Screenshot Cover Baltic Sea Climate Change Fact Sheet
To provide a better understanding of the effects of climate change in the Baltic Sea, Baltic Earth and HELCOM have recently published the first Baltic Sea Climate Change Fact Sheet. The publication compiles the latest available science in the region on what has now become a global emergency.
„Climate change effects on the Baltic Sea environment are manifold. It is for example expected that water temperature and sea level will rise, and sea ice cover will decrease. This will affect ecosystems and biota; for example, range shifts are expected for a number of marine species, benthic productivity will decrease, and breeding success of ringed seals will be reduced. The impacts will hence affect the overall ecosystem function and also extend to human uses of the sea; trawling will follow the fish towards southern areas, aquaculture will likely face a shift towards species diversification, and the value of most ecosystem services is expected to change — to name a few.
This Climate Change Fact Sheet provides the latest scientific knowledge on how climate change is currently affecting the Baltic Sea and how it is expected to develop in the foreseeable future. It is aimed at guiding policy makers to take climate change into account, but also to the general public. Updated Baltic Sea Climate Change Fact Sheets are expected to be published approximately every seven years.“ (Source: Baltic Sea Climate Change Fact Sheet)