sediments in the inner Mecklenburg Bight could be shown to be highly contaminated, at least with PAHs, causing articulate increased Ah receptor-mediated activities. Marine organisms may be exposed to these contaminants, in particular when inhabiting the sediment. Further research activities should extend the range of chemically analyzed pollutants and applied biotests and endpoints. Monitoring should close the gap between analytical methods in the laboratory and the field to determine possible impacts on organisms at site.

Seasonal maturity development of Baltic cod in different spawning areas: importance of the Arkona Sea for the summer spawning stock

We investigated the seasonal maturity development of cod in four areas of the Baltic Sea. Two different spawning peaks were identified and found to be consistent over the period 1992–2005. In the Kiel Bight and Mecklenburg Bight (ICES SD 22) a spawning peak was observed from March to April (spring spawning). In the areas of the Arkona Sea (ICES SD 24) and Bornholm Sea (ICES SD 25) the spawning peak occurred during summer. In the Bornholm Sea, the main spawning activities began in June and ended in September, with a spawning peak in June–August (summer spawning). In the Arkona Sea, which is a transition area between the Mecklenburg Bight and the central Baltic Sea, spawning began in March and lasted until July, with a spawning peak in June–July (summer spawning). Seasonal maturity development and proportions of spawning cod in June in the Arkona Sea were similar to that of the Bornholm Sea. In addition, the proportion of spawning cod in the Arkona Sea was positively correlated with the size of the spawning stock in the Bornholm Sea. Our results provide evidence of a spatial expansion of spawning activities of the summer spawning stock from the eastern Baltic Sea into the Arkona Sea. Therefore, the Arkona Sea should be considered as one of the spawning habitats of the summer spawning stock of Baltic cod.

Sidescan sonar survey of a dumping site in the Mecklenburg Bight (south-western Baltic Sea)

Two dumping test sites of dredged sediment (glacial till, mixed sediment with sand) in the south-western Baltic Sea were repeatedly investigated with sidescan sonar. The first survey was conducted before dumping, the second survey 1 week after dumping, and eight more surveys were run during the following three and a half years. Sidescan mosaics were calculated from raw data. Comparing the mosaics, it becomes obvious that the initial strong microrelief of the dumping sites vanishes with time. The heaps of dumped material were eroded. Coarse material remains at the surface, fine material fills in the gaps between the heaps. Fine sediment structures (filaments and aureoles) created by the dumping process, and elongated traces of dumped material outside the dumping places disappeared with time.

Impact of macrozoobenthic structures on near-bed sediment fluxes

Sandy sediments in shallow coastal waters of the Baltic Sea are often characterised by large numbers of biogenic structures which are produced by macrozoobenthos species. A series of experiments was devised to quantify how the interaction of such structures with the near-bed flow regime affects the sediment flux. Most experiments were done with simplified replicates of structures generated by typical species commonly found in the Mecklenburg Bight, starting with solitary structures and regularly-spaced arrays in a range of characteristic population densities, followed by a complex benthic macrofauna community, both artificial and alive. A laboratory flume channel, equipped with an acoustic Doppler flow sensor and a topography scanning laser, was used for high-resolution measurements (2 mm horizontal step size and 0.3 mm vertical resolution) of sand erosion (220 µm median grain size, at 20 cm s − 1 ) and fine particle deposition (8 µm grain size, at 5 cm s − 1 ). Sediment transport threshold values were measured for each layout. As a rule-of-thumb, both the erosion fluxes and the deposition of suspended matter increased considerably at low population densities (below 2%, expressed as percent of the sediment surface covered, i.e. roughness density RD). Above densities of 4%, erosion almost stopped inside the test arrays, and deposition remained well below the level of unpopulated areas. An attempt to extrapolate these findings to field conditions (using field current velocity data from 2001) showed that the net flux switched from erosion to deposition for densities above 5%. These parameters can now be integrated into a numerical sediment transport model coupling waves, currents, sediment dynamics and biological processes, which is currently under construction at the Baltic Sea Research Institute (IOW), Rostock, Germany.

