Szczecin Lagoon
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The Oder Lagoon (German: Oderhaff) is an inland water basin in Germany and Poland, situated in the southwestern part of the Baltic Sea in the mouth of Oder River north of the city of Szczecin. Thus, it is also called Lagoon/Bay of Stettin/Szczecin (German: Stettiner Haff, Polish: Zalew Szczeciński).
It is separated from the Baltic Sea's Bay of Pomerania by the islands of Usedom/Uznam and Wolin and connected with the 3 straits: Peenestrom, Świna and Dziwna. Its area is 687 km², its depth is in average 4 meters, and 6 metres at maximum.
In 1880, the Kaiserfahrt channel on Usedom was opened, a water route with a depth of 10 metres connecting the lagoon with the Baltic Sea by bypassing the eastern part of the Swine, allowing large ships to enter the lagoon and the seaport of Stettin.
The canal, approximately 12 km long and 10 meters deep, was dug by the German Empire between 1874 and 1880, during the reign of the first Emperor Wilhelm. After 1945, Poland renamed the canal after their Piast dynasty.
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[edit] Recreation
Today the lagoon offers a great selection of passenger ship tours, a wide range of water sports and some notable beaches. Discover winegrowing, the narrow-gauge railway, museums, castles, many hiking and cycling routes and a small village reviving the life of the former Slavic settlements.
[edit] Pollution problems
The Lagoon is known to suffer from heavy pollution mainly from the Oder river and has suffered eutrophication as a result. High concentrations of Aluminium and iron sediments have been found in the river causing rapid algae growth inside the lagoon. However long-term nutrient concentrations show a high interannual variability and have declined during recent years.
[edit] See also
