Baltic Sea ice coverage was modelled using a sea-ice thermodynamics and dynamics model coupled with a three-dimensional (3-D) PM3D hydrodynamic model. The validation for 1958-2007 showed the modelled maximum ice extents (MIEs) agree well with observations (r = 0.97) and the ice thickness less so, but satisfactory for most stations (r > 0.8). This enabled the production of cumulative ice thickness (CIT) maps and the determination of the spatial variation in sea-ice extent in the Baltic over the analysed period for four air temperature scenarios with a constant value reduction. This showed the spatial sensitivity of ice cover dynamics to temperature changes and allowed to distinct regions with different impact of change in temperature on CIT. The simulation for temperature of 2 degrees C lower than 1958-2007 was consistent with the reconstruction of MIEs in the entire Baltic Sea for the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA) (1721-1860). For the western Baltic, the compliance was highest for temperature reduced by 3 degrees C and 4 degrees C. This indicates that climatic conditions may have differed between individual regions of the Baltic during the LIA, and the air temperature anomaly in the western Baltic may have been greater than indicated by previous studies

Coastal and transitional waters are often used as bathing waters. In many regions, such activities play an important economic role. According to the European Union Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) (BWD) the concentration of Escherichia coli in bathing water exceeding 500 CFU·100 mL−1 poses a high risk for bathers’ health. In order to safeguard public health, microbiological environmental monitoring is carried out, which has recently been supported or replaced by mathematical models detailing the spread of sanitary contamination. This study focuses on the problems and limitations that can be encountered in the process of constructing a mathematical model describing the spread of biological contamination by E. coli bacteria in coastal seawater. This and other studies point to the following problems occurring during the process of building and validating a model: the lack of data on loads of sanitary contamination (often connected with multiple sources of biological contamination inflow) makes the model more complex; E. coli concentrations higher than 250 CFU·100 mL−1 (low hazard for health) are observed very rarely, and are associated with great uncertainty; the impossibility of predicting the time and intensity of precipitation as well as stronger winds and rougher sea, which may be a significant source of E. coli. However, there is universal agreement that such models will be useful in managing bathing water quality and protecting public health, especially during big failures of the wastewater network.

The aim of the work is to present the possibilities of using advanced systems combining data obtained by remote sensing methods with data from other sources and bio-optical models for tracking and analyzing long-term changes in marine ecosystems. For this purpose, the 2010–2019 primary production data set provided by the SatBałtyk System, a platform that monitors the Baltic Sea based on satellite data, was used. As a result, the paper provides a quantitative description of the variability of the organic matter primary production (PP) in the Baltic Sea. In the individual months, the mean daily PP for the entire Baltic Sea, ranges from ca. 5 mgC m-2day-1 in winter (December and January) to over 700 mgC m-2day-1 in July. The overall annual PP of this basin ranges from 37 to 45 *106 tC year-1, but it is clearly noticeable that the yearly distributions of PP vary significantly from year to year over the 2010–2019 period and different regions. On the basis of the presented results for selected regions, it can be also seen that the maximum values of PP characteristic for the Baltic Sea in the summer months in the Gdańsk Basin can be observed from June to July. However, in the Bornholm Basin and the East Gotland Basin, PP does not peak until July and occasionally in August. The obtained results indicate a slight increase in the productivity of the Baltic Sea (ca. 11%) over the 10 years’ period and it also varies regionally.

