Skip to main content
SLU publication database (SLUpub)

Review article2022Peer reviewedOpen access

Human impacts and their interactions in the Baltic Sea region

Reckermann, Marcus; Omstedt, Anders; Soomere, Tarmo; Aigars, Juris; Akhtar, Naveed; Beldowska, Magdalena; Beldowski, Jacek; Cronin, Tom; Czub, Michal; Eero, Margit; Hyytiainen, Kari Petri; Jalkanen, Jukka-Pekka; Kiessling, Anders; Kjellstrom, Erik; Kulinski, Karol; Larsen, Xiaoli Guo; McCrackin, Michelle; Meier, H. E. Markus; Oberbeckmann, Sonja; Parnell, Kevin;
Show more authors

Abstract

Coastal environments, in particular heavily populated semi-enclosed marginal seas and coasts like the Baltic Sea region, are strongly affected by human activities. A multitude of human impacts, including climate change, affect the different compartments of the environment, and these effects interact with each other. As part of the Baltic Earth Assessment Reports (BEAR), we present an inventory and discussion of different human-induced factors and processes affecting the environment of the Baltic Sea region, and their interrelations. Some are naturally occurring and modified by human activities (i.e. climate change, coastal processes, hypoxia, acidification, submarine groundwater discharges, marine ecosystems, non-indigenous species, land use and land cover), some are completely human-induced (i.e. agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, river regulations, offshore wind farms, shipping, chemical contamination, dumped warfare agents, marine litter and microplastics, tourism, and coastal management), and they are all interrelated to different degrees. We present a general description and analysis of the state of knowledge on these interrelations. Our main insight is that climate change has an overarching, integrating impact on all of the other factors and can be interpreted as a background effect, which has different implications for the other factors. Impacts on the environment and the human sphere can be roughly allocated to anthropogenic drivers such as food production, energy production, transport, industry and economy. The findings from this inventory of available information and analysis of the different factors and their interactions in the Baltic Sea region can largely be transferred to other comparable marginal and coastal seas in the world.

Published in

Earth System Dynamics
2022, Volume: 13, number: 1, pages: 1-80
Publisher: COPERNICUS GESELLSCHAFT MBH

    Sustainable Development Goals

    Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
    Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

    UKÄ Subject classification

    Environmental Sciences
    Climate Research

    Publication identifier

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-13-1-2022

    Permanent link to this page (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/115795