Is the Wadden Sea rough?
Tijn Verbeeck
2025-10-05 18:19:19
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: 38
The Wadden Sea is very shallow that at low tide you can walk across it.
This involves walking through a lot of mud.
We did head into deeper water later on though.
The water was not cold and it was a warm day, so it was refreshing.
Standing in the middle of the Wadden Sea was amazing, as it is very flat and you could see the horizon all around.
I gave my daypack to my friend’s husband, as the water was well up to the point that it would have got wet otherwise.
Maryam Vandenbergh
2025-10-05 18:10:35
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: 29
The Wadden Sea is unique in that it consists of vast bare sand and mud flats, emerging twice daily at low tide.
Oceanic waters dominate river influence, and dynamic sandy shoals and dune islands provide a partial shelter against waves and winds of a rough sea.
Global warming with an accelerating sea-level rise, however, may threaten the sandy barrier and the extent of the tidal flats.
Dina van Egisheim
2025-10-05 17:26:40
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: 24
Strong onshore winds can push in more water causing high tides to reach 4 m above normal.
Strong offshore winds from the East are less frequent, but when they occur, they can push low tides down to 1.5 m below normal.
Twice a day, the incoming tide moves an average volume of 15 km³ of seawater through the tidal channels and inlets into the tidal basins, where roughly the same volume remains at low tide.
Today they range from 1.5 to 4 meters.
Due to storms and change in sea level, the geomorphology of the Wadden Sea remains very dynamic.
Every day it can show a new face.
Waves, tides and wind are important characteristics of the Wadden Sea Area.
Their interplay dictates the Wadden Sea’s day-to-day appearance.