Nutrient input, eutrophication, oxygen depletion and global warming all place the Baltic Sea’s ecosystem under stress. Effective measures to improve the state of the Baltic Sea require reliable information on the long-term fluctuations in its status and the factors causing the changes. This project is the first study to concentrate on the effects climate change and human activities have had on the ecosystem of the Baltic Sea over the last 7,000 years by analysing the geochemical composition of ferrous manganese nodules. Ferrous manganese nodules are discs or spheres consisting of iron and manganese oxides, which are relatively common on coastal seabeds. The project aims to produce proxy data with an accuracy of 3–20 years with mass spectrometer microanalysis and microbiological analysis. The project also aims to measure the amounts of nutrients and metals that could potentially be released into sea water from the ferrous manganese nodules due to global warming, eutrophication and increasing oxygen depletion.
- Name of organisation
- Geological Survey of Finland (GTK)
- Type of organisation
- Research and academia
- Type of action proposed
- Research and innovation
- The action contributes to the following objective or enabler
- Protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity
- List of Partners
University of Helsinki
- Start date of the action
- End date of the action
- Budget allocated for the action
- 770000
- Basin coverage
- Baltic/North Sea
- Website link
- joonas.virtasalo@gtk.fi
- Country
- EstoniaFinlandGermanySweden