Baltic Sea monitoring near Lithuanian coast Sabina Solovjova Senior specialist in Biological Analysis Division Marine Research Department Environment Protection Agency Taikos pr. 26, Klaipeda LT-91149 Lithuania s.solovjova@aaa.am.lt
Marine Research Department The Center of Marine Research was founded in 1992 as a subordinate institution to the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania (before it was Klaipėda s Hydrometeobservatory) Since 2010 the Center of Marine Research runs as a department of Environment Protection Agency.
Structure of Marine Research Department 1. Hydrology Division 2. Hydrochemistry Division 3. Biological Analysis Division 4. Analytic Control Division 5. Data Management and Programs Division 6. Technical Maintenance Division
Main activities (1) Organization, coordination and implementation of the state environmental monitoring of the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon. Collection, analysis and evaluation of data and information about natural processes in the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon, the impact of anthropogenic activity on the state of the environment and living organisms. Implementation of the state environmental monitoring of surface fresh water and air quality in the western part of Lithuania. Obtaining and storage of the operative information from coastal hydrometeorological stations. Management and investigation of special ecological situations (oil and other pollutants spills, water blooms', fish death, floods, coastal erosion, etc.). Modelling of the ecosystems of the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon.
Main activities (2) Laboratory control of the pollution sources like industrial objects in the western region of Lithuania. Implementation of EC Water Framework Directive in the coastal and transitional waters. Participation in the international (HELCOM) monitoring programme and in other international projects of HELCOM, ICES, BOOS, EUROGOOS, SEA-SEARCH, COHIBA, CHEMSEA and others. Organisation and maintenance of the Marine Environmental Data Fund, registration of monitoring and scientific research in the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon, storage of data and reports. Submission of data and information to Lithuanian administrative, academic and scientific institutions, public, Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), European Environmental Agency (EEA), European Commission (EC).
Main activities Special ecological situations Monitoring of the Baltic Sea Monitoring of the Curonian Lagoon Laboratory control of wastewaters Marine Research Department Coastal line dinamics Control of mobile pollution sources Air quality monitoring Monitoring of lakes Monitoring of rivers
Previous research vessel Vėjas (Baltic Sea) R/V "Vėjas" Produced: 1980 m Displacement: 1124 t Lenght: 55,6 m Width: 9,3 m Drought: 4,3 m Mean speed: 9 knots Number of laboratories: 7 Number of crew members: 12 Scientific group: 20-25 G. Ežerskis
New research vessel Vėjūnas
Plastic Water Sampler Water sampling Modified ZoBelo water sampler A rosette of water samplers with CTD
Lithuanian monitoring stations in the Baltic Sea and Curonian Lagoon Hard bottom area
Sampling equipment for the macrozoobenthos Van Veen grab sampler (75 kg, sampling area of 0.1 m 2 )
Sampling of biota with draga and diving
Hard bottom: Samples are collected with Van Veen from the hard bottom since 1981. Depths 12-28 m, salinity - 4-7 Bottom - gravel, boulder, coarse sand, stones. 5 monitoring stations (1, 2, 1B, B-1, B-4). Station Number of samples Number of taxons Total abundance, ind./m 2 Total biomass (wet weigth), g/m 2 1 15 33 60-104589 0,012-2846,5 2 14 37 40-75485 1,22-2398,08 1B 23 35 90-46300 0,9-3743,9 B-1 19 20 750-18330 7,96-130,9 B-4 4 15 100-28044 0,03-1254,1
46 taxons were found in total : Electra crustulenta Laomedea loveni Laomedea flexuosa Cordylophora caspia Turbellaria sp. Planaria torva Dendrocoelum lacteum Nemertini sp. Manajunkia aestuarina Fabricia sabella Bylgides sarsi Hediste diversicolor Pygospio elegans Marenzelleria neglecta Streblospio shrubsoli Oligochaeta Nais sp. Amphibalanus improvisus Neomysis integer Praunus inermis Mysis mixta Mysis relicta Jaera albifrons Asellus aquaticus Saduria entomon Crangon crangon Bathyporeia pilosa Gammarus sp. Gammarus salinus Gammarus oceanicus Gammarus inaequicauda Gammarus zaddachi Gammarus tigrinus Corophium volutator Chelicorophium curvispinum Obesogammarus crassus Palaemon elegans Hydrobia spp. Hydrobia ulvae Theodoxus fluviatilis Mytilus edulis trossulis Macoma balthica Mya arenaria Cardium glaucum Chironomidae Hydracarina
Since 2008 monitoring on the hard bottom are made by scuba diving. Samples are taken according to Guidelines for monitoring of phytobenthic plant and animal communities in the Baltic Sea Annex-C9 for HELCOM COMBINE programme (26 March 1999) http://www.helcom.fi/stc/files/combi nemanual/partc/annexc9.pdf Samplings are done once a year in the station near Palanga town (N 55,91773 E 21,03769) Depth 3,5-5 m, salinity - 4-7 The results are recalculated to 1 m 2
Abundance, biomass and species composition List of taxons 2008-04 (depth - 5m) 2009-09 (depth -3,5 m) 2010-04 (depth 5m) ind./m2 g/m2 ind./m2 g/m2 ind./m2 g/m2 Electra crustulenta x x x x x x Laomedea loveni x x Planaria sp. 1550 0,010 24960 13,2288 Fabricia sabella 50 0,003 28192 1,128 2250 0,073 Nereis diversicolor 50 0,473 384 3,3296 Naididae gen.sp. 300 0,080 Marenzelleria neglecta 128 0,0832 50 0,003 Oligochaeta 176 0,064 Balanus improvisus 6575 189,095 15312 1959,49 11950 594,790 Idothea baltica 128 1,6768 150 2,263 Jaera albifrons 4450 0,623 6656 0,3328 1075 15,588 Gammarus sp.juv. 28480 14,24 1525 0,763 Gammarus sp. 16975 2,545 Gammarus tigrinus juv. 500 0,190 33280 23,296 Gammarus tigrinus 528 21,9648 Gammarus oceanicus 1568 11,808 Gammarus salinus 1525 1,883 1296 5,696 Gammarus zaddachi 2925 12,061 11200 163,128 850 5,688 Corophium sp.juv. 30160 9,048 Chelicorophium curvispinum 1100 0,770 19920 17,928 Corophium volutator 50 0,050 1225 1,128 Hydrobia spp. 850 2,183 96 0,7104 200 0,853 Theodoxus fluviatilis juv. 20800 1,872 Theodoxus fluviatilis 300 1,870 25 0,558 Macoma balthica 16 0,3344 Mytilus edulis 50700 1689,608 14768 1889,714 12350 1071,503 Mya arenaria 100 0,818 25 3,480 Chironomidae larvae 816 0,016 50 0,003 TOTAL: 87700 1902,18 238864 4139,09 32025 1696,77
Soft bottom macrozoobenthos monitoring : Since 1980 HELCOM, 1988. Guidelines for the Baltic Monitoring Programme for the Third Stage. No.27 D. Part D. Biological Determinands. HELCOM, 1997. Soft bottom Macrozoobenthos// Manual for the Marine Monitoring in the COMBINE Programme of HELCOM. Part C-8. Rumohr H., 1997. Soft bottom macrofauna collection, treatment and quality assurance of samples.(revised by BMB Working group 11, ICES Benthos Ecology Working Group, ICES/HELCOM Workshop on Quality Assurance of Benthic Measurements in the Baltic, CEFAS) LST EN ISO 16665:2014. Water quality Guidelines for quantitative sampling and sample processing of marine soft-bottom macrofauna
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