This report describe SMHls environmental monitoring in the open sea areas around Sweden, from the Skagerrak to the northem part of the Bothnian Sea  A great part of the results from the project described here are also reported as a national Swedish contribution to the Baltic Monitoring Programme (BMP) of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM). Physical, chemical and biological parameters are studied in water samples, zoobenthos is studied in sediment grab samples and samples of fish and mussels are collected for the determination of harmful substances in the Kattegat, the Sound (Öresund), the Baltic Proper and the Gulf of Bothnia.

The temperature of the sea surface layer was higher than normal most part of the year, just as in 1989. In the entire sea area the temperatures were 1- 3 °C above the long term mean value for the period 1979 - 1989. The oxygen conditions in the south eastern Kattegat once again were unfavorable in late summer and early autumn. However, despite the unusually calm autumn with only weak mixing of the water masses the oxygen concentrations increased again and the situation never was serious. Also in the Baltic Proper the bad oxygen situation in the deep water prevailed in several basins the whole year. No major inflow of oxygen rich water occurred to ventilate the deep basins. In the Bornholm Basin hydrogen sulphide was present under the halocline (with an extension into the Hanö Bight) the whole year with the exception of the August cruise. In the Gdansk Basin there is no longer any stratification and oxygen is mixed into the water from the atmosphere. This has improved the conditions in the bottom water. In the Eastern Gotland Basin hydrogen sulphide has been present in the bottom water for more than 13 years continuously. The Northem Central Basin, including the Landsort Deep, and the Western Central Basin were free from hydrogen sulphide the whole year. Nutrient conditions did not show any remarkable or unexpected changes during 1990. During the winter period phosphate and nitrate were present in about normal concentrations, which decreased to near detection limit during the production period in the spring and early summer and then increased again during autumn. The petroleum hydrocarbons showed during the spring roughly the same concentrations as during the previous years, whereas the autumn values were normal in the surface water only and all other values were high or very high. The reason for this has not been identified.

The projectThis report describes a project for environmental monitoring in the sea areas around Sweden, from the Kattegat to the northern part of the Bothnian Sea. SMHI carries out this project based on a contractual arrangement with the National Swedish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the project is part of the national programme for environmental monitoring (PMK). The greater part of the results from the project described here is also reported as a national Swedish contribution to the Baltic Monitoring Programme (BMP) of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM).

The monitoring is carried out through a number of regular cruises in the Kattegat, the Sound (Öresund), the Baltic Proper and the Gulf ofBothnia. Physical, chemical and biological parameters are studied in water samples, zoobenthos is studied in sediment grab samples and samples of fish and mussels are collected for the determination of harmful substances.

The work is entirely integrated with the regular oceanographical programme of SMHI. By this arrangement the result of the SMHI programme is made available also for the national monitoring. Consequently, this report contains a lot more information than is really financed by the SEPA monitoring budget.

ResultsThe winter of 1989 - 90 was very mild; it was in fact the fourth mild winter in sequence! The sea ice cover was small; By and large, it was only the Bothnian Bay that was covered and this ice broke up about two weeks earlier than usual. The first part of 1990 was warm and windy and yielded at lot of  precipitation, particularly in the southern part of Sweden. The spring was early and warmer than normal. In May and later the weather was more unstable and the summer had changing weather and somewhat low temperatures. The autumn started as calm and rainy, but ended in December as mild and windy.

The temperature of the sea surface layer was higher than normal most part of the year, just as it was in 1989. lnfact, the temperatures were 1- 3 °C above the long term mean value for the period 1979- 1989 in the entire area.

The oxygen conditions in the south eastern Kattegat once again turned into an unfavorable situation in late summer and early autumn. However, despite the unusually calm autumn with only weak mixing of the water masses the oxygen concentrations increased again and the situation never was serious. Also in the Baltic Proper the bad oxygen situation in the deep water prevailed in several basins the whole year. No major infiow of oxygen rich water occurred to ventilate the deep basins. In the Bornholm Basin hydrogen sulphide was present under the halocline (with an extension into the Hanö Bight) the whole year with the exception of the August cruise. In the Gdansk Basin there is no longer any stratification and oxygen is mixed into hte water from the surfacelayer. This has improved the conditions int he bottom water. However, in the Eastern Gotland Basin hydrogen sulphide has been present in the bottom water for more than 13 years continuously. The Northern Central Basin, including the Landsort Deep, and the Western Central Basin were free from hydrogen sulphide the whole year.

