Low water level in a icy landscape

The Baltic Sea is currently experiencing historically low water levels. During February 2026, persistent high pressure and strong northeasterly winds pushed enormous amounts of water – almost 300 cubic kilometers – through the Öresund and the Belts towards the North Sea.

Historical levels: Several measuring stations have approached or broken previous records for low water levels.

Cause: A strong and stationary high pressure combined with cold winds has acted as a "pump" that has drained the sea of ​​water.

Good news for the environment: The extremely low water level creates a "place" in the Baltic Sea. When the weather turns, this can pave the way for a strong influx of salt and oxygen-rich water from the Western Sea, which is crucial for saving oxygen-poor seabeds.

So why not head out to the east coast on a starry night! And indeed, the water level was very low. I could see barnacles on the rocks where the water's edge used to be. Amazing ice formations everywhere and when I shone UV light many interesting things under the ice fluoresced in different colors. I have no idea what it was, but probably algae, seaweed and minerals.

And on top of all this beauty the Northern Lights appeared with a nice spectacle!

The lonely pine cone

Finally some starry skies! Orion is beautifully high in the sky with the bright planet Jupiter to its left. Took a walk in the woods and saw this pine cone lying on the ground. Took a close-up of it and the starry sky. The pine cone is the spruce's equivalent of a flower. It acts as a protection for the tree's seeds and reacts to humidity by opening when dry and closing when wet.

Quick facts:

Seed bank: A single pine cone can contain up to 200 seeds.

Maturation: The cones mature during their first autumn and release the seeds during sunny spring and winter days.

Who eats them? Squirrels often gnaw them clean, while woodpeckers wedge them into the bark to get to the seeds.

Cone year: The spruce produces abundant cones about every five to seven years, which is called a cone year.

Lichens with Jupiter and lightpollution

Bright planet Jupiter in the night sky on this clear and cold evening. In the foreground is a birch with lava in different colors as I have used UV light to create fluorescence. Lichens on birch are usually harmless, superficial organisms that use the bark as a base without damaging the tree, often a sign of clean air. Common species include blue lichen and various crust lichens. Lichens do not penetrate the bark, do not cause rot and can benefit biodiversity by offering food to insects. The bright night sky is due to light pollution, caused by excessive or misdirected artificial night lighting, disrupting ecosystems, disrupting the circadian rhythm of humans and animals and obscuring the starry sky. It is a rapidly increasing environmental problem that negatively affects biodiversity, insect and bird migration patterns, and can be counteracted by targeted, warm white lighting, motion sensors and timers