The Oceans Surrounding Ostend Beach, Belgium
Today's article will discuss the oceans surrounding Ostend Beach, Belgium. Ostend Beach is in the northern area of Belgium. It is touching the southern area of the North Sea. It is on the mainland & is not an island. Ostend Beach is specifically part of the town known as Ostend. For the historical part of this month’s series, the history of the town will be studied instead of the beach itself. Ostend is approximately 61.66 miles from (70.957061 miles or 114.19432 kilometers) from the island of Great Britain. The actual name of the city is Oostende. This translates from German into English as “East End”. This is a bit confusing as Ostend Beach is in the northeastern area of Belgium. The German-speaking population of Belgium is in the western area, not the area where Ostend Beach is. This leads many to wonder how the town was named. It is currently considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in all of Belgium. It is also one of the most well-known beaches in Belgium because of how beautiful it is & active marine life. Many recreational activities take place around this area such as swimming, boating, & fishing. There are many cetaceans that live in this area because they do not have much competition. Many other fish or competitors for food are not found in this area, which led to a large amount of porpoises, dolphins, & whales. There are currently no known endemic marine animals to Oostende, Belgium at this time. Thanks to the warm water currents of Belgium, coral could theoretically survive there. Coral reefs have yet to be discovered in Belgian waters. In this article, we will discuss the salinity, temperature, marine geography & terrain, the most important marine ecosystems, the documented marine flora & fauna, & the utilization of marine resources of Ostend, Belgium. With that being said, let us delve into the most scenic & majestic areas of Belgium.
The Salinity, Tides, Temperatures, Marine Geography, & Basic Information Of Ostend Beach
The Salinity of Belgium has been documented as being between 34 & 35.5 parts per thousand. Since the town is in the Atlantic, it will most likely have a higher salinity than say the Pacific Ocean or the Indian Ocean. Salt deposits / Brine Pools may be more common around the island due to the higher salinity. However, the existence of brine pools around the town has not been proven. The salinity levels of the Atlantic Ocean at any given time are between 35.5 & 34.5 parts per thousand. Salinity is measured in 1,000 grams of water. For every 1000 grams of water, there will be a certain number of grams that are pure salt. This is how salinity or saline level is measured. There are also no ongoing factors that would lead to the salinity level being altered. The oceanic temperature of the waters surrounding Oostende can be found on a plethora of webpages, but the most user-friendly is https://seatemperature.net, Surf-forecast.comhttps://www.surf-forecast.com, SeaTemperatu.rehttps://www.seatemperatu.re, & finally WaterTemperature.orghttps://www.watertemperature.org. The lowest temperatures are usually between 45° & 40° Fahrenheit (7.22222° to 4.44444° Celsius). The tidal charts can also be found on a few of these websites. The tides usually never get over 5.955792 meters (19.54 feet) high. The surf is not dangerously high & there is not much riptide. There are a few currents surrounding the beach area, however, they are more than a mile off the coast. Recreational activities such as fishing are increasingly popular. Individual boating does not seem to be very common however it takes place. Swimming is also common, however, it is only permitted in certain areas of the beach. The oceanic floor of the areas around Oostende usually consists of rock, sand, or seagrass. Seamounts are not common & the land is usually flat at the bottom. The deepest oceanic point within 5 Nautical / Marine miles (5.7539 miles or 9.26 kilometers). Water pollution is also not an issue & the water is perfectly safe to swim in, the only concern would be the temperature of the water being so cold. There are currently 23 marine protected areas around Belgium, the largest of which takes up approximately 34% of Belgium enter the oceanic area.
The Most Prominent Marine Ecosystems Of Ostend Beach Belgium
Seagrass Meadows
The seagrasses around Belgium are in abundance & often form large meadows around the coast. The main species of seagrasses that are present are Zostera marina & Zostera noltii. Zostera Noltii is more commonly found & is more present, this may be due to the nutrients that are necessary for these 2 seagrasses to grow & there being a deficiency in some of the said nutrients. This ecosystem is often used as a nursery, hunting ground, & breeding ground. It is extremely fragile as this is usually where the smaller animals will reside. These seagrasses are in abundance & often embellish the coastlines.
Tidal Marshes
Sometimes the seagrasses will grow extremely close to the shoreline which creates a type of tidal marsh. These areas usually are not permanent due to humans trampling the seagrass. These areas usually have many different types of crustaceans. Usually, the type of grass that will compose this area is the Zostera marina (seawrack).
The Documented Marine Flora Of Ostend Beach
There are 2 species of seagrass documented in this specific area of Belgium, they are known as Zostera noltii (dwarf eelgrass) & Zostera marina (common eelgrass). Zostera Marina is found as deep as 2 meters (6.56168 feet) & makes up the majority of tidal marshes & shallow seagrass meadows. It is found as shallow as -12 meters. Zostera Noltii is the second species & it is found in deep areas. It usually is also not found strongly along the coastline. It is not found in tidal zones either. There are algae species in this area of Belgium however they are mostly unrecorded. However, Brown algae & Red algae have both been discovered in this area.
The Documented Marine Fauna Of Ostend Beach
There are many different species of marine fauna which are found throughout Belgium. Though Belgium has the shortest coast of any country that touches the north sea, it still has much biodiversity. For the purposes of this article, we will not be discussing any types of plankton that exist in the area or water birds. Plankton species are extremely common in this area, however, they have yet to be identified by individual species. Many species that are able to survive in this area usually have large amounts of fat on their body so that they will not freeze to death. These 2 factors may contribute to the reason as to why so many baleen whales are found in the area. Now the most prominent marine species recorded around Ostend are as fallows: Phocena Phocena (harbour porpoise), Halichoerus grypus (Atlantic grey seal), Phoca Vitulina (harbour seal), Balaenoptera acutorostrata (northern minke whale), Tursiops truncantus (common bottlenose dolphin), Cyprinus carpio (Eurasian carp), Perca fluviatilis (European perch), Sander lucioperca (Zander), Salmo Trutta (brown trout), Anguilla Anguilla (European eel), Esox lucius (northern pike), Chondrostroma nasus (Common nase / sneep ), Salmo salar (Atlantic salmon), & finally Oncorhynchus mykiss (rainbow trout).
How The Marine Resources Of Ostend Beach Were Utilized & How That Affected The Environment
Oftentimes, the waters of Belgium were used for commercial fishing. Fishermen would primarily fish for trout & Atlantic salmon however occasionally they could have fished for other species as well. Personal fishing is also incredibly common. Ecotourism is also a popular activity that takes place in Belgian waters due to there being a large population of cetaceans. Usually, ecotourism in Belgium is ethical & does not harm the environment but sometimes it can negatively affect the environment. However it usually positively affects the environment because the ecotourists' money usually goes into maintaining the environment. Marine research is also common & several European marine laboratories are located along Belgium's coastline.
Directories / Credits
Strategic Partnerships
Reel Guppy Outdoors
Our Loyal Patrons
Ms. Ochoa
Comments