MAPPING RECURRENT FLOODING ZONE ALONG ESTONIAN INLAND WATERS FROM SENTINEL-1 AND -2

We evaluated a deep-learning model, HIDRA2, for predicting sea levels along the Estonian coast and compared it to traditional numerical models. HIDRA2 performed better overall, offering faster forecasts and valuable uncertainty estimates using ensemble predictions.

Baltic deep water is generally warmer than surface water during winter when district heating is required. Depending on the location, depth, and oceanographic situation, bottom water of Tallinn Bay can be used as an energy source for seawater heat pumps until the end of February, covering the major time interval when heating is needed. Episodically, there are colder-water events when seawater heat extraction has to be complemented by other sources of heating energy.

The sea ice statistics study highlights the bias in model estimations compared to satellite data and provides a simple approach to minimise that. During the study period, the model estimates sea ice forming slightly earlier but aligns well with the satellite data for ice season's end. Rapid decrease in the sea ice parameters is observed across the Baltic Sea, especially the ice thickness in the Bothnian Bay sub-basin. These statistics could be crucial for regional adaptation strategies.

The HiDEM code has been developed for analyzing the fracture and fragmentation of brittle materials and has been extensively applied to glacier calving. Here, we report on the adaptation of the code to sea-ice dynamics and breakup. The code demonstrates the capability to simulate sea-ice dynamics on a 100 km scale with an unprecedented resolution. We argue that codes of this type may become useful for improving forecasts of sea-ice dynamics.

The freshwater content in the Baltic Sea has wide sub-regional variability characterized by the local climate dynamics. The total freshwater content trend is negative due to the recent increased inflows of saltwater, but there are also regions where the increase in runoff and decrease in ice content have led to an increase in the freshwater content.