Coastal dunes of the Baltic Sea shores: a review

The article summarises results of studies conducted along the Baltic Sea sandy coasts by scientists involved in coastal dune research, and presents an attempt to describe the types and distribution of dune coasts. The Baltic Sea coasts feature lower and higher foredunes. The lowland behind the coastal dune belt is covered by wandering or stabilised inland dunes – transgressive forms, mainly parabolic or barchans. The source of sediment for dune development includes fluvioglacial sands from eroded coasts, river-discharged sand, and older eroded dunes. Due to the ongoing erosion and coastal retreat, many dunes have been eroded, and some are withdrawing onto the adjacent land. There are visible differences between the south-eastern, western, and northern parts of the Baltic Sea coast with respect to dune development. The entire southern and eastern coast abounds in sand, so the coastal dunes are large, formerly or currently wandering formations. The only shifting dunes are found at the Polish and the Russian–Lithuanian coasts on the Łebsko Lake Sandbar as well as on the Vistula and Curonian Spits. The very diverse shoreline of the south-western coast experiences a scarcity of larger sandy formations. Substantial parts of the Baltic Sea sandy coasts have been eroded or transformed by humans. The northern part of the Baltic Sea coast features mainly narrow and low sandy coasts (e.g. in Estonia). Further north, sandy dunes are virtually absent

An integrated Pan-European perspective on coastal Lagoons management through a mosaic-DPSIR approach

© The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Scientific Reports 6 (2016): 19400, doi:10.1038/srep19400.A decision support framework for the management of lagoon ecosystems was tested using four European Lagoons: Ria de Aveiro (Portugal), Mar Menor (Spain), Tyligulskyi Liman (Ukraine) and Vistula Lagoon (Poland/Russia). Our aim was to formulate integrated management recommendations for European lagoons. To achieve this we followed a DPSIR (Drivers-Pressures-State Change-Impacts-Responses) approach, with focus on integrating aspects of human wellbeing, welfare and ecosystem sustainability. The most important drivers in each lagoon were identified, based on information gathered from the lagoons’ stakeholders, complemented by scientific knowledge on each lagoon as seen from a land-sea perspective. The DPSIR cycles for each driver were combined into a mosaic-DPSIR conceptual model to examine the interdependency between the multiple and interacting uses of the lagoon. This framework emphasizes the common links, but also the specificities of responses to drivers and the ecosystem services provided. The information collected was used to formulate recommendations for the sustainable management of lagoons within a Pan-European context. Several common management recommendations were proposed, but specificities were also identified. The study synthesizes the present conditions for the management of lagoons, thus analysing and examining the activities that might be developed in different scenarios, scenarios which facilitate ecosystem protection without compromising future generations.This study was supported by the European Commission, under the 7th Framework Programme, through the collaborative research project LAGOONS (contract n° 283157); by European funds through COMPETE and by Portuguese funds through the national Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT (PEst-C/MAR/LA0017/2013). The post-Doc grant SFRH/BPD/41117/2007 (M Dolbeth) and the PhD grant SFRH/BD/79170/2011 (LP Sousa) supported by FCT are also acknowledged

Discussion on the Vistula Lagoon regional development considering local consequences of climate changes : Interim report on the ECOSUPPORT BONUS+ project "Advanced modelling tool for scenarios of the Baltic Sea ECOsystem to SUPPORT decision making" and RFBR project No. 08-05-92421

Information about natural and economic conditions in the Vistula lagoon together with directions of development of municipalities around the lagoon is presented in the report. The review of directions of development show that all municipalities aim to develop tourism, harbours and land transport. Moreover, Polish municipalities give large attention to environmental protection. In the future the development towards these strategic directions will continue together with an increased role of environmental protection and consequences of climate changes. Assessment of tolerance of Vistula Lagoon municipalities’ developmentstrategies to climate changes have shown that directions of Polish municipalities’ development is less tolerant to consequences of climate change because of a large area disposed to possible flooding, and therefore possibly high expenses for prevention of territory flooding. The Vistula Lagoon is a subject of high anthropogenic pressure and some consequences due to climate changes were discussed. Obviously, due to different economic experience, economic systems and future plans the pressure will not be equal in Polish and Russian parts of the lagoon.Complex measures on modernization of monitoring climate changes and adaptation as well as strong cooperation between all municipalities around the Vistula Lagoon are essential

