Articles | Volume 16, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-1475-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-1475-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
01 Dec 2020
Research article |
| 01 Dec 2020
| 01 Dec 2020
The winter stratification phenomenon and its consequences in the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea
Taavi Liblik
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Marine Systems, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn 12616, Estonia
Germo Väli
Department of Marine Systems, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn 12616, Estonia
Inga Lips
Department of Marine Systems, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn 12616, Estonia
Madis-Jaak Lilover
Department of Marine Systems, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn 12616, Estonia
Villu Kikas
Department of Marine Systems, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn 12616, Estonia
Jaan Laanemets
Department of Marine Systems, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn 12616, Estonia
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Short summary
The upper mixed layer, shallower than the depth of the euphotic zone, is one of the preconditions for enhanced primary production in the ocean. In the Baltic Sea, the general understanding is that the upper mixed layer is much deeper in winter. In this study, we demonstrate that wintertime shallow stratification and an elevated phytoplankton biomass proxy, chlorophyll, are common in the Gulf of Finland. Stratification is invoked by the westward flow of riverine water forced by an easterly wind.
The upper mixed layer, shallower than the depth of the euphotic zone, is one of the...
