Abstract
Due to its semi-enclosed nature, the Baltic Sea's water and ice body is almost in thermo-dynamic balance with the atmosphere above. Thus changes in the heat content are mainly associated with fluxes at the atmosphere-ocean interface. However, this budget is not fully closed due to
the connection to the North Sea and the river discharge. In this study the heat budget of the water and ice body of the Baltic Sea is investigated using a coupled regional climate model. The main heat fluxes into the Baltic Sea
represented in the model system are quantified, namely
the surface heat fluxes, the heat exchange with the North Sea, and the heat fluxes associated with river discharge, precipitation and evaporation. The surface fluxes at the ocean/ice-atmosphere interface are compared to observations and an atmosphere-only simulation.
