Abstract
In this paper, the role of nutrient transports between marine basins is investigated for cost-effective solutions to predetermined marine basin targets. The interdependent advective nutrient transports as well as retentions among the seven major marine basins of the Baltic Sea are described by input-output analysis. This is in contrast to prior economic studies of transboundary water pollution that include only direct transport between the basins. The analytical results show that the difference in impacts between transport specifications depends mainly on the ‘openness’ of the basins, that is, their transports with other basins. The application on Baltic Sea shows significant differences in costs and policy design between the nutrient transport specifications. The reason is that the Sea is characterized by long water and nutrient residence times, so relatively large part of nutrients are transported among basins.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baumol WJ, Oates WE (1988) The theory of environmental policy, 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Barrett S (1990) Global environmental problems. Oxford Rev Econ Policy 8(1):68–79
Brooke A, Kendrick D, Meeraus A (1998) GAMS. A user’s guide. The Scientific Press, San Francisco
Conley DJ, Humborg C, Rahm L, Savchuk OP, Wulff F (2002) Hypoxia in the Baltic Sea and basin-scale changes in phosphorus biogeochemistry, Environ Sci Technol 36:5315–5320
Eckerberg K, Gren I-M, Söderqvist T (1996) Policies for combatting water pollution of the Baltic Sea: perspectives from economics and political science. Proceedings from a workshop September 27–28, Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm
Elmgren R (2001) Understanding human impact on the Baltic ecosystem: changing view in recent decades. Ambio (30)4–5:222–231
Elmgren R, Larsson U (2001) Eutrophication in the Baltic Sea area: integrated coastal management issues. In: von Bodungen B, Turner RK (eds) Science and integrated coastal management. Dahlem University Press, Berlin, pp 15–35
Elofsson K (2000) Cost-effective reductions of stochastic nitrogen and phosphorous loads to the Baltic Sea. Working Paper Series No. 6, Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
Elofsson K (2002) Economics of marine pollution. PhD Thesis, Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
Folmer H, de Zeeuw A (2000) International environmental problems and policy. In: Folmer H, Gabel HL (eds) Principles of environmental and resource economics. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham
Gren I-M, Jannke P, Elofsson K (1995) Cost of nutrient reductions to the Baltic Sea. Technical Report. Beijer Discussion Papers Series No 63, Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics, Stockholm, Sweden
Gren I-M, Jannke P, Elofsson K (1997) Cost-effective nutrient reductions to the Baltic Sea. Environ Resour Econ 10(4):341–362
Gren I-M (2001) International versus national actions against nitrogen pollution of the Baltic Sea. Environ Resour Econ 20(1):41–59
HELCOM (1998) The third Baltic Sea pollution load compilation (PLC3). Baltic Sea Environ Proc no 70, 133 pp
Hoel M (1992) International environment conventions: the case of uniform reductions of emissions. Environ Resour Econ 2:141–159
Johanesson Å, Randås P (1996) Economic impacts of reducing nitrogen emissions into the Baltic Sea. Paper presented at the EAERE VII conference, Lissabon, June, 1996
Kaitala V, Mäler K-G, Tulkens H (1995) The acid rain game as a resource allocation process with an application to the international cooperation among Finland, Russia, and Estonia. Scand J Econ 97(2):325–343
Markowska A, Zylicz T (1996) Costing an international public good: the case of The Baltic Sea. The European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists. The 7th Annual Conference, Lisbon, Portugal
Meeuwig JJ, Kaupilla P, Pitkänen H (2000) Predicting coastal eutrophication in the Baltic: a limnological approach. Can J Fish Aquatic Sci 57:844–855
Mäler K-G (1991) International environmental problems. In: Helm D (ed) Economic policy towards the environment. Blackwell, Oxford
Savchuk O, Medina MR (2002) Secchi depth and nutrient concentrations in the Baltic Sea. Appendix 4 in MARE Synthesis Report to MISTRA, Nov 2002, 22 pp http://data.ecology.su.se/Models/BEDonWeb/nest/Secchi.pdf
Savchuk OP (2002) Resolving the Baltic into 7 sub basins: N and P budgets for 1991–99. Appendix 2 in MARE Synthesis Report to MISTRA, Nov 2002, 22 pp
Sjöberg B, Humborg C, Savchuk O (2002) A first estimate of coastal nutrient retention in the Baltic. Appendix 9 in MARE Synthesis Report to MISTRA, Nov 2002, 14 pp
Wulff F, Bonsdorff E, Gren I-M, Johansson S, Stigebrandt A (2001) Giving advice on coast effective measures for the cleaner Baltic Sea: a challenge for science. Ambio 30:254–259
Wulff F, Niemi A (1992) Priorities for the restoration of the Baltic Sea: a scientific perspective. Ambio 2:193-195
Wulff F, Stigebrandt A, Rahm L (1990) Nutrient dynamics of the Baltic Sea. Ambio 3:126–133
Zylics T (2003) Instruments for water management at the drainage basin scale. Ecological Economics (in press)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendix
Appendix
Table A1 shows nutrient loads to marine waters, drainage basin and coastal retention in different catchments of Baltic Sea marine basins.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gren, IM., Wulff, F. Cost-effective nutrient reductions to coupled heterogeneous marine water basins: An application to the Baltic Sea. Reg Environ Change 4, 159–168 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-003-0063-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-003-0063-6