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- Chubarenko, B., et al.
(author)
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Converting beach wrack into a resource as a challenge for the Baltic Sea (an overview)
- 2021
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In: Ocean and Coastal Management. - : Elsevier. - 0964-5691 .- 1873-524X. ; 200, s. 1-15
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The paper distinguishes beach wrack, the marine generated organic part of beach cast, as a separate management object and discusses research questions related to its management and economically viable use. Based on experiences from the Baltic Sea and existing practices from countries with different management systems clear distinction between the management of natural and anthropogenic components of cast material is seen as an essential prerequisite for developing sustainable product chains that allow beach wrack to be used as a resource of commercial value. Presenting and discussing examples from Denmark (Koge Municipality), Germany (Kuhlungsborn, Rugen and Poel Island), Poland (Gulf of Gdansk), Russia (Curonian and Vistula spits) and Sweden (Kalmar municipality and Oland), social, ecological, and economic consequences of beach wrack removal are analysed to improve the attractiveness of beaches for recreational purposes. It also includes potential contribution to Baltic Sea water restoration processes through the removal of the organic part of beach cast, where indeed more studies about the chemical (nutrients, metals) composition of beach wrack are required for reliable calculation of a depuration rate. For local economies within the Baltic Sea region, the organic part of beach cast (beach wrack and terrestrial debris) has reasonable economic prospects as a renewable natural resource, e.g. for soil improvement products, in fertilisers and bio-coal production, for landfill covers (contributing to climate change mitigation), biogas generation, and even for coastal protection by providing humus-like material for accelerated dune vegetation succession. For all these recycling options the development of cost-efficient technologies for collecting beach cast on sandy as well as stony beaches and also for separating the organic part from sand and anthropogenic litter (mainly plastic), is urgently required. Amendments of legal regulations, that better reflect the dualism of beach cast are also required. In essence, dualism results from the fact that beach wrack is a part of nature (or a natural resource) when it remains on a beach. However, beach wrack immediately becomes legally categorised as waste once humans collect it irrespective of its litter content. Another legal aspect being dealt with originates from the migration of the beach wrack between water and beach, whilst it is an object of epleagl cleaning operations only at the beach it onto the beach, but not whilst in the water.
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| 2. |
- Reckermann, M., et al.
(author)
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Human impacts and their interactions in the Baltic Sea region
- 2022
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In: Earth Syst. Dynam.. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 2190-4987 .- 2190-4979. ; 13:1, s. 1-80
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Coastal environments, in particular heavily populated semi-enclosed marginal seas and coasts like the Baltic Sea region, are strongly affected by human activities. A multitude of human impacts, including climate change, affect the different compartments of the environment, and these effects interact with each other. As part of the Baltic Earth Assessment Reports (BEAR), we present an inventory and discussion of different human-induced factors and processes affecting the environment of the Baltic Sea region, and their interrelations. Some are naturally occurring and modified by human activities (i.e. climate change, coastal processes, hypoxia, acidification, submarine groundwater discharges, marine ecosystems, non-indigenous species, land use and land cover), some are completely human-induced (i.e. agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, river regulations, offshore wind farms, shipping, chemical contamination, dumped warfare agents, marine litter and microplastics, tourism, and coastal management), and they are all interrelated to different degrees. We present a general description and analysis of the state of knowledge on these interrelations. Our main insight is that climate change has an overarching, integrating impact on all of the other factors and can be interpreted as a background effect, which has different implications for the other factors. Impacts on the environment and the human sphere can be roughly allocated to anthropogenic drivers such as food production, energy production, transport, industry and economy. The findings from this inventory of available information and analysis of the different factors and their interactions in the Baltic Sea region can largely be transferred to other comparable marginal and coastal seas in the world.
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