1BONUS in Brief November 2011

in Brief

BONUS Forum 2011: Baltic Sea faces even more critical challenges than previously thought, scientists say

November 2011

Over 80 participants of the BONUS Forum 2011, including representatives across different ministries and govern-mental research institutes from the nine countries surrounding the Baltic Sea, gathered in Gdansk. Participants heard about the newest research results and explored links between

science and policy work carried out on local, national, regional and European level that have critical impact on the future of the environmentally threat-ened Baltic Sea.

The programme started with welcoming words by Kaisa Kononen,

Executive Director of BONUS who introduced the event’s facilitator Anna Jöborn, Head of the Analysis and Research at the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management.

Executive Secretary of HELCOM, Anne Christine Brusendorff high-lighted the challenges of the Baltic Sea and the critical linkages between science and policy. From the European perspective, Peter Crawley from the Directorate General for Research and Innovation of European Commission noted, among other, the underlined opportunity BONUS has to seize its place in delivering high scientific and policy impact through scientific excellence and the region wide partnership. Anders Lindholm from the Directorate General for Regional Policy of European Commission representing the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region noted that a lot of crucial decisions will be made in the coming years to improve the sustaina-bility of the region and that they need to be based on updated and qualified top research, such as BONUS can provide.

The presentations of BONUS+ projects highlighted the key findings of each project. The first panel on multiple risks and stressors discussed results from human induced chemical stress, chemical pollution, use of surface

by Hanna Aho and Maija Sirola

BONUS Forum 2011: Baltic Sea faces even more critical challenges than previously thought, scientists say .................................................... 1, 10-11

BONUS strategic research agenda and thematic call 2012 ..........................................................................2

The MARCOM+ Initiative: Towards a common vision of the marine and maritime science and technology community ............................................3

Baltic Sea Science Congress 2011: Top science on show in St. Petersburg .........................................4

Young scientists explore, discover and connect .....4

BONUS+ results to the European community ....5

BALTIC GAS Methane emission in the Baltic Sea: Gas storage and effects of climate change and eutrophication .....................................................6

BALTICWAY The potential of currents for environmental management of the Baltic Sea maritime industry ...........................................................................7

BAZOOCA Baltic zooplankton cascades ...................................8

PREHAB Providing tools for sustainable development in the Baltic ....................................................................9

Chair of the BONUS Steering Committee, Dr. Joachim Harms .................................................... 12

BONUS+ public engagement award 2011 ....................................... 12

BONUS at the networking village of the EUSBSR and BDF conference 2011 ...................................... 12

Contents

water currents in environmental management and consideration of multiple risks in the management efforts through research results of BEAST, BALCOFISH, BALTICWAY and IBAM (respectively).

With the overall water temperature projected to

increase and salinity to decrease, nutrient load

reductions are even more critical in the future if the

HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan targets are to be

reached, finds the model projections by ECOSUPPORT.

This is one of the 16 BONUS+ projects that shared the

most up-to-date top Baltic Sea research results with

stakeholders in Gdansk on 24 October 2011.

...continued on page 10

Tuukka TrobergTuukka Troberg

2BONUS in Brief November 2011

Hakaniemenranta 600530 Helsinki, FinlandTel. +358 40 040 4011Fax +358 9 4780 0044 Email: bonus@bonuseeig.fiWebsite: www.bonusportal.org/inbrief

Editor-in-Chief: Maija SirolaEditor: Tiina TembeEditorial board: Andris Andrusaitis, Kaisa Kononen, Elise Oukka

Layout: Sole LättiPrinting: Uusimaa, Porvoo 2011

BONUS is a joint research and development programme producing knowledge to support development and implementation of regula-tions, policies and management practices specifically tailored for the Baltic Sea region. It issues calls for competitive proposals and funds projects of high excellence and relevance based on its strategic research agenda.

BONUS is supported by the national research funding agencies in the eight EU member states around the Baltic Sea and the EU Commission’s Research Framework Programme. Scientists from the Russian Federation participate in BONUS research projects through a number of special agreements.

BONUS in Brief is published by the BONUS Secretariat to keep the BONUS community, including partners and supporters, informed about current views and news about BONUS activities and accomplishments.

BONUS EEIG is the legal management organisation of BONUS. © 2011 BONUS Baltic Organisations’ Network for Funding Science EEIG

Denmark• Danish Agency for Science,

Technology and Innovation• Danish Council for Strategic Research

Estonia• Estonian Science Foundation

Finland• FiRD Coop• Academy of Finland

Germany• Forschungszentrum Jülich

Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH• Federal Ministry of Education

and Research

Editorial box

Latvia• Latvian Academy of Sciences• Ministry of Education and Science

of the Republic of Latvia

Lithuania• Research Council of Lithuania• Ministry of Education and Science

of the Republic of Lithuania

Poland• Foundation for the Development

of Gdansk University• Ministry for Science and Higher Education

Sweden• Swedish Research Council for

Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning FORMAS

• Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

BONUS members and related funding institutions 2011:

BONUS plans to launch five calls in the coming three years inviting proposals for projects that address the five strategic objectives of the BONUS strategic research agenda 2011-2017. These objectives form the backbone for a total of 19 specifically defined themes:

1. Understanding the Baltic Sea ecosystem structure and functioning

2. Meeting the multifaceted chal-lenges in linking the Baltic Sea with its coast and catchment area

3. Enhancing sustainable use of coastal and marine goods and services of the Baltic Sea

4. Improving the capabilities of the society to respond to the current and future challenges directed to the Baltic Sea region

5. Developing improved and innova-tive observation and data man-agement systems, tools and methodologies for marine infor-mation needs in the Baltic Sea region

Research themes featured in four of the five calls have already been defined. The composition of the last call that is to be launched in late 2013 will be defined after the revision of the research agenda earlier in 2013.

The first competitive BONUS call will open in the first half of 2012. The successful top science projects to be funded will be selected by a panel of international experts and the results will be announced by the end of 2012. By postponing the opening of this call from the originally planned 1 December 2011 to the first half of 2012 allows the funding volume of up to EUR 40 million to be fully secured legally for mobilisation. Half of the funding comes from the national funding institutions of the Baltic Sea countries and the other half from the EU Seventh Framework Programme. For further updates, subscribe to the BONUS e-bulletin at www.bonusportal.org/bulletin.

Joint region-wide strategic research agendaWhen published in early autumn 2011, the BONUS strategic research agenda also marked the completion of a milestone that began already at BONUS’s inception in June 2010 by the co-decision of the European Parliament and the Council. Much of the focus of BONUS since then has been in developing the strategic research agenda jointly with the stakeholders across the Baltic Sea region.  BONUS thank all those who have provided their valuable input and contributed to realising this strate-gic research agenda: the members of the scientific community, and

others who submitted proposals to the open poll in the summer 2010; the BONUS advocates and their respective networks that were consulted through the workshops and other consultations carried out in all eight BONUS member coun-tries; the participants of the BONUS Forum who convened in autumn 2010 in Tallinn; the participants of the Strategic Orientation Workshop held in March 2011 in Latvia; the EU Commission services that supported this work and the national funding institutions who made all this possible.

When executed well, BONUS and the multidisciplinary science it supports, promises to take a critical role in the coming decade and beyond in finding solutions for some of the major challenges presently facing the Baltic Sea region and in making the region an environmentally, socially and economically attractive and wealthy place to live.

