Baltic Earth Scientific Colloquium Series

Past trends in the water balance of the Baltic Sea

Monday 4 December 2023, (15:00 Stockholm time)

by Prof. Dr. Markus Meier, Leibniz-Institute of Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde

The calculation of the freshwater balance of the Baltic Sea and its temporal variability is a long-standing field of research within BALTEX and Baltic Earth. The difference between precipitation and evaporation over the Baltic Sea catchment area controls, via the rivers, the freshwater input into the Baltic Sea and thus its salinity. However, the salt input via the Danish straits is also variable over time. In this presentation, I will discuss the latest research on low-frequency variability of the water balance of the region and of Baltic Sea salinity.
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Philosophical views on Baltic Basin climate and environmental sciences

Monday 5 February 2024, (15:00 Stockholm time)

by Prof. emeritus Anders Omstedt, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

We have investigated the scientific practice during the BALTEX/Baltic Earth research period from 1993 to 2023. The study applies a philosophical view of complex systems, which promotes an increased understanding through idealizations without organizing science into hierarchies. Instead, the pluralistic science approach used by the BALTEX/Baltic Earth program has successfully generated new knowledge about how to deal with climate and environmental changes in the region. Some of the major improvements in science understanding are:
• Improved communication skills through developing conceptual views into drawings with large information contents
• Improved experience in increasing data and data products and realizing the need for well-documented, homogenized, and open data sets. Also, training in how to characterize and detect climate and environmental changes in the region.
• Indices and statistical models have played an important role in understanding complex dynamics. We have learned that they also need consideration of homogeneities and often have severe limitations.
• Several new maps on the region have, in an easy visual way, opened up the understanding of the need for multi-disciplinary research, from geographic to human information.
• Improved knowledge has been built due to intensive research on the atmosphere-ocean boundary layers.
• New knowledge has been achieved through water, heat, nutrients, and carbon budgets.
• Improved knowledge of mechanistic and system models regarding water, heat, nutrients, and carbon cycling.
• Maximum complex models have been strongly developed as the computer capacity has grown and shown important results when attributing the causes for climate change and scenarios of possible future developments.
• Experience from assessment has taught us about the strengths and problems when evaluating science. It also improved our knowledge about multiple-discipline research.

Open topic

Monday 8 April 2024, (15:00 Stockholm time)

Open topic

Monday 3 June 2024, (15:00 Stockholm time)

Open topic

Monday 7 October 2024, (15:00 Stockholm time)

Open topic

Monday 2 December 2024, (15:00 Stockholm time)