Description
Description (EN): The project will reduce nutrients from the Baltic Sea and improve water quality especially in the coastal areas by piloting and developing seabased activities. Although nutrient load from land-based sources to the sea has reduced significantly, good ecological status has not been reached partly due to large amount of internal loading from the bottom sediments. Moreover, fulfilling the nutrient reductions agreed in the HELCOM BSAP seems challenging for many countries such as Sweden and Finland.
Therefore, both Finnish and Swedish governments have decided to include seabased measures in their Baltic Sea protection policy (MSFD and governmental programs). As local authorities are currently also lacking effective means to improve water quality in coastal and semi-enclosed sea areas where the traditional land-based measures are not sufficient, there is a growing demand for applying seabased measures. As an added benefit, some of these measures enable nutrient recycling and circular economy.
Scientists have proposed various seabased measures for the Baltic Sea. However, comprehensive information with regards impacts, costs, risks, applicability and financing of the different measures is currently lacking. The project will pilot several promising measures, such as 1) recycling nutrients from bottom sediments or nutrient-rich bottom waters for further use on land, 2) recycling nutrients on land in the form of stickleback fish, 3) applying various nutrient binding materials to sediments.
The project will also produce a concept of Marine Habitat Bank for local water quality improvement and ecosystem restoration measures; and Practical Guidelines on Seabased measures in the Baltic Sea. Moreover, the project aims at facilitating an open, multi-disciplinary and cross-sector dialogue on benefits and risks of seabased measures and their applicability in Baltic Sea context.
Read more Achievements (EN): SEABASED helped to improve the status of marine area by reducing nutrients from the seabed:
Eutrophication is one of the most large-scale problems of the Baltic Sea. While the nutrient load from land-based sources has been cut significantly during past decades, nutrients that are stored in the seabed and are being released from the sediment back to the waterbody.
The SEABASED Project (2018-2021) examined and assessed measures that potentially improve the status of marine area by reducing this “internal load” of nutrients from the seabed. The project also strengthened cooperation and shared knowledge between scientific communities as well as among authorities, political decision makers and third sector actors of the region on the feasibility, risks, and sustainability of the different sea-based approaches in different scales and sea areas, as well as on their financial sustainability.
The project implemented the following small scale local pilots in Finland, Åland and Sweden:
Marl application to phosphorus-rich bottom sediments in coastal bays in Sweden (Kyrkviken, Djuröfladen, Farstaviken) and Finland (Kolkka) (Ekeroth 2021). The pilots and its outcomes are presented in the report.
Irrigation of two fields in Åland for two seasons, 2019 and 2020, with brackish, nutrient-rich near-bottom water from the strongly eutrophicated bays Kaldersfjärden and Ämnäsviken. The pilot's main goal was to evaluate this sea-based method for reducing nutrients in the marine environment and restore the coastal areas into better conditions while presenting a win-win solution for the farmers and the Baltic Sea. More information about approach, measurements and results in the report Nutrients from Sea to Field.
Harvesting of stickleback was piloted in Sweden and Åland with the aim to uptake nutrients with the fish biomass, and, in addition, to develop techniques to efficiently harvest the abundant population of these small fish. The report for the stickleback harvesting can be accessed here. Short video about this pilot and lessons learnt.
In addition to stickleback harvesting, the construction of artificial reef structures and small- scale wetlands, “pike factories” aiming to improve the condition of coastal ecosystem in pilot bays to be more suitable for spawning and “nursery” of young generations of pike and other predatory fish which spawn in shallow sea bays. Video presenting the aim of the artificial reefs.
Removing the top layer of the sediment was planned but it was not possible to implement because proposed prices were too high. Instead, the potential of sediment top-layer removal for phosphorus uptake and reducing the oxygen demand in the bottom was studied with incubation tests in laboratory scale. The report is available here. The study on the incubation of the sediment.
The concept for aquatic compensations was designed, related to the renovation of the Water Act in Åland. More information in the final report Nutrient compensation for aquatic coastal environment — legal, ecological and economic aspects in developing an offsetting concept.
The practical and scientific knowledge, including estimates on impacts and sustainability, risks, costs, and feasibility of available sea-based measures gained in the SEABASED and previous projects is compiled as in the Practical Guidelines for Sea-based Measures.
