Wadden Sea by Jose Lok

About "Wadden Sea"

by Jose Lok

About the artwork

The Wadden Sea (Frisian: Waadsee, German: Wattenmeer, Danish: Vadehavet) is the inland sea between the Wadden Islands and the North Sea on one side, and the mainland of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark on the other.

The area extends between Den Helder in the Netherlands and Esbjerg in Denmark, has a length of 500 km and a width of 20 km on average. Its surface area is about 10,000 km², of which about 7,500 km² is tidal area (mudflats and sandbanks), 1,100 km² islands and 350 km² salt marshes and summer polders.[1] The rest consists of shipping channels.

A number of rivers flowed into the Wadden Sea. The estuaries widened into estuaries like the Dollard, the Lauwerszee and the Middelzee. The Afsluitdijk, completed in 1932, has been part of the southern border of the Wadden Sea since that year. The Wadden Sea is interrupted by the Hindenburg Dam from the island of Sylt and the Rømøvej, the dam to Rømø.

The Wadden Sea area has great natural value and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.[2] The World Heritage Site covers over 12,000 km², which includes the transitional area to the North Sea (some'4,000 km²). It largely excludes the Wadden Islands of the Netherlands and Schleswig-Holstein (almost 700 km²) and the estuaries of the Ems, Außenjade, Weser and Elbe rivers. However, these areas are largely covered by the Natura 2000 regime. Protection measures are coordinated by the International Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS) in Wilhelmshaven, waa