Skagerrak is not just a strait between two seas, it is an important geographical object on a continental scale. It plays an important role in the economies of many countries. In addition, the strait has a long history, part of which became two world wars.
Name history
There are several opinions about the origin of the name Skagerrak Strait. The first is that it came from Old Norse words. “Skag” refers to the cape in Jutland or the port city of Skagen, which is also a cape that belongs to Denmark. And the word "cancer" is associated with the term used in the Dutch Navy, meaning "free passage". The second opinion says that Skagerrak is translated from the same Old Norse language as “the strait of a prominent cape”.
Until 1850, in different countries this strait was called differently:
- the Danes called it the channel of Jutland;
- Swedes - Bohus Bay;
- English - sleeve or sleeve.
Description
The main question characterizing this body of water is the following: “Where is the Skagerrak Strait?” It is located between the shores of the Scandinavian Peninsula and the Jutland Peninsula, connecting the North and Baltic Seas. Skagerrak is not connected directly to the Baltic Sea, since another strait lies between them - the Kattegat.
Scandinavian peninsula on the map:
Here you can see that the peninsula is separated from the north of Europe by the Baltic Sea and the straits.
So which countries does the Skagerrak Strait share? It is a sea strait washing southern Norway, Danish Jutland and Swedish Bohuslan. It also acts as a combination of a strait (washing the coast of Denmark and Norway) and a bay (off the coast of Sweden).
Its width varies from 80 to 90 km, and its length is 240 km. At the deepest point, which is located near the Norwegian trench, the depth of the Skagerrak Strait is 700 m.The level of salinity of the strait water reaches 30 ppm, however, this indicator may differ in different places, as currents from the more saline North Sea pass through it.
Strait wildlife
Flora and fauna in the expanses of Skagerrak are very richly represented. It includes almost 2 thousand species of various plants, fish and other inhabitants. A large number of fish migrate from the North and Baltic Sea to the Skagerrak Strait. The most common of them include:
- Atlantic herring or as it is also called multi-vertebral, Norwegian, Murmansk or oceanic;
- Atlantic mackerel;
- cod;
- flounder;
- halibut;
- tuna
- northern shrimp.
The rocky coast of the strait has become home to many different birds, as well as seals and walruses.
Skerries and shallows
The Jutland Peninsula, which is the southern coast of the strait, namely its northern coast, is not particularly high and diverse. It is almost flat and shallow. The bays located in shallow water slightly cut into it. Among them - Yammerbugt, Tannis-Bugt, as well as Vigse-Bugt. A large number of shoals, missing exact landmarks, a steep east current and strong winds became the main cause of many shipwrecks and accidents that occurred in the Skagerrak Strait.
On the northern coast of the strait, as well as on the eastern one, there is a huge amount of skerries (rocks and rocky islands off the coast of the sea cut by fjords), but their belt is not very wide. The coastal zone of the skerry belt is very dangerous, since only small parts of those rocks that lie in the depths of the strait protrude onto the water surface.
Due to the sker belt, most capes in Norway are hidden from the naked eye. Only Cape Linnesnes remains noticeable, since it protrudes from the mainland far into the sea. On the map of the Scandinavian Peninsula it is clearly visible.
In order to safely sail along the northern and eastern coasts of the strait, it is necessary to strictly follow the general rules for the skerry region: use exclusively the fairways indicated in the locations and maps, take into account the flow, etc.
Channel Islands
There are several large skerries that are recognized as islands. Among them, Fr. Chern, which lies in the north of the Marstrands Fjord, as well as about. Aroust, located further north.
Most of the islands represent a rocky surface on which no vegetation is completely absent. They are often surrounded by reefs and rocks and are separated from other skerries by deep straits.
Currents
In the Skagerrak Strait, the tides are always quite low. The largest of them are no more than 1 meter. Basically, they do not exceed 40 cm. Sometimes deep-water currents with sea water penetrate into the strait, the salinity of which exceeds the salinity in Skagerrak water. After mixing with the waters of the strait, they reach the waters of the Baltic Sea and affect its salinity.
The flow of the Norwegian current originates in the waters of the Baltic Sea. It is gaining intensity with the advent of spring. Leaving the Baltic, the stream moves along the Swedish coast towards the Norwegian coast.
Two main currents are distinguished in the strait: superficial and deep. The first moves at a speed of up to 4 km / h, is characterized by low salinity and heads west. The second is eastward and has a higher salt content.
The waters of the strait are stormy and are in constant excitement. Therefore, Skagerrak never freezes, although the ancient sagas mention the freezing of the waters of the strait. Floating ice going from the Baltic Sea can sometimes reach Cape Skagen, but they do not move further.
The strait represents a kind of barrier between the Baltic and North Seas. The reason for this is the gradual rise of waters along the western coast of the Scandinavian Peninsula.