Nutrient conditions did not show any remarkable or unexpected changes during 1990. During the winter period phosphate and nitrate were present in about normal concentrations, which decreased to near detection limit during the production period in the spring and early summer and then increased again during autumn.

The analyses of petroleum hydrocarbons showed slightly lower concentrations for the spring as compared to the results from the 1980-ties. This indicates that the load of oil pollution of the Baltic and the Kattegat had not changed significantly. However, the results from the autumn sampling were strikingly different. Although the surface samples showed normal concentrations the results from 10 m (and 30 m) were higher. The reason for this could not be identified but it is unlikely to be a contamination of the samples.

This report describes same aspects of the hydrographical conditions in the open sea areas around Sweden , based on SMHis environmental monitoring program during 1992. Due to the warm winter the mean sea surface temperature during spring was about 2 °C higher than normal. In Skagerrak events with very high nutrient concentrations accurred close to the Danish coast. No severe oxygen deficits were present in the Kattegat,  the lowest value recorded was 0.8 ml/l in the Laholm Bight during September. During autumn silicate in Kattegat surface water was below the detection limit which is very unusual. No major inflow of high saline water to the Baltic has occurred since 1977 and the salinity in the Gotland Deep at the end of 1992 was lowest ever recorded.

Det nya miljöövervakningssystemet skall fokuseras mot att följa de uppsatta miljömålen, säkra internationell rapportering, samt ge underlag för de kommande miljökvalitetsnormerna. Den nationella marina pelagialövervakningen skall tillsammans med övrig nationell och internationell information kunna redovisa i första hand tillstånd och effekter av eutrofiering och i andra hand tillstånd och förändringar med avseende på biologisk mångfald.SMHI fick med andledning av detta i uppdrag att utreda hur ett nationellt marint pelagialprogram torde dimensioneras. På det datamaterial som fanns tillgängligt har dels styrkeberäkningar utförts, för att avgöra möjligheten att fastställa trender, dels spatial korrelation studerats, för att beräkna den rumsliga upplösning som krävs. Den analys som utförts, tyder på att nuvarande program i stort sett är rätt dimensionerade, både när det gäller tidsmässig och rumslig upplösning. När det gäller de kemiska och fysikaliska parametrarna kan man i de flesta fall, med nuvarande frekvens, upptäcka de förändringar som anges i förutsättningarna. När det gäller de biologiska parametrarna har det varit svårare att göra en riktig analys. Det är dock helt uppenbart att de biologiska parametrarna kräver en högre mätfrekvens, åtminstone under viss del av året, än de kemiskt-fysiska. Därför bör biologisk provtagning i första hand koncentreras till de högintensiva stationerna.

This report describes some basic aspects of the hydrographical conditions in the open sea areas around Sweden, based on SMHls environmental monitoring program during 1993. A new monitoring program has been implemented, consisting of two types different types of stations. First, frequent stations which are few but have a high sampling frequency making it possible to resolve annual variations. Secondly mapping stations visited only a few times per year as to asses, oxygen conditions in the Kattegat and the Baltic deep waters and the pool of nutrients during the pre bloom season.

The most interesting event during 1993 was the large inflow of salt water to the Baltic that occured in the beginning of the year. As a result the deep water in the East Gotland Basin was renewed and oxygenated for the first time since 1978.

