Loch Ness

Loch Ness
Loch Ness - With Urquhart Castle in the foreground
With Urquhart Castle in the foreground
Location Highlands, Scotland
Lake type freshwater loch, oligotrophic, dimictic
Primary inflows River Oich/Caledonian Canal, River Moriston, River Foyers, River Enrick
Primary outflows River Ness/Caledonian Canal
Catchment area 1775 km²
Basin countries Scotland, United Kingdom
Max. length 39 km
Surface area 56.4 km² (21.8 sq mi)
Average depth 132 m (430 ft)
Max. depth 230 m (754 ft)
Water volume 7.4 km3 (1.8 cu mi)
Surface elevation 15.8 m
Islands 1 (Cherry Island)
Settlements Fort Augustus, Invermoriston, Drumnadrochit, Abriachan, Lochend; Whitebridge, Foyers, Inverfarigaig, Dores.

Loch Ness (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Nis) is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands () extending for approximately 37 km (23 miles) southwest of Inverness. Its surface is 15.8 metres (52 ft) above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the legendary Loch Ness Monster, also known as "Nessie".

It is connected at the southern end by the River Oich and a section of the Caledonian Canal to Loch Oich. At the northern end there is the Bona Narrows which opens out into Loch Dochfour, which feeds the River Ness and a further section of canal to Inverness. It is one of a series of interconnected, murky bodies of water in Scotland; its water visibility is exceptionally low due to a high peat content in the surrounding soil.

Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 56.4 km² (21.8 sq mi) after Loch Lomond, but due to its great depth is the largest by volume. Its deepest point is 230 m (754 ft) ,[1] deeper than the height of London's BT Tower at 189 m (620 ft) and deeper than any other loch with the exception of Loch Morar. It contains more fresh water than all lakes in England and Wales combined [2], and is the largest body of water on the Great Glen Fault, which runs from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the south.

Contents

Villages and places

Places on Loch Ness
North
  • Lochend
Shores Western Eastern
  • Abriachan
  • Drumnadrochit
  • Urquhart Castle
  • Invermoriston
  • Dores
  • Inverfarigaig
  • Foyers
  • Whitebridge
South
  • Fort Augustus

At Drumnadrochit is "The Loch Ness Exhibition Centre"[3] which examines the controversy through the natural history of Loch Ness. Boat cruises operate from various locations on the loch shore, giving visitors the chance to look for the monster.

Urquhart Castle is located on the Western shore, between Drumnadrochit and Invermoriston.

Lighthouses are located at Lochend (Bona Lighthouse) and Fort Augustus.

Fish Species

Eel Anguilla anguilla
Pike Esox lucius
Three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus
Brook lamprey Lampetra planeri
Minnow Phoxinus phoxinus
Atlantic salmon Salmo salar
Sea trout Salmo trutta
Brown trout Salmo trutta
Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus

Island

The only island on Loch Ness is Cherry Island, visible at its southwestern end, near Fort Augustus. It is a crannog, which is a form of artificial island[4]. (Most crannogs were constructed during the Iron Age).

There was formerly a second island which was submerged when the Loch water level was raised during the construction of the Caledonian Canal[4].

Hydroelectricity

Loch Ness serves as the lower storage reservoir for the Foyers pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme, which was the first of its kind in United Kingdom. The turbines were originally used to provide power for a nearby aluminium smelting plant, but now electricity is generated and supplied to the National Grid. Another scheme, the 100 MW Glendoe Hydro Scheme near Fort Augustus, is under construction and is expected to begin generation in 2009.[5][6]

Geology

Loch Ness lies along the Great Glen Fault, which forms a line of weakness in the rocks which has been excavated by glacial erosion, forming the Great Glen and the basins of Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness.

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ "Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland, 1897-1909". National Library of Scotland.
  2. ↑ The Gazetteer for Scotland
  3. ↑ The Loch Ness Exhibition Centre
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 O. Blundell (1909) Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Vol 43 pp159-164
  5. ↑ Glendoe Hydro scheme, Scottish and Southern Energy, http://www.glendoe.co.uk/, retrieved on 2007-08-28 
  6. ↑ Hydro-electric scheme's dam close, BBC, 1 September 2008, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7591395.stm, retrieved on 2008-09-02 

External links