Executive summary document and the full copy of the BONUS strategic research agenda 2011-2017 are available for downloading www.bonusportal.org/sra

To obtain hard copies of either or both, email bonus(at)bonuseeig.fi

For more information about the BONUS calls, visit www.bonusportal.org/calls /MS

BONUS strategic research agenda and thematic call 2012

The joint Baltic Sea research and development programme

BONUS is supported by the national research funding institutions in the eight EU member

states around the Baltic Sea and the EU Commission’s Research Framework Programme

Hakaniemenranta 600530 Helsinki

Finland

Tel. +358 40 040 4011Fax +358 9 4780 0044

Email bonus@bonuseeig.fiWeb www.bonusportal.org

Strategic reSearch agenda 2011-2017

Phot

os: R

iku

Lum

iaro

, Fin

nish

Env

ironm

ent I

nstit

ute;

Ti

ina

Tem

be, B

ON

US;

Anu

Hirv

onen

and

Ilkk

a La

stum

äki;

rode

o.fi

BOnUS PUBlicatiOn nO. 12

SRAkansi8.indd 1-2 9/22/2011 2:03:14 PM

iStock

3BONUS in Brief November 2011

The European marine and maritime research networks are

currently engaged in one of the most exciting endeavours

to join forces for future cooperation. Europe has been

struggling with fragmentation of the marine and maritime

research sectors of the European Research Area. Reduction

of the fragmentation became a priority in the process of

structuring the Euro pean Research Area and meeting the

Lisbon Agenda/Europe 2020 goals.

In response to the European Commission’s launch of an integral part of the EU Maritime Policy, the European Marine and Maritime Research Strategy in 2008, both the marine and maritime scientific communities joined forces to face the challenge of building a new dialogue model with each other. The resulting MARCOM+ initiative, led by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is an FP7 funded Coordination and Support Action, which has brought together the major European research networks dealing with the marine and maritime research sectors, transport and mari-time industries, tourism, coastal devel- opment, security, living resources, fisheries, and aquaculture. A consor-tium of key players in research and technology development networks has decided to take further steps in integrating their activities. The following two elements are particularly addressed:• The issue of marine and maritime key

stakeholder integration. Different disciplines and sectors are involved in marine and maritime research. There are interrelations among them that are being identified in order to propose a research framework that allows enhancing synergies among them

• The dialogue between the European Commission and European research communities. Both sides are interested in a permanent dialogue to take into account their needs. Although dialogue already exists mainly via public consultation, it seems important to set a framework which addresses particularly research and makes this

exchange more representative and legitimised.

The challenge was to convene two scientific communities whose research needs are governed by different drivers. The maritime industry operates at short time scales albeit with long-term objectives. The goals of their activities are• to achieve competitiveness• to run safe, sustainable and efficient

operations• to position the maritime industry

to meet future challenges• to achieve cost-efficiency.

The marine research in contrast is driven by the need to understand ecosystems, how they function, and how they change, to understand the impacts of human activities on eco-systems and to develop options for sustainable use. And, of course, curiosity is an important motivation which maintains originality of research and which provides the bottom-up process needed to create innovation. Innovation is key for achieving competitiveness and creative science.

The opportunity in the MARCOM+ process lies in the development of a common vision, shared by both the marine and maritime research com-munities. First, to achieve and sustain clean, healthy, and productive oceans is a foremost commonality. Clean stands for high-quality sea food and human health; health symbolises functioning ecosystems and thriving coastal communities; while productive seas are foundation to ecosystem’s goods and services as well as to maritime products and economies.

Another vision to share is to create a competitive environment for maritime activities in the European seas which in turn provides the knowledge base of marine and maritime research as vehicle for sustainable development. It will• create job opportunities for the

marine world• create market opportunities for

the maritime world• stimulate science made by people

for the people• contribute to achieving a common

understanding of sustainability.

Europe is leading in environmental standards and hence providing an opportunity and a competitive advan-tage for the maritime sector. Marine research can help to exploit the leading edge of environmentally friendly technologies for export opportunities, such as “green” and clean ships (incl. ballast water), ocean energy and other offshore opera-tions, coastal engineering (“building with nature”), and sustainable fisheries and marine aquaculture. In turn, the ocean is a changing environment. Change means uncertainty which, however, can be quantified. Marine science can help to develop tools to forecast, adapt to, and mitigate changes of the ocean climate regime, as well as changes of economical regimes (financial, trade, govern-ance), and to behavioural changes (e.g. due to fuel price developments, policies for subsidies, and other incentives).

Today, the MARCOM+ process includes a broad scope of stakeholders from major European marine and maritime research networks to industry repre-sentatives. The final deliverable of the project, the founding of the European Marine and Maritime Science and Technology Forum is in its concluding phase. It will be a decentralised net work of experts available through a central “hub” and though cooperation on identified “Areas of Common Interests”, shared by both research communities. It will provide a consolidated recom-mendations/advice from the marine and maritime science communities on emerging issues. The new govern-ance model, as a new integrated governance and consultancy frame-work, will also allow the involved

science networks to respond jointly to policy needs when requested.

The MARCOM process contributes to developing interactions between the research communities and other partners (industry, regional authori-ties, civil society, and other stakehold-ers of the seas). During the project’s implementation phase a group of key science and technology net-works have reviewed regional governance frameworks and devel-oped the most effective dialogue mechanisms. Dr. Kaisa Kononen (BONUS Executive Director) as a member of the MARCOM+ Advisory Board was interviewed for the purpose of a MARCOM+ study on “Fostering marine and maritime integration and dialogue between the EU and research communities through the elements assessment of research governance frameworks”. This study presented BONUS experience in knowledge and data sharing as a pattern for other European regions and recommended broader search of human impacts on marine environment from different sectors. Promotion of public–private partnerships in the course of the integrated EU Maritime Policy imple-mentation was also recommended.

Contact:Dr. Adi Kellermann, MARCOM+ Coordinator,ICES Head of Science Programmeadi@ices.dk Wojciech Wawrzynski, MARCOM+ Manager,wojciech@ices.dk

The MARCOM+ Initiative: Towards a common vision of the marine and maritime science and technology communityby Dr. Adi Kellermann, ICES Head of Science Programme (Coordinator of MARCOM+)

For more information, please visit:www.marinemaritimescienceforum.euwww.ices.int

iStock

4BONUS in Brief November 2011

New scientific results were reported over the five days in late August when the 8th Baltic Sea Science Congress and the final BONUS+ final annual conference convened jointly in St. Petersburg, Russia.  The BONUS scientists delivered nearly a quarter of reports presented at the BSSC with a total number of papers amounting to close of 400. In addition, eight out of 19 thematic sessions of the congress were initiated by the BONUS+ scientists. The broad themes of the conference included 1) Modern state, paleoreconstructions, trends; 2) Processes; 3) Impacts on ecosystem, environmental hazards; and 4) IT & management. 

“The high quality of presentations at the BSSC is unprecedented” said Ilppo Vuorinen, the head of the Archipelago Research Center, University of Turku, Finland. “It is particularly important that the congress was in Russia giving the Russian scientists a possibility for networking with the rest of the Baltic Sea countries.”

“We are extremely pleased with the scientific outcomes of the Baltic Sea Science Congress this year and look forward to the next in Klaipeda”, said Kaisa Kononen, Executive Director of BONUS.  /MS

On 23 August 2011, the Russian State Hydro-meteorological University hosted a fun-filled evening for the young scientists attending the 8th Baltic Sea Science Congress in St. Petersburg.

