Learn about the Wadden Sea in Germany
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| Hello, and welcome to the Culture File: Germany series at GermanPod101.com. In this series, we’re exploring essential information about Germany, German culture and German people. I’m Eric, and you're listening to Season 1, Lesson 21 - The Wadden Sea. |
| If you visit the North Sea or Nordsee, you’ll notice very quickly that it’s different than many other seas. Namely, the North Sea disappears twice a day! The reason for this is the tides, or Gezeiten. But don't worry - just because the sea retreats a bit doesn't mean that you have to be bored or cancel your beach trip! |
| The low tide, or Ebbe, offers a great opportunity to stroll through the "Wadden Sea" mud flats, or in German Wattenmeer. The Wadden Sea is the part of the sea along the coast, and “mud flat” refers to the part of the land that shows itself at low tide, on which you can walk. Wandering through the tidal flats is quite interesting because it enables you to observe many animals and plants that you normally wouldn’t get to see, like crabs, Krebs, clams, Muschel, sandworms, and salt marshes. Salt marshes, or Salzwiesen, are not actually marshes made of salt, as you might think from the name. They form the connection between sea and land and are the species-rich ecosystem of plants and animals that are particularly well-adapted to the periodic flood of salt water. |
| But you should never go off hiking in the Wadden Sea mud flats alone. The high tide, or Flut can sometimes come back in faster than you think, which may take away your route back, leaving you stranded. It's much safer to take part in an organized walk. The leaders are familiar with the mud flats, know exactly when the high tide will come in, and which paths to take. |
| So listeners, how did you like this lesson? Did you learn anything interesting? |
| Do you have mudflats in your country, or a special sea that looks different than others? |
| Leave a comment telling us at GermanPod101.com! Until next time! |
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