Patchiness in the Baltic Sea

The field phase of the Baltic Sea Patchiness Experiment

(PEX '86) was carried out in the Central Baltic Proper in April/May 1986 after a year of intensive planning. An overview of the results was published in 1989 by the

International Council for the Exploration of the Sea in the Cooperative Research Report series as No. 163 in two volumes containing respectively text and figures (otherwise designated as PEX '86 Publication, Part I) .

The bulk of the data from the investigations was released in 1992 in a computerized PEX '86 Atlas published in

Tallinn (PEX '86 Publication, Part II). On 3 and 4 June 1991, the ICES Symposium on Patchiness in the Baltic Sea was held in Mariehamn, Aland Islands, Finland, in order to review and consolidate what is known about the subject. It was a follow-up to PEX '86 but was also open to scientists working outside the PEX '86 group. Some 50 participants attended the Symposium, and 35 contributions were presented. Dr Bernt I. Dybern was the Convener, assisted by a Steering Group consisting of Professor Ain Aitsam, Estonia; Dr H.-J. Brosin, Germany; Professor Jerzy Dera, Poland; Dr Jiiri Eiken, Estonia; Dr Stig Fonselius, Sweden; and Professor Paavo Tulkki, Finland. This volume contains selected papers presented at the Symposium and constitutes PEX '86 Publication, Part III. Some papers have been published elsewhere, and a few have been withdrawn. Two things should be noted regarding this publication: (I) In order to avoid an excessive number of explanations and repetitions of common fact relating to the investigation as a whole (aims, geographical locations, methodology, certain general results, etc.), the reader is referred to the volumes of Cooperative Research Report, No. 163, mentioned above, which contain the basic information about the conduct and general results of PEX '86. (2) In selecting papers for inclusion in the current volume, the main aim was to provide a wide range representative of as many items as possible, including those written in a very descriptive form; accordingly, the scientific quality varies to a certain extent.

Thanks are due to the authors for their good cooperation,

Members of the Steering Committee who helped to scrutinize the papers, and the ICES Secretariat, including, in particular, Dr Harry Dooley, Oceanography Secretary; Susanne Reimer!, Oceanography Assistant; Judith Rosenmeier, Technical Editor; and Sys Enevold, of the Meeting Organization and Documentation group.