More information about the project results in the project website at www.seabasedmeasures.eu
Read more
Website: http://centralbaltic.eu/
Expected Results (EN): R2.4. The amounts of nutrients, hazardous substances and toxins inflows into the Baltic Sea
Expected Outputs (EN): The main results of the Project will be:
1) Guidelines on seabased measures to act as a practical “handbook” for authorities and policymakers in assessing, selecting and discussing the possibilities of applying sea-based measures in water protection policy in the BSR. Assessment of the feasibility of identified seabased measures for removing nutrients from the Baltic Sea from the point of view of their environmental, financial and social sustainability will be included. In addition, Plans for commercialization and financing of seabased measures will be included, to enable proceeding from project based approach into sustainable long-term financing scheme.
2) A sustainable concept for verified measures which remove nutrients, improve coastal water quality and restore coastal ecosystems to enable ecological compensations in marine environment. The concept can have a multitude of application areas within the Baltic Sea revival in the future.
3) Cross-sectoral discussion on the seabased measures within and between countries for integrating the measures into environmental policies.
4) Concrete removal of approx. 10 t phosphorus (P) from marine environment by 2 sediment removal and 2 nutrient rich water removal pilots. A future potential of several hundred tons of P are targeted with further implementation of the piloted measures.
5) Pilot area restoration to achieve better ecological condition by marl application at 3 pilot sites and harvesting dense population of stickleback fish in two coastal bays. Both of the measures can potentially be utilized further as verified measures for ecosystem based compensations.
The project links to the result indicator by:
1) Implementing 10 pilots, which reduce up to 10 t P and/or restore pilot areas towards better environmental status.
2) Introducing a concept for implementing effective sea-based nutrient reduction measures in the future.
3) Providing guidelines for including sea-based measures in Baltic Sea protection policy.
Read more
Thematic information
Specific Objective:
Reduced nutrients, hazardous substances and toxins inflows into the Baltic Sea
Thematic Objective:
(06) preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency by:
Investment Priority:
(06f) promoting innovative technologies to improve environmental protection and resource efficiency in the waste sector, water sector and with regard to soil, or to reduce air pollution
Partners (6)
Lead Partner:
John Nurmisen Säätiö
Department:
Clean Baltic Sea -Projects
Address:
Pasilankatu 2, 240 Helsinki, Finland
Legal status:
private
Website:
http://www.johnnurmisensaatio.fi
Total budget:
EUR 737 055.00
ERDF budget:
EUR 552 791.25
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Ålands fiskodlarförening r.f.
-
Name:
Ålands fiskodlarförening r.f.
Department:
-
Address:
Norra Esplanadgatan 4B, AX-22100 MARIEHAMN, Finland
Legal status:
private
Website:
http://www.fiskodlarna.ax
Total budget:
EUR 117 500.57
ERDF budget:
EUR 88 125.43
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Länsstyrelsen Östergötland
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Name:
Länsstyrelsen Östergötland
Department:
The Environmental department,
The Department of Nature protection,
Address:
Östgötagatan 3, SE-581 86 Linköping, Sweden
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.lansstyrelsen.se/ostergotland/Sv/Pages/default.aspx
Total budget:
EUR 479 135.94
ERDF budget:
EUR 359 351.96
-
Varsinais-Suomen ELY-keskus
-
Name:
Varsinais-Suomen ELY-keskus
Department:
Water Department
Address:
Itsenäisyydenaukio 2, 20101 TURKU, Finland
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.ely-keskus.fi/varsinais-suomi
Total budget:
EUR 470 510.02
ERDF budget:
EUR 352 882.52
-
Ålands landskapsregering
-
Name:
Ålands landskapsregering
Department:
The Environmental Department
Address:
Strandgatan 37, AX-22111 MARIEHAMN, Finland
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.regeringen.ax
Total budget:
EUR 359 984.91
ERDF budget:
EUR 269 988.68
-
Stockholms Universitet
-
Name:
Stockholms Universitet
Department:
Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant sciences
Address:
Svante Arrhenius väg 20, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://su.se/deep
Total budget:
EUR 496 364.04
ERDF budget:
EUR 372 273.03
