The Baltic Sea: A Powerful Mess

The Baltic Sea is a large inlet connected to the Atlantic Ocean in Northern Europe. There are nine countries that surround the Baltic sea: Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Russia. Each of these countries claim a portion of the Baltic sea as their own, the closet 12 nautical miles off the coastline of each country are the territorial seas and the rest of the Baltic Sea is included in exclusive economic zones (EEZs). A territorial sea marks the area off the coast of a country where the country has full sovereignty over all of the space above and below the sea surface. An EEZ on the other hand is an area of coastal water in which a country claims exclusive rights to living and non-living resources below the sea surface. In an EEZ the sea surface remains international water, so a boat from any country can pass through and EEZ with no permission. These two terms are defined in the United Nation Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which was signed by all of the states that have a claim in the Baltic Sea [1]. UNCLOS states that an EEZ can stretch up to 200 nautical miles off the coast of a country or natural Island [1].

This story intends to describe the importance the history of the EEZs in the Baltic sea, why the EEZs are economically important, how the dense concentration of EEZs is effecting the environment, what the EEZs mean for the people who live in these countries, and Future implications given current issues.

Early Scandinavian settlement around the Baltic Sea began around 800AD by Vikings in what is known as the Viking age [2]. They settled around the Baltic in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. In these days there were no EEZs and whoever wanted to sail across the sea an trade goods could. It wasn't for another thousand years until the nations around the Baltic began to organize their claims to the resources within the sea. Starting in 1945 after the second World War, the socialist states East Germany, Poland, and the Soviet Union (which included Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia), and the non-socialist Finland had the first agreement of Maritime Boundaries in the Baltic Sea [3]. This lasted until 1972 where tensions between East and West Germany were slightly lowered which gave way to more agreements that included Sweden, Denmark, and West Germany [3]. The Next major change came with the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 1990 East and West Germany reunited into modern day Germany and in 1991 the Baltic States (Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia) Gained their sovereignty. At this point in history the modern breakdown of EEZs in the Baltic began to take form.

On the right is an image that shows the modern breakdown of Maritime boundaries in the Baltic Sea. The red lines are indicating the boundaries between the EEZs of each country. As mentioned before an EEZ can be up to 200 nautical miles off shore, but there is not that much space in the Baltic. Instead the countries around the Baltic Sea had to negotiate the boundaries that separate their EEZs. It is important to note there is a small area between Poland and Lithuania that is labeled Russia. This is the Russian state of Kaliningrad which is a major port for Russia. Also there is a small Island in between Sweden and Poland that is Part of Denmark and gives Denmark an EEZ away from the rest of the country.

Access to the Baltic Sea gives rise to economic opportunities for the countries around the sea. The Baltic sea is a very busy shipping area where there are as many as 2000 ships travelling through on an average day [5]. This area is a very important area for the trade of oil and gas. Russia is a large exporter of oil, and a majority of its trade happens from its port in Kaliningrad. Other countries with ports in the Baltic sea have the benefit of having easy access to trade with Russia. There are also oil reserves under the Baltic sea that are being mined by offshore oil rigs. For example the B8 oil field is located in the Polish EEZ in the southern Baltic Sea, and there is currently an oil rig out there [6].

The Baltic is also being used for offshore wind farms. Energy companies from Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and Finland are currently developing or have operating energy farms in the Baltic [7]. The offshore wind farm industry is growing in Europe, especially in the Baltic Sea. The industry has promise to open up many new jobs in the involved countries as well as develop an economy around renewable energy.

There are also large fisheries in the Baltic that bolster the economy of the nearby countries. Cod, herring, and sprat contribute to around 90% of the fisheries in the Baltic Sea which are worth around 200 million euros annually [8]. Access to these resources is very beneficial to the Baltic region and contribute to why countries want to claim an area of the sea solely for themselves. Unfortunately, booming economics usually comes with environmental consequences.

The Baltic sea is a large body of brackish water, meaning it is too salty to be freshwater but not salty enough to be sea water [9]. This makes it an interesting half way point between the lakes that drain into the Baltic and the Atlantic Ocean [9]. An important feature of the Baltic Sea is the presence of sea ice in the Bay of Bothnia in the winter [9]. Sea ice can be an obstacle for life in the Baltic because it is such an isolated Sea with a very narrow exit to the ocean, the inly other exits being the rivers, so the creatures in the Northern Baltic mostly have adapted to live under ice [8].

The Baltic ecosystems are based around many times of bacteria, plankton, algae, plants, and benthos, that feed upper trophic levels [9]. The health of all of these parts of the ecosystem is very important for the upper portion of the ecosystem. The main fish species in the Baltic are marine species for the most part [8], because the brackish water limits freshwater species more than it does marine species. Some Baltic residents are anadromous, which means they reproduce in freshwater and migrate to the sea for feeding and growth [9]. The Baltic is also home to some marine mammals. These include the harbor porpoise, ringed seal, grey seal, and harbor seal [10].

