Kattegat

Coordinates: 56°30′N 11°30′E / 56.500°N 11.500°E / 56.500; 11.500
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Kattegat
Kattegatt
Map of waters
Map of the Kattegat and Skagerrak
Location in Europe
Location in Europe
Kattegat
Coordinates56°30′N 11°30′E / 56.500°N 11.500°E / 56.500; 11.500
Etymologylit. '"cat's gate"'
Basin countriesDenmark, Sweden
Surface area30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi)

The Kattegat (Danish:

North Atlantic Ocean, but in traditional Scandinavian
usage, this is not the case.

The Kattegat is a rather shallow sea and can be very difficult and dangerous to navigate because of the many sandy and stony reefs and tricky currents, which often shift. In modern times, artificial seabed channels have been dug, many reefs have been dredged by either sand pumping or stone fishing,[clarification needed] and a well-developed light signaling network has been installed to safeguard the very heavy international traffic on this small sea.

There are several large cities and major ports on the Kattegat, including, in descending size, Gothenburg, Aarhus, Aalborg, Halmstad, and Frederikshavn.

Geography

Älvsborg
at Gothenburg, a sea fortress in the Kattegat

According to the definition established in a 1932 convention signed by Denmark,

Treaty Series 1933–1934), the northern boundary between the Kattegat and Skagerrak are found at the northernmost point of Skagen on Jutland, while the southern boundary towards Øresund is found at the tip of Kullen Peninsula in Scania.[1]

Major

Lagan, Nissan, Ätran and Viskan in the province of Halland on the Swedish side, and the river of Gudenå in Jutland
, in Denmark.

The main islands of the Kattegat are Samsø, Læsø and Anholt; the latter two are, due to their relatively dry climate, perceived as belonging to "the Danish desert belt".

A number of noteworthy coastal areas abut the Kattegat, including the

Kullaberg Nature Reserve in Scania, Sweden, which contains a number of rare species and a scenic rocky shore, the town of Mölle
, which has a picturesque harbour and views into the Kullaberg, and Skagen at the northern tip of Denmark.

Since the 1950s, a bridge project usually referred to as Kattegatbroen (the

Zealand across the Kattegat has been considered. Since the late 2000s, the project has seen a renewed interest from several influential politicians in Denmark. The bridge is usually envisioned as connecting Hov (a village south of Odder in the Aarhus area) with Samsø and Kalundborg.[2][3]

Extent

The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the "Kattegat, Sound and Belts" (that is, the Kattegat, Øresund, Great Belt, and Little Belt) as follows:[4]

On the North: A line joining Skagen (The Skaw, northernmost point of Denmark) and Paternoster Skær (57°54′N 11°27′E / 57.900°N 11.450°E / 57.900; 11.450) and thence northeastward through the shoals to Tjörn Island.

On the South: The limits of the Baltic Sea in the Belts and Sound:

Etymology

According to

Danish Straits to a passage so tight that even a cat would have difficulty squeezing its way through, owing to the many reefs and shoals.[5][6] At one point, the passable waters were a mere 3.84 km (2.07 nmi; 4,200 yd) wide. The name of the Copenhagen street Kattesundet has a comparable etymological meaning, namely 'narrow passage', lit. 'cat's strait'.[6]

An archaic name for both the

Latin name was Sinus Codanus.[7]

History

Control of the Kattegat, and access to it, have been important throughout the history of international seafaring. Until the completion of the Eider Canal in 1784, the Kattegat was the only sea route into and out of the Baltic region.[8]

Beginning in 1429 in the

Sound dues, a toll charged for passage through the Øresund, while Copenhagen provided shelter, trade, and repair opportunities and protection from piracy
. The dues were eventually lifted in 1857.

Biology

In the Kattegat, the

sealife here.[10]

Eemian period and during calm weather the bubbles can sometimes be seen on the water surface.[12] Carbonate cementation and lithification form slaps or pillars up to 4 m (13 ft) tall, and support a rich biodiversity.[11][12] Because of their unique status, the Kattegat bubbling reefs receive a level of protection and are recognized as a Natura 2000 habitat (type 1180) by the European Union (EU).[13]

Ecological collapse

The Kattegat, characterised by widespread

anoxia,[14] was one of the first marine dead zones to be noted in the 1970s, when scientists began studying how intensive industrial activities affected the natural world.[15][16] Since then, studies and research has provided much insight into processes like eutrophication, and how to deal with it. Denmark and the EU have initiated costly and far-reaching domestic projects in order to stop, repair and prevent these environmentally destructive and economically damaging processes[17] since the first Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment in 1985, and are now busy implementing the fourth Action Plan. The action plans sums up a broad range of initiatives and includes the so-called Nitrate Directives.[18] The action plans have generally been viewed as a success, although the work is not finished and all goals are not completely met yet.[19]

Protections and regulation

Grenen in Denmark is important for bird migrations and is a protected area.
Bjärekusten Nature Reserve with Hovs Hallar in Sweden.

