| Water analysis is carried out basing on long-term environmental monitoring programs for particular voivodships.
River pollutant runoff into the Baltic Sea – information comes from studies conducted as part of the international Baltic Sea monitoring program, stemming from the Helsinki Convention. The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW) oversees the research in Poland.
Pollution loads discharged into the Baltic Sea by rivers are reported in hydrological years based on monitoring studies of surface flowing waters. The hydrological year covers the period from November 1st to October 31st of the calendar year.
Organic substances – carbon-containing chemical compounds that decompose, consuming oxygen, thus polluting the water. They are of natural origin (e.g., proteins, fats, carbohydrates) and synthetic, man-made (e.g., detergents, oils, pesticides, biodegradable plastics).
Nutrients – elements and compounds essential for the growth of living organisms, primarily nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Excessive amounts of these nutrients cause eutrophication, i.e., the excessive growth of algae and cyanobacteria, which leads to the degradation of aquatic ecosystems. Nutrients enter the Baltic Sea in two ways:
• from internal sources (regeneration of regenerated mineral salts from organic matter, release of phosphates from bottom sediments),
• and from external sources (runoff from agricultural land, municipal and domestic sewage, industry, and stormwater).
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) is the volume of oxygen consumed within 5 days in biochemical oxidizing process of substances (mainly organic ones) included in waste water, using living bacteria and extracellular enzymes.
Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is the amount of oxygen used in chemical oxidation of waste water.
Nitrate nitrogen is the contents of nitrogen in the form of nitrate ions.
Organic nitrogen is nitrogen bounded in all types of organic compounds, includes amino acids, protein compounds, polypeptides, ureas, and other organic compounds.
Amount of nitrogen by Kjeldahl method is a total content of ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and organic nitrogen.
Phosphate phosphorus is inorganic orthophosphate, existing in soluble phosphorus.
General phosphorus amount is phosphorus consisting soluble and insoluble orthophosphates and condensed phosphates as well as organic compounds and inorganic phosphorus. |
