ROUND TABLE RESOLUTION

Assessment of the Baltic Sea environment (nutrients, pollutants, biodiversity etc.)

Within the framework of the VIII International Environmental Forum “Baltic Sea Day”

CO-CHAIRMEN: Jucha Sarkkula, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)

                               Karlin L.N., Russian State Hydrometeorological University

                              Rybalko A.E , State company «Sevmorgeo», St.-Petersburg

 Participants: 71
 

This round table by tradition unites the researchers working on environmental problems in both the Baltic Sea and its coastal zone. 71 experts, including 7 representatives of Sweden, Finland and Germany took part in this round table. 18 presentations were made. 16 persons, including 2 representatives from Germany and Sweden took part in the discussion on March 23, 2007.

All presentations can be divided into 3 groups:

1.       Environmental monitoring methodology.

2.      Status assessment (water quality, bottom sediments, indicators, modelling, databases, etc.) and threat evaluation of the Baltic Sea ecosystem.

3.      Status assessment of the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea including river systems of the Gulf of Finland catchment area.

The first presentation group discussed theoretical the basis of monitoring including correct environmental status assessment and risk indexes. It was stressed that the problems of ecological assessment of the Baltic Sea, both for water and bottom sediments, are not developed sufficiently that affects the results of comparison of various researches.

The reports of the second group were the most numerous (12 presentations). They concerned the dynamics analysis of near-bottom water quality and bottom sediments on 5-years results of federal geological monitoring carried out in the Gulf of Finland, and changes of hydrochemical conditions in deep layers of the Baltic Sea from 2002 to 2004, the influences of these processes on the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland eutrophication, and the organization and monitoring results in areas of new harbours construction.

Three presentations were focused on the issues of radio-ecological monitoring in the Baltic Sea and the international cooperation in this field. The report on construction of Leningrad Atomic station-2 was made.

Great attention of the Round Table participants was attracted by a problem of the Neva Bay and the eastern Gulf of Finland pollution in 2006. The data of federal water and bottom sediments monitoring, the results of remote sensing system show that the significant amount of suspended matters was fixed in the Neva Bay and beyond its limits to the west that was caused by hydraulic engineering activities and the use of dredging pumps during entire vegetative period. It did not only suppress the development of some hydrobionts groups but also led to water pollution with hydrocarbons and heavy metals. The significant amount of pollutants accumulated in bottom sediments. Thus, there was a real threat for secondary water pollution. The participants expressed concern that the organizations that carried out ecological support of hydraulic engineering works did not prove in any way the pollution problem of the Neva Bay and were not present at the round table.

A great part of the presentations was dedicated to biological problems, in particular to preservation of the ecosystem of the unique brackish-water Baltic Sea. The Round Table participants have stressed that the problems of the Gulf of Finland eutrophication were connected to the cycles of natural processes in the Gulf opened part that lead to the increase of phosphorus inputs from bottom sediments, as well with phosphorus inputs from the drainage basins of all Baltic countries. In particular, sharp increase of the phosphorous contents in the River Neva runoff in 2006 was registered.

The problems of pollution with hydrocarbons and exchange between surface water and groundwaters in the Gulf of Finland coastal zone were discussed.

Thus, the presented reports covered a wide spectrum of issues, both theoretical and especially practical. The data about current status of the Gulf of Finland ecosystem, the time series of changes of ecological parameters in different areas of the Baltic Sea, the debatable problems of an eutrophication of the Gulf of Finland and sources of nutrient inputs, the environment condition of construction zones of the largest hydraulic engineering facilities were discussed. The research results are based not only on the data of field measurements, but also on materials of remote sensing, and also mathematical modelling. Among the reporters, alongside with the known specialists, there were also young post-graduate students who presented results of interesting research. 

The participants of the Round Table recommend:

1. To pay attention of Rosprirodnadsor in Northwest Federal Region and St.-Petersburg Government to considerable impacts of large-scale hydraulic engineering activities in 2006 on the Neva Bay and the eastern Gulf of Finland and on necessity of more careful control of the companies spending these works.

2. To pay greater attention to the cooperation of ecologists, politicians and engineers-developers during the realization of large engineering projects which can damage ecosystem health of the eastern Gulf of Finland.

3. To ask the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation to organize activities on compiling the requirements to ecological rating of bottom sediments covering all stages from sampling and storage to the analyses and unified forms of representation of the ecological information in view of the HELCOM requirements.

4. To ask the organizers to include the contact information of participants in the Forum Proceedings and also to put electronic versions of presentations on the web site of Public Organisation "Ecology and Business."

5. Research organizations should pay attention to the need to elaborate the methods of the biotesting suitable for water areas with expressed salinity gradient, and also regional algorithm of remote definition of chlorophyll concentrations, water blooming, contents of suspended matter and transparency of water. To ask the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, Rostechnadzor and Rosprirodnadzor to support elaboration of these methods.

The participants of the Round Table have decided:

To thank the Public Organisation "Ecology and Business" for good organization of the Forum and the opportunity to discuss ecological problems of the Baltic Sea within the framework of the Round Table.