A young Russian scientist Anna Kanukhina led the participants through a brainstorming session for the next Baltic Sea Science Congress motto. Young scientists’ suggestions were manifold, some more earnest than other, but all proving ammuni-tion for a very entertaining evening with food, drink and laughter. Suggestions ranged from “Defend ecosystem from our technology”, “The Baltic Sea, no more bonus points left over” and “Baltic – an unique and unite region in a chang-ing world”, to “Reduce uncertainty, Increase accuracy, Define probability = Higher, Stronger, Faster”, “Let’s prevent the problems of the Baltic Sea before we give up and drain the sea and turn it into a vineyard” and “Baltic Sea – the sea of opportunities”.

After a round of presentations of mottos, some presented in a format of singing and poetry, the difficult task of choosing a winner was put to a judging panel which eventually announced the winning motto to be “Baltic science – Explore, Discover, Connect”. This was considered to capture well the essence of the forward looking and growing forum of the Baltic Sea Science Congress. The panel members included the BONUS invited BSSC key speakers, Professor Deborah Bronk (USA), Professor Hans von Storch (Germany) and Professor Wajih Naqvi (India) and members of the BONUS Secretariat team.

The other task Anna put to the six teams consisting of a total of 40 participants was to present each team’s view on one of the following questions: What is the role of the mass media in defining the future of the Baltic environment?, Baltic Sea in 2050, The urgent environmental issues of the Baltic: how to solve them?, How to make BSSC more attractive, useful and friendly to young researchers in future, and

‘Themes of the next BSSC’. And again, answers were manifold and intriguing – ranging from proposed speed dating with senior scientists in order to make BSSC more attractive to young scientists, and “if we don’t find solutions, the nature will start a revolution” when discussing urgency of solutions needed for urgent environmental issues. One of the suggested scenarios for the Baltic Sea in year 2050 was that “The global warming stops the great Earth current and a next big ice age will cover most parts of the Sea with an ice shield”. The role of mass media was considered strong with it possibly determining the politics of the future. As for the themes for the next BSSC, suggestions included “Baltic Sea as energy resource”, “Survive while fishing – fishers and consumers” and “Who ‘greens’ the Baltic Sea – science, policy or algae”.

Besides the scrumptious and plenti-ful banquet, participants left the evening of activities with food for thought about the future of the Baltic Sea science. 

This was the third BONUS sponsored Young Scientist Club since the BONUS+ Kick-Off Conference in early 2009. The ambition is to look into the future in terms of creating networks between tomor row’s leading Baltic Sea scientists in the early stages of their careers.

Feedback from the Young Scientist Club participants will be shared in advance with the local organiser of the next BONUS young scientists club meeting that will be held in conjunction with a future, major BONUS event. /MS

Baltic Sea Science Congress 2011:

Kabir Mostamandy

Kabir Mostamandy

Young scientists in action

From left to right: Judging panel members Kaisa Kononen, Deborah Bronk, Wajih Naqvi and Hans von Storch discussing the YSC presentations.

The winnig team

Top science on show in St. Petersburg

For further coverage from the Baltic Sea Science Congress 2011, visit http://www.bssc2011.org/about/

Young scientists explore, discover and connect

Andris Andrusaitis

5BONUS in Brief November 2011

BONUS+ projects take centre stage

Kabir Mostamandy

Kabir Mostamandy

Questions were invited in advance and pre-prepared answers presented on the day through a dialogue between the BONUS Secretariat and the BONUS+ project representatives. The afternoon seminar was attended by 40 Brussels-based participants consisting of representatives from different EU Directorates, regional offices and the European Parliament offices.

The focus of the questions presented by Dr. Kaisa Kononen and Dr. Andris Andrusaitis from the Secretariat was in some of the most critical chal-lenges faced by the Baltic Sea region. Under scrutiny were issues related to the fragile biodiversity of the region, eutrophication and climate change and interlinkages between these two. Questions covered also critically important science and policy inter-face and the life styles of the people living in the region that need adapt-ing or changing for the good of the environment in order to sustain their own life quality in the long run.

Professor Linda Laikre from the BALTGENE project stressed how crucial genetic diversity is for ecosystem function and sustainability and that it needs careful consideration in order to ensure sustainable management measures. Professor Mats Lindegarth from the PREHAB project reminded the audience that the Implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Water Framework Directive and marine spatial planning all require knowledge about the distribution of marine bio - diversity and its associated goods and services. For this underwater maps are essential.

According to Professor Aarno Koti lainen’s answer to the question put to him ’When did the bottoms of the Baltic Sea die?’, the bottoms of the Baltic Sea have died several times: INFLOW project’s integrated model-ling and sediment proxy studies

BONUS+ results to the European community

A questions and answers panel addressing topics

related to the top Baltic Sea research was held

on 8 November 2011. This provided another

opportunity for stakeholders (besides the BONUS

Forum 2011) to hear about the latest knowledge

produced by the BONUS+ projects that are ending

in 2011. This time the venue was Brussels and the

audience the European community.

reveal increased sea surface temper-atures and extended seafloor anoxia (in deep basins) also during earlier natural warm climate phases. Observations on past changes together with model simulations suggest that ongoing climate warming will increase the environ-mental (e.g. anoxia) problems of the Baltic Sea. Professor Jacob Carstensen from HYPER project noted that although it is possible to reverse hypoxia by reducing nutrient inputs, it takes decades. This is a real concern in particular as hypoxia has increased manifold since the 1950s. Furthermore, Professor Joachim Dippner from AMBER project stressed how important it is to prevent hypoxia in the coastal zones as these areas actually protect the open Baltic Sea from excess nitrogen: a substantial fraction of the river nitrogen load is lost in this important ecosystem service (i.e. the coastal zone).

Professor Anders Omstedt from the BALTIC-C project delivered a critically important message of the Baltic Sea most likely becoming more acid in the future meaning that this, together with increased hypoxia, will increase the stress on the marine ecosystem. This makes it a very high time to decrease our CO2 emissions and nutrient loads. To add to the plot of gloomy future scenarios, unless drastic changes are made, Professor Pierre Regnier from the BALTIC GAS project explained why we should also care about methane emission from the Baltic Sea - methane is a powerful green house gas that increases global warming. In addi-tion, its accumulation in the seabed may pose numerous hazards toseabed structures by destabilising the the sea floor.

Water transparency and bottom oxygen changes are predicted to take a turn for worse in the region as explained by Dr. Helén Andersson

from the ECOSUPPORT project and adding further to results indicating a bleak future scenario for the Baltic Sea environment: it is clear that critically urgent and strong action is required to stop, if not reverse, the undesired development. Professor Christoph Humborg from the RECOCA project explained the model developed for the policymakers to help identify the most cost-effective measures for reducing nutrient loads. It includes reduction measures in the agricultural, energy and transport sectors, together with wetland restoration and improved wastewater treatment. Emissions to both air and water are thus included in the cost-minimisation calculations.

Mia Pihlajamäki from the PROBALT project concluded that a macro-regional, cost-effective and fair agreement regarding the prevention of eutrophication is necessary, however, this is not the current reality in which we act. For instance, both HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan and EU are challenged to fit this bill and further careful examination of optimal way forward is required.

