Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are man-made chemicals. Their unique properties make them beneficial for a wide range of industrial and consumer applications, such as constituents in fire fighting foams, hydraulic oils and food packaging materials.PFAAs have shown to be highly persistent in the environment, and the toxicological potential of long chain PFAA homologues is of a concern. International regulation and voluntary actions by the industry have been implemented and led to reduced primary emissions of PFAAs to the environment. However, the concentrations of some PFAAs in e.g. birds from the Baltic Sea are still very high and of ecotoxicological concern. Measures to reduce the PFAA contamination require an understanding of the sources and how the PFAAs are being transported in the environment.In this licentiate thesis a mass balance was assembled for perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) in the Baltic Sea. A one-box model was used including the input pathways river inflow, atmospheric deposition, wastewater discharges and inflow from the North Sea via the Danish Straits, while the loss processes considered were sediment burial, transformation of the chemicals and outflow to the North Sea via the Danish Straits. Additionally, the inventories of the four target PFAAs in the Baltic Sea were estimated. Both chemical fluxes and inventories were estimated using recently published monitoring data (2005-2010).In order to obtain a detailed perspective on the current knowledge regarding PFAAs in the Baltic Sea, challenges and uncertainties in data selection were discussed for the most dominant input pathways. This included WWTP emissions and calculation of emission factors (EFs), atmospheric deposition and riverine inflow.River inflow and atmospheric deposition were the dominant inputs, while wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents made a minor contribution. The input to the Baltic Sea exceeded the output for all 4 PFAAs, suggesting that inputs were higher during 2005-2010 than during the previous 20 years despite efforts to reduce emissions of PFAAs. Comparing the difference between PFAA input and output with the PFAA inventory, the doubling time for the concentration in the Baltic Sea was estimated to be 8-94 yr for PFHxA, 12-16 yr for PFOA, 3-5 yr for PFDA and 4 yr for PFOS. The surplus of the input can be an effect of retention and delayed release of PFAAs from atmospheric deposition in the soils and groundwater of the watershed.The licentiate thesis contributes to a holistic understanding of the major input and output pathways and inventories of PFAAs in the Baltic Sea. Furthermore, it points out current knowledge gaps in our understanding of sources and fate of PFAAs in the aquatic environment. / <p>At the time of the defence the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript</p>

In the Himmerfjärden Bay a large excess of nitrogen over phosphorus in the discharge from a large sewage treatment plant (STP) has suppressed growth of diazotrophic cyanobacteria in its inner parts. Implementation of nitrogen removal in the STP in 1997 drastically reduced nitrogen load and triggered growth of diazotrophs, mainly Aphanizomenon sp. This study is part of a long-term series of experiments with the overall aim to test how algal biomass and production in a receiving area can be reduced, without stimulating nitrogen fixation and biomass growth by diazotrophic cyanobacteria. Nitrogen removal was discontinued in the STP during two years (2007-8) and resumed in 2009, and the discharge shifted from 25 to 10 m depth, above the seasonal pycnocline. Cellular 15N showed that N2 was the most important N source for diazotrophic cyanobacteria, and that uptake of combined nitrogen was insignificant. As biomass was declining and at the end of the productive season, we could detect a small, but significant, increase in cellular δ15N at the inner bay stations (H3 and H4). However, this coincided with an increased proportion of Anabaena spp. of the total diazotrophic biomass. This may indicate that Anabaena spp. has a higher uptake of combined nitrogen compared with Aphanizomenon sp. or that declining populations of Aphanizomenon sp. take up combined nitrogen. We also found no evidence of uptake of combined nitrogen during the winter months when nitrogen supply is ample and Aphanizomenon sp. is devoid of heterocysts. During the first half of summer (week 21-27) heterocyst frequencies were higher at the outer stations B1 and H2, compared to the inner bay stations (H4 and H5). The lower frequencies at the inner bay stations are likely due to the reduced growth rate suffered by the Aphanizomenon sp. due to stronger competition for phosphorus by non-diazotrophs at these stations and hence lower need for heterocysts. Towards the end of summer conditions even out along the bay, as the surplus phosphorus from the spring bloom is used up at the outer stations and no heterocyst gradient is present. Heterocyst frequency varied significantly over the summer, with minimum values in the beginning of July, coinciding with the highest water temperatures, and higher frequencies in early and late summer. We suggest this is primarily due to a more efficiently functioning nitrogenase enzyme at high temperatures with a reduced need for “expensive” heterocysts. Spring heterocyst differentiation occurred around 4-6 weeks after depletion of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and only when water temperature was 5-9 oC and a pycnocline established. It seems that temperature and light in concert will initiate growth, leading to an internal nitrogen deficiency which starts heterocyst differentiation. / Himmerfjärden eutrophication study

