Creek (tidal)

A tidal creek is a natural, often meandering watercourse in watts and in the marsh. He may be the continuation of an oxbow of land on the Wadden Sea, or compare different join separate parts together sea at low tide. Depth at low water still beschiffbare, tidal channels are regionally called Baljen or bellows. The shallow, temporarily falling dry upper reaches of a Priels is called Watt gutter.

After reclamation of the tidal creeks country Watts are typically used for drainage of the reclaimed land, the polder. The case -scale drainage ditches called Sloot or Grüppen.

Molding

Tidal creeks in the sand flats usually run relatively straight, while meandering tidal creeks in the mudflats often strong.

Habitat

The tidal inlets of the Wadden Sea to the North Sea are not only a habitat for the ubiquitous brown shrimp, but also for various fish species. The density of individuals takes on generally from the open sea towards the coast to, as well as in and around estuaries is particularly high. In all creeks are present plaice and goby, some other kinds, however, have specialized in certain tidal creeks and tidal creek sections. So, in the shallow tidal creeks and tidal creek roots especially fish that follow the Tidenwanderung and flood swarm on the watts, here you can find the typical Wadden Sea species. The deeper tidal channels form a transition area to the open North Sea.

Typical tidal creek habitats are ästuargeprägte tidal creeks in the vicinity of river mouths, sand flats and tidal creeks, two different types of mixing Watt tidal creeks. On the sandflats the sand goby has its greatest spread, but also species such as sandeel Small and brill come here before strengthened. In Ästuarnähe especially typical estuary residents come before, such as smelt, feint and also the sand goby. The mixing Watt Type, which is far away from estuaries, has a high number of species, but small amounts of individuals and significantly different ways than in the estuaries. Here, for example, rather eelpout occur. Occur between the estuaries and the more remote mixing Watt types to intermediate ranges, which have more individuals but fewer species than the pure mixed tidal flats and have transitional phenomena from the mouth area to clean watts.

Man and Priel

While tidal channels are essential for the coastal towns on the Wadden Sea as a fairway for shipping, they provide for Wattwanderer is a serious danger that several deaths, every year. In contrast to the opinion of many tourists, the Wadden Sea fills at high tide not uniform but the creeks run first full. Gutters, which were only a few inches deep at a lower water level, can grow in just a few minutes to veritable rivers. Tidal creeks, due to their often large amounts of water to high flow velocities, which overtax themselves best swimmer.