Eutrophication in Swedish Seas
Donald Boesch has been involved in two expert groups engaged by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket ) to evalue the role on additions of nitrogen and phosphorus on the eutrophication of seas around Sweden.

In 2005 a group focused on the role of nitrogen discharges in the seas aroung Swedish seas with a principal focus on the Baltic Sea. The following questions were posed in this assessment:

  • Do reductions of nitrogen discharges to the Sea lead to reduced eutrophication problems in the sea?
  • Are there indications of improvements in the recipients where nitrogen discharges have been substantially reduced?
  • Does reduced nitrogen discharges lead to increasing problems with blue-green algal blooms?
  • Shall we abandone the present strategy with focus on nitrogen reduction and concentrate on phosphorus in the future?
  • Are there differences between the Baltic Sea and the Kattegat/Skagerrak area?
  • Are there differences between coastal and offshore areas?

The report Eutrophication of Swedish Seas was published in March 2006 as Naturvårdsverket Report 5509 is available here (pdf, 1.5 mb).

In August 2008 another expert will convene in Marstand, Sweden to address the issues of eutrophication along Sweden's west coast more specifically. This will include consideration of the Skaggerak, Kattegat and Belt Sea around souteastern Sweden and Denmark. A final report will be released in the fall of 2008

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