Overview
- Gauges show roughly 67.4 cm below the long-term mean at Sweden’s Landsort‑Norra, equivalent to about 275 cubic kilometres of missing water, the lowest since records began.
- Researchers link the drawdown to a persistent east‑wind and high‑pressure pattern that has pushed Baltic water through the Danish straits into the North Sea.
- The IOW estimates an 80–90% probability of a substantial saltwater inflow that could carry cold, oxygen‑rich, dense water into deep basins and reduce deep‑water temperatures.
- Experts warn the oxygen boost may be brief because the Baltic’s large oxygen debt can quickly consume inflow benefits, as seen after the 2016 event.
- Low water is already disrupting coasts, exposing a shipwreck near Stockholm and forcing some ferries to use smaller vessels while complicating cargo handling in ports.