Summary
In the Skagerrak and Kattegat, surface salinity was lower than normal, which indicates an influence of outflowing Baltic water. In the Baltic Proper the concentrations of phosphate and silicate were elevated in the Western Gotland Basin. The oxygen concentrations in the bottom water in Hanö Bight and the Bornholm Basin had decreased to acute hypoxia. Oxygen free conditions, anoxia, were found from 90 – 100 meters depth and acute hypoxia from 70 – 90 meters depth in the Western, Northern and Eastern Gotland Basins. The spring bloom was ongoing in the Kattegat and had just started in the Skagerrak. In the Baltic Proper, signs of a beginning bloom were seen in the southern parts.