To end the session, suggestions were made on how everyone as individu-als can make a difference. Most of the participants, when asked, expressed readiness to make small changes, for example introduce ‘meat free Mondays’ or consider carefully the washing powder used in the daily washing; accompanied with other responsible choices these can make a big difference. The key question for BONUS remains, however, the continuous meaningful dialogue with the policymakers and managers. Policymakers must take on seriously the top knowledge that the science is producing and ensure that it is embedded in important policy processes at this 11th hour, if we are ever to govern and manage the Baltic Sea region environmentally better and sustainably. /MS

iStock

Tiina Tembe

Tiina Tembe

Tiina Tembe

Tuukka Troberg

Andris Andrusaitis

6BONUS in Brief November 2011

by Bo Barker Jørgensen and Henrik Fossing, Aarhus University

BALTIC GAS explores where and why shallow gas occurs

in the Baltic seabed. Elevated methane concentrations

have been detected in the water column of several

basins and indicate a moderate diffuse emission of

gas. By a network of seismic transects and sediment

cores, combined with reactive transport modelling, the

hotspots of methane flux have now been identified and

the controls on shallow gas accumulation are widely

understood. The natural barriers to methane emission

have proven to be robust throughout most of the Baltic

Sea under the present climate conditions but continued

eutrophication, warming and anoxia will enhance the

upward migration of gas.

OVERVIEWThe main objectives of BALTIC GAS are to understand the controls on methane production and degradation in the seabed, to map the distribution of shallow gas, and to predict the future methane balance in the Baltic Sea on the background of climate change and eutrophication. Existing data are compiled and combined with new data obtained during research cruises throughout the Baltic Sea. Due to the recent geological history of the Baltic, methane production is today focussed towards the main deposition areas of organic-rich Holocene mud. When the mud layer thickness exceeds a critical threshold free gas occurs and causes a positive feed-back on the further methane production.

The project is transnational with participants from 12 institutions in 6 countries (Russia, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, The Netherlands). The project is also interdisciplinary as it combines biogeochemistry and

geophysics with GIS-mapping and modelling. The Center for Geomicro-biology, Aarhus University, Denmark, hosts the project.

OUTLINEMethane formation in the Baltic Sea is sensitive to eutrophication from coastal populations and from river discharge. This has led to the accu-mulation of free gas in the form of methane bubbles beneath the depth of sulfate penetration. The gas is generally hidden several meters below the sediment surface but in sensitive areas it penetrates up to within a few decimeters of the surface. This “shallow gas” has now been detected in hundreds of square kilometers of the Baltic seabed.Although the gas is continuously rising up towards the sediment surface, it is in most areas effectively broken down sub-surface when reaching into the sulfate zone. One of the main challenges for BALTIC GAS has been to establish a quantitative

and mechanistic understanding of gas accumulation, flux and emission in the seabed. The project has widely suc-ceeded in this objective through data mining, seismo-acoustic mapping, sediment coring and analyses of key biogeochemical parameters, and modelling.

We have discovered a positive feed-back mechanism in the methane cycle triggered by shallow gas. When the Holocene mud layer exceeds a threshold thickness methane concen-trations exceed the ambient hydro-static pressure in the sediment and free gas bubbles form. These ascend up through the sediment column and thereby deplete sulfate and expand the zone where the decay of buried organic matter leads to methane production. This in turn further increases the methane concentration and the evolution of gas. Ultimately, the penetration depth of sulfate, which functions as a barrier to methane emission, becomes shal-lower and ebullition of gas may occur. Such ebullition is not observed as a widespread phenomenon but it may occur during extreme wind condi-tions and strong water level variations.

Effects of gas accumulationIn marginal seas like the Baltic Sea, enhanced eutrophication by nutri-ents such as nitrate or phosphate leads to increased production of organic matter. Predicted climate change may increase the water temperature and reduce the deep water ventilation, factors which will stimulate anaerobic degradation of organic matter buried in the sedi-ment. As a consequence, more free methane gas (i.e. gas bubbles) will accumulate in the sediment. This may lead to an enhanced emission of methane to the water column and atmosphere where it acts as a very potent greenhouse gas.

Accumulation of shallow gas in the seabed may pose hazards to seabed structures such as wind farms, pipelines, power or communications cables, and off-shore drilling opera-tions by destabilising the sea floor. Enhanced ebullition from hot-spots of shallow gas will also enhance the emission of hydrogen sulphide which is toxic to fish and other marine life and is also highly corrosive.

The major field campaignField campaigns with research ships in different parts of the Baltic Sea have been a main activity of BALTIC GAS. The largest expedition took place with the RV Maria S. Merian in August 2010 and covered the major basins (Arkona Basin, Bornholm Basin, Gotland Basin, Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea). During the expedition, subbottom profiling systems were used to map the thickness and structure of organic‐rich deposits and to guide the detailed coring program for biogeochemical analysis. We monitored methane, sulfate, sulfide, iron and other chemi-cal species and performed incubation experiments to measure the produc-tion and breakdown of methane. We could demonstrate that the degrada-tion rate of organic matter buried at depth in the seabed continuously

decreases with depth in the sediment according to a power law function of its age.

NEXT STEPS Seismo-acoustic mapping and biogeochemistryA successful strategy of the BALTIC GAS project has been to integrate seismo-acoustic mapping with geochemical profiling. By scanning the Baltic sea floor with echo sound-ing equipment, areas with free methane gas has been mapped. Detailed interpretation of the data from the Merian Cruise is now ongo-ing and geochemical and acoustic data are now being integrated into the BALTIC GAS database.

Model explains development of free methane gasA transient reactive-transport model has been developed to unravel the methane cycle in the Arkona Basin. Next step is to use the modelling tools to establish basin-scale and regional budgets of methane production and consumption in the Baltic Sea. The ultimate goal is to understand the dynamics of the Baltic Sea methane and use the past record to calibrate the model prediction for the future.

Mapping methane distribution Different characteristics of methane in the Baltic Sea have been mapped by compiling biogeochemical data obtained during more than ten BALTIC GAS cruises. We now develop algorithms correlating methane fluxes and gas distribution so that GIS-mapping for these key parame-ters can be extended to major areas of the Baltic Sea.

BALTIC GAS Methane emission in the Baltic Sea: gas storage and effects of climate change and eutrophication

For more information visit www.bonusportal.org/balticgas and the BALTIC GAS website at www.balticgas.net or contact Professor Bo Barker Jørgensen, BALTIC GAS Coordinator, email: bo.barker@biology.au.dk

BALTIC GAS partners:• Aarhus University, Denmark • The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland,

Denmark• The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research,

Germany• The Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Germany• The Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Germany• University of Bremen, Germany• Utrecht University, The Netherlands• Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences

(IO-PAN), Poland• Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Russia• P.P.Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russia• Lund University, Sweden

BALTIC GAS

BALTIC GAS

7BONUS in Brief November 2011

BALTICWAY The potential of currents for environmental management of the Baltic Sea maritime industry

OVERVIEWTraditionally risks of maritime industry are associated with possible accidents that may lead to loss of lives or prop-erty, or to environmental pollution around the accident site. However, the technological progress has led to a new paradigm of such risks, a number of which are no more located in small areas. The currents can transport different impacts into seemingly remote and safe locations. Especially the amounts of oil spills have increased to a level that are of acute danger to the ecosystem and to society in particularly vulnerable sea areas that host intense ship traffic such as the Baltic Sea.

