Warm waters of summer 2002 in the deep Baltic Proper

From October 2002 until March 2003 surprisingly warm, oxygenated waters were frequently encountered in the Baltic Sea in the area between the Bornholm and Fårö Deeps from the halocline down to the bottom. Owing to their ventilation effect in the stagnating deep waters, their occasional observations have partly been incorrectly attributed to the inflow events of October 2002 or January 2003. The emergence of some of these waters can be traced back to the exceptional summer weather conditions in August and September 2002 in central Europe. The warm waters played a remarkable renewal pacemaker role for the subsequent important winter inflow of January 2003. The evolution of this summer inflow is described and possible causes are discussed.