Skagerrak is not just a strait between two seas, it is an important geographical feature on a continent scale. It plays an important role in the economy of many countries. In addition, the strait has a long history, including two world wars.
Name history
There are several opinions about the origin of the name of the Skagerrak strait. The first is that it comes from Old Norse words. "Skagi" refers to a cape on 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 as "the strait of the protruding cape."
Until 1850, this strait was called differently in different countries:
- the Danes called it the Jutland Canal;
- Swedes - Bohus Bay;
- English - sleeve or sleeve.
Description
The main question that characterizes 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 B altic Seas. The Skagerrak is not directly connected to the B altic Sea, as there is another strait between them - Kattegat.
Scandinavian Peninsula on the map:
Here you can see that the peninsula is separated from northern Europe by the B altic Sea and straits.
So which countries are separated by the Skagerrak? It is a sea strait washing southern Norway, Danish Jutland and Swedish Bohuslan. It also acts as a combination of a strait (washing the coasts of Denmark and Norway) and a gulf (near the coast of Sweden).
Its width varies from 80 to 90 km, and its length is 240 km. At its deepest point, near the Norwegian Trench, the Skagerrak Strait is 700 m deep. The strait reaches a salinity of 30 ppm, although this may vary from place to place as currents from the more saline North Sea pass through it.
Wildlife of the Strait
Flora and fauna in the vastness of the Skagerrak is 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 B altic Seas to the Skagerrak Strait. The most common of these include:
- Atlantic herring or as it is also called multivertebral, Norwegian, Murmansk or oceanic;
- Atlantic mackerel;
- cod;
- flounder;
- halibut;
- tuna;
- northern shrimp.
The rocky shores of the strait are home to many different birds, as well as seals and walruses.
Skerries and shallows
The Jutland Peninsula, which is the southern shore of the strait, namely its northern coast, is not particularly high and diverse. It is almost flat and shallow. Bays located in shallow water slightly cut into it. Among them are Jammerbugt, Tannis-Bugt, as well as Wigse-Bugt. A large number of shoals, lack of precise landmarks, a steep east current and strong winds have become the main cause of many shipwrecks and accidents that have occurred in the Skagerrak Strait.
On the northern coast of the strait, as well as on the eastern one, there is a huge number of skerries (rocks and rocky islands near the sea coast, indented 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 to the surface of the water.
Because of the skerry belt, most of Norway's capes are hidden from the naked eye. Only Cape Linnesnes remains visible, as it protrudes from the mainland far into the sea. It is clearly visible on the map of the Scandinavian Peninsula.
In order to sail safely along the northern and eastern coasts of the strait, you must strictly follow the general rules for the skerry area:use only the fairways indicated in the sailing directions and on the maps, take into account the current, etc.
Skerry Islands of the Strait
There are several large skerries that are recognized as islands. Among them, Fr. Chern, which lies in the north of the Marstrandsfjord, as well as about. Orust, further north.
Most of the islands are rocky and completely devoid of any vegetation. They are often surrounded by reefs and rocks and are separated from other skerries by deep straits.
Currents
The tides are always quite low in the Skagerrak. The largest of them are no more than 1 meter. Basically, they do not exceed 40 cm. Sometimes deep-sea currents with sea water penetrate into the strait, the salinity of which exceeds the salinity in the water of the Skagerrak. After mixing with the waters of the strait, they reach the waters of the B altic Sea and affect its salinity.
The flow of the Norwegian current originates in the waters of the B altic Sea. It picks up intensity with the arrival of spring. Leaving the B altic, the stream moves along the Swedish coast towards the Norwegian coast.
There are two main currents in the strait: surface and deep. The first one moves at speeds up to 4 km/h, is characterized by low salinity, and heads west. The second is directed east and has a higher s alt content.
The waters of the strait are stormy and in constant agitation. Therefore, the Skagerrak never freezes, although ancient sagas mentionfreezing of the waters of the strait. Ice floes coming from the B altic can sometimes reach Cape Skagen, but they do not move further.
The strait is a kind of barrier between the B altic and North Seas. The reason for this is the gradual rise of waters along the western coast of the Scandinavian Peninsula.
Meaning of the Strait
During the First and Second World Wars, the Skagerrak was a very important geographical position in terms of strategic planning. During the First World War, it was marked by one of the largest battles at sea - the Battle of Jutland. During World War II, the urgent need to control the strait became one of the main reasons for the German invasion of Norway and Denmark.
Currently, the leadership of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) pays great attention to this strait. Back in the early 60s, the alliance command in the strait zone created an organization called the "NATO Joint Command".
At this point, the Skagerrak is a very famous torrential sea with heavy sea traffic. The reason for this is that it acts as the only passage connecting the B altic Sea with the North Sea (if you do not take into account the Kiel Canal, which is located in northern Germany). Hundreds of thousands of ships pass through the Skagerrak every year. Fisheries are actively developing, transit transportation is taking place, and tourism is also flourishing.
This strait opens the most famous northern sea route, North Road, which in ancient times gave the name to the country of Norway, as well as to the North Sea.
