Lågskär

Lågskär (Swedish for "low skerry") is a small island within the Åland Islands archipelago of Finland. It is situated about 15 miles (24 km) south of Mariehamn in the Baltic's Sea of Åland. Rock stacks, sea cliffs and rocky shores are found along the coastline of the island, with the thickest vegetation towards the centre. To the south are rocky islets and rocks, including Sundbloms Grund, Söderklappen and Österkläppen.

A breeding ground for waterfowl, Lågskär is frequented by ornithologists who use the Lågskär Lighthouse buildings during their stay. The lighthouse was built in 1920, and its rotating gas lighting device was the first of its kind in the world. Several vessels have sunk off the coast including the German Nassau-class battleship SMS Rheinland which ran aground in heavy fog on 11 April 1918. Numerous ferry routes pass within a few kilometres of Lågskär, including the Stockholm to Tallinn and Mariehamn to Helsinki ferries. The island achieved the status of an Important Bird Area (IBA) in 2000.

Geography

The island of Lågskär is situated about 15 miles (24 km) south of Mariehamn in the Sea of Åland of the northern Baltic Sea. It is in the municipality of Lemland in the Finnish province of Åland, approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) east-northeast of Flötjan.^[1] Near the island, particularly to the south, there are rocky islets and rocks, including Sundbloms Grund, Söderklappen and Österkläppen.^[2] To the east is Kalvskär and Norra Kalvskär. The Björkör-Lågskär area, measuring 6,097 hectares (15,070 acres) in size, is part of a Ramsar Site, while the Nyhamn-Lågskär islands area, measuring 2,879 hectares (7,110 acres) in size, is recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA).^[3] A Birds Directive designation for 1,079 hectares (2,670 acres) overlaps the IBA site.

Rock stacks, sea cliffs and rocky shores are found along the coastline.^[3] The rest of the island comprises a mix of greenery and rocky areas, with the thickest vegetation towards the centre.^[2] Lågskär measures 43 hectares (110 acres) in area. Wetlands International has identified the island as a wetland.^[4] The Middle Åland Sill, one of three sills in the two basins of the Åland Sea, measuring 70 metres (230 ft) width, is situated between Söderarm and Lågskär and separates the two basins of the Åland Islands.^[5] Several ferry routes pass within a few kilometres of Lågskär, including the Långnäs to Värtahamnen ferry, the Stockholm to Tallinn ferry, the Mariehamn to Helsinki ferry, and the Mariehamn to Åbo ferry.^[2]

History

SMS Rheinland which ran aground in heavy fog here during World War I

The earliest habitation on the island was linked to a cairn and a wooden beacon that existed on the island during the 1600s and 1700s.^[6] In the 1840s, when the Lågskär Lighthouse was constructed to replace the beacon, there were 20-30 inhabitants comprising the families of the lighthouse keepers.^[6] In addition to rearing livestock, fishing, and hunting wildlife, the families ran a school for their children; a lighthouse society functioned at the time. The wooden lighthouse was remodeled into a stone structure which was destroyed during World War I. The existing lighthouse, built in 1920, introduced a rotating gas lighting device, noted as the first of its kind in the world.^[7] After the lighthouse was automated in 1961, the lighthouse keepers vacated the island.^[6] On 11 April 1918, the German Nassau-class battleship SMS Rheinland ran aground in heavy fog during World War I.^[8] In 1934 or 1935, the German vessel Frida sprang a leak and sank off Lågskär, but the crew survived.^[9] On the evening of 21 October 1942, Finnish submarine Vesihiisi torpedoed and sank the Soviet S class submarine S-7 near Lågskär.^[10][11]

Now an uninhabited island, Lågskär is occasionally visited by ornithologists for birdwatching,^[12] and to operate a bird ringing station which was established in 1964.^[4] They use the abandoned buildings during their stay.^[12] The island achieved the status of an Important Bird Area in 2000.

Wildlife

Despite harsh conditions, the vegetation on the island is fairly diverse. Following the island's grazing ban, vegetation has become very thick and has resulted in it becoming a breeding ground for waterfowl.^[4] There is large reed bed in the small lagoon area.^[4]

Fish species reported in the late 19th century in a small rock pool of 9 by 4 metres (30 ft × 13 ft) in size continue to flourish. Carassius carassius of lengths varying between 8.7–11.7 centimetres (3.4–4.6 in) is found along the coastline,^[13] and in a 1993 study, some 18 species of macroalgae were recorded at depths varying between 4–7 metres (13–23 ft).^[14] The species reported include Pilayella littoralis, Ectocarpus siliculosus, Fucus vesiculosus, and Rhodomela confervoides, followed by a lesser number of Sphacelaria arctica, Cladophora rupestris, Stictyosiphon tortilis and Polysiphonia fucoides than in a previous 1950s study.^[14]

The island has been identified by Alula, the Finnish birding magazine, as “one of the most important breeding bird islands of the Finnish Baltic Sea”.^[15] On the island are Steller's eider (Polysticta stelleri), the key bird species, and razorbill (Alca torda). Other breeding species recorded are: Mute swan (Cygnus olor), greylag goose (Anser anser), tufted duck (Aythya fuligula), gadwall (Anas strepera), black guillemot (Cepphus grylle), razorbill (Alca torda), guillemot (Uria aalge), water rail (Rallus aquaticus), colonies of gulls (Larus spp.), terns (Sterna spp.) and the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla).^[4]

References

Bibliography

• Fennica, Societas pro Fauna et Flora (1989). Memoranda Societatis Pro Fauna Et Flora Fennica (in Finnish). Societas pro Fauna et Flora Fennica. 
• Håkansson, Kjell (2010). Ubåt om styrbord, kapten!: när handelsfartyg var jagat villebråd (in Swedish). Kjell Håkansson. p. 138. ISBN 978-91-86687-00-7. 
• Lepparanta, Matti; Myrberg, Kai (20 March 2009). Physical Oceanography of the Baltic Sea. Springer. ISBN 978-3-540-79703-6. 
• NIMA (1 January 2002). Pub195, 2002 Sailing Directions (Enroute): Gulf of Finland. ProStar Publications. ISBN 978-1-57785-355-8. 
• Staff, Gary (2010). German Battleships: 1914–1918 1. Oxford: Osprey Books. ISBN 978-1-84603-467-1. OCLC 705750106.