Press release 2012-09-11 at 12:00
The Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) is involved in an international project assessing the dumping sites of chemical munitions from World War II and the effects of the chemical warfare agents. With the aid of the blue mussel, the project will assess the exposure of the marine species to the chemical warfare agents, along with how life in the Baltic is affected.
Approximately 50,000 tonnes of chemical munitions have been dumped in the Baltic Sea after the Second World War, most of them containing poisonous chemicals. The most well–known dumping sites are the Bornholm and the Gotland Deep and the Little Belt strait in Denmark. Chemical munitions have also been dumped in the strait of Skagerrak, between Denmark and Norway, perhaps in amounts as great as 117,000 tonnes. For now, there is no exact information on other possible dumping sites, but unofficial information suggests that dumping also took place in the Gdansk Deep.
In 2011, the CHEMSEA (Chemical Munitions – Search and Assessment) international co-operation project was initiated in order to assess the risks caused by chemical munitions in the Baltic Sea. The four-year project (2011–2014) involves several research institutions and key maritime organisations from Poland, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, and Germany. The project is funded by the Baltic Sea Region Programme of the EU, and the budget for the four years is approximately €4.5 million.
CHEMSEA aims to investigate and study dumping sites, the amount and nature of the munitions, and the potential spread of poisonous substances and their effects on marine environment. In addition, the project hopes to increase the safety of underwater operations by drawing up guidelines and providing training for organisations and administrators addressing the issue.
Previous studies have shown that the state and condition of dumped munitions varies considerably. Some are buried deep in the bottom and remain intact, but there have also been discoveries of munitions and canisters that are completely corroded through.
The behaviour of chemical substances in the marine environment (e.g. mixing into the water column and spreading along the bottom) is difficult to assess. This is why there is no precise information on the effects of chemicals on marine species and the marine ecosystem.
SYKE uses mussels in research
The Finnish Environment Institute is coordinating a portion of the project involved in investigating the spread of chemical warfare agents in the sea and their biological effects on marine species. The most important field study related to the project, in which blue mussels were deployed in cages in the Bornholm Basin, has just been completed. The results of the study will be ready early next year.
In the study, the mussels were in cages at four sites, at two depths (35 and 65 metres), for just over two months. The cages were retrieved in mid-August, in conjunction with the Baltic Sea monitoring cruise of the research vessel Aranda. In the laboratory, the mussels will be subject to chemical analyses and measurements of various biological markers for determination of whether the mussels have been exposed to the chemicals in question, along with the potential biological effects of such exposure.
Upcoming CHEMSEA project meeting in Helsinki
CHEMSEA will be holding its third meeting in Helsinki on 12–14 September. The last day of the meeting, Friday, 14 September, will be a public day – open for everyone interested in the issue. Friday will see researchers from Finland and Poland present the project, with contributions from invited speakers representing key stakeholders. Representatives include the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM), the non-governmental organisation IDUM (the International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions), the Nord Stream company, and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The meeting will be organised by the Marine Research Centre of the Finnish Environment Institute and the Finnish Institute for Verification of the Chemical Weapons Convention (VERIFIN), part of the University of Helsinki. The meeting will be held at Dynamicum, the shared premises of the Finnish Meteorological Institute and SYKE, on the Kumpula campus of the University of Helsinki.
Everyone interested in the issue is welcome to listen and join in the discussion.
Time: 14 September 2012 at 8:30 am–1 pm
Location: Dynamicum, on the Kumpula campus, at Erik Palménin aukio 1, in the Brainstorm auditorium
Sources of further information:
Anu Lastumäki, Co-ordinator
Finnish Environment Institute, Marine Research Centre
anu.lastumaki@ymparisto.fi
tel. +358 50 324 7625
Paula Vanninen, Director
Finnish Institute for Verification of the Chemical Weapons Convention
paula.vanninen@helsinki.fi
tel. +358 40 550 2204
Web site of the project:
CHEMSEA
Agenda and registration for the meeting:
Registration now open for Open Day at 3rd CHEMSEA meeting