The main aim of this work is to present data as typical concentration values for different nutrients in the various sea areas, and how these have varied over time. The data presented cover a 30 year period which include both increased eutrophication and years with efforts to reduce antropological input of nutrients to the sea. Trends over 30 years have been calculated for various nutrient parameters. SMHI is the Swedish National Oceanographic Data Centre (NODC) to where several countries have supplied hydrographical data originating from various platforms (vessels, buoys etc.). Stations that have been in regular use for most parts of the last 30 years are included in the analysis. Due to different water characteristics, 14 sea areas are selected to represent the waters surrounding Sweden. In this report all available data from 1976 up till 2005 is used and presented in diagrams and tables. The figures of the parameters are presented as time series. Each parameter is divided into winter, summer, surface and bottom values. In the tables, information on a yearly basis is given to indicate changes that vary over time. Both a classical linear regression method and a non-parametric method (the Mann-Kendall) are used in the trend analysis to account for normal and non-normal distribution of the data. The trend magnitude and significance are also calculated. An overview of the results of significant trends of all the areas in the surface and the bottom for the winter and the summer are presented as arrows in a summary figure.

I juli drabbades Tjeckien och Polen av mycket intensiva regnväder. Det första kom 4-9/7 och det andra inträffade 18-21/7. Över floderna Oder och Wislas avrinningsområden föll 3-4 gånger så mycket nederbörd som normalt. Utifrån vattenföringuppgifterna beräknades, att det under perioden 11/7-31/8 hade runnit ut 17 km3 från dessa floder till Östersjön. Den normala avrinningen från Oder och Wisla är under denna tidsperiod ca 6 km3, vilket innebär ett överskott på ca 11 km3• Det kan jämföras med en veckas inflöde genom Öresund, som är av storleksordningen 10 km3.

De stora regnmängderna medförde, att stora områden översvämmades främst längs Oder och att flodvattnet förde med sig material och föroreningar längs vattendragen. De svenska hydrografiska basundersökningarna i södra Östersjön intensifierades för att undersöka flodvattnets spridning och materialtransport i södra Östersjön. Undersökningarna utfördes till största delen av SMHI, och i ett nära samarbete med Naturvårdsverket, Fiskeriverket, IVL och Kustbevakningen. Tyska och polska fartyg utförde även intensiva mätningar under den aktuella tiden.

Flodvattnets väg ut i Östersjön prognostiserades och följdes på ett antal olika sätt. Vinduppgifter, den oceanografiska modellen HIROMB samt spridningsmodell för olja och kemikalier användes för att prognostisera vattnets väg samtidigt som översvämningsvattnet följdes med hjälp av satellitbilder och fartygsmätningar.

Wisla rinner ut i Gdanskbukten, medan Oder rinner ut i Pommerska bukten efter att ha passerat Szczecin-lagunen. De uppmätta närsaltkoncentrationerna i bukterna var i samma storleksordning som de maximala halter som uppmätts under vårperioderna de senaste 25 åren. Det näringsrika vattnet orsakade en kraftig primärproduktion i bukterna. I slutet av juli rådde västliga vindar, som transporterade det utströmmande vattnet från Wisla och Oder österut längs den polska kusten. I början av augusti vände vinden och blev ostlig. Vädret var varmt och soligt, och vattnet transporterade långsamt västerut. Någon påverkan längre ut från kusten registrerades inte och några långtidseffekter förväntas inte heller ske.

A climatology atlas of the oxygen situation in the deep water of the Baltic Sea was first published in 2011 in SMHI Report Oceanography No 42. Since 2011, annual updates have been made as additional data have been reported to ICES. In this report the results for 2012 have been updated and the preliminary results for 2013 are presented. Oxygen data from 2013 have been collected during the annual Baltic International Acoustic Survey (BIAS) and from national monitoring programmes with contributions from Sweden, Poland, Finland, Estonia Lithuania, and Latvia. For the autumn period, August to October, each profile in the dataset was examined for the occurrence of hypoxia (oxygen deficiency) and anoxia (total absence of oxygen). The depths of onset of hypoxia and anoxia were then interpolated between sampling stations producing two surfaces representing the depth at which hypoxic and anoxic conditions are found. The volume and area of hypoxia and anoxia have been calculated and the results have then been transformed to maps and diagrams to visualize the annual autumn oxygen situation during the analysed period. The updated results for 2012 and the preliminary results for 2013 show that the extreme oxygen conditions in the Baltic Proper after the regime shift in 1999 continue. Both the areal extent and the volume of anoxia have, after the regime shift, been constantly elevated to levels only observed occasionally before the regime shift. In the Baltic Proper, Gulf of Finland and Gulf of Riga ~15% of the bottom areas was affected by anoxia and ~30% by hypoxia during 2013.

