Long-term zoobenthos variability in the Gulf of Riga in relation to climate variability

Abstract Macrozoobenthos data were collected three times a year from 1979 to 1996 in the Gulf of Riga, Eastern Baltic Sea. Interannual variability of the abundance and biomass of benthic fauna at coastal and offshore areas was related to climate variability using a multivariate regression model. The results suggest that the interannual variability of macrozoobenthos biomass at the offshore station in spring is controlled by the climate variability during winter-time. No correlations to large-scale climate pattern have been detected for other seasons and for the coastal region. An analysis of river runoff, nitrogen, and phosphorus data of the River Daugava indicates that the anthropogenic in…

Rīgas līča un Baltijas jūras zooplanktona daudzgadīgā dinamika un to kontrolējošie vides faktori

Baseline port surveys for invasive marine species in the Northeastern Baltic

Marine ecosystems around the world are being transformed and degraded by non-indigenous species, which affect the structure and function of the ecosystem, causing major ecological and economic implications. Ships have been recognized as a major vector for the introduction of non-indigenous harmful organisms, carrying them in ballast water tanks and sediments. Activities to prevent and mitigate the impact of invasive alien species have to be based on cooperation. Financed by Phare Cross Border Co-operation Programme in the Baltic Sea Region (2005–2006) Latvia together with Estonia will focus on baseline port surveys for non-indigenous species in the north-eastern part of the Baltic Sea.

Long-term abundance dynamics of coastal zooplankton in the Gulf of Riga

The dynamics of three most abundant mesozooplankton species in the coastal zone of the Gulf of Riga — Bosmina longispina, Synchaeta baltica, Keratella quadrata — is analyzed to detect the regulating environmental factors. The only significant downward trend of species abundance was found for S. baltica in autumn. Statistically significant correlation was estimated only between the summer salinity and the abundance of B. longispina. K. quadrata though showed a negative correlation with summer salinity. The abundance of S. baltica had only nonsignificant correlations with the environmental factors. The abundance of coastal mesozooplankton species is determined by the combination of hydrologic…

Seasonal succession and growth in the plankton communities of the Gulf of Riga in relation to long-term nutrient dynamics

To study temporal changes in phyto- and zooplankton in the Gulf of Riga monitoring data covering the period of 1972–1995 were analyzed. Changes in external nutrient supply have turned P limitation, during the 1980s, into the present deficiency of Si for the spring bloom. Contrary to depletion of the N and Si pools, the internal sources and sinks were responsible for input of P into the pelagic ecosystem in the 1990s. Restructuring of the nutrient pool reshaped the pelagic planktonic communities. Changes of the species composition and food-web relationships occurred. Till the 1990s, an increase of diatoms in the summer phytoplankton and an increase of herbivores in zooplankton took place. La…