Mon, 11/17/2014 - 12:20pm Marine Sciences Building Room 261 Seminars Dr. Bruechert will address aspects of the biogeochemical methane cycle in the Baltic Sea, the world's largest brackish basin, in the context of eutrophication and potential effects of climate warming. Today more than 85 Million people live in the drainage basin of the Baltic Sea, which has widespread consequences for eutrophication and the extent of water column anoxia. Historical changes in surface runoff, ice coverage, and water column stratification have led to changes in primary productivity, regime shifts, and caused an expansion of bottom water hypoxia, which by now cover an area close to 60000 km2. The presentation will focus on the origin, distribution, and fate of seabed methane in the Baltic and is based on the recently concluded international project Baltic Gas, which attempted to arrive at a basin-scale assessment of the methane budget for the whole Baltic Sea.