BALTICWAY is an initiative of the scientific community towards mini-mising such risks and, more generally, towards effective stewardship of the Baltic Sea by means of integrating marine ecosystem management with other needs of society, and linking scientists, stakeholders and decision-

The ever increasing impact of the maritime industry

on vulnerable sea areas such as the Baltic Sea calls

for novel methods for handling the related risks.

BALTICWAY develops methods for characterising

the damaging potential of the offshore areas in

terms of the potential transport to vulnerable

regions if faced by an oil spill or other pollution.

These methods are used for preventive reduction of

current-transported environmental risk. This way,

by placing maritime activities in the safest offshore

areas, the consequences of potential accidents can

be minimised before they occur.

makers in the process of elaborating a scientific base for political decisions.

BALTICWAY’s approach is based on a smart use of semi-persistent current patterns which govern pollution propagation. These patterns make the probability of transport of dangerous substances from different open sea areas to vulnerable sections (such as spawning or nursing areas) highly variable. For certain areas of reduced risk this probability is relatively small and (re)directing activities to these areas would involve very limited additional costs.

The core objective is to establish key components of a reliable, robust and low-cost technology for the identifi-cation of such areas and for their use in environmental management of shipping, offshore, and coastal engineering activities. The extreme complexity of water motions in nature calls for the use of novel mathematical methods to identify

the persistence and properties of favorable current patterns.

KEY RESULTSThe existence and location of areas of reduced risk have been established through massive numerical simulations supported by in situ experiments. The method used contains four key components: (i) an eddy-resolving circulation model, (ii) a scheme for tracking of water or pollution particles, (iii) a technique for the calculation of quantities characterising the potential of different sea areas to supply adverse impacts, and (iv) routines to construct the optimum fairway. As a first approxi-mation, coastal areas are used as a generic model for valuable regions.

The quantification of the potential of different offshore domains to serve as a source of danger to the coastal environment through current-driven transport involves solving an inverse problem of pollution propagation. An approximate solution is obtained by means of statistical analysis of a large number of solutions of the associated direct problem of propagation of water particles (so-called Lagrangian trajecto-ries, Figure 1). This way, a number of concealed features of transport have been identified which can be inferred neither from theoretical analysis nor from even massive measurements.

The ‘fair way’ of dividing the risks equally between the opposite coasts is a local solution (Figure 2). Alternatively, the potential of each sea point to create danger to the vulnerable regions is characterised by the probability of the transport of pollution released at this point to a coast, or the time it takes for the impact to reach the coast (Figure 3). In the Gulf of Finland the gain from the use of the optimum fairway (Figure 4) is about 40% in terms of the decrease in probability of coastal pollution. The use of the optimum fairways may almost double the typical time it takes the pollution to reach the coast.

In short, the key developments within the BALTICWAY research are:

• Development of the technique for environmental management of offshore sea areas;

• Development of algorithms for the identification of optimum fairways accounting for environmental risks;

• Mapping of long-term behavior of (sub)surface currents in the Baltic Sea;

• Quantification of spatio-temporal variability of the Baltic Sea wave fields.

The hydrodynamic studies have substantially improved our under-standing of the patterns of currents in the Baltic Sea, thus contributing to the predictive capacity of operational models. In parallel, the project has developed knowledge systems for tracking huge amounts of information concealed in current-driven transport. This knowledge is applied in a general-ized form to construct an optimum response strategy.

PRACTICAL USE AND FUTURE PLANSThe information derived using the developed technology is of vital importance for institutions responsible for environmental protection and maritime spatial planning. The technol-ogy serves as a valuable tool to be used by maritime boards for a new genera-tion of ship routing services. The project also contributes to sustainable fishing and to various environmental decision-supporting systems. The ultimate goal is linking science and policy through the creation of the necessary societal, economical, legal and political framework for the imple-mentation of the research results, which is expected to substantially decrease the impact of maritime activities on fragile ecosystems.

BALTICWAY partners: • Institute of Cybernetics at Tallinn University of Technology,

Estonia• Laser Diagnostic Instruments, Estonia• Danish Meteorological Institute, Denmark• Finnish Environment Institute, Finland• Institute for Coastal Research, HZG Geesthacht, Germany• Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Kiel,

Germany• University of Stockholm, Sweden• Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Sweden

For more information visit www.bonusportal.org/balticway and the BALTICWAY website at wavelab.ioc.ee/bonus-balticway or contact Professor Tarmo Soomere, BALTICWAY Coordinator, email: soomere@cs.ioc.ee

Figure 1. A selection of trajectories of water particles in the Gulf of Finland. Figure 2. Distribution characterising the probability of hitting the northern and southern coasts of the Gulf of Finland for the years 1987–1991 based on simulations with the Rossby Centre model with a spatial resolution of 2 nautical miles (M.Meier, Norrköping) and the TRACMASS code for Lagrangian trajectories (K.Döös, Stockholm). Black and red lines indicate the equiprobabil­ity lines for two slightly different methods (B.Viikmäe, Tallinn).

Figure 3. Probability for the beaching of the pollution within 10 days (left) and the time it takes for the pollution to reach the coast (right) in the Gulf of Finland simulated for the period of 1987–1991 (O.Andrejev, Helsinki).

Figure 4. Optimum fairways from the Baltic Proper to Vyborg according to the spatial distributions of the probability for coastal hits (solid lines) and of the particle age (dashed lines) at resolu­tions of 2 nm (red and black), 1 nm (green and cyan) and 0.5 nm (yellow and white). The depth scale to the right of the map is given in metres.

by Tarmo Soomere, Tallinn University of Technology

8BONUS in Brief November 2011

BAZOOCA Baltic zooplankton cascades

BAZOOCA team’s results on the BAltic ZOOplankton

CAscades indicate that the earlier concerns regarding

American comb jelly Mnemiopsis feeding on cod eggs

are unsupported and that it constitutes no threat to

the Baltic cod population. Low salinity in the Baltic

prevents explosive outbreaks, but adaptation to low

salinity by Mnemiopsis may change this in the future.

Sprat and herring are still the main predators on zooplankton and because of that, fisheries continues to be the largest regulatory factor for the pelagic food web in the Baltic. The fishery policy thus remains the key tool for the management of the Baltic from higher trophic levels. Eutrophication and inflow of salty water continues to be the main factors determining the trophic state of the Baltic Sea.

OVERVIEWThe project set out to study BAltic ZOOplankton CAscades where jelly - fish and fish would act as controlling animals for the food web in the Baltic Sea. Fears of the invasion by the American comb jelly, Mnemiopsis leidyi, and growth of other jellyfishes led to the design of BAZOOCA. The effects that the increased number of jellyfishes would have on the ecosys-tem were examined in the light of experiments, filming and field studies. Predation on cod eggs and larvae, changes in water clarity leading to regime shifts from fish to jellyfish and couplings between plankton and microbes were studied.

The project is transnational (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) with 18 scientists engaged. BAZOOCA has used infrastructures from the Gulf of Finland to Skagerrak to test hypothe-sises of cascading effects under very different environmental constraints within the Baltic. The Department of Marine Ecology, University of Gothen-burg hosts the project.

OUTLINE OF KEY RESULTSThe mnemiopsis caseThe recent invasion of the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi into northern European waters is of major public and scientific concern. One of the key features of M. leidyi is its high fecun-dity and fast growth. According to the BAZOOCA, the reproduction of M. leidyi essentially stops under the low salinities that are characteristic of the central Baltic Sea. Hence, low salinity prevents a population expansion into the Baltic proper. The Kattegat and the south western Baltic with slightly higher salinities seem to act as source regions for the M. leidyi population while no self-sustaining population was found in the Baltic proper.

