Geographical persistence of surface-layer water properties in the Archipelago Sea, SW Finland

Authors

  • Tapio Suominen University of Turku, Department of Geography
  • Harri Tolvanen University of Turku, Department of Geography
  • Risto Kalliola University of Turku, Department of Geography

Keywords:

Water quality, Monitoring, Persistence, Gradient

Abstract

The Archipelago Sea in the Northern Baltic Sea has a complex water quality regime. The region consists of islands and underwater thresholds that separate interconnected sub-basins, where the waters from the adjacent sea areas and discharges from the mainland are mixed. Thus, the water properties in the region are exceptionally varying by season and location. We studied the seasonal developments of five surface-layer water variables – temperature, salinity, Secchi depth, chlorophyll and acidity – and the persistence of their geographical patterns in a network of 20 sampling stations in the eastern part of the Archipelago Sea during a period from May to October in 2007. Furthermore, the inter-annual persistence of the late summer observations of three of these variables were analysed within the same network. Although preconceptions about the general gradation patterns from the mainland towards the open sea were found realistic, we also identified geographically divergent seasonal developments and found out that the inter-annual persistence of the studied three variables were not geographically as strong as expected.
Section
Research Papers

Published

2010-11-25

How to Cite

Suominen, T., Tolvanen, H., & Kalliola, R. (2010). Geographical persistence of surface-layer water properties in the Archipelago Sea, SW Finland. Fennia - International Journal of Geography, 188(2), 179–196. Retrieved from https://fennia.journal.fi/article/view/2720