Skjern River ( da, Skjern Å) is the largest river in Denmark, in terms of volume. The river has its
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...
in Tinnet Krat in central Jutland, very close to Denmark's longest river, the
Gudenå. It drains about one tenth of Denmark and flows into the Ringkøbing Fjord - a
lagoon and former
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
of the
North Sea. The river has its name from town of
Skjern, located at the
river delta (the only river delta in the country) at Ringkøbing Fjord. In flood stage, it can discharge up to 200
m³/s.
Recent history
In the 1960s, the Danish government began straightening the rivers run and drain the extensive
wetlands
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
that had formed around the
river mouth
A river mouth is where a river flows into a larger body of water, such as another river, a lake/reservoir, a bay/gulf, a sea, or an ocean. At the river mouth, sediments are often deposited due to the slowing of the current reducing the carrying ...
, to prevent the frequent floodings and allow for
intensive farming in the region. However, the plan backfired. Without the frequent
sediment deposits supplied by floodings, increasing amounts of chemical fertilizers and nutrients were needed to sustain a productive agriculture and the river, unable to spread the sediment across a wide wetland, silted up in many places. Furthermore, the land began to sink as it dried out and ceased to be replenished with fresh sediment. The slow sinking of the land, made the drainage infrastructure increasingly ineffective.
By 1987, the government decided to implement a program of
land rehabilitation to restore the river to a more natural state. Though the plan was not completed and approved until 1997, by 2002, the work was mostly completed. Much of the river and wetland are now protected area, home to a variety of wildlife, including
otter
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...
s,
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlantic salmon are ...
and a variety of
waterbirds. Tourism and traditional
cattle grazing, have replaced the intensive agriculture as the primary economic use of the land.
The restored Skjern River and surrounding delta was supposed to be incorporated in the
Skjern Å National Park Skjern may refer to:
* Skjern Municipality, a former municipality in Region Midtjylland in west Denmark
* Skjern River, the largest river in Denmark by volume
* Skjern, Denmark
Skjern is a railway town located in western Jutland, Denmark with a ...
, comprising a area, but the national park project was abandoned in 2012. The national park process however, had already advanced to the level of establishing walking paths and facilities for visitors at that point and on 21 September 2014, two local citizens groups, involving nine towns and villages, unofficially opened Skjern Å National Park.
Nationalpark Skjern Å åbnede d. 21.september 2014
/ref>
See also
* List of rivers in Denmark
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
* List of national parks of Denmark
There are six national parks in the Kingdom of Denmark; five in Denmark proper and one in Greenland.
The first national park in Denmark proper was Thy National Park ( da, Nationalpark Thy), created in 2008. It is located in Thisted Municipality, ...
References
Sources
* Ecological Engineering 2007 (Morten Lauge Pedersen ''et al.'')
Restoration of Skjern River and its valley—Short-term effects on river habitats, macrophytes and macroinvertebrates
''Department of Freshwater Ecology'', National Environmental Research Institute.
External links
Map of the river delta
* Sense the West Coast
Skjern Å - A Unique Piece of Nature
Info-page on nature- and tourists experiences in the river delta.
visited 20.01.2015,
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skjern
Rivers of Jutland
Wetlands of Denmark