Ķemeri National Park

Coordinates: 56°57′06″N 23°30′45″E / 56.95167°N 23.51250°E / 56.95167; 23.51250
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Ķemeri National Park
Ķemeru Nacionālais Parks
The Great Ķemeri Bog
Map showing the location of Ķemeri National Park
Map showing the location of Ķemeri National Park
Ķemeri National Park
LocationLatvia
Nearest cityJūrmala
Coordinates56°57′06″N 23°30′45″E / 56.95167°N 23.51250°E / 56.95167; 23.51250
Area361.85 km2 (139.71 sq mi)
Established1997
AdministratorMinistry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development
Map

Ķemeri National Park (

Ramsar site
. The park also protects the famous natural mineral-springs and muds, used for centuries because of their therapeutic nature. The springs led to development of many resorts, spas, and sanitariums in the 19th century.

Ecosystem

Blueberries
in Kemeri National Park

Forests occupy 57% of the total area of the park. Fragmented mosaic distribution of the forests is not typical for the territory, forests are relatively evenly distributed in the whole area of the national park with some inclusion of meadows and areas not covered in forest.

orchids. Meadows – both dry and wet – occupy 6% of the territory. Water in the form of lakes, rivers, sulfur springs and sea occupy 10% of the park's territory. Many of the out flowing streams have been altered over history to drain the marshland for agriculture, however the waters still support a wide variety of rare species, such as native snails and mussels
, fishers, storks and otters.

Birds

The bog is home for a number of Latvian bird species, such as the

European Golden Plover
. The latter two species only breeding habitat is the raised bog.

Moss Bog Berries

The bog also contains edible wild berries such as

blueberries
.

Bog Plants

Raised bog is not rich in diversity of plants due to the harsh conditions created by the bog such as low nutrient content and low oxygen content. Thus, the flora is specifically adapted to these conditions such as

Ledum palustre, Rhynchospora alba, Andromeda polifolia, Drosera, Pinus sylvestris and Sphagnum
.

Sulfur Springs

Ķemeri National Park has many natural

sulfur springs, due to its sublayer of gypsum and soil bacteria (Desulfovibrio desulfuricans
), forming H2S gas which easily dissolves in the water. The therapeutic mineral waters and muds found in Ķemeri are used in health resorts located in Ķemeri town nearby, used to treat mostly digestive system and skin problems.

Tourism

Boardwalk in the Great Ķemeri Bog
Ķemeri bog at sunset

There are several nature trails and broadwalks in the Ķemeri National Park. The most popular of them located in The Great Ķemeri Bog has a short (1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi)) and a long (3.4 kilometres (2.1 mi)) boardwalk with an observation platform, popular with photographers for sunrise and sunset scenes, located on the longer one.[2]

History

Formation of bogs in Latvia started in the postglacial period, approximately 10,000 years ago as the climate became warmer and more humid. Thus allowing

Sapropelic
mud formation at the bottom of the lake, consisting of sandy soil and the remains of water plants and animals.

Recent History

Numerous tanks from World War II were swallowed into the bog, due to depths reaching up to two stories.

See also

References

  1. Protected Planet
  2. ^ Jared Ranahan Five Stunning National Parks To Visit Across The Baltics Forbes Apr 25, 2022
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ķemeri National Park and National parks of Latvia.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ķemeri_National_Park&oldid=1218662381"