Stora Enso vessel collects climate data from the Baltic Sea
While the Stora Enso vessel TransPaper travels between Northern Finland and Continental Europe carrying board and paper to our customers, it is also helping researchers gather climate data from what is one of the world's most sensitive waters, the brackish Baltic Sea.
The boat is equipped with an automated device collecting air and water samples at regular intervals for environmental research. It measures, for instance, salinity, chlorophyll, alkalinity, phosphate/nitrate levels, and the concentration of cyanobacterias. In addition, measurement of the sea surface temperature is used for modeling ice coverage in Bothnian Bay.
The sampling is organised by the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) and the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). Measuring the conditions of the sea 3-4 metres below the surface, water samples are automatically collected at 15 locations along the vessel’s weekly route.
