Analysis of the Climate Change in Lithuanian Coastal Areas of the Baltic Sea

DAILIDIENE, I.; DAVULIENE, L.; KELPSAITE, L., and RAZINKOVAS, A., 2012. Analysis of the climate change in Lithuanian coastal areas of the Baltic Sea. Journal of Coastal Research, 28(3), 557-569. West Palm Beach (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This paper investigates the changes in the long-term hydroclimatic conditions in the SE Baltic Sea, along the Lithuanian coast, on the basis of the monitoring data obtained within a 45-year period (1961-2005). Furthermore, the paper discusses the processes behind those changes. Time series of relevant data along the Lithuanian coast from previous centuries were used to investigate climatic variability and trends. The study finds an increased period of westerly winds during winter. During recent decades, the impact of global climate change on sea-level rise has drawn wide interest, since the coastline changes have ecological, economic, and social impacts on the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea. The analysis of the trends for the Lithuanian coastal zone found results similar to those obtained from global and regional analyses showing increasing sea levels today and in the future.