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Environmental  Observations  In  The  Gulf  Of  Gdansk  And  Pomeranian  Bay
Following  The  Summer  Flood  In  1997
Elzbieta  Lysiak-Pastuszak 1 ,  Natalia  Drgas 1 ,  Jerzy  Woron 1 ,  Irena  Ciszewska 2  &
Elzbieta  Niemkiewicz 2

institute  of  Meteorology  and  Water  Management
Maritime  Branch
ul.Waszyngtona  42
81-342  Gdynia
institute  of  Environmental  Protection
Gdansk  Branch
ul.  Kollataja  1
81-332  Gdynia

Abstract
On  the  turn  of  July  and  August  1997  a  study  was  undertaken  in  the  Gulf  of  Gdansk  and
Pomeranian  Bay  to  follow  the  immediate  effects  of  the  flood  which  occurred  within  the  Polish
rivers  -  Wisla  and  Odra  -  drainage  areas.
The  study  included  measurements  and  observations  of  meteorological  and  hydrodynamic
parameters,  basic  physico-chemical  variables,  certain  persistant  organic  pollutants  as  well  as
heavy  metals  and  the  level  of  sanitary  pollution.  The  paper  presents  an  overview  of
environmental  conditions  in  the  bays,  basing  on  hydrochemical  data,  subsequently  to  the  inflow
of  the  flood  crests.  Results  of  biological  investigations,  solely  in  the  Pomeranian  Bay,  on
phytoplankton  abundance,  biomass  and  species  composition  and  zooplankton  diversity  are  also
illustarted  together  with  some  data  on  heavy  metal  content  in  water  and  suspended  matter.  The
results  of  hydrochemical  measurements  are  evaluated  in  comparison  with  long-term  (1979-1995)
  monitoring  data  and  control  measurements  carried  out  in  the  last  decade  of  August.