Characteristic flow patterns generated by macrozoobenthic structures

A laboratory flume channel, equipped with an acoustic Doppler flow sensor and a bottom scanning laser, was used for detailed, non-intrusive flow measurements (at 2 cm s − 1 and 10 cm s − 1 ) around solitary biogenic structures, combined with high-resolution mapping of the structure shape and position. The structures were replicates of typical macrozoobenthic species commonly found in the Mecklenburg Bight and with a presumed influence on both, the near-bed current regime and sediment transport dynamics: a worm tube, a snail shell, a mussel, a sand mound, a pit, and a cross-stream track furrow. The flow was considerably altered locally by the different protruding structures (worm tube, snail, mussel and mound). They reduced the horizontal approach velocity by 72% to 79% in the wake zone at about 1–2 cm height, and the flow was deflected around the structures with vertical and lateral velocities of up to 10% and 20% of the free-stream velocity respectively in a region adjacent to the structures. The resulting flow separation (at flow Reynolds number of about 4000 and 20,000 respectively) divided an outer deflection region from an inner region with characteristic vortices and the wake region. All protruding structures showed this general pattern, but also produced individual characteristics. Conversely, the depressions (track and pit) only had a weak influence on the local boundary layer flow, combined with a considerable flow reduction within their cavities (between 29% and 53% of the free-stream velocity). A longitudinal vortex formed, below which a stagnant space was found. The average height affected by the structure-related mass flow rate deficit for the two velocities was 1.6 cm and 1.3 cm respectively (80% of height and 64%) for the protruding structures and 0.6 cm and 0.9 cm (90% and 127% of depth) for the depressions. Marine benthic soft-bottom macrozoobenthos species are expected to benefit from the flow modifications they induce, particularly in terms of food particle capture due to altered particle pathways and residence times, but also for the exchange of gases, solutes and spawn. The present results confirm previous studies on flow interaction effects of various biogenic structures, and they add a deeper level of detail for a better understanding of the fine-scale effects.

Environmental impact assessment of sediment dumping in the southern Baltic Sea using meiofaunal indicators

An experimental sediment dumping was carried out in the southern part of the Mecklenburg Bight in June 2001. Foraminiferans and ostracods from superficial sandy sediment were studied in a time series from before dumping until March 2004 in order to assess changes in associations and recolonization patterns of both groups. Additionally, an area sampling covering the dumping site and its surroundings from 15.5 to 20.7 m water depth made it possible to compare associations inside and outside the dumping area as well as the water depth dependent distribution of foraminiferans and ostracods. Salinity values vary within the high alpha-mesohaline and low polyhaline range. The dominating species are Ammotium cassis (Foraminifera) and Sarsicytheridea bradii (Ostracoda). The diversity is low (Fisher alpha index from 0.4 to 3.2 for foraminiferans and 1.0 to 2.5 for ostracods), but higher within the dumping site samples. These higher values are explainable by input of allochthonous tests and valves representing additional species. After the sediment dumping it took two and a half years to re-establish the total foraminiferan association and the total foraminifer/ostracod ratio within the dumping site. Total foraminiferan abundance increases remarkably with water depth (mean 83 tests in 100 ml) driven by higher nutrient availability and more suitable salinity and temperature values within the zone of the oscillating halocline. The distribution of shallow water species such as Cribroelphidium excavatum, Eucythere argus and Hirschmannia viridis, within the transient water layer A. cassis, Nodulina dentaliniformis, S. bradii and Palmoconcha laevata and below Eggerella scabra indicate the depth position of the halocline. Water depth and sediment dumping influence are the main driving factors for the distribution of foraminifer and ostracod associations within the study area. However, a significant sedimentological difference between samples inside and outside the dumping area is not recognizable.

Mnemiopsis leidyi in the Baltic Sea – distribution and overwintering between autumn 2006 and spring 2007

In autumn 2006 the first observations of the West Atlantic comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi in Northern Europe were reported from the North Sea, the Skagerrak and the south-western Baltic Sea. Here we report on the further spread of this invasive ctenophore from the south-western towards the central Baltic Sea up to the south eastern Gotland Basin during autumn/winter 2006 and spring 2007. The abundances were generally low (max. 4 ind. m -3 ). While M. leidyi was located in the entire water column in Kiel Bight, it was found exceptionally below the halocline in the deep stratified central Baltic basins. Data of a weekly sampling program at a near shore sampling location in Mecklenburg Bight between January and May 2007 showed that up to 80 % of the individuals were juveniles, smaller than 1 mm total body length and that M. leidyi survived the winter in the Southern Baltic Sea, even if abundances dropped down to <1 ind. m -3 in February. A first assessment of the physiological demands of this species versus the environmental conditions of the Baltic Sea showed that the successful establishment of this ctenophore is probable in the south-western and central Baltic Sea.