Abstract
The coastal zone of the Baltic Sea is diverse with strong regional differences in the physico-chemical setting. This diversity is also reflected in the importance of different biogeochemical processes altering nutrient and organic matter fluxes on the passage from land to sea. This review investigates the most important processes for removal of nutrients and organic matter, and the factors that regulate the efficiency of the coastal filter. Nitrogen removal through denitrification is high in lagoons receiving large inputs of nitrate and organic matter. Phosphorus burial is high in archipelagos with substantial sedimentation, but the stability of different burial forms varies across the Baltic Sea. Organic matter processes are tightly linked to the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. Moreover, these processes are strongly modulated depending on composition of vegetation and fauna. Managing coastal ecosystems to improve the effectiveness of the coastal filter can reduce eutrophication in the open Baltic Sea.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1194-1210 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Ambio |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2020 |
Funding
Open access funding provided by Lund University. This review is a contribution from the BONUS COCOA project (Grant Agreement 2112932-1), funded jointly by the EU and the national funding agencies for BONUS. JC received further support from the Danish VELUX foundation and BGG from the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management through their grant 1:11—Measures for marine and water environment. We are grateful for all the hard work and knowledge produced by all participants of the BONUS COCOA project. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Keywords
- Biogeochemistry
- Climate change
- Coastal filter
- Eutrophication
- Hypoxia
- Nutrient management
