Annual assessments
Our long-term environmental monitoring program, spanning many decades, enables us to document long-term changes in the hydrographic, chemical, and geological conditions of the Baltic Sea, as well as the resulting ecological changes in marine habitats. The data collected are incorporated into national and international assessments of the Baltic Sea’s condition and evaluations under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (e.g., HELCOM HOLAS) and form the basis for numerous scientific publications.
Hydrographic and hydrochemical assessments of the Baltic Sea have been available annually since 1969. The reports contain data from the MARNET marine environmental monitoring network, data from moorings in the eastern Gotland Sea, and data from five annual measurement cruises across the Baltic Sea. The annual reports contain information on meteorological, hydrographic and chemical conditions along a fixed cruise track.
Link to Hydrographic-hydrochemical assessments of the Baltic Sea
Biological assessments of the Baltic Sea have been available annually since 1997. At the selected stations, the parameters chlorophyll, phytoplankton, zooplankton and, once a year, macrozoobenthos are examined during five annual cruises. The results of the data analyses are published annually as 'Biological assessments'.
Link to Biological assessments of the Baltic Sea
To collect hydrographic, chemical and biological data for environmental monitoring, monitoring cruises are carried out annually in February, March, May, August and November along a fixed cruise track from Kiel Bay, Mecklenburg Bay to the Arkona Sea, the Bornholm Basin and the eastern and western Gotland Basins. Since 2023, this cruises has been extended in May to include the Gulf of Bothnia. The cruise reports describe the data collected and present the initial measurement results.
Link to cruise reports
