Mud-flat

Abundant food source

The most important feature of the Waddensea is the enormous displacement of water during low and high tide. Twice every twenty-four hours, large parts of the Waddensea fall dry, while the area is completely flooded with water during high tide. This makes the wad a rather abundant food source for many animal species. Every tidal change brings sand, silt, plankton and all kinds of other nutrients, in addition to the enormous amount of water.

Though large amounts of sand and silt enter the Waddensea, the area does not silt up. The strong current carries a large amount of this material back to the North Sea.

Circular course

Plankton serves as food for the shells and worms that live on the bottom of the wad. These, in turn, serve as food for the fish and birds. Finally, the fish is food to the common seal that lives in the Waddensea. The seal is at the end of the food chain in the Waddensea and this makes it a good indicator for the quality of the environment.

Environmental

The environment in the Waddensea is determined largely by the quality of the water in the European rivers, which reaches the Waddensea through the North Sea. The substances that are discharged into the rivers, end up in the Waddensea and accumulate there. Over the last decades, the amount of discharged chemical substances and heavy metals has decreased considerably. The quality of the Waddensea has also improved in this respect. However, as long as too many polluting substances end up in the sea water, great vigilance is required.

Wad-excursions

Wad-walking from point to point is not possible on Texel, but there are wad-excursions. The wad bottom that has fallen dry may seem barren, but it is crawling with life. During this nature excursion you will discover what takes place under your feet. Applications at EcoMare, tel. 0222-317741.