In this study data from the regional climate model RCA1 is compared to measured data to investigate how good the model is during ice conditions and mainly how well the turbulent surface fluxes are described by the model. Comparisons of the sensible heat flux and the momentum flux as well as mean parameters are included. The measured data used are from the Bothnian Bay measured during the BASIS field experiment in February to March 1998. RCA1 (Rossby Centre regional Atmospheric model) is a regional climate model for Northern Europe based on HIRLAM and forced by ERA-40 data. Two different grid points of the RCA1 44 km grid have been chosen with geographical coordinates as close as possible to the two measuring sites. The first site is a small peninsula south of the town Umeå at the east coast of Sweden and the second one is the ship R/V Aranda anchored in the sea ice outside the Finnish west coast. The model presents generally too large negative (downward) sensible heat fluxes and too large momentum fluxes over ice. The largest difference between modelled and measured sensible heat fluxes are seen after warm front passages due to melting conditions. There are some uncertainties in the comparison of modelled fluxes and measured fluxes at Umeå due to a complex and varying ice cover around this measuring site. The vertical structure in the atmosphere has also been studied and modelled temperature, wind and humidity profiles were compared to radiosondes at the Umeå site. Two periods with on-ice flow and off-ice flow was analysed and one of the main differences was that for the on-ice situation an internal boundary layer was built up over the ice. Modelled profiles are generally smoother then measured profiles and inversions and other small-scale phenomena like low-level jets are almost never described correctly by the model but there are tendencies of the phenomena to occur. / Sammanfattning av ”En undersökning i hur bra den regionala klimatmodellen RCA1 beskriver olika parametrar över is, i huvudsak de turbulenta flödena”. I denna undersökning har den regionala klimatmodellen RCA1 jämförts med mätdata för att se hur bra modellen är över is och framförallt hur bra den beskriver de turbulenta flödena över is. RCA1 är en regional klimatmodell för norra Europa baserad på HIRLAM och som drivs av ERA-40 data. Modelldata har jämförts med mätdata från två platser i Bottenviken, en liten halvö utanför Umeå på den svenska östkusten och forskningsfartyget Aranda som var fastankrad i havsisen utanför Finlands västkust. Mätningarna gjordes under BASIS fältexperiment i februari till mars 1998. Modellen ger generellt för stora negativa (nedåtriktade) sensibla värmeflöden över is och likaså för stora impulsflöden över is. Den största skillnaden mellan modellvärden och mätningar förekom efter det att varmfronter passerat och detta beror delvis på smältförhållanden. I jämförelsen av de turbulenta flödena beräknade av RCA och de uppmäta turbulenta flödena från Umeå finns det vissa osäkerheter pga. den komplicerade issituationen runt denna mätplats med mycket varierande isförhållanden. Den vertikala strukturen i atmosfären har också undersökts och temperatur, vind och fuktighetsprofiler har jämförts. Två perioder varav en där det blåste från havet mot isen (on-ice) och en där det blåste från isen mot havet (off-ice) valdes ut och en av skillnaderna var att det bildades ett internt gränsskikt över isen i on-ice perioden. Modellen har en tendens att släta ut profilerna och småskaliga fenomen som inversionsskikt, inversionshöjder och low-level jets är nästan aldrig korrekt beskrivna i modellen men det finns tendenser till inversioner och vindmaximum.

Stockholm is built on top of a rare landscape phenomenon: At the ridge of an esker crossing where the sweet water of Mälaren meets the brakish of the Baltic sea. An absolute ecological melting pot, not to be found anywhere else in this part of the world.  Due to the development of Stockholm, the nature of what takes place here has over the past 800 years slowly been lost in the citys urban web. As the citys development continues and generates a land-mass-bi-product in shape of blast stone. -Could the ecology of this rare aquatic environment connecting sweet and brakish be regenerated if the connection was recreated artificially with excess blast stone?

The project aims to examine how an architectural experience can help to increase awareness and encourage solutions for the Baltic Sea issues. The essence of the project lies in the experience which will be embodied by an exhibition as well as a gathering space for the Baltic science community on a remote island called Lilla Båtskär, situated in the archipelago of Åland, Finland. The exhibition aims to explain the issue from different perspectives, categorized into three themes. The incisions, linked to the themes,  will serve as generators for creating awareness and understanding of the issue, while the The Science community function as a foundation to provide enhanced prerequisites for extended collaborations and exchange of expertise between the Baltic countries. The combination of these two faculties subsequently merges into a unique experience with a strong identity and attachment to the Baltic Sea.