A climatological atlas of the oxygen situation in the deep water of the Baltic Sea was first published in 2011 in SMHI Report Oceanography No 42. Since 2011, annual updates have been made as additional data have been reported to ICES. In this report the results for 2013 have been updated and the preliminary results for 2014 are presented. Oxygen data from 2014 have been collected during the annual Baltic International Acoustic Survey (BIAS) and from national monitoring programmes with contributions from Sweden, Poland, Estonia Lithuania, and Germany. For the autumn period, August to October, each profile in the dataset was examined for the occurrence of hypoxia (oxygen deficiency) and anoxia (total absence of oxygen). The depths of onset of hypoxia and anoxia were then interpolated between sampling stations producing two surfaces representing the depth at which hypoxic respectively anoxic conditions are found. The volume and area of hypoxia and anoxia have been calculated and the results have then been transformed to maps and diagrams to visualize the annual autumn oxygen situation during the analysed period. The updated results for 2013 and the preliminary results for 2014 show that the extreme oxygen conditions in the Baltic Proper after the regime shift in 1999 continue. Both the areal extent and the volume with anoxic conditions have, after 1999, been constantly elevated to levels only observed occasionally before the regime shift. In the Baltic Proper, Gulf of Finland and Gulf of Riga approximately 15% of the bottom area was affected by anoxia and around 25% by hypoxia during 2014. En klimatologisk atlas över syresituationen i Östersjöns djupvatten publicerades 2011 i SMHIs Report Oceanography No 42. Sedan 2011 har årliga uppdateringar gjorts då kompletterande data från länder runt Östersjön har rapporerats till ICES. I denna rapport har resultaten från 2013 uppdaterats. De preliminära resultaten för 2014 baseras på data insamlade under Baltic International Acoustic Survey (BIAS) och nationell miljööver-vakning med bidrag från Estland, Litauen, Tyskland, Polen och Sverige.Förekomsten av hypoxi (syrebrist) och anoxi (helt syrefria förhållanden) under höstperioden, augusti till oktober, har undersökts i varje mätprofil. Djupet där hypoxi eller anoxi först påträffas i en profil har interpolerats mellan provtagningsstationer och kombinerats med en djupdatabas för beräkning av utbredning och volym av hypoxiska och anoxiska förhållanden. Resultaten har överförts till kartor och diagram för att visualisera syre-situationen i Östersjöns djupvatten.Resultaten för 2013 och de preliminära resultaten för 2014 visar att de extrema syreförhållanden som observerats i Egentliga Östersjön efter regimskiftet 1999 fortsätter. Utbredningen av anoxi fortsätter att vara konstant förhöjd till nivåer som bara observerats i Östersjön vid enstaka år före 1999. Under 2013 beräknas ungefär 15 % av bottnarna i Egentliga Östersjön, Finska viken och Rigabukten vara påverkade av anoxiska förhållanden och cirka 25% av hypoxi.

A climatological atlas of the oxygen situation in the deep water of the Baltic Sea was first published in 2011 in SMHI Report Oceanography No 42. Since 2011, annual updates have been made as additional data have been reported to ICES. In this report the results for 2014 have been updated and the preliminary results for 2015 are presented. Oxygen data from 2015 have been collected during the annual Baltic International Acoustic Survey (BIAS) and from national monitoring programmes with contributions from Sweden, Finland, Poland, Estonia and Germany. For the autumn period, August to October, each profile in the dataset was examined for the occurrence of hypoxia (oxygen deficiency) and anoxia (total absence of oxygen). The depths of onset of hypoxia and anoxia were then interpolated between sampling stations producing two surfaces representing the depth at which hypoxic respectively anoxic conditions are found. The volume and area of hypoxia and anoxia have been calculated and the results have then been transformed to maps and diagrams to visualize the annual autumn oxygen situation during the analysed period. The updated results for 2014 and the preliminary results for 2015 show that the extreme oxygen conditions in the Baltic Proper after the regime shift in 1999 continue. Both the areal extent and the volume with anoxic conditions have, after 1999, been constantly elevated to levels only observed occasionally before the regime shift. Despite the major inflow to the Baltic Sea in December 2014 approximately 16% of the bottom area was affected by anoxia and 29% by hypoxia during 2015.

