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29-533: The Wichter Ee is a gat between the East Frisian Islands of Norderney (to the west) and Baltrum (to the east). At the eastern end of the island of Norderney in the Wichter Ee are sandbanks occupied by common and grey seals . The western end of Baltrum is formed by the port and massive coastal defences , that protect the island from storm surges driven by westerly winds that would otherwise flood

58-479: A bay of the North Sea and 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 boulder clearance, and

87-566: A gat (or gut ) in the East River of New York City , is derived from archaic Dutch Hellegat (meaning possibly "clear opening"), a fairly common toponym (place name) for waterways in the Low Countries . The following is a list of gats, including named gats that may or may not be true gats as defined above: Kattegat The Kattegat ( Danish: [ˈkʰætəkæt] ; Swedish : Kattegatt [ˈkâtːɛˌɡat] )

116-412: A gat cause heavy erosion that results in a channel deeper than the rest of the surrounding seabed and also endangers neighbouring islands. When the water masses from mud flats behind the islands surge out again into the sea as ebb currents, they flow rapidly again through the narrow gat. But as these water masses break out into the open sea, they spread out and slow down. As a result, on this seaward side of

145-664: A great deal higher than the rest of the Baltic Sea . These two opposing flows transport a net surplus of 475 km (114 cu mi) seawater from the Baltic to the Skagerrak every year. During stronger winds, the layers in the Kattegat are completely mixed in some places, such as the Great Belt , so the overall salinity is highly variable in this small sea. This sets some unique conditions for

174-634: 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 Kattegat Bridge ) connecting Jutland and 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

203-483: A salinity between 18‰ and 26‰ and the lower layer – separated by a strong halocline at around 15 m (49 ft) – has a salinity between 32‰ and 34‰. The lower layer consists of inflowing seawater from the Skagerrak, with a salinity on level with most other coastal seawaters, while the upper layer consists of inflowing seawater from the Baltic Sea and has a much lower salinity, comparable to brackish water , but still

232-422: 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 , Varberg and Frederikshavn . According to the definition established in a 1932 convention signed by Denmark, Norway and Sweden (registered in

261-664: Is a 30,000 km (12,000 sq mi) sea area bounded by the Jutlandic peninsula in the west, the Danish straits islands of Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the south and the provinces of Bohuslän , Västergötland , Halland and Scania in Sweden in the east. The Baltic Sea drains into the Kattegat through the Danish straits. The sea area is a continuation of the Skagerrak and may be seen as

290-410: Is the shallowest part of the gat for shipping, but also the deepest point on the shallowest line between the islands. A flood delta is formed in a similar way on the landward side of the gat. A navigation channel to the open sea is usually marked out in the gats by the waterway and shipping authorities. The area of the bar is usually the most dangerous spot; this is where rip tides and, especially when

319-637: Is usually envisioned as connecting Hov (a village south of Odder in the Aarhus area) with Samsø and Kalundborg . 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: 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

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348-478: The 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. 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 ' . An archaic name for both

377-568: The League of Nations 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. Major waterways that drain into the Kattegat are the rivers of Göta älv at Gothenburg , together with the Lagan , Nissan , Ätran and Viskan in

406-500: The Middle Ages , the Danish royal family – and later the state of Denmark – prospered greatly from 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. In the Kattegat, the salinity has a pronounced two-layer structure. The upper layer has

435-543: The Skagerrak and Kattegat was the Norwegian Sea or Jutland Sea ( Knýtlinga saga mentions the name Jótlandshaf ). Its ancient Latin name was Sinus Codanus . 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. Beginning in 1429 in

464-554: The Wadden Sea that are scoured out by currents, giving the example of the gap between the Frisian islands of Juist and Nordeney . In Dutch the term can be interpreted quite broadly, as it can refer to an entrance to the open sea formed by the mouth of an inlet, an inland sea or even a river; and also to an opening between coastal islands or coasts in general. The term "gat" is primarily (though not exclusively) applied to waterways of

493-532: The sealife here. Cold seeps , locally known as bubbling reefs ( Danish : boblerev ), are found in the northern Kattegat. Unlike cold seeps in most other places (including the North Sea and Skagerrak), the Kattegat bubbling reefs are at relatively shallow depths, generally between 0 and 30 m (0–100 ft) below the surface. The seeps rely on methane deposited during the Eemian period and during calm weather

522-543: 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%. 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

551-480: The North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts of Europe. A similar term of related but not identical meaning, gut , is mainly applied to channels of the coastal waters of the Atlantic coast of North America. Passages between inner and outer coastal waters, such as at the ends of spits of lagoons or along bodden coasts are also referred to as gats. The comparatively large quantities of water that flow quite quickly through

580-482: The bubbles can sometimes be seen on the water surface. Carbonate cementation and lithification form slaps or pillars up to 4 m (13 ft) tall, and support a rich biodiversity . 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). The Kattegat, characterised by widespread anoxia ,

609-401: The coast from inland. The term sometimes also refers to a shallower passage on lagoon coasts, including those without any tidal range , and can also refer to shallow bars in an area of mudflats . It is similar, but not identical, to a gut , which is a narrow river channel or strait prior to joining an open ocean or estuary . Leser restricts its use to deep, but relatively narrow inlets in

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638-529: The current flows against the wind, very dangerous ground swells may occur. The name comes from the Low German and Dutch word "gat" which means "gap". "Gat" is incorporated into some Dutch or Dutch-derived proper names of passages (e. g. Kattegat , Veerse Gat ) which may or may not be proper gats. In English names, both "gat" (e. g. Fisherman's Gat ) and "gut" (e. g. Digby Gut , Hull Gut , Gut of Canso ) are seen. In German, "Gat" (as well as "Seegatt" and

667-625: The diminutive "Gatje") can refer to an arm of the sea which is not necessarily subject to strong tidal currents; for instance, the Prerower Strom ("Prerow Stream"), which is a regressive delta , is a gat. Seegatt (also "Neues [Pillauer] Tief" [New {Pillau} Deep]) is the German proper name of the Strait of Baltiysk (Pillau) which connects the Vistula Lagoon to the Baltic Sea . The name of Hell Gate ,

696-483: 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. The action plans have generally been viewed as a success, although the work is not finished and all goals are not completely met yet. Due to the very heavy sea traffic and many large coastal settlements,

725-460: The gat, the particles of sand and mud carried with the water settle and form an ebb delta with its shallower waters between the islands. The sandbanks so formed are often known in Germany as plate (pronounced "plah-ter", see Kachelotplate ). The point where the water pouring out of the gat runs over these banks, which often lie in an arc between the islands, is the sand bar ( German : Barre ). This

754-473: The island. 53°43′27″N 7°21′16″E  /  53.72417°N 7.35444°E  / 53.72417; 7.35444 This East Frisia article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Gat (landform) According to Whittow a gat is either a strait dividing offshore islands from the mainland e.g. the Frisian Islands , or it is an opening in a line of sea cliffs allowing access to

783-574: 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

812-598: The shoals to Tjörn Island . On the South : The limits of the Baltic Sea in the Belts and Sound: According to Den Store Danske Encyklopædi and Nudansk Ordbog  [ da ] , the name derives from the Dutch words katte 'cat's' and gat 'gate, passage'. It derives from late medieval navigation jargon, in which captains of the Hanseatic trading fleets would compare

841-520: 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. 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 since

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