How is climate change affecting the Baltic Sea and what are the likely impacts on the marine environment? The international research network Baltic Earth and the Helsinki Commission for the Protection of the Baltic Sea HELCOM have now published an updated version of the fact sheet first published in 2021, which was especially developed for the general public. It incorporates the latest scientific knowledge of about 90 researchers from the entire Baltic Sea region, including experts from the IOW.

"The fact sheet is primarily aimed at policy-makers, but is also designed to be easily understood by the general public," explains IOW's Baltic Sea climate expert Markus Meier and chair of the Baltic Earth steering group. Together with an international team, he conceptualised the fact sheet as regional counterpart to the global report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). "It was iportant to us that our overview is both - fact-packed and compact in its presentation," Meier adds, who was again part of the lead editorial team for the current update.

The fact sheet contains information on a total of 38 parameters. Starting with air and water temperature and ending with Baltic Sea ecosystem services, these are divided into different categories: Energy and water cycle, carbon and nutrient cycle, sea level and wind conditions, biota and ecosystems, as well as human activities and ecosystem services of particular value to humans. Where necessary, the underlying data and numbers were updated in the revised factsheet version. Newly added were the following parameters: Acidification of the Baltic Sea, Harmful algal blooms, Marine litter, Biofouling, Carbon uptake and storage potential as well as Marine and coastal ecosystem services. Important in the parameter presentations are the confidence assessments of the statements as a measure of how certain the researchers can be with regard to the respective predictions.

Among the significant trends with a high confidence level, the fact sheet shows that the water temperature and sea level in the Baltic Sea are rising significantly and will continue to do so in the coming decades. It is also expected that the Baltic Sea will be largely ice-free during normal winters by the end of this century. These and other changes will have far-reaching consequences for the marine ecosystem, its inhabiting sea-life and the people living along its coasts, as the fact sheet clearly shows.

PDF-Download of the "Climate Change in the Baltic Sea 2024 Fact Sheet":
https://tinyurl.com/Baltic-ClimateChange-Facts2024

For further questions please contact:
Prof. Dr. Markus Meier | marknullus.meier@io-warnemuende.de