Today we know that our seas stabilize the earth's climate and when the seas are functioning well, the effects of climate change are mitigated. It is impossible to study the sea without having knowledge of the climate. Similarly, knowledge of the sea can contribute to a better understanding of how the climate works, changes and makes our planet habitable. The Baltic Sea is considered to be extra sensitive to climate change as it is a shallow and enclosed sea.
At the Baltic Sea Center, we develop models that constitute the basis for decision-making and recommendations on how to manage and improve the Baltic Sea. The models always include the climate in one way or another, such as weather and wind information in a given region over a given period. It is not possible to study an ecosystem on a larger scale without having knowledge of what the different physical conditions normally look like.
When it comes to life in the sea, climate plays a big role. The Baltic Sea's fish stocks, animals and plants are particularly sensitive to a changing climate because they live in a unique brackish water environment that entails a physiological stress. Eutrophication, acidification and oxygen depletion are other processes with a strong connection to, for example, temperature changes and amount of precipitation. Even in our studies on hazardous substances, knowledge about the link between climate and toxins in the environment is needed, not least because the use of chemicals is expected to increase world wide as the climate gets warmer.
Strong climate research at Stockholm University
At the university level, the climate issue permeates many initiatives spread across all of our faculties as the issue affects our whole society. Some institutions, centers and research initiatives in natural science have a particularly clear climate focus, such as the Bolin Centre for climate research and the Department of Meteorology, MISU. Researchers collaborate transdisciplinary within various joint projects and offcourse in outreach activities to inform the public.
Please contact us for more information on current projects or to get in touch with the right expert on issues related to the Baltic Sea and climate effects.