For six months of the year Mnemiopsis is a major zooplankton predator In the Skagerrak and Kattegat with seasonal peaks in September-November (see figure below). During this period, the predation on mesozooplankton may reach 15% per day resulting to a conclusion that predation by Mnemi­opsis has drastically reduced the zooplankton community in this region. This reduction has in at least one case led to an increased chloro-phyll concentration typical of a trophic cascading effect in the food web. In the Baltic proper, however, abundances and predation rates from Mnemiopsis are at present too low to affect the zooplankton community.

When Mnemiopsis was first observed in the Baltic Sea in 2006, there were

fears of serious predation on cod eggs and larvae because it was found at the same depths as the eggs and larvae in the most important cod spawning ground, the Bornholm Basin. However, the feeding rates of Mnemiopsis on cod egg and larvae are negligible according to the new results. Mnemiopsis constitutes no direct threat to the Baltic cod popula-tion as predator, although it may compete with larval cod for zooplank-ton prey.

The gelatinous Baltic The gelatinous zooplankton in the Baltic differed remarkably from those in the Skagerrak and Kattegat. During our investigation, Skagerrak and Kattegat were dominated by cteno-phores (Mnemiopsis leidyi, Bolinopsis infundibulum, Pleuro brachia pileus, Beroe spp.) while scyphomedusae (Aurelia aurita and Cyanea capillata) were more common in the Baltic Sea.This is an unusual situation since the larger jellyfishes normally dominate on the Swedish west coast. Since the introduction of Mnemiopsis, virtually no Aurelia has been observed on the Swedish west coast. Highest bio-masses are found between August and November. In April 2011, a new species for the Baltic Sea area (Euplokamis dunlapae), was found in the Gullmar fjord.

The Baltic Sea gelatinous zooplank-ton display a complex pattern of intraguild predation (the killing and eating of potential competitors), which has been further extended with the arrival of new ctenophore species.

NEXT STEPS AND FUTURE PLANS Jellyfish dynamicsHigh densities of jellyfish can lead to problems for humans, such as clogged industrial cooling systems, destroyed trawling equipment and disturbed leisure activities. The predation impact by highly abundant jellyfish will reduce the populations of their zooplankton prey, including young stages of fish. Our limited sampling period needs to be extended by quantitative monitoring of gelatinous plankton in order to understand jellyfish dynamics, and the potential predation impact in the Baltic Sea.

Salinity toleranceOur critical finding that Mnemiopsis does not reproduce below 6‰ needs to be further investigated. Even a slightly increased tolerance to low salinity can change the picture radically. Studies on adaptation over several generations are needed.

Interactions among jellyfishes Intraguild predation might have created the population dynamics seen in the Skagerrak with Aurelia disappearing after the invasion of Mnemiopsis. Further studies are needed to understand the complex pattern of how species act both as prey and predators for each other.

Light regimeA decreased water clarity due to eutrophication might affect the competitive relationship between fish (which are visual predators) and jellyfish (which are tactile). Thus the light regime is one of several factors that need more attention in analyses of Baltic Sea ecosystem changes.

No food for the fishThe high predation on zooplankton by Mnemiopsis in the Skagerrak and Kattegat should have negative effects on fish feeding on the same zooplank-ton (e.g. sprat and herring). Analysis of condition and growth of these fishes would clarify the ecosystem effects of Mnemiopsis.

For more information visit www.bonusportal.org/bazooca or www.bazooca.se or contact Prof. Peter Tiselius, BAZOOCA Coordinator, email: peter.tiselius@marecol.gu.se

BAZOOCA partners:• University of Gothenburg, Sweden • Swedish meteorological and hydrological institute, Sweden • Linnaeus University, Sweden • Umeå University, Sweden• National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University

of Denmark, Denmark • University of Copenhagen, Denmark• University of Bergen, Norway • University of Oslo, Norway • Institute of Marine Research, Norway• University of Helsinki, Finland• Marine Centre, Finnish Environment Institute, Finland

by Peter Tiselius and Kajsa Tönnesson, University of Gothenburg

BAZOOCA

9BONUS in Brief November 2011

Growing populations and economic development cause new challenges for sustainable use of the Baltic Sea. Many of these are reflected in various policy documents, e.g. the Baltic Sea Action Plan and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. In order to succeed, we need new instruments for local and regional marine spatial planning and environmental impact assessments.

The aim of PREHAB is to develop tools for cost-efficient mapping of biodiversity in coastal habitats. We also illustrate how these tools can be used to evaluate ecological and socio-economic benefits of manage-ment actions.

Our preliminary results show that:• predictive modelling is a promising

method for obtaining useful maps on the distribution of species and habitats

• scenario modelling is a useful tool for understanding and predicting ecosystem responses to alternative management options

• the citizens of the Baltic Sea countries value a clean and healthy sea and are willing to pay for mitigation actions.

Maps are essentialPlanning for a sustainable develop-ment requires a common under-standing about valuable resources. Maps of the spatial distribution of biodiversity and their associated ecological goods and services provide an important basis for this. On land, maps of biological proper-ties such as landscape structure and extent of vegetation cover can often be derived directly from satellite or aerial photography. In general, these

methods are not applicable in marine areas such as the Baltic coastal waters. Direct mapping of marine biodiversity from grab samples, dive-transects or underwater pho-tography is usually a too expensive and time-consuming alternative. In PREHAB, we examine the possibilities and limitations of predictive mapping – i.e. construction of detailed and coherent underwater maps through a combination of limited biological sampling and modeling.

A promising alternativeWe have assessed five different modeling techniques in four study areas in the Baltic. Preliminary results show that predictive mapping based on biological sampling and subse-quent modeling is a realistic alterna-tive to direct mapping. There are differences among the techniques but, in general, all produce useful models under certain circumstances.

Models predicting the occurrence, abundance and diversity of species were generally successful in all study areas. Models of benthic inverte-brates and vegetation performed best, whereas the models of fish reproduction areas tended to be slightly less accurate. There were large differences among species, possibly explained by differences in the amount of data and size of study area. Furthermore, access to precise information on depth and bottom substrate is particularly important for successful modeling.

Predicting the effects of managementModelling can be used not only to map current distributions of species and habitats, but also to predict

future development. This is extremely useful for exploring the biological consequences of alternative manage-ment strategies. As an example, we have evaluated effects on the distri-bution of vegetation and recruitment areas of fish under different scenarios for reduction of eutrophication, in connection to the Baltic Sea Action Plan.

The results suggest that we can expect large differences among species: Reducing eutrophication will have strong positive effects on the coverage of e.g. bladderwrack, while the effects on eelgrass are expected to be small. For fish, the results are even more intriguing. On the one hand, recruitment areas for perch are predicted to increase as a result of management actions decreasing eutrophication. On the other hand, habitats suitable for pikeperch will be negatively affected.

Apart from revealing patterns that are important both from a biological and socio-economic perspective, our scenario modeling analyses clearly demonstrates the absolute need to put management actions in a spatial context when evaluating alternative management options.

Valuating the benefits of managementIn order to contrast market-based profits from human exploitation, sustainable coastal management needs monetary estimates of the goods and services provided by marine ecosystems.

