Ringkøbing Fjord , despite its name, is in fact a shallow lagoon on the west coast of Jutland .
8-636: Skjern River terminates in Ringkøbing Fjord with a large river delta system to the east, and the lagoon is shielded from the North Sea by a long isthmus named Holmsland Dunes to the west. On the Hvide Sande Canal in the middle of the isthmus, there is a floodgate that provides access to the sea to the west. The fjord is about 30 kilometers long and 2 to 3 meters deep with an area of almost 300 square kilometers (115 square miles). In
16-404: 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
24-646: Is the largest river in Denmark, in terms of volume. The river has its spring 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 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 . In
32-453: The 1960s, the Danish government began straightening the rivers run and drain the extensive wetlands that had formed around the river mouth , 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
40-448: The mid-17th century, the bank was near Sønder Havrvig, but it gradually moved south as sand was deposited on the shoal from the north. By the late 18th century, it was close to the town of Nymindegab . On several occasions, the surrounding dunes collapsed from the effects of the water, causing the old outflow to fill with sand and creating problems for local fisherman. In 1891, a channel was therefore dug south of Nymindegab but, in 1910, it
48-402: 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 otters , Atlantic salmon and a variety of waterbirds . Tourism and traditional cattle grazing , have replaced the intensive agriculture as the primary economic use of
56-486: The southwestern corner is the Tipperne peninsula, where there is a bird reservation. The town of Ringkøbing lies to the north-east. Ringkøbing Fjord was once affected by oxygen depletion , but today both plant and fish life abounds. Ringkøbing Fjord was originally a bay , around which two sandbars have gradually built up, with a sandbank that has shifted repeatedly over time as a result of shifting water currents. In
64-633: Was replaced by a channel in Hvide Sande. A storm surge in 1911 created an opening of 230 meters and extensive flooding around the fjord. In 1915, the passage at the southern end of the fjord was therefore reopened while the one near Hvide Sande was closed. It was, however, later reopened with the establishment of a lock in 1931. [REDACTED] Media related to Ringkøbing Fjord at Wikimedia Commons 56°00′N 8°15′E / 56.000°N 8.250°E / 56.000; 8.250 Skjern River Skjern River ( Danish : Skjern Å )
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