Baltic Sea

17 Stories

'No One Believes' Baltic Cables 'Were Severed by Mistake'

Germany, Finland suspect sabotage after 2 telecoms cables are cut in the Baltic Sea

(Newser) - Sabotage is on the minds of officials in Germany and Finland after an underwater fiber-optic cable in the Baltic Sea connecting the two nations was severed—a day after another cable between Lithuania and a Swedish island also was cut. The Finnish telecoms firm Cinia says a 745-mile cable linking...

46K Planes Got 'Jammed,' and Officials Have a Suspect

Report says Russia may be behind GPS interference over Baltic Sea since last August

(Newser) - Planes flying in and out of Europe, especially the eastern part of the continent near Russia, have seen their GPS signals jammed over the past year or so, and now there's a suspect: Russia. Citing an analysis by the Sun, which looked at flight logs from GPSJAM.org, the...

US Officials Offer Hint on Nord Stream Pipeline Attacks

Signs point to pro-Ukraine group, though details are murky and skepticism remains

(Newser) - Russia and Western nations have been pointing the finger at each other since last September, when a series of leaks sprung up in the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, carrying gas from Russia to Germany. Now, a possible clue toward solving what the New York Times calls "...

New Leak Found in Nord Stream Pipeline

Russia says it could be state 'terrorism'

(Newser) - The Swedish coast guard says another leak has been detected in the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, bringing the total to four. Coast guard spokesperson Mattias Lindholm said the leaks are in the same sector, the Guardian reports. Two more leaks have been found in Danish waters. Leaks...

2 Major Russian Pipelines Hit by Sudden Leaks

No one's quite sure yet what caused the issues to Nord Stream 1, 2, running from Russia to Germany

(Newser) - Two major Russian gas pipelines have both sprung leaks. That's the word from German and Danish authorities on the Nord Stream 1 and 2, both of which saw a sudden drop in pressure on Monday, per the New York Times . A release from Nord Stream AG announced the pressure...

450-Year-Old Wreck Holds Something 'Unique'

But rare, ancient grappling hook will remain with the wreckage of the Swedish ship Mars

(Newser) - Seven years after it was found, a 454-year-old shipwreck in the Baltic Sea is still revealing its treasures. Cannons, a hand grenade, possible remains of helmets and swords, and a large grappling hook used to rein in enemy ships are among recent discoveries aboard Mars, a Swedish warship that sank...

Russian Jet Comes so Close to US Jet Pilot Can Be Seen

US releases photos of 'unsafe" Russian jet intercept

(Newser) - The US European Command has released dramatic photos of a Russian jet coming within a few feet of a US Air Force reconnaissance jet over the Baltic Sea in a maneuver that has been criticized as unsafe. The AP reports the photographs released Friday show the Russian SU-27 coming so...

'Aggressive' Russians Buzz US Warship

Baltic Sea encounter was one of the most brazen in years

(Newser) - In a move that American officials are calling "aggressive," "potentially provocative," "unprofessional," and simply "unsafe," Russian fighter jets and a helicopter buzzed a US warship in international waters Monday and Tuesday. The Guardian reports that US European Command says the encounters were...

1K Shipwrecks Haunt a Sea With Brutal History

16th-century Mars warship is among the wrecks

(Newser) - The Baltic Sea's trove of shipwrecks has preserved all kinds of history—much of it about war—and recently sparked fears of a fresh conflict in Europe. Bordered by Scandinavia, Finland, the Baltics, the North European Plain, and accessible by Russia, one sliver of the sea contains about 1,...

Spooked NATO Intercepts Sudden Slew of Russia Jets

NATO countries intercept 19 planes in 24 hours

(Newser) - It's not clear what Vladimir Putin might be up to, but reports of a possible Russian sub spotted off Sweden are now followed by those of NATO, which says it yesterday intercepted at least 19 Russian fighter jets and bombers flying in three separate directions outside Russian airspace. Eight...

World's Oldest Fish Trap Found Near Sweden

Fish-catching baskets are thought to be 9K years old

(Newser) - Marine archaeologists have discovered fishing traps they think were constructed around 9,000 years ago. "This is the world's oldest find when it comes to fishing," says one expert. The researchers found the remnants of seven wooden traps on the Baltic Sea bed off Sweden, reports the...

Did Aliens Crash in the Baltic Sea?

Treasure hunters uncover round disc on the sea floor

(Newser) - Finally, a real reason to send conspiracy theory extremists to the bottom of the sea: A team of Swedish treasure hunters have uncovered what they think could be a UFO crash site in the Baltic Sea, reports Gizmodo . The 60-foot disc sits at the end of what appears to be...

18th-Century Cannons Retrieved From Baltic

Cannons from 1771 will take four years to clean and preserve

(Newser) - Polish explorers have retrieved three 18th-century cannons from shipwrecks resting on the Baltic Sea bottom. The Swedish cannons bear the minting date of 1771 and were found in the remains of a commercial and a navy ship resting more than 130 feet below, said an expert from the Gdansk Main...

Boy Finds 24-Year-Old Message in a Bottle

Letter was written by 5-year-old German boy in 1987

(Newser) - There's no romance and no Kevin Costner, but nearly a quarter-century after a German boy tossed a message in a bottle off a ship in the Baltic Sea, he's received an answer. A 13-year-old Russian, Daniil Korotkikh, was walking with his parents on a beach when he saw something glittering...

Algae Devouring Baltic
 Algae Devouring Baltic 
Jul 23, 2010 4:15 AM CDT

Algae Devouring Baltic

Country-sized growth threatens marine life

(Newser) - Record-breaking temperatures combined with farm run-off have caused an evil-smelling algae bloom the size of Germany to sprout in the Baltic Sea. The World Wildlife Fund warns that the algae explosion—the biggest in the region since 2005—endangers human as well as marine life, the Independent reports. The group...

Bucki the Whale Escapes Baltic for Open Ocean

The humpback strayed into the small sea in July

(Newser) - Bucki's going home, a little thinner but seemingly none the worse for wear. The humpback whale, which strayed into the Baltic Sea in July, has finally made his way back into the Atlantic Ocean, Der Spiegel reports. The whale is only the third in modern history spotted in German waters...

Ice Melt Imperils Baby Seals
Ice Melt Imperils Baby Seals
Mar 11, 2008 12:05 PM CDT

Ice Melt Imperils Baby Seals

Climate change does a number on Baltic population

(Newser) - They’re cute, they’re endangered, and they’re some of global warming’s first casualties. Baby seals throughout the Baltic Sea are dying, Der Spiegel reports, as rising temperatures melt the protective dens they rely on to survive. “The situation is dramatic,” said one environmental activist. “...

17 Stories