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This study investigates the potential military utility and key priorities of employing extra-large unmanned underwater vehicles (XLUUVs) in the complex and challenging environment of the Baltic Sea. Focusing on payload benefits, technological advancements, and military utility, the research employs a theoretical framework based on concept analysis, systems engineering and military utility. Data is collected and analyzed using a mixed-methods approach including literature review and scenario analysis. The findings suggest that XLUUVs could complement and extend existing defense systems in the Baltic Sea region, demonstrating proficiency in handling diverse missions with factors of flexibility, endurance, adaptability, and modular design. The study highlights the importance of further research and development in areas such as autonomy, communication technologies, and systems integration.

Eutrophication is one of the major threats to the marine environment in the Baltic Sea. The human pressure on the sea by nutrient input from agriculture, industry, public sewage facility and small sewage treatment plants causes excessive algal blooms leading to oxygen depleted seabed and an ecosystem out of balance. The objective of this study is to investigate how local legitimacy and fairness is addressed in the multilevel and complex issue of reducing Baltic Sea eutrophication. The main results show that there is a great challenge and uncertainty in dealing with the problem of eutrophication. Furthermore, there is an unfair distribution of costs and responsibilities related to wastewater treatment in the municipal planning documents and nearly total exclusion of the individual property owners from participating in the decision-making processes related to the expansion plans for public sewage facility. This in turn risks the legitimacy and the democratic aspects of the plans. Previous studies related to public and simple sewage plants have investigated different issues related to the legislation and practical planning as possible reasons for a sluggish progress in the measures to reduce nutrient discharges to the sea. However, the fairness aspects and the participatory processes of the plans have not been studied. The implications of this study are to invite to a more inclusive and fair planning process with the use of alternative solutions to the compulsory expansion of public sewage facility. Modifications in the legislation to include economic instruments creating incentives for the property owners can be a way of increasing participation and thus the legitimacy of the system.

I denna artikel undersöker författarna hur lekfullhet och humor kan användas i en animation för att uppmärksamma miljöfrågor, med syftet att uppmuntra publiken till engagemang och diskussion. Teman som tas upp i artikeln är symbolism och hur det kan användas för att skapa en djupare mening med gestaltningar, olika metoder som uppmuntrar till kreativt arbete, samt de olika källor som undersökningen har baserats på. Undersökningen fokuserar på miljöförstöring i Östersjön, och hur försurning av havet kan gestaltas. Den resulterande gestaltningen som gjorts i samband med undersökningen är en stop-motion inspirerad animation målad i akvarell. / In this article, the authors explore how playfulness and humour can be used in animation to draw attention to environmental issues, with the aim of encouraging audience engagement and discussion. Themes addressed in the paper include symbolism and how it can be used to create deeper meaning in illustrations, different methods that encourage creative work, and the different sources on which the research was based. The research focuses on environmental degradation in the Baltic Sea, and how the acidification of the sea can be portrayed. The resulting artwork made in connection with the research is a stop-motion inspired animation painted in watercolour.

Carbon plays a major role in physical and biogeochemical processes in the atmosphere, the biosphere, and the ocean. CO2 and CH4 are two of the most common carbon-containing compounds in the atmosphere, also recognized as major greenhouse gases. The exchange of CO2 and CH4 between the ocean and the atmosphere is an essential part of the global carbon cycle. The exchange is controlled by the air–sea concentration gradient and by the efficiency of the transfer processes. The lack of knowledge about the forcing mechanisms affecting the exchange of these climate-relevant gases is a major source of uncertainty in the estimation of the global oceanic contributions. Quantifying and understanding the air–sea exchange processes is essential to constrain the estimates and to improve our knowledge about the current and future climate. In this thesis, the mechanisms controlling the air–sea gas exchange in the Baltic Sea are investigated. The viability of micrometeorological techniques for CH4 monitoring in a coastal environment is evaluated. One year of semi-continuous measurements of air–sea CH4 fluxes using eddy covariance measurements suggests that the method is useful for CH4 flux estimations in marine environments. The measurements allow long-term monitoring at high frequency rates, thus, capturing the temporal variability of the flux. The region off Gotland is a net source of CH4, with both the air–sea concentration gradient and the wind as controlling mechanisms. A sensitivity analysis of the gas transfer velocity is performed to evaluate the effect of the forcing mechanisms controlling the air–sea CO2 exchange in the Baltic Sea. This analysis shows that the spatio-temporal variability of CO2 fluxes is strongly modulated by water-side convection, precipitation, and surfactants. The effect of these factors is relevant both at regional and global scales, as they are not included in the current budget estimates.