Home > Facts > Seas Facts > North Sea Facts

North Sea Facts

North Sea Facts
The North Sea is located between France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Scandinavia, and Great Britain. It is considered to be a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, covering approximately 220,000 square miles of surface area. The North Sea connects to the Atlantic Ocean via the Norwegian Sea in the north and the English Channel in the south. The North Sea is historically an important European shipping lane and major fishery, and today is a popular tourism and recreation destination for its bordering countries. In more recent years the North Sea has also become an important energy resource, providing wind and wave power, and well as being a rich source of fossil fuels.
Interesting North Sea Facts:
The North Sea is 600 miles long and 360 miles wide with an average depth of 312 feet and a maximum depth of 2,300 feet.
The salinity of the North Sea is 3.4 to 3.5%.
The maximum temperature of the North Sea is 63 degrees Fahrenheit and the minimum temperature is 43 degrees Fahrenheit.
The north shoreline of the North Sea along the Scottish and Norwegian coasts includes sheer cliffs and deep fjords.
The south shore of the North Sea includes mainly wide mudflats and sandy beaches.
The North Sea's ecosystem has been affected by heavy industrialization and the dense population along its shoreline, resulting in environmental issues.
Efforts to preserve the North Sea's environment have included attempts to manage overfishing, as well as dredging, runoff, and dumping from agriculture and industrial activity.
The North Sea is becoming warmer since 1988, which many attribute to climate change.
The water flow in the North Sea consists mainly of an anti-clockwise rotation mainly around its edges.
It is believed that the east and west coasts of the North Sea were formed during the ice ages, which resulted in its jagged formations.
The coasts of Denmark, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands are threatened by storm surges in the North Sea, which are caused by barometric pressure changes and strong wave action.
A storm tide in the North Sea dating back to 1228 reportedly killed over 100,000 people, and in 1362 another storm surge that hit the southern coast killed over 100,000 people. In 1953 the North Sea flood killed more than 2,000 people as it flooded several coasts. In 1962 another 315 people were killed in Hamburg due to another sea flood.
The North Sea has been the site of tsunamis, some as high as 66 feet.
Marine mammals in the North Sea include common seals, harbor porpoises, bearded seals, harp seals, hooded seals, ringed seals, walrus, dolphin and various whale species.
Birds common to the North Sea include Atlantic Puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, petrels, gannets, seaducks, loons, gulls, cormorants, terns, and northern fulmars, among many others.
Fish common to the North Sea include haddock, cod, sole, mackerel, herring, sandeel, whiting, pouting, and many others.
Shellfish common to the North Sea include deep-water prawns, Norway lobster, brown shrimp, oyster, mussels, clams and some non-indigenous species such as the Atlantic jackknife clam.


Related Links:
Facts
Seas Facts
Animals Facts