The physical oceanography of the Gulf of Finland: a review

The Gulf of Finland is today an actively-investigated sea area. Basin-wide studies are carried out in an international cooperation between all the coastal states of the gulf. Understanding of the basic physics of the gulf is vital in order to assess the state of the marine environment and to construct coupled hydrodynamic-ecological models for describing the response of the sea to human activities. This paper is a literature review of the physical features of the Gulf of Finland. Our main interest is the general circulation as well as the horizontal and vertical structure of water masses, but surface waves, the sea level, ice conditions and air-sea interaction are also briefly reviewed. Special attention has been paid to the eastern end of the gulf, which is an important mixing area and buffer zone for pollutants.