Oxygen consumption in the Baltic proper1

Total oxygen consumption rate, averaged over 1957–1982, and its variations with salinity in the deep water of the Baltic proper are calculated by a system of diagnostic advection‐diffusion equations in a “natural” coordinate frame of reference. Although the data set used is not ideal for a more thorough investigation of the sensitivity of the model, an oxygen budget is formulated. A gross consumption rate of 3 × 10−9 mol m−3 s−1 is obtained. Further, a total consumption of about 0.14 × 10−6 mol m−2 s−1 is found, which is equivalent to an annual carbon input of 50 g C m−2 yr−1.