Report 2009-2

Olkiluoto Biosphere Description 2009

Haapanen, R., Aro, L., Helin, J., Hjerpe, T., Ikonen, A.T.K., Kirkkala, T., Koivunen, S., Lahdenperä, A-M., Puhakka, L., Rinne, M. & Salo, T.

English

416

978-951-652-170-4

This Biosphere description report (BSD) documents the up-to-date scientific synthesis of the current state of the surface environment and the main features of the past evolution at the Olkiluoto site. Furthermore, it provides conceptual ecosystem models and assessment data to support the subsequent modelling for the biosphere assessment. This report is an update of the first version, BSD-2006, published in early 2007.

The report is divided into five parts: introductory part, description of present conditions and a summary of site data (A), features and processes/ecosystem modelling (B), application in biosphere assessment (C) and a concluding part.

In Part A, the properties of terrestrial, littoral and aquatic ecosystems are described. Due to the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant and its supporting functions, industrial activities characterise present-day land use on Olkiluoto. However, the ecosystems outside the industrial areas do not differ from those of the surrounding areas. Forests are mainly intensively managed. As mires are presently few at the Olkiluoto site, objects of various successional stages were selected and described for analogues of those expected to form at the site by the post-glacial land uplift. Area used for agriculture is minor, and municipal or regional statistics were used to describe the typical production lines. Due to the long shoreline, littoral systems are at the moment a significant element, and include a large variety of habitats. Similar to mires, lakes were also described using surrogates selected from a larger geographical area. Two regionally large rivers, Eurajoki and Lapinjoki, discharge to the sea north and east of the Olkiluoto Island.

In Part B, most important long-term transport processes and conceptual ecosystem models are presented for the terrestrial, aquatic and shoreline ecosystems. These are further quantified with site, regional or literature data into carbon mass balance and flow estimates, of which forest and agricultural systems are the most comprehensive. On the aquatic ecosystems, there is a considerable lack of directly site-relevant data.

In Part C, recommendations for data to be used in biosphere modelling are briefly given. Due to the vast amount of data, a separate Working Report will be published with a more detailed presentation. For the data recommendations, a systematic Knowledge Quality Assessment is presented, covering also the underlying site descriptive part of the report.

Compared with the first BSD, more site-specific data are now available, longer periods of monitoring activities have taken place, better interdisciplinary understanding has been established and elements such as the characteristics of agriculture, mires and freshwater bodies have been added. Spatially, the forest ecosystems of Olkiluoto are most comprehensively covered with investigations, while the longest time series are available from the sea ecosystem. As in previous BSD, recommendations for further studies are provided, as well.

Ecosystems, land uplift, overburden, flora, fauna, water quality, agriculture, carbon, land-use

Olkiluoto Biosphere Description 2009 (pdf) (15.5 MB)