Cooler weather in the Baltic Sea zone may result in lesser blooms of algae and smaller dead zones, experts tell Helsinki Times. They believe the battered Baltic Sea might have a bit of a respite this summer, at least in the coastal areas around Finland.
Marine researchers think the western Gulf of Finland and the whole of the Gulf of Bothnia will escape major algal blooms this summer. However, the southern portions of the Baltic are more at risk for developing blooms.
Blue-green algal blooms can be toxic for humans, and sometimes beaches are closed because of them. Poisoning might cause vomiting, diarrhoea, and irritation of the eyes and skin. Last summer, blue-green algae were less prevalent in Finnish marine areas.
The Finnish Environment Institute’s (SYKE) Marine Research Centre finds that we are at a lower risk of algal blooms this year, figures from early June show. “The probability of blue-green algal blooms in Finland’s sea areas is generally lower compared to the summer of 2012,” the Institute prophesised in a release. “
Source: Helsinki Times - DAVID J. CORD HELSINKI TIMES LEHTIKUVA / PEKKA SAKKI, MARJA SEPPÄNEN-HELIN