An assessment of nutrient conditions in the Southern Baltic Sea between 1994 and 1998

Temporal variations (1994–98) in nutrient distribution were analysed in the Polish sector of the Baltic Sea with reference to long-term (1979–98) fluctuations of hydrological and chemical factors. Between 1994 and 1998 the winter accumulation of phosphate declined noticeably in most of the regions with the exception of the Gulf of Gdańsk. The winter peaks of silicate were also reduced in the offshore region and in the waters along the central Polish coast, but continued to accumulate in the bays owing to riverine input. In the offshore region a decrease in the winter accumulation of nitrate was noted in the surface water layer whereas in the bays nitrate concentrations continued to increase. Large quantities of nitrate continue to accumulate in the Gulf of Gdańsk, although at a slower rate than in 1979–93.