The evolution of the southern Baltic coastal zone
Oceanologia 2000, no 42 (3), pp. 285-303
Jozef E. Mojski
The Polish Geological Institute,
Branch of Marine Geology,
Koscierska 5, PL-80-953 Gdansk, Poland
Keywords: coastal zone displacement, Late Glacial, Holocene, forecast
Manuscript received 16 June 2000, reviewed 10 August 2000, accepted 17 August 2000.
This article discusses the formation and evolution of the coastal zone of the southern Baltic from the decay of the last Scandinavian ice-sheet, which took place some 14 ka BP. During the first 4 ka, the shores of the then southern Baltic basins were shaped under the dominant influence of considerable variations in water level and the young, post-glacial topography emerging from under the ice. Later, until the beginning of the Atlantic transgression, the shores were also unstable, because sea level changes resulting from periodic connections with the World Ocean followed one another in rapid succession. Since that transgression destroyed much of the former shoreline, its reconstruction is at best highly problematical, and in some places no longer possible. The maximum range of the Litorina Sea gave rise to a coastal zone that in many places is to this day quite conspicuous in the local topography and sediments. During the last 4 ka, the shoreline has changed relatively little, thus the present shoreline is largely redolent of the original one. In the coming 100 years or so, the abrasion of the cliffs along the southern Baltic shore will probably accelerate, as will the retrogradation of certain sections of the shoreline, with the result that the shoreline will be less of a straight line than it is at present. Land up to a height of 1 m above sea level will be inundated. The greatest changes in the lie of the shoreline are to be expected in the River Wisla (Vistula) delta and around the Zalew Szczecinski (Oderhaff, Szczecin Lagoon).
Sources of particulate selenium in the Baltic Sea atmosphere
Oceanologia 2000, no 42 (3), pp. 305-313
Beata Dudzinska-Huczuk1,
Bernd Schneider2,
Jerzy Bolalek1 Keywords: selenium, aerosol, Baltic Sea
Manuscript received 13 April 2000, reviewed 9 May 2000, accepted 13 June 2000.
To determine the atmospheric concentrations and size distributions of particulate
selenium (Se), aerosols were collected by air filtration and impactor sampling at the
Kap Arkona coastal weather station on the Island of Rügen. Total reflection X-ray
fluorescence analysis was used to determine Se and numerous other elements as well. The
dependence of the Se concentration on the wind direction and the results of a regression
analysis indicated that Se associated with sub-micron particles is mainly derived from
anthropogenic sources. The pronounced relationship between Se and Cu indicated
that copper smelting is a major source of atmospheric selenium. A marine Se
contribution was identified for particles larger than 2 µm.
Evaluation of sound extinction and echo interference in densely aggregated zooplankton Natalia Gorska Keywords: sound extinction, echo interference, dense zooplankton aggregation
Manuscript received 8 November 1999, reviewed 29 June 2000, accepted 4 July 2000.
The investigation of sound extinction and echo interference is important as regards the accurate assessment of the abundance of densely aggregated zooplankton.
To study these effects,the analytical model describing sound backscattering by
an aggregation of isotropic scatterers (Rytov et al. 1978, Sun & Gimenez 1992) has been extended to the case of densely aggregated elongated zooplankton. The evaluation
of the effects in the case of a dense krill aggregation demonstrates that they can be significant and should be taken into account.
Abundance and species composition of
plankton in the Gulf of Gdansk near the planned underwater outfall of the Gdansk-Wschod (Gdansk-East) sewage treatment plant
Maria I. Zmijewska1,
Elzbieta Niemkiewicz2,
Luiza Bielecka1
Keywords: Baltic Sea, plankton, distribution
Manuscript received 24 March 2000, reviewed 6 July 2000, accepted 2 August 2000.
The aim of this paper is to determine the current biological
state of life in the pelagic zone of the Gulf of Gdansk
in relation to the planned start-up of an underwater outfall which
will discharge sewage from the Gdansk-Wschod (Gdansk-East) sewage
treatment plant. The plankton material
was collected during two research cruises in July and October 1998.
The samples were taken at 15 stations in four profiles located
near Wyspa Sobieszewska (Sobieszewo Island), perpendicular
to the coastline. Both the taxonomic and numerical
structure of phytoplankton and zooplankton were typical of the
coastal area of the Gulf of Gdansk. The species diversity
depends on hydrological conditions, mainly input from the River
Wisla (Vistula). The abundance and biomass of phytoplankton in 1998
were several times lower than in 1994 and 1995
in the area off Gorki Wschodnie, the profile located closest
to the planned construction site. This could have been caused
by generally lower temperatures in 1998 in
comparison to previous years. In the investigated area
only traces of algal eutrophication indicator species were noted.
However, potentially toxic species were confirmed and were most
abundant near the Wisla mouth. The highest concentrations of pelagic
fauna occur in the shallowest area closest to the shoreline. Long-term
observations of the dynamics of the variations in abundance
and species composition indicate the increasing significance
of one particular species - Acartia bifilosa.
Preliminary comparison between various models of the long-wave radiation budget of the sea and experimental data from the Baltic Sea
Tomasz Zapadka1,
Slawomir B. Wozniak2
Keywords: long-wave radiation flux, net infra-red radiation, energy exchange between the sea and the atmosphere
Manuscript received 14 March 2000, reviewed 4 May 2000, accepted 30 June 2000.
