Press releases

Cool and unstable weather has restrained cyanobacteria occurrence both in the Finnish Sea areas and in lakes. In the sea areas cyanobacteria can still be found in the deeper water layers, and also some patchy surface blooms have been observed. In lakes cyanobacteria are mainly mixed in the water column.

Approximately 25,700 cormorant nests were counted in Finnish sea areas in the summer of 2019. This represents a decrease of 4%, or 1,000 nests, in comparison to the previous year. With the cormorant nest population already nearing its natural peak, hunting by the white-tailed eagle is also reducing the cormorant population.

Observations reveal a large surface cyanobacteria bloom in the Baltic Proper that extends north close to Finnish coastal areas. Blooms have also been reported in the southern part of the Bothnian Sea. In lakes, cyanobacteria have been observed less than typically this time of summer.

The cooler and windier weather this week has slowed down the growth of the cyanobacteria and kept them mixed in water. Cyanobacterial blooms have declined in the Baltic Sea as well as in lakes since last week. However, if the weather warms up and the wind calms down, cyanobacteria may increase again.

Since 1990, the Baltic Sea has on average warmed by almost 2 °C, Finnish sea areas even more than that. Nutrient pollution has continued to visibly decrease on this millennium but the surface area of anoxic seabed is at an all-time high.