Investigation of nutrient transports from the North Sea into the Baltic Sea ecosystem and estimation of their area of influence

• Applicant: Dr. Hagen Radtke
• Subject Area: Oceanography
• Term: Funded in 2013
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 251907505

The aim of the project is to investigate the coupling of North Sea and Baltic Sea regarding the eutrophication aspect. For this purpose, a coupled physical-biogeochemical model of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, as it is developed and used at Aarhus University, shall be extended by a nutrient tagging method which allows to track the spreading of the nutrients in the Baltic Sea which entered from the North Sea. Especially we want to find out from which source area (German Bight, Central North Sea, or recirculation from the Baltic Outflow) the nutrients originate, how far they are transported into the Baltic Sea and after what residence time they leave the Baltic Sea again. Also, we aim at a quantification of the amount of nutrients entering during single inflow events in relation to those entering with the permanent water exchange, and want to find out how the spatial distribution patterns of these nutrients differ, also under concideration of biological processes.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Denmark
• Host: Dr. Marie Maar