A climatology atlas of the oxygen situation in the deep water of the Baltic Sea from 1960 to 2011 has been created based on all available data from ICES. Additional data collected during the Baltic International Acoustic Survey (BIAS) have been added to the year 2011. For the autumn period, each profile in the data set was examined for the occurrence of hypoxia (oxygen deficiency) and anoxia (total absence of oxygen). The depths of the onset of hypoxia and anoxia were then interpolated between sampling stations producing two surfaces representing the depth at which hypoxic and anoxic conditions are found. The volume and area of hypoxia and anoxia have been calculated and the results have then been transformed to maps and diagrams to visualize the annual autumn oxygen situation during the analysed period. From the analysed oxygen data 1960-2011 a distinct regime shift has been identified in 1999. During the first regime, 1960 to 1999, hypoxia affected large areas and volumes while anoxic conditions affected only minor deep areas. After the regime shift in 1999 both the areal extent and volume of hypoxia and anoxia are elevated to levels never recorded before. The bottom areas of the Baltic Proper (including the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Riga) affected by anoxic conditions have increased from 5%, before the regime shift, to 15% after, i.e. by a factor of 3. The extent of hypoxia has increased from 22% to 28%, i.e. by a factor of ~1.3. Excluding the results from 2011, which are preliminary, the largest areal extent of anoxia, 18%, in the Baltic Proper was recorded in 2005 and the largest affected water volume, 10%, was recorded in 2001. The cause and ecosystem effects of the new behaviour of the Baltic Sea that has been recognized after the regime shift, with continuously extreme oxygen conditions, are still not fully understood. However, there are several likely contributory and concurrent causes to the recent development such as changes in winds, changes in frequency and characteristics of inflows, increased loading of organic matter to the deep water, altered vertical mixing and stratification, and changed freshwater runoff. Historically, the oxygen development in the deep water of the Baltic Sea has been investigated in detail and most of the processes involved, both physical and chemical, have been described. But the development during the 2000s is alarming and should be investigated thoroughly. The areal extent and volume of hypoxia have today probably reached the maximal possible extent due to the permanent stratification in the Baltic Proper. However, the extent and volume of anoxic conditions can still increase, which further can enhance the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea due to released phosphorus from sediments that previously have been oxygenated. Sammanfattning En klimatologisk atlas av syresituationen i Östersjöns djupvatten från 1960 till 2011 har skapats baserad på all tillgänglig data från ICES. Ytterligare data från Baltic International Acoustic Survey (BIAS) har inkluderats separat för 2011. Förekomsten av hypoxi (syrebrist) och anoxi (helt syrefria förhållanden) under höstperioden har undersökts i varje mätprofil. Djupet då hypoxi eller anoxi först påträffas i en profil har interpolerats mellan provtagningsstationer och kombinerats med en djupdatabas för beräkning av utbredning och volym av hypoxiska och anoxiska förhållanden. Resultaten har överförts till kartor och diagram för att visualisera syresituationen i Östersjöns djupvatten. Utifrån analyserade data från perioden 1960-2011 har ett distinkt regimskifte skett 1999. Under den första regimen, från 1960 till 1999, påverkade hypoxi stora områden och volymer, medan anoxi enbart påverkade mindre djupområden. Efter regimskiftet 1999 har andelen hypoxi och anoxi förhöjts till nivåer som aldrig tidigare observerats i Östersjöns djupvatten. Utbredningen av bottnar påverkade av anoxi har i medeltal ökat från 5% av Egentliga Östersjöns (inklusive Finska viken och Rigabukten) bottenarea till 15%, i och med regimskiftet, d.v.s. med en faktor 3. Utbredningen av hypoxi har också ökat från 22% till 28% d.v.s. med en faktor ~1.3. Den största utbredningen av anoxi, 18%, i Egentliga Östersjön observerades 2005 och den största påverkade vattenvolymen, 10%, noterades 2001. Utvecklingen i Östersjön med fortsatt extrema syreförhållanden efter regimskiftet och dess orsaker och konsekvenser för Östersjöns ekosystem är idag inte helt klarlagd. Det finns emellertid flera troliga orsaker som kan samverka såsom; förändrade vindförhållanden, förändrad frekvens och karaktäristik av inflöden, ökad belastning av organiskt material till djupvattnet, förändrad vertikal omblandning samt skiktning och ändrad tillrinning till Östersjön. Historiskt så har syreförhållanden i Östersjön undersökts i detalj och de flesta processer, både fysiska och kemiska finns beskrivna. Men utvecklingen under 2000-talet är alarmerande och måste noggrant undersökas. Utbredningen och volymen av hypoxi har idag (2011) antagligen nått den övre gränsen för vad som är fysiskt möjligt med den permanenta skiktning som finns i Östersjön. De anoxiska förhållandena kan dock fortsatt öka om den negativa utvecklingen fortsätter, vilket ytterligare kan förvärra övergödningsproblematiken i Östersjön då mer fosfor kan frigöras från bottnar som tidigare varit syresatta.

