Economic impacts
ECONOMIC IMPACTSEconomy and ecology The Baltic Sea countries benefit considerably from their utilization of the Baltic Sea, both economically and socially. Nine countries share the borders of the Baltic Sea,…
Human activities
HUMAN ACTIVITIESHuman uses of the Baltic Sea A good biodiversity status and ecosystem functions are essential for human well-being in several ways. Primary producers and animals at different levels of…
Underwater noise
UNDERWATER NOISEUnderwater noise Continuous noise was evaluated for the first time in HELCOM during the current assessment period, by addressing the proportion of the Baltic Sea area exceeding noise levels…
Non-indigenous species
NON-INDIGENOUS SPECIESNon-indigenous species Thirteen non-indigenous or cryptogenic species appeared for the first time in the Baltic Sea during the assessment period 2016-2021 (Figure 4.15). The threshold value for good environmental…
Marine litter
MARINE LITTERMarine litter The status of marine litter in the Baltic Sea is currently evaluated based on beach litter and litter on the seafloor (Figure 4.11). The HELCOM threshold value…
Eutrophication
EUTROPHICATIONEutrophication The integrated assessment of eutrophication status shows that eutrophication is still a major problem in the Baltic Sea (Figure 4.3). There were no clear signs of recovery during 2016-…
Pollution
POLLUTIONPollution Pollution refers to pressures that spread through the marine ecosystem, where they can have major and widespread impacts. Eutrophication, hazardous substances, marine litter, underwater noise and the introduction of…
Climate change
CLIMATE CHANGEHow is climate change affecting the Baltic Sea? Climate change has global impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem health (IPCC 2023), and effects of climate change are also evident in…
marine mammals
MARINE MAMMALSThe status of marine mammals Marine mammals (Figure 3.12) exhibit not good status in the Baltic Sea (Figure 3.13). While grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and harbour seal (Phoca vitulina)…
waterbirds
WATERBIRDSThe status of waterbirds The overall status of waterbirds (Figure 3.10) is assessed as not good, although there is variability between groups with different feeding behaviour. Benthic feeders and waders…