Humans have had a big impact on the ecosystems within the Baltic Sea. The high shipping traffic is detrimental to the ecosystem because of leakages from the ships, noise, and air pollution [5]. Oil rigs are known to contribute to large oil spills, although there haven't been any in the Baltic sea yet. However, there was a natural gas pipeline that burst recently burst and released tons of methane into the water and eventually the atmosphere [11]. This leakage is also directly harming marine life in the Baltic sea which could effect the Baltic fisheries.

The fisheries are also a contributor to harming the marine environment in the Baltic sea. Historically fisheries management in the Baltic has been poor and has lead to a decrease in target fish stocks [5]. For example, in the 1920s-1950s flatfish were one of the main targeted species, but over time their populations began to drop and different fish species needed to become the focus of fishing [12]. There is also significant benthos destruction and marine mammal bycatch from gill net fishing and trawling in the Baltic. Because there are so many different countries that control space in the Baltic, their management and pollution can not be easily normalized or restricted. Luckily groups such as The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) bridge the political gap to bring an intergovernmental effort to prioritize the health of the Baltic Sea ecosystems.

Although there has been cooperation between the different nations though HELCOM, there is still a lot of disagreement and tension that arises. The Baltic Sea is very tightly packed with EEZs so naturally conflict can arise over border disputes and violation of the laws in place within a countries territory.

In article 73 of UNCLOS, each state has the right to board, inspect, and arrest a vessel to ensure they are complying to the laws and regulation of the coastal state [13]. The job of enforcing these laws and regulations is generally taken by a countries coast guard [14]. The Russian Federal Border Service, Finnish coastguard, Swedish coastguard, and Latvian all deal with border protection, fisheries, search and rescue, protection of marine environment [14]. Where as Denmark and Lithuania have their Navy do the coast guard work [14]. Germany and Poland have each of these tasks managed by independent services [14]. Estonia coast guard duties are done by their Police and Border Guard Board [14].

On top of the military/police power that is used to guard EEZs and territory's each country also has a separatee military presence in the area. For most of the countries the Baltic is their only coastline, so the presence of their navies in the Baltic is as much for necessity as it is for protection from Russia. Russia is the only country on the Baltic that is not part of the European Union (EU) [15]. In history Russia has been unpredictable and have aggressive tendencies, so neighboring countries such as the Baltic states and Finland need to keep their military present and ready for action just in case [14]. Russia's Invasion of Ukraine and instigation of war is an example of why military presence in the Baltic is so key for each of the nations. The image on the right shows the power that Russia has in the Baltic compared to the other nations in 2021, which is leading to an increase in NATO troops being sent to the Baltic [16]. Sweden and Finland are not included in this Figure because they are not a part of NATO. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has influenced both Sweden and Finland to apply to join NATO.

The socio-economic status of the Baltic Sea was improving and ultimately good in response to the pandemic in 2020 and before the Russian invasion in 2022. The large economic value of the Baltic Sea has been leading to large amounts of employment opportunities in the bordering countries [17]. Employment that is reliant on the Baltic sea includes, shipping, oil and gas, fisheries, tourism, and environmental protection [17]. These opportunities are only available to the people who live in Baltic adjacent countries because of their establishment of EEZs. All of these countries agreed to UNCLOS which divided up the sea as mentioned before, and this allows each country the ability to have the industries listed above.

The Renewable energy industry is on the rise in the Baltic Sea. As mentioned before there are lots of offshore wind farms in the Baltic sea and many more in the works. This Industry is adding to the job market and aiming to shift the power usage in the Baltic away from fossil fuels [18]. The growth of this industry will benefit the socio-economic status of the Baltic both by reducing carbon emissions form the burning of fossil fuels and by the creation of employment opportunities for the people.

There is also a lot of environmental justice work being done in the Baltic by HELCOM. This intergovernmental organization is working on the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) which aims to increase biodiversity, lower eutrophication caused by nutrient input from agriculture, decrease the amount of pollution from hazardous substances, and implement sustainable sea-based activities [19]. The BSAP is explained in more detail in the video on the left. HELCOM is also working to increase the sustainability of the fisheries industry to benefit both the economy and the people who rely on fish for food.

On February 24th 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine and started a war in Eastern Europe. This ongoing war has effected the Baltic region in many ways including, economic hardships, distraction from environmental progress, increase in military presence, and danger to peoples usual way of life. In March 2022 the EU banned the import of Russian oil and gas. This poses a large problem for European countries, because Russia is a huge supplier of energy resources, like oil and natural gas, to European countries [20]. This trade embargo is having serious economic effects on the Shipping industries in the Baltic sea. The supply of oil and gas to Europe has declinesd and the price of both has increased [21]. In order to deal with this the EU has set plans to phase out their reliance on Russian oil and make Europes energy supply more independent [21].