En klimatologisk atlas av syresituationen i Östersjöns djupvatten publicerades 2011 i SMHIs Report Oceanography No 42. Resultaten för 2011 var preliminära och har i denna rapport uppdaterats då ny data har rapporterats till ICES. Resultaten för 2012 är preliminära och är baserade på syredata insamlade under Baltic International Acoustic Survey (BIAS) med bidrag från Sverige, Polen, Estland och Finland. Data från SMHIs egna ordinarie expeditioner har också inkluderats.Förekomsten av hypoxi (syrebrist) och anoxi (helt syrefria förhållanden) under höstperioden, augusti till oktober, har undersökts i varje mätprofil. Djupet då hypoxi eller anoxi först påträffas i en profil har interpolerats mellan provtagningsstationer och kombinerats med en djupdatabas för beräkning av utbredning och volym av hypoxiska och anoxiska förhållanden. Resultaten har överförts till kartor och diagram för att visualisera syresituationen i Östersjöns djupvatten.Resultaten för 2011 och de preliminära resultaten för 2012 visar att de extrema syreförhållanden som observerat i Egentliga Östersjön efter regimskiftet 1999 fortsätter. Andelen områden påverkade av hypoxi och anoxi fortsätter att vara förhöjda till nivåer som aldrig tidigare observerats i Östersjöns djupvatten.

A climatological atlas of the oxygen situation in the deep water of the Baltic Sea was firstpublished in 2011 in SMHI Report Oceanography No 42. Since 2011, annual updates have beenmade as additional data have been reported to ICES. In this report the results for 2016 havebeen updated and the preliminary results for 2017 are presented. Oxygen data from 2017 havebeen collected during the annual Baltic International Acoustic Survey (BIAS) and from nationalmonitoring programmes with contributions from Sweden, Finland and Poland.For the autumn period each profile in the dataset was examined for the occurrence of hypoxia(oxygen deficiency) and anoxia (total absence of oxygen). The depths of onset of hypoxia andanoxia were then interpolated between sampling stations producing two surfaces representingthe depth at which hypoxic and anoxic conditions respectively are found. The volume and areaof hypoxia and anoxia have been calculated and the results have then been transformed to mapsand diagrams to visualize the annual autumn oxygen situation during the analysed period.The updated results for 2016 and the preliminary results for 2017 show that the severe oxygenconditions in the Baltic Proper after the regime shift in 1999 continue. Both the areal extent andthe volume with anoxic conditions have, after 1999, been constantly elevated to levels onlyobserved occasionally before the regime shift. Despite the frequent inflows to the Baltic Seaduring the period 2014-2016 approximately 18% of the bottom area was affected by anoxia and28% by hypoxia during 2017. The hydrogen sulphide has, due to the inflows, disappeared fromthe Eastern and Northern Gotland Basin. However, the oxygen concentrations in the deep waterare still near zero and signs of increasing hydrogen sulphide close to the bottom have beenobserved during 2017.Sammanfattning

