Over the past few decades, the condition of the Baltic Sea has declined alarmingly due to increased discharges from human activities. This can be seen not only by marine biologists and other specialists but also by seafarers and anyone who spends time on the shores of the Baltic Sea.

Slimy beaches, murky waters, a decline of fisheries, and a mass occurrence of toxic blue-green algae every summer... All this has mobilized people around the Baltic Sea for protective action.

A unique body of brackish water
There are nearly 90 million people, in 14 states, living in the catchment of the Baltic Sea. In comparison to oceans with an average depth of several kilometers, the Baltic Sea is a shallow reservoir. Its average depth is only 55 meters, with a maximum depth of 450 m. This means that the volume of water in the Baltic Sea is also very small. The Baltic Sea is the biggest brackish (low-salinity) water sea in the world. It has existed only since the end of the last ice age, for less than 10,000 years, which is a relatively young age for a sea.

This partly explains the sensitive nature of the Baltic. The plants and animals have simply not had enough time and opportunities to adapt to these demanding physical conditions. Therefore the total number of species is small. These special features make the whole ecosystem vulnerable to sudden changes and pollution.

Need for action
The most severe threat to the Baltic Sea environment is the overload of nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus, that has continued for decades. The increased amounts of nutrients enhance the algal growth, which slowly suffocates the sea through a process called eutrophication. It has resulted in a vicious circle called internal loading, an ecological impasse that can be only solved by quick and drastic action.

Phosphorus is the limiting nutrient for the growth of blue-green algae. Therefore, in order to combat the mass occurrence of the blue-green algae, reducing phosphorus emissions is of primary importance.

Is the Baltic beyond recovery? Apt is the metaphor about a doctor by the bedside of a dying patient: we should set our priorities for the most urgent operations. The main problems of the Baltic Sea are not local but widespread in space and time. The countries surrounding the Baltic Sea seem ready to invest resources in marine conservation and start addressing the problems as a unified front.

Clear evidence of shared concern emerged from a Cracow meeting of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) in mid-November. The countries around the Baltic Sea made a commitment to reverse the trend and bring the dying sea back to life.

Where there is a will there is a way
The John Nurminen Foundation of Finland, among many public and private actors, has decided to help the Baltic Sea. In 2005, the foundation initiated the Clean Baltic Sea project, which successfully introduced a chemical phosphorus removal process at the biggest waste-water treatment plants of St. Petersburg, Russia. This will most probably have a visible effect on the condition of the Baltic Sea within a few years. The project has been supported by numerous big enterprises as well as private people.

The next target of the foundation is Poland. The Polish water utilities have already taken important measures in phosphorus removal. The challenge is to speed up the process, because the Baltic Sea cannot wait. "I hope that the practical project initiated by the John Nurminen Foundation will encourage others to join in the work of protecting the Baltic Sea," said Juha Nurminen, chairman of the board of the John Nurminen Foundation. "Where there is a will, there is a way."

Miina Mäki

The author is a marine biologist at the John Nurminen Foundation, Finland.