Remote-sensing observations of coastal sub-mesoscale eddies in the south-eastern Baltic

This paper presents an overview of the sub-mesoscale eddies observed in the coastalzone of the south-eastern Baltic near the shores of the Sambian Peninsula and theCuronian Spit based on CODAR (high-frequency coast-based radar) measurementsand analysis of MODIS and ASAR satellite images for the period 30 March2000-31 December 2011. It was found that when winds are predominantly SW, S or W,a wake eddy of varying size (up to 25 km in diameter) forms off Cape Taran andcan cover the area between the shoreline and the 65 m isobath. Its longestlifetime, observed using MODIS images, was 6 days. Another location wherecoastal sub-mesoscale eddies (up to 10-15 km in diameter) of varying formregularly appear is the coastal slope near the southern and central part ofthe Curonian Spit

Autumn physical limnological experimental campaign in the Island Mainau littoral zone of Lake Constance

From October 12th to November 19th 2001 a hydrophysical field measurement campaign was carried out in the littoral zone of Lake Überlingen and the Upper Lake Constance around the Island Mainau and in the adjacent aquatic area. Measurements involved (i) deployment of current-meters, thermistors and thermistor–chains at fixed positions, (ii) CTD-towing with the boat in the subsurface layer, (iii) CTD profiling at selected positions and deployment of drifters at selected depths and positions around the Island Mainau. The measurements that were conducted are described and illustrated by typical plots. The data as well as closer description of the campaign are public domain and can be downloaded for use through Internet

Barotropic wind-driven circulation patterns in a closed rectangular basin of variable depth influenced by a peninsula or an island

We study how a coastal obstruction (peninsula or coastal island) affects the three-dimensional barotropic currents in an oblong rectangular basin with variable bathymetry across the basin width. The transverse depth profiele is asymmetric and the peninsula or island lies in the middle of the long side of the rectangle. A semi-spectral model for the Boussinesq-approximated shallow water equations, developed in Haidvogel et al. and altered for semi-implicit numerical integration in time in Wang and Hutter, is used to find the steady barotropic state circulation pattern to external winds. The structural (qualitative) rearrangements and quantitative features of the current pattern are studied under four principal wind is inclination relative to the shore. The essentially non-linear relationships of the water flux between the two sub-basins (formed by the obstructing penisula) and the corresponding crosssectional area left open are found and analysed. It is further analysed whather the depth- integrated model, usually adopted by others, is meaningful when applied to the water exchange problems. The flow through the challel narrowing is quantitatively estimmated and compared with the three- dimensional results. The dynamics of the vortex structure and the indentification of the up-welling/down-welling zones around the obsrruction are discussed in detail. The influence of the transformation of the penisula into a coastal islang on the gloabal basin circulation is considered as are the currents in the channel. The geometric and physical reasons for the anisotropy of the current structure which prevail through all obtained solutions are also discussed

Wind-driven current simulations around the Island Mainau (Lake Constance)

Using three-dimensional numerical modelling for the shallow water equations on the rotating Earth in the Boussinesq approximation, we study the steady barotropic motion around the Island Mainau in Lake überlingen, forced by uniformly distributed winds of different directions. The method of substructuring is used to resolve the flow pattern near the Island Mainau with greater accuracy and thus to identify the peculiarities that are induced by the island as an obstruction to the current field within the lake basin. The barotropic response is analysed in detail for 16 different wind directions. It is shown to what extent these winds determine the distribution of the horizontal current and the up- and down-welling zones in the vicinity of the island. Current peculiarities, such as diverging and converging elements, locations of maximum current speeds and, in particular, the flow through the Mainau channel are identified. They provide hints to an optimal design of a flow measuring campaign under homogeneous conditions. It is further demonstrated that the island acts as an obstructing entity that effectively influences the flow within Lake Überlingen. For wind blowing along Lake Überlingen the baroclinic motion was also studied. The flow in the upper-layer and the lower-layer-return flow are modified over the lake