Due to the very heavy sea traffic and many large coastal settlements, the Kattegat has been designated as a

Sulphur Emission Control Area as part of the Baltic Sea since 2006. As from 1 January 2016 the benchmark for sulphur in fuels was lowered to 0.1%.[20]

Several larger areas of the Kattegat are designated as Natura 2000 and under various bird protections such as the Ramsar Convention. The remaining larger shallow reefs are among the protections, as they are important spawning and feeding grounds for fish and marine mammals and they support a thriving but threatened biodiversity. Protected areas includes:

Denmark[21]

Sweden[22]

Gallery

  • There are several offshore windfarms in the Kattegat.
    There are several offshore
    windfarms
    in the Kattegat.
  • Some of the world's busiest shipping lanes pass through the Kattegat.
    Some of the world's busiest shipping lanes pass through the Kattegat.
  • The larger shallow sand and stony reefs have been equipped with light signaling in modern times.
    The larger shallow sand and stony reefs have been equipped with light signaling in modern times.
  • There are several small archipelagos near the mainland in the Swedish part of the Kattegat.
    There are several small archipelagos near the mainland in the Swedish part of the Kattegat.
  • The Swedish coasts in the Kattegat are rocky shores, like this one in Kullaberg, or sandy or gravel beaches.
    The Swedish coasts in the Kattegat are rocky shores, like this one in Kullaberg, or sandy or gravel beaches.
  • All the Danish coasts in the Kattegat are sandy or gravel beaches with no exposed bedrock.
    All the Danish coasts in the Kattegat are sandy or gravel beaches with no exposed bedrock.

See also

References

  1. ^ Convention No 3210. League of Nations Treaty Series 139, 1933–1934. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  2. ^ Rolf Ask Clausen (2 October 2007). "Ingeniøren 1955: Byg bro over Samsø [Build a bridge across Samsø]". Ingeniøren (in Danish). Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  3. ^ "En fast Kattegatforbindelse". kattegatforbindelse.dk (in Danish). Kattegatkomitéen. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  4. ^ "Limits of Oceans and Seas" (PDF) (3rd ed.). International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  5. ^ Den Store Danske Encyklopædi (2004), CD-ROM edition, Copenhagen: Gyldendal, entry Kattegat.
  6. ^ a b Nudansk Ordbog (1993), 15th edition, 2nd reprint, Copenhagen: Politikens Forlag, entry Kattegat.
  7. New International Encyclopedia
     (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
  8. ^ "Kattegat | strait, Denmark-Sweden". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  9. ^ Ærtebjerg, G., Andersen, J.H. and Schou Hansen (2003). "Hydrography". Nutrients and Eutrophication in Danish Seawaters. Danish Environmental Protection Agency and National Environmental Research Institute. Retrieved 30 January 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ISBN 9783540797036
    . Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  11. ^
    doi:10.3354/meps083103
    .
  12. ^ a b c "Red List – Submarine structures made by leaking gases" (PDF). HELCOM. 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  13. ^ "Proposed measures for fisheries management in Natura 2000-sites in the Danish territorial area of the Kattegat and Samsø Belt" (PDF). Meeting at the AgriFish Agency, Copenhagen. Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries (Denmark). 20 March 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  14. doi:10.3354/meps272001
    . Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  15. UNEP. 19 October 2006. Archived from the original
    on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  16. ISBN 978-1285402222
    .
  17. ISBN 978-0-87590-266-1
    .
  18. ^ Implementation of the Nitrates directive in Denmark Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Danish Ministry of the Environment
  19. ^ Jesper H. Andersen; Jacob Carstensen (25 October 2011). "Action Plans for the Aquatic Environment have been a success". Politiken (in Danish). Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  20. ^ "New sulphur regulations may lead to distortion of competition in the shipping industry". MT Online. 12 August 2014. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  21. ^ "Natura 2000" (in Danish). Danish Nature Agency. Archived from the original on 10 February 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  22. ^ "Natura 2000" (in Swedish). Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2016.

External links

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