Coastal upwelling involves an upward movement of deeper, usually colder, water to the surface. Satellite sea surface temperature (SST) observations and simulations with a hydrodynamic model show, however, that the coastal upwelling in the Baltic Sea in winter can bring warmer water to the surface. In this study, the satellite SST data collected by the advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) and the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS), as well as simulations with the Parallel Model 3D (PM3D) were used to identify upwelling events in the southern Baltic Sea during the 2010–2017 winter seasons. The PM3D is a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of the Baltic Sea developed at the Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdańsk, Poland, in which parallel calculations enable high-resolution modelling. A validation of the model results with in situ observations and satellite-derived SST data showed the PM3D to adequately represent thermal conditions in upwelling areas in winter (91.5% agreement). Analysis of the frequency of warm upwellings in 12 areas of the southern Baltic Sea showed a high variability in January and February. In those months, the upwelling was most frequent, both in satellite imagery and in model results, off the Hel Peninsula (38% and 43% frequency, respectively). Upwelling was also frequent off the Vistula Spit, west of the Island of Rügen, and off the eastern coast of Skåne, where the upwelling frequency estimated from satellite images exceeded 26%. As determined by the PM3D, the upwelling frequency off VS and R was at least 25%, while off the eastern coast of Skåne, it reached 17%. The faithful simulation of SST variability in the winters of 2010–2017 by the high-resolution model used was shown to be a reliable tool with which to identify warm upwellings in the southern Baltic Sea.

A hindcast modelling study conducted with the PM3D hydrodynamic model revealed some new effects. The study involved determination of seasonal characteristics of surface and subsurface currents. In addition, long-term relationships between the Baltic Sea currents and the North Atlantic Oscillation were explored. Analysis of the Baltic Sea current data spanning five decades has shown new, previously unknown, current characteristics, including higher stability (0.4-0.7) of subsurface current eddies relative to the stability of surface currents (0.2-0.5). Circulation anomaly patterns relative to the annual mean in spring and autumn present opposite flow directions, whereas winter and summer circulation patterns were similar in this respect. The spring circulation anomalies were dominated by the low sea-level outflow from the Baltic Sea, whereas the autumn circulation showed a strong inflow and infilling of the sea. In the analysed half-century (1958-2007), velocities of surface and bottom currents showed an increasing trend (0.9 and 0.1 cm s(-1) per 50 years, respectively) and were related to the dominance of the positive NAO index phase. Current velocity fluctuations correlated positively with the NAO and BSI indices (correlation coefficients of 0.66 and 0.80, respectively).

Occurrence of cloud cover over remotely sensed area is a significant limitation in the ocean colour and infra-red remote sensing applications, especially when operational use of such a data is considered. A method for the reconstruction of missing data in remote sensing images has been propesed. lt is hased on complementing satellite data with the corresponding information from other sources of data, in our tested case it was the ecohydrodynamic model. The method solves the problem the presence of a cloud cover also during an extended period. Unlike in many other similar methods, emphasis has been put on retaining remotely sensed information to a high degree and preserving local phenomena that are usually difficult to capture by other methods than satellite remote sensing. The method has been tested on the Baltic Sea. Sea surface temperature and chlorophyll a concentration estimated from satellite data, ecohydrodynamic models and merged product were compared with in situ data. The algorithm was optimized for the two parameters that are crucial for e.g. creating algae bloom forecasts. The root mean square error (RMSE) of the final product of sea surface temperature was 0.73 degrees C, whereas of the input satellite images 1.26 degrees C or 1.33 degrees C and of model maps 0.89 degrees C. The error factor of chlorophyll a concentration product was 1.8 mg m-3, in comparison to 2.55 mg m(-3) for satellite input source and 2.28 mg m(-3) for the model one. The results show that the proposed method well utilizes advantages of both satellite and numerical simulation data sources, at the same time reducing the errors of estimation of merged parameters compared to similar errors for both primary sources. It would be a valuable component of fuzzy logic and rule-based HABs prediction.

Abstract Transport of fine sediments depends mainly on the efficiency of flocculation. Flocculation, understood as the result of simultaneous processes of aggregation of particles and floc break-up, is a common phenomenon in marine environments. It is typical of fine sediments. This study presents a mathematical model of fine sediment transport. A model of flocculation is an important part of this model. Its main assumption is that flocculation is governed by turbulence. The model was qualitatively tested in a simplified theoretical waterbody. Such factors as the wind direction, wind speed, river discharge and concentration of suspension in the river were investigated. The results show that the proposed model describes reasonably well the lithodynamic processes characteristic of fine flocculating sediments. Thus it seems possible to apply it for description of fine sediment transport under real wave–current conditions that occur in many marine waterbodies near river mouths.

