The forecasts for when and where the algal bloom in the Baltic Sea will take off must improve. In a new research project, the ocean currents are to be mapped carefully and the goal is to be able to inform, for example, bathing sites, water treatment plants and farmers when the toxic algae are approaching.
Despite the fact that the Baltic Sea is considered one of the world’s most well-researched oceans, knowledge about how the currents move is still poor. It is known that they are unusually short, between one and five kilometers, but in order to be able to predict how the small blue-green algae move with the currents and become large algal shocks, more data is needed.
The researcher and oceanographer Inga Koszalka at Stockholm University leads a project where buoy-like equipment – so-called drift meters – can be used to measure how the currents in the water move.
More data provides pinpoint forecast
Each buoy is fitted with a GPS that sends signals to satellites which in turn indicate the position of the buoy.
– With the help of drift measurements, we can calculate how quickly the algae can spread and how long it takes for them to drift in the Baltic Sea, says Inga Koszalka.
With more data on how the algae move in the ocean, it is possible to make more accurate models of where the algae move. It should be possible to see whether, for example, individual bathing areas or desalination plants for drinking water are in the danger zone. The researchers are therefore studying the currents around Gotland.
– The algae blooms grow during heat waves in the summer and coincide with the water shortage on Gotland, when thousands of tourists have been shown to the island. Then it is important that the waterworks work. With the algae forecasts, you should be able to prepare and clean the filters in the water works so that they work.