The Baltic Sea

So Veli

In the new documentary about earth science, it says the Baltic is the most polluted sea in the world.

I didn't know that, we have been swimming in it since we were kids and it never looks so dirty. Cold but not dirty.

Anyone else notice that it is so bad, and do you think we should worry about it?

Julie Brooks-Girskiene

I'm surprised by this, I just assumed that it would be somewhere in Asia around a major manufacturing country, or a place where there are huge amounts of oil and gas drilling.

We all have these assumptions, and they are so often wrong 🤔

Treebeard

It depends on what measurement you are using for pollution and what study you read.

A French study says that the Mediterranean is the most polluted.

Egle-K

I'm still happy to swim in it. I did not this year yet but I plan to.

I think like Treebeard said there are different kinds of pollution, and that we can not see or feel it does not mean it isn't there.

Arvīds

Treebeard It depends on what measurement you are using for pollution and what study you read.

A French study says that the Mediterranean is the most polluted.

The Mediterranean is the most polluted with microplastics and the Baltic is the most polluted with chemicals like phosphorous.

John

It's because the Baltic is shallow and has slow moving currents, so once pollutants get in they don't move anywhere fast.

There are high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, and high microplate levels.

Skylar

John It's because the Baltic is shallow and has slow moving currents,

That makes sense!

John and high microplate levels.

What are microplates?

Piri

Skylar What are microplates?

It is something like tectonic plates just smaller earth moveables segments.

John

@Skylar so… Piri 's explanation of microplates is perfect, but what I actually meant was "high microplastic levels" but had a typo / autocorrect issue. ☺️

Stasys-Girskis

It doesn't really matter which sea is the most polluted, because they are all part of one global water system.

The parts where the water moves less will show as more polluted, the parts with fast moving tides will appear less so, but since it is all part of the same system we should take the measurement wherever it is worst and treat that as the thing we need to aspire to clean up.

John

Stasys-Girskis I think that makes sense. If we take the parts of seas and oceans that are the worst indicators of pollution and keep those clean then it makes sense that the whole system is cleaner.

But on the other hand if they are the slowest moving and least connected then maybe them being clean doesn't make so much difference to the bigger system, maybe they are too isolated to be used as a gauge of the health of all of the oceans?

Skylar

John so… Piri 's explanation of microplates is perfect, but what I actually meant was "high microplastic levels" but had a typo / autocorrect issue. ☺️

Doh! 🍩

Probably I should have been able to guess both the meaning, and the typo!

Stasys-Girskis

John But on the other hand if they are the slowest moving and least connected then maybe them being clean doesn't make so much difference to the bigger system, maybe they are too isolated to be used as a gauge of the health of all of the oceans?

That's also a point that I hadn't thought about, it would mean that they are also the last areas in the system to get cleaner whatever the changes made in the bigger oceans.

John

The biggest contributors to pollution in the Baltic aren't actually the Baltic States, but are Poland, Sweden and Russia.

As well as destroying the ecosystem in the sea itself it also affects the coastline of all of the countries around the Baltic. For example, three beaches in Estonia currently have public health warnings due to the water quality.

Treebeard

I just read another article that said the Black Sea is the most polluted. The thing to take away here is we do not have any clean seas left and we need to do something about it urgently.

Vilte

Treebeard I just read another article that said the Black Sea is the most polluted. The thing to take away here is we do not have any clean seas left and we need to do something about it urgently.

👏 👏

This is the right answer, if all of them are connected in a system then there is no point in cleaning up or worrying about just one area, but we need to take global actions to keep rubbish and chemicals out of the seas and oceans.

John

Vilte f all of them are connected in a system then there is no point in cleaning up or worrying about just one area

I disagree… it's got to be easier to clean up the places that the most pollution and trash gathers, than to go hunting for it in all the low concentration areas. If we know where it is going to end up then we can clean it up from those areas.

Treebeard

Both right probably, we are not going to find and clean it all up for centuries, now we need to start off by stopping to put more and more shit in there.

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