Findings and recommendations for actions at the Gulf of Finland, based on the Gulf of Finland assessment, and the draft version of the Finnish Marine Strategy’s Programme of Measures.

1. THE STATE OF THE GULF OF FINLAND
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTIONS
The State and Future of the Gulf of Finland, 1st December, 2015
Mika Raateoja, SYKE Marine Research Centre
Editor of the Gulf of Finland assessment with Outi Setälä

2. Estonian Environment Agency
Estonian Marine Institute
Estonian Ministry of the Environment
Estonian University of Life Sciences
Hoia Eesti Merd
Marine Systems Institute
Tallinn University of Technology
Finnish Environment Institute
Finnish Geological Survey
Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, Aalto University
Finnish Meteorological Institute
Finnish Transport Safety Agency
Metsähallitus
Natural Resources Institute
University of Helsinki
University of Turku
A.P. Karpinsky Russian Geological Research Institute
Federal State Unitary Research and Production Enterprise for Marine Exploration
Institute of Cybernetics, Tallinn University of Technology
Institute of Lake and River Fishery
Institute of Limnology, Russian Academy of Sciences
North-West Interregional Territorial Administration for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring
Research Institute of Remote Sensing Data for Geology
Russian State Hydrometeorological University
SPb PO "Ecology & Business”
St. Petersburg Branch of institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences
St. Petersburg Research Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences
St. Petersburg State University
State Marine Technical University
Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences
+ Baltic Nest Institute, Stockholm university
GOF ASSESSMENT IS A TRILATERAL PRODUCT!

3. WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH THE BALTIC SEA?
A LOT OF POLLUTING MATERIAL IN HIGH
CONCENTRATIONS AFFECTING A LONG TIME
> PROBLEMS
A lot of material
coming
• Large drainage
area
Even more
material coming
• Densely
populated
• Industrial
countries
• Intensive
agriculture
Material in high
concentrations
• Small and
shallow sea >
not much
water
Material has much
time to affect
• Quite enclosed
sea > poor
water
exchange

4. MAJOR PROBLEMS / THREATS
FOR THE BALTIC SEA
CLIMATE CHANGE
Goals of HELCOM BSAP

5. THE GULF OF FINLAND 2014 DATABASE – UNIQUE DATA SOURCE
• Central achievement of the Gulf of Finland year 2014
• Estonian, Finnish and Russian official monitoring data
• Freely usable for science and education

6. EUTROPHICATION
IS STILL WITH US

7. Data: GOF2014 dataset, Chl a concentration in ug/l.
GOOD NEWS FROM CHLOROPHYLL A (ESTIMATE OF THE AMOUNT OF ALGAE IN THE WATER)

8. Min-Max ~ 10 000 tonnes
Min-Max ~ 3 000 tonnes

9. Source:JouniLehtoranta(SYKE)

10. A VIEW OVER THE GULF AND BEYOND …
Special features of the
gulf
+
The waters from the
main basin
Actions in the gulf
area:
necessary but not
enough
Actions needed in the
main basin !
Able to compensate for achieved load reductions
Shaped by weather, not much for us to do

11. … BUT DO NOT
FORGET THE GULF
Decrease in
land-based
phosphorus load
into the eastern
gulf
Effects are
evident there
But not yet
elsewhere
Continue
reducing all
loads into the
gulf
Data: GOF2014 dataset, PO4 and TOTP concentrations in umol/l.
The eastern gulf The western gulf
Take home message
We need some patience!
Continue the work in the gulf !
Be active in the Baltic Sea scale !

12. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MITIGATING
EUTROPHICATION
•Nitrogen removal efficiency should be risen up to at least 70% in all treatment plants
with population equivalent of more than 10 000 and up to 90% on larger treatment
plants when this is technically and economically feasible
Point-source load
•The maximum allowed fertilizer levels should be based on crop requirements, and
manure instead of inorganic fertilizers should be used when feasible
Diffuse load
•The share of smaller river basins under the regular monitoring in the gulf area should
be increased
Monitoring
•The Baltic Sea should be designated as a nitrogen oxide emission control area (NECA),
and use of liquefied natural gas as a ship fuel should be promoted
Maritime traffic
The baseline: further reductions in nutrient loading according to HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan
EU Marine Strategy’s Programmes of Measures of Estonia and Finland
Water Protection Programme of Northwest Russia

13. HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES CHANGE,
PROBLEMS REMAIN

15. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HARMFUL
SUBSTANCES IN THE SEDIMENTS
Dredging and dumping of contaminated sediments should be
performed in an environmentally acceptable manner
Large-scale hydro-technical operations should always be
communicated at the trilateral level

16. Source: United States Government Accountability Office
NEW COMPOUNDS, NEW HARMS:
PHARMACEUTICALS ARE THERE IN THE WATER …

17. • Pain killers
Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Ketoprofen,
Naproxen
• Beta blockers
Metoprolol, Bisoprolol, Acebutolol
• Anti-depressant
Venlafaxine
Etc…
Source: Raisa Turja and others (2015)
Helsinki / Viikinmäki waste water treatment plant:
the efflux waters contain
… AND THEY HAVE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON MARINE ANIMALS

18. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
PHARMACEUTICALS
Research on ecotoxicity of pharmaceuticals is needed
The statutory monitoring programme should be
developed
Novel waste water treatment techniques should be
introduced to prevent these substances from entering
the sea in the first place

19. Source: SurferToday.com

21. Source: PlasticsEurope

22. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
MARINE LITTER
Information is needed on the chemical hazards of the long-lived
plastics and their fragments on marine ecosystem
What will we choose? Removal of litter in the sea or trying to prevent
litter from entering in the marine environment?