A climatological atlas of the oxygen situation in the deep water of the Baltic Sea was first published in 2011 in SMHI Report Oceanography No 42. Since 2011, annual updates have been made as additional data have been reported to the ICES data center. In this report the results for 2017 has been updated and the preliminary results for 2018 are presented. Oxygen data from 2018 have been collected from various sources such as international trawl survey, national monitoring programmes and research projects with contributions from Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Russia, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. For the autumn period each profile in the dataset was examined for the occurrence of hypoxia (oxygen deficiency) and anoxia (total absence of oxygen). The depths of onset of hypoxia and anoxia were then interpolated between sampling stations producing two surfaces representing the depth at which hypoxic and anoxic conditions respectively are found. The volume and area of hypoxia and anoxia have been calculated and the results have then been transferred to maps and diagrams to visualize the annual autumn oxygen situation during the analysed period. The updated results for 2017 and the preliminary results for 2018 show that the severe oxygen conditions in the Baltic Proper after the regime shift in 1999 continue. Both the areal extent and the volume with anoxic conditions have, after 1999, been constantly elevated to levels only observed occasionally before the regime shift. Despite the frequent inflows to the Baltic Sea during the period 2014-2016 approximately 22% of the bottom area was affected by anoxia and 32% by hypoxia during 2018. The preliminary results indicate that this is the largest area affected by anoxia during the analysed period, starting 1960. The hydrogen sulphide that had disappeared from the Eastern and Northern Gotland Basin due to the inflows in 2014-2016 is now steadily increasing in the deep water again.

A climatological atlas of the oxygen situation in the deep water of the Baltic Sea was firstpublished in 2011 in SMHI Report Oceanography No 42. Since 2011, annual updates have beenmade as additional data have been reported to the ICES data center. In this report the results for2018 have been updated and the preliminary results for 2019 are presented. Oxygen data from2019 have been collected from various sources such as international trawl survey, nationalmonitoring programmes and research projects with contributions from Poland, Estonia, Russia,Denmark, Sweden and Finland.For the autumn period each profile in the dataset was examined for the occurrence of hypoxia(oxygen deficiency) and anoxia (total absence of oxygen). The depths of onset of hypoxia andanoxia were then interpolated between sampling stations producing two surfaces representingthe depths at which hypoxic and anoxic conditions respectively are found. The volume and areaof hypoxia and anoxia were then calculated and the results transferred to maps and diagrams tovisualize the annual autumn oxygen situation during the analysed period.The updated results for 2018 and the preliminary results for 2019 show that the severe oxygenconditions in the Baltic Proper after the regime shift in 1999 continue. In 2018 the largestbottom areas and volumes affected by anoxia was recorded during the analysed period startingin 1960. Anoxic conditions affected ~24% of the bottom areas and ~33% suffered from hypoxiain 2018 and similar values just below was noted during 2019. The results from these two yearscould be the beginning of a new trend as the anoxia has reached another stage and new areas areaffected regularly. In the southern basins of the Baltic Proper, such as the Gulf of Gdansk, HanöBight and in the Bornholm Basin, hypoxia has previously been found in the deep water butanoxia is now found regularly in the deep water. The hydrogen sulphide that had disappearedfrom the Eastern and Northern Gotland Basin due to the inflows in 2014-2016 is now steadilyincreasing in the deep water again. No major inflow has occurred since 2016.