In PREHAB, we have used results from the scenario modelling to examine how the mitigation

measures in the Baltic Sea Action Plan can be valuated in economic terms. In a choice experiment survey, respondents from Sweden, Finland and Lithuania declared their willing-ness to pay for future environmental changes of the marine habitats. The results demonstrate that citizens of the Baltic Sea countries really value a clean and healthy sea and are willing to pay for it, although there are regional differences. Overall, the willingness to pay for marine improvements in each country is large. For instance, in Finland and Sweden, the total willingness to pay for the implemen-tation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan is about ten times larger than the estimated costs.

Web-based recommendationsPREHAB is producing a web-resource for communicating results and user-friendly recommendations from the project. The information will be accessible to managers in regional and local authorities, as well as decision-makers and consultants all around the Baltic. This resource will be published in January 2012.

PREHAB

Providing tools for sustainable development in the Balticby Mats Lindegarth and Susanne Liljenström, University of Gothenburg

Modelling offers new possibilities for mapping

underwater biodiversity and for evaluating ecological

and socio-economic benefits of management.Hidden biodiversity. Knowledge of the spatial distribution of biodiversity and associated ecological goods and services is crucial for a sustainable planning of the Baltic Sea.

Mapping procedure: Predictive mapping involves four steps: (1) Sampling of biodiversity at a limited number of sites, (2) compilation of full­coverage physical data (e.g. depth, exposure), (3) development of statistical model and (4) construction of full­coverage GIS­map of biological features.

PREHAB partners:• University of Gothenburg, Sweden• Finnish Environment institute, SYKE, Finland• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden• Klaipeda University, CORPI, Lithuania• University of Helsinki, Finland• Åbo Akademi University, Finland• AquaBiota Water Research, Sweden

MARTIN ISAEUS/AQUABIOTA

More information visit PREHAB website www.prehab.gu.se. You can also contact PREHAB Coordinator Associate Professor Mats Lindegarth, mats.lindegarth@marecol.gu.se

10BONUS in Brief November 2011

Also, RISKGOV project highlighted the pivotal role that the strengthened governance structures, science-policy interactions and stakeholder commu-nications have in effective stakehold-ers’ contributions to the sustainable governance of the Baltic Sea eco system.

“Present and future changes in precipitation over the Baltic Sea catchment will cause a decrease in salinity and loss of marine biodiver-sity”, said the coordinator of AMBER, Joachim Dippner from the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde who shared results of the AMBER scientists in the day’s second panel addressing the past and future scenarios of the Baltic Sea.

A fellow panelist, HYPER project’s coordinator Jacob Carstensen, highlighted that oxygen depletion – so-called hypoxia – has spread drastically from less than 10,000 km2 before 1950 to over 60,000 km2 in recent years, a trend very closely linked with nutrient inputs. Moreover, INFLOW coordinator Aarno Kotilai-nen from Geological Survey of Finland added that observations on past changes together with model simula-tions suggest that ongoing climate warming will increase the environ-mental problems (i.e. lack of oxygen) of the Baltic Sea in the future.

The results of the BALTIC-C project indicate a strong probability of eutrophication having a key role in variation in acid-base balance of the Sea. The results are based on the first integrated Baltic basin model frame-work now developed on all major river inflows of carbon, alkalinity and nutrients, atmospheric load and interaction with the North Sea. The effects of increased gas accumula-tion in the Baltic sediment studied by BALTIC GAS project show, among other, that shallow gas in the seabed may pose hazards to seabed struc-tures such as wind farms, pipelines, power cables and off-shore drilling operations by destablishing the sea floor.

For the first time databases and models developed via the decision support system Nest assures realistic Baltic-wide estimates of anticipated nutrient reductions and their costs. “The total costs of achieving the HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan targets would undoubtedly be lower if the cost-effectiveness of different measures were taken into account in the allocation of the country specific quotas”, said Fredrik Wulff from the Baltic Nest Institute and the coordina-tor of the RECOCA project. Along with the ECOSUPPORT project, RECOCA took part in the third panel

addressing the management of nutrient loads for the good of the Baltic Sea. Also, according to the PROBALT project in this session, what is particularly needed is a macro-regional, binding, cost-effective and fair agreement on the prevention of eutrophication in the Baltic Sea.

In the day’s fourth and last panel focus was on healthy biological diversity of the Baltic Sea. The BALTGENE coordinator Kerstin Johannesson from University of Gothenburg said that many authori-ties do not pay enough attention to sustaining genetic diversity. Policies dealing with management of genetic biodiversity are either lacking or too complex to be implemented, or they are open to a wide range of interpre-tation, this in spite of the need for genetic diversity to sustain popula-tions of plants and animals. According to BAZOOCA scientists studying the Baltic zooplankton cascades, it is the fishery policy that remains the key tool for management of the Baltic ecosystem as fisheries continue to be the largest regulatory factor for the pelagic food web in the Baltic.

Providing a way for managers to obtain useful maps on the distribution of habitats and species were the foci of PREHAB project presenting its

results to end the project presenta-tions of the day. PREHAB’s predictive modelling demonstrates the necessity of putting management actions in a spatial context. “The people of the Baltic Sea countries value a clean and healthy sea and are willing to pay for the mitigation actions”, said the PREHAB coordinator Mats Lindegarth from the University of Gothenburg.

“These results emphasise the impor-tance of avoiding simplifications and the need for a holistic view when scrutinising the environmental problems of the Baltic Sea”, said Anna Jöborn. “Knowledge for exam-ple on impacts of climate change, eutrophication and acidification on the ecosystems and biodiversity as well as on structures of governance is important when trying to solve these problems and plan manage-ment.” As the BONUS+ projects are soon ending the question of their contingency plans arose. “Several of the projects have created new data-bases or tools relevant for policy and my hope is that these are made the best possible use in the future. The role of policymakers and managers is then to enable the development of monitoring to what is needed to have even more reliable predictions“, Anna Jöborn added.

Kaisa Kononen, Executive Director of BONUS (l.)

Anne Christine Brusendorff, Executive Secretary of HELCOM (r.)

Sif Johansson (l.), Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Åke Hagström, Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment and Cecilia Lindblad, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

In discussion the BONUS+ coordinators Joachim Dippner from AMBER (l.), Anders Omstedt BALTIC­C and Boris Chubarenko, Russian Foundation for Basic Research

Hanna Aho Tuukka Troberg

Tuuk

ka T

robe

rg

Tuuk

ka T

robe

rg

Tiin

a Te

mbe

BONUS Forum 2011, continued from cover page....

11BONUS in Brief November 2011

Peter Crawley, Directorate General for Research and Innovation of European Commission (l.)

Anders Lindholm, Directorate General for Regional Policy of European Commission representing the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (r.)

The comments from the floor under-lined the integrity of science and the importance of transparency as well as constant dialogue between science and policy to strengthen the trust between different Baltic Sea region actors. The Forum ended with an introduction to the BONUS strategic research agenda 2011-2017 and the BONUS thematic call 2011 opening in thefirst half of 2012 by Andris Andrusaitis, Programme Manager of BONUS.

