1. HELCOM and operational oceanography
Juha-Markku Leppänen
HELCOM Secretariat

2. HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan
Regional implementation of Ecosystem Approach
Regional implementation of European Marine Strategy/Directive
HELCOM as the regional environmental focal point
HELCOM in linking science and policy

3. HELCOM monitoring and assessment strategy
To provide timely and reliable information on the state of the ecosystem and long-term trends
Forecasts and scenarios for the future
Management decisions should be based on sound scientific advice

4. HELCOM monitoring Started in 1970’s PLC-Air and PLC-Water
COMBINE Programme
physical forcing, nutrient chemistry, biota (phyto- and zooplankton, zoobenthos, phytobenthos, coastal fish, and sediment
Hazardous substances in water biota and sediments
MORS inputs and state of radionuclides in the various compartments (water, biota, sediment)
Surveillance of deliberate illegal oil discharges
Inventory of marine accidents the number

5. HELCOM operational assessment system
Policy Advice Science
Monitoring and Data
Indicator reports
Thematic reports
Holistic
assessments
Scientific reports
&
Modelling
Monitoring and Data
Concrete targets
Policy advice
Status Reports
Actions

6. Operational Oceanography
EuroGOOS
systematic and long-term routine measurements
rapid interpretation and dissemination
Important products derived from operational oceanography are:
nowcasts providing the most usefully accurate description of the present state of the sea including living resources
forecasts providing continuous forecasts of the future condition of the sea for as far ahead as possible
hindcasts assembling long-term data sets which will provide data for description of past states, and time series showing trends and changes
HELCOM
Long-term monitoring activities (PLC, COMBINE, MORS…)
Response activities, bloom reports
HELCOM products
Indicator Fact Sheets and thematic assessments
Forecasts for e.g. climate change, responses of the marine ecosystem on nutrient inputs scenarios
Historical reference conditions for indicators

7. Observations SOOP Satellite Buoys Hull thermometers Alg@line CPR
Surface temperature
Ice cover and quality
Chl-a
Cyanobacteria
Oil
Buoys
Temperature, salinity
Currents
Waves

8. Current indicator reports based on operational oceanography
Total and regional Runoff to the Baltic Sea
Water exchange between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, and conditions in the deep Basins
Wave climate in the Baltic Sea 2005
Development of Sea Surface Temperature in 2005
The ice season
Nitrogen emissions to the air and deposition
Heavy metal emissions and atmospheric depositions
Atmospheric emissions of PCDD/Fs and depositions
Temporal and spatial variation of dissolved nutrients in 2005
Chlorophyll-a concentrations, temporal variations and regional differences from satellite remote sensing
Phytoplankton spring bloom biomass in the Gulf of Finland, Northern Baltic Proper and Arkona Basin in 2006
Cyanobacterial bloom in the Baltic Sea
Cyanobacteria bloom index
Oil spills in the Baltic Sea
Ship traffic statistics

9. Thematic Assessments Eutrophication Biodiversity Inputs of N & P
Nutrient budgets
Reference Conditions
Targets for good ecological status
Status
Future projections
Biodiversity
Landscape distributions
Habitat distributions
Species distribution
Reference conditions
Future projections