At the sampling station B1, in Yttre Hållsfjärden* just south of Askö, environmental monitoring has been carried out since 1970. The automatic measuring system, the Askö-bouy was launched in 2014. Data is recorded continuously and sent by satellite or GSM to the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, SMHI.

- Data measured this often gives us a unique opportunity to get a clearer picture of marine environmental conditions in the area, says Tina Elfwing, director at the Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre. It will help us detect variations, even those that are sudden and short termed, that in turn can have effects on processes in the ecosystem.

Accessible Baltic Sea data

The automatic measuring buoy records salinity, temperature, oxygen, turbidity, chlorophyll and currents at the surface and one meter below the surface. In addition, temperature, oxygen and salinity is measured at other depths and at the seafloor, but are not sent directly to our websites (links in box).

Time series from the bouys can be used by all interested, experts and in research projects. Also, data from one station can be compared to data from another station. In total there are six automatic measuring bouys along Sweden's coast that collect marine environmental data.

*48,118 °N, - 37,507 °E