The research projects of the VELMU programme
The Finnish Inventory Programme for the Underwater Marine Environment (VELMU) began with the pilot stage of the Archipelago sea in 2003. In the Archipelago sea variation of underwater marine biotopes and species is the largest on the Finnish coast which provides good preconditions to develop and test inventory methods. In the beginning of the year not only have the Inventory methods been developed but also the data management system and search for the way of co-operation been improved.
Research projects have so far been directed towards the Archipelago sea and the Quark area. In the years to come the main focus will be on the Gulf of Finland.
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Photo: Metsähallitus 2004
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Pilot projects
Links between marine key biotopes and specific geological features: pilot survey of macrophytes in sublittoral moraine areas (BIOGEO)
The main purpose of the Åbo Academy University´s BIOGEO project has been to map the Archipelago Sea´s sandy seabed-areas with vascular plant species. The project has also tested different methods of predicting the presence of the vascular plant species.
Nine vascular plant species were discovered in the mapping of the area (the dominating species of the groups from the families Zostera, Potagometon, Ruppia and Zannichelli ).Common eelgrass (Zostera marina) was found in the inner and outer archipelago areas, although the common eelgrass was only found half as deep in the water as the eelgrass found on the outer archipelago (down to almost 6 meters). Common eelgrass maintains high diversity in the wildlife of the seabed in the inner archipelago and the outer archipelago. Finding the vascular plant species has been proven hard, for example on sand or gravel bottoms there aren´t always vascular plant species to be found. The elements that seemed to affect the presence of the common eelgrass were mostly the amount of light, the quality of the seabed and the angle of the beach and its openness. The biological zonation of the Archipelago Sea – new basis for the decision making of the societies (BIZOAS)
The goal of the BIZOAS project managed by the Archipelago Research Institute belonging to the environmental research centre of Turku University, has a goal of making inventories of the presence of different ecosystems in the Archipelago Sea. The results can be useful for identifying different ecosystems and characterizing underwater marine biotopes. A web of 94 zoobenthos point stations has been created for the Archipelago Sea area and different sampling equipment has been compared to get trustworthy inventory results, all achieved due to the project. Furthermore the reproductive areas of the whitefish (karisiika)have been studied and the catching methods of juvenile fish have been compared. In 2005 inventory of the hard seabed took place. During the project, descriptors (metadata) from previous studies were used, which has been linked to the documentation of the wildlife of the sea (see MELLI -research).
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Photo: Metsähallitus 2004
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Baltic Marine Biotope Classification System (BalMar)
Alleco OY project´s goal is to create the Baltic Marine Biotope Classification System, BalMar. With the help of this system suitable biotope classes can be created into EUNIS (European Nature Information System) .
The system mentioned is made up of many different leveled, accurately defined classification criteria which are used to classify the physical and biological information gathered from nature. At the same time a standard format manual has been made to assist in the gathering of the information. Sample taking and observation methods used in inventories have no meaning, precondition is that the information is appropriate to fulfill the criteria. Because biotopes are not classified on the field, the originally found material is still useful even if the boundaries of the classification criteria are changed or the results will be classified based on another classification system, like HELCOM or Natura 2000. EUNIS –classifications can be drawn straight from BMBCS -classifications. Spawning areas of coastal fish
A project of the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute mapping spawning areas of coastal fish compares different methods and develops new systems for mapping of fish spawning areas. More information on the research project, it's development and results can be found on the websites of the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute.
The spawning areas of the pike on the Tammisaari archipelago area and Pohjanpitäjänlahti
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Picture: The Pikes spawning areas are most heavy on the inner coastal islands. Spawning areas Also dispersed around the outer coastal islands. (Source: RKTL)
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The management and use of natural science information of the marine and coastal areas (MELLI)
During the MELLI -project run by the department of geography of the University of Turku, the sea- and coastal area information service system of Finland was created, into which coastal area related nature information was gathered and installed. The project also produced spatial information such as wave exposure and surface water temperature concerning the marine environment for the use of the VELMU -project. A map service working through internet was produced for the user interface, into which spatial information describing marine environment was linked and which partly worked as a distribution channel for other VELMU -project related material. The active development of the map service in the framework of the project will end in Autumn 2006. The concept will be transferred into a broader Lounaispaikka- mapping service were it will be further developed. Underwater species inventory of the Archipelago sea area (SAVELIN)
Natural Heritage Service's SAVELIN -project (2004-2006) has made inventories of the marine wildlife in the areas of the Archipelago sea and created new methods for inventory. The biggest challenges of the Inventory programmes include finding of suitable method combinations to receive a specific level of information (e.g. community level) from broad areas without forgetting the accurate species level inventories. Based on the information of the inventories the underwater "drop-video"-method was chosen to be used for video shots and diving inventories were used to supplement them. During diving inventories underwater species and habitats were photographed. The material was classified into ecosystems (e.g. bladder wrack, vascular plant, blue mussel ecosystems), based on which theme maps were created for different uses such as care, use and monitoring of government owned sea areas. The Quark area underwater species inventory (MERVI)
The joint venture of the Natural Heritage Service and the West Finland Regional Environment Centre has the main goal of making inventories of the underwater wildlife of the Quark area. The project shall produce marine biotope theme maps. Information for the venture is received from places such as the Quark areas world heritage site and is used to create plans for management and care of the conservation areas. Underwater marine environment inventory (VALKO)
VALKO is a widespread co-operational project coordinated by the geological survey centre of Finland. VALKO -project which was established during the years 2004-2007 in the Archipelago sea area as a result of co-operation of several instances, worked as an information gathering system for efficient underwater wildlife mapping. The system is based on division of labour, where the gathering of biological information is planned on the basis of geological and hydrological material to produce cost-effective comprehensive information.
As a result of the VALKO –project a detailed map of the research area (South of Nauvo) was produced and corresponding cannot be expected to be produced anywhere else in Finland's coastal areas in the frameworks of the VELMU -project. These accurately mapped areas are needed however in every sea area for example to sort out the distribution of animal and plant species. Underwater marine environment inventory strategy (VESTRA)
The VESTRA -project develops Finland's underwater marine environment inventory strategies in co-operation with the ministry of the Environment and parties concerned with VELMU. The Finnish Environment Institute coordinates VELMU's research through VESTRA and even helps the ministry of the Environment to produce information in context with inventory programs. VESTRA has functioned as a main contributor in the pilot projects and as a broker for pilot projects and the ministry of the Environment.
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Photo: Metsähallitus 2004
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Underwater moraine formation's diversity- preliminary studies in the Quark area (VIMMA)
VIMMA (2003) was a project by the Geological survey of Finland, in which the Quark areas, Björkö's and Raippaluoto's east side and the 133208 underwater moraine formations and their diversity in the named sea area were studied Inventory and classification methods for finding and limiting the geological formations that have biological, geological or other environmental value out of the perspective of the Baltic Sea research programme, were developed in the study.
For more information:
Kirsi Kostamo, Finnish Environment Institute
firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi
Counsellor Penina Blankett, the Ministry of the Environment
firstname.surname@ymparisto.fi
Tutkimusprofessori Markku Viitasalo, Suomen ympäristökeskus SYKE, etunimi.sukunimi@ymparisto.fi
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