The seasonal nature of major Baltic inflows

Major inflows of saline water into the Baltic Sea have a significant impact on the oceanological regime of the deep water in the central basins. Such events show seasonal characteristics, which are investigated here for the 80-year period from 1897 to 1976. The characteristic properties - i.e. salinity, temperature, density and oxygen concentration of the water bodies entering the Baltic during major inflows are analyzed for the first time. The significance of the season of the inflow event for its effects on the oceanological conditions in the deep water is discussed