Better mapping toxic blooms in the Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a shallow, mostly enclosed body of water that is subject to annual blooms that include toxic cyanobacteria. The Baltic Sea region provided suitable conditions for the Phy2coast initiative to develop and test optically-based measurement techniques in the marine environment. The optically complex and diverse nature of coastal waters provides particularly challenging conditions for conducting accurate satellite imagery and ship-based measurements. Researchers improved the mapping of phytoplankton by determining the main photosynthetic pigment, chlorophyll-'a', and the amount of solar energy available for photosynthesis. Project partners also improved the measurement of fluorescence in order to determine the photosynthetic capacity of harmful blooms made up of cyanobacteria and algae. Researchers achieved their objective by developing a fast repetition rate fluorometer (FRRF) that was more sensitive to fluorescence in cyanobacteria than existing models. The project’s findings contributed to the current knowledge of the optical properties of the Baltic Sea. Scientists’ ability to map photosynthetic parameters in water bodies with frequent cyanobacteria blooms has been advanced thanks to Phy2coast. The mapping of primary productivity in areas affected by phytoplankton bloom resulted in the greater effectiveness of cruises dedicated to research. In addition, work carried out under the auspices of Phy2coast strengthened cooperation between research groups around the Baltic Sea that will continue beyond the project’s lifetime.