The three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of the Baltic Sea (M3D) and its new parallel version (PM3D), developed at the Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdańsk in Poland, was tested to establish a grid resolution adequate for the Baltic Sea level prediction. Four outputs of the M3D/PM3D, calculated with spatial resolution varying from 3NM to 0.5NM, were validated by comparing the results with hourly sea level readings collected at 9 Baltic gauges in 2010–2015. The spatial resolution of 1NM applied to the Baltic Sea resulted in a distinct improvement of agreement between the calculated and observed distributions of data. An increase in the resolution to 0.5NM in the southern Baltic Sea improved the model quality further, as indicated by the lowest variability, the highest correlation and the highest percentage of water level simulations within the range of ±0.15m difference relative to readings. The increase in horizontal resolution allowed to improve the fit between the observed water levels and those calculated by the PM3D in the cases of rapid sea level fluctuations, such as those registered in January 2012. The model performed slightly worse for stations with larger ranges of water level oscillations. As parallel calculations were used in the PM3D, the time necessary for computing the simulations was significantly reduced, which allowed to apply the high-resolution grid also to the operational version of the model.

Ensuring of security in the coastal area makes on a seaside countries research in the field of infrastructure spatial information of environmental data. The paper presents the results of work on the construction of this infrastructure by integrating electronic navigational chart with ortophotomaps of coastal areas as well as numerical data from weather and hydrodynamic models. Paper focuses on a problems associated with creating an environment that integrates data distributed in different formats with particular attention to the NetCDF format. Using appropriate conventions of metadata recording and completion of lacking elements through own IT tools allowed for easy visualization of spatial information. This solution - the map integrates multiple layers of thematic issues were related to the location of a maritime accident. The possibilities of using so prepared applications was tested by comparing simulated results in GIS environment with those obtained during experiments in the real world.

This paper presents the results of the practical and simulation research into determining the routes of movement of small objects moving together with surface water masses in basins adjacent to the port. The results of this research were referenced against the modelling of routes of small objects in port channel basins. The results of practical research concerning the movement of small objects in basins adjacent to the port were referenced against the modelling of trajectories of these objects in the port channel basins. The purpose of the testing was to determine the efficiency of numerical modelling in dealing with the specific nature of the area subject to analysis. The research involved two tools, one of the tools employed was the graph model developed for the purposes of this research, whereas the second one was the M3D hydrodynamic model. Results obtained through the experiments carried out in a virtual environment were referenced against the real-world measurements. Practical research was carried out using dedicated drifters.

Ensuring security in a harbor requires research into its infrastructure using spatial environmental data. This paper presents a methodology that defines the design of a graph for modeling the interactions between surface currents and moving objects. Combining this graph with port charts that integrate electronic navigation charts with coastal orthophotographs allows us to perform a multidimensional analysis. In addition, the complete information about navigation and harbor infrastructure allows us to predict the effects of currents on objects that are moving in the dock. The capabilities of this application were tested in the Gdynia harbor and the defined graph is based on sea currents generated by the numerical hydrodynamic model M3D.

The effect of the vertical migration (VM) of phytoplankton on the depletion of mineral nitrogen in the water layer intermediate between the thermocline and halocline during the summer thermal stratification of the Baltic Proper was investigated. The flux of nitrogen transported to the mixed layer from the intermediate layer beneath it was estimated on the basis of long-term observations (1970–2000) made in spring and summer at station BY15 in the Gotland Deep (central part of the Baltic Proper). The total nitrogen flux was estimated at ca 60mmolm−2month−1 in spring and at ca 4.7mmolm−2month−1 in summer. The total transport of nitrogen to the euphotic zone from April to August was estimated at 129mmolm−2 which, assuming the Redfield ratio to hold, corresponds to a new primary production of ca 10.3gCm−2. The deep chlorophyll maxima linked to the VM of phytoplankton may not be remotely sensed, which causes the level of primary production calculated on their basis to be somewhat underestimated. The ProDeMo ecohydrodynamic model was modified in such a way as to take account of the VM of dinoflagellates. Comparison of the model results with measured vertical distributions of mineral nitrogen enabled the choice of an appropriate numerical algorithm and confirmed the hypothesis that dinoflagellate VM may be responsible for the depletion of mineral nitrogen beneath the thermocline.

