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

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.

Baltic deep water is generally warmer than surface water during winter when district heating is reguired. Depending on the location, depth and oceanographic situation, bottom water of Tallinn Bay can be used as energy source for seawater heat pumps as long as 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 with other sources of heating energy.