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Posted by Prof. Dr. Hans von Storch, Director emeritus of Institute of Coastal Systems
Coastal Research of Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon has a long tradition of engaging in research on the environmental and climatic state and change of the Baltic Sea region. Originally initiated by the now long-retired director of the Institute for Atmospheric Physics, Prof. Erhard Raschke, the center is providing a solid organizational background of the international network Baltic Earth, earlier named BALTEX, through the secretariat at Hereon, headed by Dr. Marcus Reckermann.
In earlier days, the program was more on processes of the energy and water cycles in the region, but now the focus is on regional change. As such, the issue of what scientists perceive as the dominant challenges, and the role of science in dealing with these challenges is receiving increased attention. In this regard, the new paper by Hans von Storch is useful, which describes the outcome of several ad-hoc surveys among mostly students and young scholars. The results are not representative — neither for the separate surveys nor for the selection of the sites of surveying. However, when taking all surveys together, the emergence of consistent perceptions may be considered evidence for a general attitude among students and young scholars in the Baltic region.
Overfishing, climate change, and waste turned out to be considered the most significant issues, while tourism and constructions (of bridges, etc.) were less often recognized as severe. The responsibility for the management of the Baltic Sea was mostly attributed to the European Union or the respective national governments. Since climate is one of the challenges, one question has dealt with the main task of climate science. It turns out that the most frequent assertion was not the genuine scientific task of generating knowledge about the dynamics of the system. Instead, the task of solving the problem and, equally often, supporting climate activism was favored.
von Storch, H. (2023): Perceptions of an endangered Baltic Sea. Oceanologia, Vol. 65, pp. 44-49, doi:10.1016/j.oceano.2021.08.005