In autumn year 2000 and winter-spring 2001 the precipitation in the catchment area of Lake Vänern was higher than normal. During spring 2001, the flow in river Göta älv was around 1200 m3/s, nearly three times higher than the average indicating extreme conditions. The flow in the smaller rivers entering the Bohus coast is minor compared to river Göta Älv. To investigate possible effects on the marine environment in the area close to the river mouth an investigation with weekly sampling at four locations was initated by SMHI. Physical and chemical variables in the water was measured as well as phytoplankton composition and abundance. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Water Quality Association of the Bohus Coast co-funded the investigation together with SMHI. Effects on the water quality such as low surface salinities, high concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and dissolved phosphate and silicate compared to monthly averages 1990-99 was observed close to the river mouth but not off shore. Effects on the Secchi depth were not observed. On a few occassion high phytoplankton biomass, measured as chlorophyll a, was observed. At other locations along the Bohus coast effects where absent or small. Primary productivity measurements at the mouth of the Gullmar Fjord, showed no effects from the river outflow. During the investigation a bloom of the harmful alga Chattonella sp. occurred in the Kattetat and the Skagerrak.. The bloom of this small flagellate, which is described in the report, is probably not connected to the river input. A unique or unusual feature of the Chattonella-bloom is that it occured in cold water right after the diatom spring bloom in early March. In conclusion the effects of the extreme flooding were less than expected, the fresh water from the river were quickly mixed with the water in the sea and only small effects were seen. No connection between the flooding and the Chattonella bloom was detected.

The Swedish OSPAR waters were assessed by applying the OSPAR Common Procedure for the time period 2006 – 2014. The Swedish parts of Skagerrak, Kattegat and the Sound constitute the outer part of the transition zone between the estuarine Baltic Sea and the oceanic North Sea and were investigated for nutrients, chlorophyll-a,oxygen, macrophytes, phytoplankton and zoobenthos. The conclusion from the overall assessment of the Swedish OSPAR waters was that only Skagerrak open sea could be classified as a Non-Problem Area and all other assessment units were classified as Problem Areas.  Atmospheric input of nitrogen significantly decreased in both Skagerrak and Kattegat and the land based input of total nutrients also decreased in Skagerrak, Kattegat as well as the Sound. However, the short-term trend of nitrogen input to the Sound was positive. Skagerrak is governed by trans-boundary transports from the North Sea of mainly nitrogen but also phosphorus. Kattegat receives trans-boundary nutrients from both the Baltic Sea through the Sound and from Skagerrak and transports nutrients towards the coast and the western part of the basin.  Overall, concentrations of DIN, DIP, TN and chlorophyll-a decreased in most areas, however, no significant trends were found for DIP. Increasing concentrations were found in silicate, POC and TP. The Secchi depth increased in most areas. Oxygen deficiency was mainly a problem in the fjords and the Kattegat open sea.  In Skagerrak coastal waters winter nutrients were only elevated in the fjords. Concentrations of DIN generally decreased significantly and there were tendencies of decreasing DIP. This pattern was also supported by the total nitrogen while total phosphorus increased. Secchi depth was improving and there was a significant positive trend of increasing depths. However, zoobenthos were still in bad condition and phytoplankton indicator species were often elevated. Chlorophyll-a concentrations were generally decreasing but still elevated in the inner coastal waters. There were also problems with algal toxins such as DST (Diarrhetic Shellfish Toxin) and PST (Paralystic Shellfish Toxin) infections in the area. According to the OSPAR classification scheme, a unit with no evident increased nutrient enrichment can be classified as a Problem Area but the cause might be due to trans-boundary transport from adjacent areas. In the open area of Kattegat there were still problems with oxygen deficiency, especially in the southern parts, even though the trend was significantly positive for the assessment period 2006 – 2014. Concentrations of chlorophyll-a and DIN decreased significantly, however, DIN levels were still generally elevated, especially in the southern parts of Kattegat while DIP was closer to the assessment level. In Kattegat coastal waters winter nutrients were elevated in all assessment units, except from the inner coastal waters, even though there was a general pattern of decreasing going trends. Chlorophyll-a was mainly elevated in the Sound and the estuaries. Secchi depth is generally improving and a significant increase was seen in the Sound. Also in Kattegat, zoobenthos were in bad condition and phytoplankton indicator species were often elevated.