The war is also having negative effects on the environment around it. The war is demanding focus and attention of the governments of European countries, which takes away their ability to work on things like environmental progress. The Nord Stream pipeline burst that happened in 2022, is thought to be a sabotage linked to the war. The Figure on the right shows a big spike of methane release into the atmosphere as a consequence of the leakage [22]. Methane is an intense greenhouse gas and large inputs of methane like this can increase the rate of the greenhouse effect and global warming. This event has effects on the ecosystems of the Baltic both due to contributing to warming and the direct input of harmful chemicals into the Baltic Sea [11]. Going forward the Baltic ecosystems will need to be protected so events like these don't lead to massive ecosystem destruction.

Military presence has also been increased due to the war. Specifically Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania have received an influx of NATO troops as a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine [23]. As the war progresses more and more military troops will be entering the Baltic region and eventually war could reach the Sea. Russia may turn to retake the Baltic States it once controlled when the Soviet Union existed. This in Turn could effect the EEZs in the Baltic and access to resources.

Access to energy to power is often taken for granted, and the loss of the supply of resources that provide this energy is a huge threat to the status quo of the people of Europe. People living in Northern Europe are threatened by war and struggle for energy. As energy prices remain high Poorer communities will lose their energy supplies first and be more vulnerable to harm in the war. Because of this the EUs efforts to ween off of Russian energy supply is of the utmost importance for the people [21].

The War is adding to the complex system of the Baltic Region. It is affecting all four of the major themes brought up in this story map. In the future it would be useful to be able to predict the potential trends that we will sea in the Baltic Sea. To do this, the development of a digital twin of the Baltic sea could be key to aiding progress in all aspects. A digital twin is a virtual model that is designed to mimic a physical object. A digital twin of the Baltic sea would include the interplay between the environment, the economy, politics, and the people. Latvia has already begun to develop a digital twin ad of November 2021 [24]. Finishing this project would give the countries around the Baltic the ability to make informed decisions about environmental protection in a way that maximizes ecosystem health and the economic output from the Baltic sea that will most help people in a sustainable way.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_parties_to_the_United_Nations_Convention_on_the_Law_of_the_Sea
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_Age
3. https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1283&context=gjicl
4. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351967212_Modelling_of_discharges_from_Baltic_Sea_shipping
5. https://esd.copernicus.org/articles/13/1/2022/#&gid=1&pid=1
6. https://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/b8-oil-field-baltic-sea/#:~:text=LOTOS%20Petrobaltic-,The%20B8%20offshore%20oil%20field%20is%20located%20in%20the%20Polish,tonnes%20of%20crude%20oil%20reserves.
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_offshore_wind_farms_in_the_Baltic_Sea
8. http://stateofthebalticsea.helcom.fi/humans-and-the-ecosystem/use-of-baltic-marine-waters/
9. https://www.marinefinland.fi/en-US/Nature_and_how_it_changes/Species
10. https://baltcf.org/the-baltic-sea/#:~:text=Additionally%2C%20the%20Baltic%20Sea%20is,tailed%20duck%2C%20little%20tern).
11. https://phys.org/news/2022-09-baltic-sea-pipeline-leak-marine.html
12. https://www.su.se/stockholm-university-baltic-sea-centre/web-magazine-baltic-eye/fisheries/analysis-a-century-in-the-baltic-sea-from-a-fish-chips-perspective-1.621997
13. https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/part5.htm
14. https://navy.ee/kirjutised/kirjutis-nr-14/
15. https://www.gov.uk/eu-eea#:~:text=The%20EU%20countries%20are%3A,%2C%20Slovenia%2C%20Spain%20and%20Sweden.
16. https://newlinesinstitute.org/eurasia/security-in-the-baltics-a-pivotal-moment-for-germany/
17. https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.10178
18. 18http://stateofthebalticsea.helcom.fi/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/HELCOM_Economic_and_social_analyses_Supplementary_report_first_version_2017.pdf
19. https://helcom.fi/baltic-sea-action-plan/
20. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12092#:~:text=In%20December%202022%2C%20the%20EU,resulting%20from%20higher%20war%20expenditures.
21. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/eu-response-ukraine-invasion/impact-of-russia-s-invasion-of-ukraine-on-the-markets-eu-response/#energy
22. https://www.icos-cp.eu/event/1221
23. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_136388.htm
24. https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/smart-cities-news/baltic-sea-digital-twin-to-be-developed-by-latvia-7177