Autorzy wskazują na mozliwośc poprawienia jakości zarządzania decyzjami oraz dowodzeniem na wypadek dzialan wojennych lub wypadkow morskich poprzez jednoznaczne i metodyczne polączenie cyfrowych map morskich wykonanych w standardzie ENC/S-57 i DNC/VPF oraz danych z zasobu geodezyjnego dotyczącego obszaru lądowego. Aktualnie nie funkcjonuje w Polsce system informacji przestrzennej obejmujący polskie wybrzeze, ktory moglby zostac wykorzystany do zarządzania dzialaniami morskimi w odniesieniu do dokladności i skali przypisywanej systemom informacji przestrzennej. Wydaje sie zasadne szybkie wsparcie merytoryczne polączone ze wspolpracą ośrodkow wojskowych i cywilnych nad wdrozeniem systemu zarządzania i dowodzenia, opartego na integracji powszechnie dostepnych danych fotogrametrycznych (np. ortofotomap, opracowan ze skaningu mobilnego i naziemnego oraz bazy infrastruktury). Autorzy w artykule wskazują koncepcje. Artykul jest swoistą zapowiedzią monografii autorskiej obejmującej Sieciocentryczny System Informacji Geograficznej Zatoki Gdanskiej do wspomagania dzialan operacyjnych morskich sluzb panstwowych.

Sarkoidoza jest systemową chorobą o nieznanej etiologii, zajmującą węzły chłonne i/lub płuca, ale również inne narządy, w tym serce.Sarkoidoza serca (SS) może przebiegać całkowicie bezobjawowo (najczęściej), ale także z dramatycznymi zaburzeniami rytmu i przewodzenia, włącznie z nagłym zgonem sercowym.Przyżyciowo SS rozpoznaje się u ok. 5% populacji chorych, natomiast badania autopsyjne wykazują zajęcie serca w 20-30% przypadków

To ensure security and safety in the coastal areas it becomes necessary to undertake research to integrate environmental data . This paper reveals the effects of work taken to build charts integrating electronic navigational chart with photo chart of coastal terrain as well as with hydrodynamic and meteorological data from numerical models. The paper is focused on problems connected with creation of network centric environment which integrates data available in several different formats with special attention to NetCDF, a format developed by UCAR (University Corporation for Atmospheric Research). Using NetCDF format makes it easy to collect geospatial information from numerical weather and hydrodynamic models in GIS. The use of appropriate conventions for writing metadata provides a friendly visualization and data analysis in GIS. The results of the research presented were obtained within the development project No O R00 0105 11 funded by National Research and Development Centre in Poland.

The modified hydrodynamic model of the Baltic Sea, developed at the Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdansk was validated using storm-related sea level fluctuations as well as water temperature and salinity variations in the Pomeranian Bay and the Szczecin Lagoon (southern Baltic). The high resolution (about 300 m) applied to the model for the Szczecin Lagoon area resulted in a much better description of the area's bathymetry, and in an improved fit between the modelled and the observed distributions of the data sets both in the Bay and in the Lagoon. Model quality tests involving 2002-2007 storm surge events showed a better representation of events characterised by rapid water level fluctuations and fast changes of physical water properties. The numerical model's high quality of simulations allows for applying the higher resolution of spatial spacing to the Szczecin Lagoon area also in the operational version of the model.