The maritime research vessel Aranda will start a voyage on Saturday aimed at determining the condition of waters in the eastern Gulf of Finland. Levels of radiation, oxygen and marine life at the sea floor of the Gulf will be examined in both Finnish and Russian territorial waters.
Algae toxins and nutrient concentrations will also be monitored.
Aranda sets sail from the port of Kotka on Saturday. The Finnish Environmental Institute’s research vessel will also call in at St. Petersburg for a public exhibition of its work.
The Baltic is the most radioactive sea in the world. Most radiation has seeped into the sediment at the floor of the sea. The largest single dose resulted from the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 25 years ago.
If Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen win, it will mark Finland's second-ever Eurovision victory.
Sunshine will cover southern Finland on Sunday, but a precipitation system is headed to northern areas.
"One cannot say that we were 'caught with our pants down'," Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen (NCP) said on Saturday morning.
