Waterlogging, rising groundwater levels and flooding of dry pastures and meadows on Hailuoto Island (Finland) and ways to solve the problems

Flooding causes unfavourable changes in the ecological environment.The quality of the soil is deteriorating, pastures are becoming waterlogged, which leads to the death of plants.Factors influencing the process of flooding of pastures and Palaearctic meadows are considered using the example of the territory of the island of Hailuoto in Finland.These include: abnormal precipitation, rising water levels in the Gulf of Bothnia and seismological activity.The annual sea level rise is 3.2 mm.Over the past 25 years, the increase has been 7.5 cm.The vertical movement of land in the northern part of the Baltic Sea is caused by the slow restoration of the earth's crust under the pressure of the ice sheet that covered this area during the last ice age.On the coast, the rate of land rise is from 3 to 9 mm/year.Abnormal amounts of precipitation and rising groundwater levels are the main cause of flooding of Palaearctic pastures.Rising land and climate change negatively affect the flooding of the island, as well as areas in the riverbeds of the Kalajoki and Siikajoki rivers.The island of Hailuoto is located opposite the city of Oulu and is one of the communities of the province of Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland.Island area 202.26 km including 1.7 km of internal waters, population -1082 people.The total grassland area of Hailuoto Island is 536.6 hectares From May 24 to May 29, 2024, a study of the flooded state of meadows and pastures on Hailuoto Island was carried out.