23. MARITIME TRAFFIC ON THE MOVE
Source: Finnish Transport Agency

26. HUMAN FACTOR: people at sea in the spotlight
Continuation of exercises to improve their competence
Attention to well-being at work and work conditions
Inclusion of methods evaluating human reliability to make
the risk models for the maritime traffic more reliable
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE
SAFETY OF THE MARITIME TRAFFIC
(RISK CONTROL SERVICES ARE
ALREADY WORLD-CLASS)

27. LARGER SCALES…
• Taking into account the special characteristics of the coasts of the three countries
The network of conservation areas in the gulf should be developed
• Guideline for a sustainable use of the gulf’s natural resources
The gulf needs a marine spatial plan to cover the territorial waters of all three
countries
© Juha Laaksonen

28. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
• Introduction of routine wintertime monitoring throughout the gulf
Monitoring of the gulf should be further developed
• Installation of an automated measuring system in the merchant shipping line into
the eastern gulf
Automation is the trend: remote sensing, monitoring on board
merchant ships, automated buoys
• Fully comparable methodology in the monitoring
• Trilateral quality assurance work in the analytical front should be established
We have to know what we are measuring
The path: further development of joint integrated monitoring
and data exchange system in the gulf within the frames of HELCOM and EU

29. THE WRITING TEAM OF THE
GULF OF FINLAND
ASSESSMENT
Heikki Pitkänen, Harri Kuosa, Tatjana Eremina, Urmas Lips, Jouni Lehtoranta, Alexey Maximov, Antti Räike, Seppo
Knuuttila, Petri Ekholm, Sergey Kondratyv, Peeter Ennet, Reet Ulm, Natalia Oblomkova, Mika Raateoja, Pirkko
Kauppila, Eugenia Lange, Tatjana Zagrebina, Andres Jaanus, Silvie Lainela, Hanna Alasalmi, Saku Anttila, Jenni
Attila, Jan-Erik Bruun, Seppo Kaitala, Kari Kallio, Vesa Keto, Alexandra Ershova, Inga Lips, Dahlbo Kim, Savchuk
Oleg, V. Ryabchenko, A. Isaev, Aarno Kotilainen, Anu Kaskela, Oleg Korneev, Daria Ryabchuk, Alexander Rybalko,
Sten Suuroja, Henry Vallius, Kai Myrberg, Pekka Alenius, Zhamoida V., Grigoriev A., Sergeev A., Evdokimenko A.,
L. Sukhacheva, M. Orlova, M. Spiridonov, A. Grigoriev, O. Kovaleva, I. Neevin, Petra Roiha, Laura Tuomi, Heidi
Pettersson, Outi Setälä, Marek Press, Jakub Montewka, Jani Häkkinen, Jorma Rytkönen, Risto Jalonen, Olli-Pekka
Brunila, Tarmo Soomere, Jukka-Pekka Jalkanen, Antti Below, Inari Helle, Päivi Haapasaari, Riikka Venesjärvi,
Annukka Lehikoinen, R. Aps, M. Fetissov, A. Jönsson, M. Heinvee, M. Kopti, K. Tabri, H. Tõnisson, Vadim K.
Goncharov, Jukka Pajala, Aleksander Klauson, Janek Laanearu, Mirko Mustonen, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Alexander
Antsulevich, Jonne Kotta, Henn Ojaveer, Riho Gross, Outi Heikinheimo, Meri Kallasvuo, Markku Kaukoranta, Martin
Kessler, Marja-Liisa Koljonen, Antti Lappalainen, Hannu Lehtonen, Tapani Pakarinen, Andrey Pedchenko, Jukka
Pönni, Tiit Raid, Jari Raitaniemi, Lauri Saks, Alexander Shurukhin, Pirkko Söderkultalahti, Sergey Titov, Lauri
Urho, Lari Veneranta, Aarre Verlin, Jaakko Mannio, Kari Lehtonen, N. Fedorova, Kirsten Jørgensen, Harri
Kankaanpää, Marja Keinänen, Jukka Mehtonen, Ott Roots, Alexander Rybalko, Sara Söderström, Raisa Turja,
Pekka Vuorinen, Zoya Zhakovskaja, Lauri Äystö, Sergey Golubkov, Samuli Korpinen, Sirpa Lehtinen, Andrey
Sharov, Larissa Litvinchuk, Arno Pöllumäe, Hermanni Kaartokallio, Riitta Autio, Veljo Kisand, Jonna Kotta, Liubov
Zhakova, Yulia Gubelit, Henrik Nygård, Ilmar Kotta, Julia Bublichenko, Sergey Couzov, Mart Jüssi, Markus Ahola,
Mikhail Verevkin, and some are still missing…sorry about that
The GOF
assessment will be
published in spring
2016