Baltic news
Swedish EPA
PRESS RELEASE 11.11.2008
Reduce the input of nitrogen to the Swedish western seas
“Reduce the input of primarily nitrogen from agriculture and atmosphere to the seas along Sweden’s west coast.” That is the message given by an international expert panel commissioned by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency for evaluating the eutrophication situation in the Danish Sounds, the Kattegat and the Skagerrak.
In contrast to the Baltic Sea, where there remains some scientific disagreement about the efficacy of reducing nitrogen, there is abundant evidence and no significant disagreement that reductions of nitrogen loads are essential for reversing regional eutrophication in the Swedish western seas.
“Reduced input of phosphorus may lead to local improvements, but only along with nitrogen reductions”, the Panel continues.
Substantial improvements can only be achieved by international cooperation. The western seas are influenced by nutrient discharges from Sweden, Denmark and Norway. However, the seas are also subject to inputs from the atmosphere, from the Baltic Sea into the Danish Sounds and from the Central European rivers via the Jutland Current. Due to this large-scale pattern international cooperation is essential to attain the environmental goals in the Swedish western seas.
Despite the fact that nutrient loadings and environmental concentrations have been reduced in recent years, the ecosystems have yet seen little improvement and in some cases seem to be undergoing progressive decline. While some of this recalcitrance is related to the time lags for ecosystem recovery, greater reductions of human nutrient inputs will be required in order to meet Sweden’s Zero Eutrophication environmental quality objective.
Recovery takes time
Small improvements have been detected with respect to nutrient inputs and algal biomass and production. Complete recovery of some pre-existing conditions, such as bottom oxygen levels, may not be possible. Progress is delayed because nutrients are retained and recycled in the ecosystem.
“At the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency we will now study the report in detail and evaluate whether the Swedish strategy to decrease the input of both nitrogen and phosphorus is state of the art or needs to be modified”, says Professor Per Jonsson, project manager at the Swedish EPA.
The Expert Panel:
- Prof. Donald F. Boesch (chair), University of Maryland, USA.
- Dr Jacob Carstensen, National Environmental Research Institute, Denmark.
- Prof. Hans W. Paerl, University of North Carolina, USA.
- Prof. Hein Rune Skjoldal, Institute of Marine Research, Norway.
- Prof. Maren Voss, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Germany.
For further information, please contact:
Per Jonsson, +46-70-520 80 57, per.jonsson(a)naturvardsverket.se
Anneli Nivrén, Press officer, +46-8-698 13 12, +46-70-206 37 27, anneli.nivren(a)naturvardsverket.se