The Forum which was quoted by some participants as the best stake-holder event that they have ever attended was concluded by Anna Jöborn’s recitation of this year’s literature Nobel prize winner Tomas Tranströmer’s apt poem for the Baltic Sea titled ‘Aurelia’. The information packed day was viewed online from the BONUS website by further ‘virtual partici-pants’ and the presentations of the day are now viewable via the BONUS website. “Sharing this diverse and current knowledge at BONUS Forum with policymakers who actually design and implement marine and maritime policies in the Baltic Sea countries is crucially important,” said Kaisa Kononen, the Executive Director of

BONUS. “We need to ensure that the open science-policy dialogue continues and that progress is made for the good of the Baltic Sea region. Also by engaging dedicated key stakeholders who act as opinion leaders makes a difference.”

The annual BONUS Forum is a plat-form for continuous dialogue between the Baltic Sea science and the stakeholders. Next year the BONUS Forum will focus on the revision needs of the BONUS strategic research agenda. The Forum outcome will contribute to the BONUS strategic orientation workshop in spring 2013 where the content of the BONUS thematic call opening in late 2013 will be finalised. The participation of stakeholders will once again have a critically important role to play in the region wide partnership.

Further information about the BONUS Forum 2011 can be found on the events page at www.bonusportal/BF11 , including videos on the 16 BONUS+ presentations (hosted by YouTube).

All the 16 BONUS+ briefing docu-ments can be downloaded from www.bonusportal.org/briefings

BONUS Executive Director Kaisa Kon­onen (l.) in discussion with Christian Alecke (middle), Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Ger­many and Joachim Harms (r.), Chair of BONUS Steering Committee and CEO Jülich Research Center, Germany

Andrzej Tonderski (l.), POMCERT, Poland and member of BONUS Steer­ing Committee for the duration of BONUS+ and Mats Lindegarth, coor­dinator of the BONUS+ project PREHAB

Henrik Fossing (l.) from the BONUS+ project BALTIC GAS and Anne Christine Brusendorff, Executive Secretary of HELCOM

BONUS Forum 2011 faciliator Anna Jöborn, Head of research, Swed­ish Agency for Marine and Water Manage­ment and Anders Omstedt, coordinator of BONUS+ project BALTIC­C

Ida Reuterswärd, Ministry of Environment, Sweden BONUS+ project RISKGOV coordinator Michael Gilek and Katarzyna Smolarz from the University of Gdansk

Hanna Aho

Hanna Aho

Hanna Aho

Tuukka Troberg

Tuukka Troberg Tuukka TrobergTuukka Troberg

Tuuk

ka T

robe

rg

Tuuk

ka T

robe

rg

12BONUS in Brief November 2011

Audience listening to the BONUS presentation

BONUS participated in the network-ing village of the EUSBSR and BDF conference 2011 with a display of the BONUS+ results showcased in a series of posters and briefing documents. In addition, the visitors had a chance to gain an insight on BONUS future activities, the strategic research agenda and the BONUS thematic call 2012 that opens in the frst half of 2012.

BONUS+ posters on display at the networking village

BONUS at the networking village of the EUSBSR and BDF conference 2011

On the second day of the event, BONUS Executive Director Kaisa Kononen was joined by Professors Fredrik Wulff from the RECOCA project and Jacob Carstensen from the HYPER project to present on chosen topic of eutrophication to the networking village visitors. /MS

Tina Neset, CSPR

Tina Neset, CSPR

On 1 July 2011, Dr. Joachim Harms, from the Jülich Research Centre, Germany was appointed as the Chair of the BONUS Steering Committee. Dr. Maija Bundule from the Latvian Academy of Sciences acts as the current Vice Chair. The BONUS Steering Committee chairmanship rotates and changes 1 July of each year.

As the highest decision making body of BONUS, the BONUS Steering Committee consists of representatives from the national funding institutions that are members of BONUS. The Steering Committee convenes approx-imately three times a year and decides on the budget and strategic activities.

Dr Joachim Harms, what is your professional background?

I am a marine biologist. I did my Diploma and PhD thesis on Helgo -land, a small island in the North Sea.

Chair of the BONUS Steering Committee, Dr. Joachim Harms

I worked with Crustaceans and food web changes. In 1994 I started to work for the Project Management Organization Jülich, responsible for research administration and funding activity of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Today I am CEO.

Germany joined BONUS in December 2007, what has been the most memorable event since then in BONUS?

In 2008 we developed a joint research programme for the BONUS+ Call and built on that the research agenda for the upcoming period of 2011 to 2017.

The research activities of BONUS+ are now in their final stage. The presenta-tion of the results presented in Gdansk in October 2011 demonstrated the success of each single project and therefore the success of the whole joint initiative. This confirms best, the resources allocated were justified.

As for the future of BONUS, what are its strengths? Can BONUS really make a difference?

During the last years the funding organisations within the Baltic coun-tries demonstrate a strong will to cooperate and join forces. The cooper-ation is based on personal trust and fairness. This allows to address difficul-ties and to look for solutions in a cooperative way. What counts is: We will further jointly support quali-fied research activities for a sustaina-ble development of the Baltic region.

For the full list of representatives of the BONUS members in the BONUS Steering Committee, visit www.bonusportal.org/steering

The winner of the award for the best BONUS+ public engagement activity or product 2011 is GeoDome visualiza­tion platform ­ Stakeholder decision support by scientific communication by BONUS+ ECOSUPPORT project. The BONUS Steering Committee Chair Joachim Harms handed the award to the project’s coordinator Markus Meier from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute on 24 October at the BONUS Forum 2011 in Gdansk, Poland.

The evaluation panel for the award Erik Fellenius (BONUS Steering Committee), Ilkka Herlin (BONUS Advisory Board) and Maija Sirola (BONUS Secretariat) reviewed the entries and concluded the following on the winning entry: “ECOSUPPORT has made a clear investment of time, resources and dedication in the GeoDome visualization platform to provide a new and innovative way to engage meaningfully with the key end-users, allowing visitors to become more receptive of the research on the state of the Baltic Sea under different scenarios of nutrient supply, pressure from fisheries and impact on climate change, and to collect feedback to continue developing GeoDome and to better address the end-user specific knowledge needs and demands of the future.”

The panel also awarded special mentions to... BALTGENE: For a successful stake-holder seminar: Targets and indicators for gene level biodiversity, Resilience and future adaptation in forests, inland waters and marine environ-ments depend on genetic variation, 18th October 2010, Nagoya, Japan.

BONUS+ public engagement award 2011

BALTICWAY: For outstanding public engagement effort and high level key stakeholder involvement related to the topic of the environmental impact assessment of the Nord Stream pipeline.

HYPER: For commendable drive and focus on young scientists and young people, in particular on proactive knowledge sharing with wider public at the 8th Baltic Festival of Science in Poland and school children’s knowl-edge building on Baltic Sea science on board of a research vessel.

As important as to celebrate this year’s winners is, also we look into the future with particularly timely considerations of public engagement action. The emphasis of the BONUS programme increasingly leans towards very strongly embedded stakeholder engagement. In the future this will translate into consid-ered communications strategies by each project funded by BONUS that will further support much needed dialogue between the BONUS projects and end-user and other key stakeholder audiences. /MS

Lena Ek (third from left), Environmental Minister of Sweden holding the “fresh” BONUS+ public engage­ment award together with Ms Gabriella Lindholm (left), chairlady of HELCOM and Ms Helén Andersson and Patrick Wallman from the GeoDome team in front of the GeoDome at the networking village of the EUSBSR and BDF Forum 2011 in Gdansk, Poland.

Tina Neset, CSPR

Tuukka Troberg