This paper discusses existing models of long-wave radiation exchange between
the sea surface and the atmosphere, and compares them with experimental data.
The latter were based on empirical data collected in the southern
Baltic during cruises of r/v `Oceania'. To a greater or lesser extent,
all the models were encumbered with significant systematic and statistical
errors. The probable reasons for these discrepancies are given.
A new predatory cladoceran Cercopagis (Cercopagis)
pengoi (Ostroumov 1891) in the Gulf of Gdansk Luiza Bielecka, Maria I. Zmijewska, Agnieszka Szymborska Keywords: Baltic Sea, plankton, a new species
Manuscript received 12 April 2000, reviewed 28 July 2000, accepted 10 August.
Cercopagis pengoi, a species native to the Ponto-Caspian area, was
recorded for the first time in the Baltic Sea in the Gulf of Riga and in
the open Gulf of Finland in 1992. Sampling in the shallow coastal area of
the western part of the Gulf of Gdansk at weekly intervals between April
1999 and April 2000 revealed the presence of C. pengoi in the
zooplankton community. The species was recorded twice, at densities of 1369
indiv. m-3 on 30 July 1999 and 421 indiv. m-3 on 5 August 1999,
when the water temperature was at its maximum, in excess of 21.7oC
and 23.9oC respectively. C. pengoi had never been recorded
in the Gulf of Gdansk prior to 1999.
The Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis (Decapoda: Grapsidae) from Polish waters Monika Normant, Anna Wiszniewska, Anna Szaniawska
Keywords: catadromous species, Eriocheir sinensis, non-indigenous organism
Manuscript received 2 June 2000, reviewed 19 June 2000, accepted 30 June 2000.
The Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis Milne-Edwards,
1854 is a newcomer to the Baltic Sea. Previous studies have shown
that since the 1940s single large specimens of this species have been
caught annually in Polish waters.
The invasion of the Chinese mitten crab has been reported from many European
countries, including Poland, where it is especially abundant in the Odra
Estuary.
Of 186 specimens captured in Lake Dabie in August 1998, 45% were females and
55\% males. The carapace width of these crabs varied between 53 and 88 mm
and the average wet weight was 169 ± 45.3 g.
The misalignment angle in vessel-mounted ADCP
Robert Osinski Keywords: acoustic Doppler current profiler, misalignment angle, calibration
Manuscript received 23 February 2000, reviewed 28 July 2000, accepted 4 August.
A description of the misalignment angle and the consequences if it
occurs is given. It is shown that because of gyrocompass errors, the
misalignment angle error a has to be computed for each cruise.
A simple method of calibrating the acoustic Doppler current profiler
(ADCP) mounted on a vessel has been devised by fitting the cosinusoidal
function. This is a post-processing method, suitable for calibrating
previously collected data. Nevertheless, because of ADCP's constructional
peculiarities, the procedure must be repeated for each cruise.
1Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdansk,
al. Marszalka J. Pilsudskiego 46, PL-81-378 Gdynia, Poland;
bejka@sat.ocean.univ.gda.pl, jerzyb@sat.ocean.univ.gda.pl
2Baltic Sea Research Institute,
Seestrasse 15, 18119
Rostock-Warnemünde, Germany;
bernd.schneider@io-warnemuende.de
Abstract
full, complete article (PDF - compatibile with Acrobat 3.0)
Oceanologia 2000, no 42 (3), pp. 315-334
Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences,
Powstancow Warszawy 55, PL-81-712 Sopot, Poland;
gorska@iopan.gda.pl
Abstract
full, complete article (PDF - compatibile with Acrobat 3.0)
Oceanologia 2000, no 42 (3), pp. 335-357
1Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdansk,
al. Marszalka J. Pilsudskiego 46, PL-81-378 Gdynia, Poland;
ocemiz@univ.gda.pl
2Marine Biology Centre,
Polish Academy of Sciences,
Sw. Wojciecha 5, PL-81-347 Gdynia, Poland
Abstract
full, complete article (PDF - compatibile with Acrobat 3.0)
Communications
Oceanologia 2000, no 42 (3), pp. 359-369
1Institute of Physics, Pedagogical University,
Arciszewskiego 22 B, PL-76-200 Slupsk, Poland;
zapad@wsp.slupsk.pl
2Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences,
Powstancow Warszawy 55, PL-81-712 Sopot, Poland;
woznjr@iopan.gda.pl
Abstract
full, complete article (PDF - compatibile with Acrobat 3.0)
Oceanologia 2000, no 42 (3), pp. 371-374
Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdansk, al. Marszalka J. Pilsudskiego 46, PL-81-378 Gdynia, Poland;
ocelb@monika.univ.gda.pl
Abstract
full, complete article (PDF - compatibile with Acrobat 3.0)
Oceanologia 2000, no 42 (3), pp. 375-383
Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdansk, al. Marszalka J. Pilsudskiego 46, PL-81-378 Gdynia, Poland;
monika.normant@ocean.univ.gda.pl
Abstract
full, complete article (PDF - compatibile with Acrobat 3.0)
Oceanologia 2000, no 42 (3), pp. 385-394
Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences,
Powstancow Warszawy 55, PL-81-712 Sopot, Poland;
roberto@iopan.gda.pl
Abstract
full, complete article (PDF - compatibile with Acrobat 3.0)