North Sea depth?

[A_7]

I heard the North Sea described as a shallow sea which increases the wave height in storms. How deep is it, on average, in it's centre?

On a related point I saw a programme once where a trawler went out, not for fish, but for Mammoth bones and it just trawled them up from the bottom with ease! Apparently in the past it was a huge plain literally covered with the woolly suckers!

 

[[3889]]

After the last ice age sea levels rose 120 meters. The Rhine used to run through the N Sea basin to the North of Scotland with the Thames as a tributary of it.Maz depth is currently 190m although mostly below 100.

 

[AliM]

I'd have to look at the charts, which are on the boat. But it's disconcerting when sailing across, many hours from land in the middle of the North Sea, to see the depth meter reading <30 m! Of course, over this side, still many hours from land, there are some nice shallow (or dry) sandbanks.

 

[sailorman]

many parts of the southern north sea dont exceed 20 m

between Harwich & Den Helder the "Broad 14s" (14 fathoms) lots of gas platforms there

 

[Dyflin]

It varies quite a bit obviously but in general the southern North Sea is relatively shallow (Dogger Bank coming up to around 11/12m) and the seas will be quicker to build and quicker to disperse, but the northern end has typical depths of 70-100m so will be a lot more hazardous in prolonged bad weather.

I have some software on the computer if you needs depths for a specific area.

 

[Pye_End]

Just remember the pictures of that ship with all the cars in on its side sunk in the middle of the North Sea, with its sides awash. Brings it home just how shallow it is.

 

[gwh]

[ QUOTE ]
...it's disconcerting when sailing across, many hours from land in the middle of the North Sea, to see the depth meter reading <30 m! Of course, over this side, still many hours from land, there are some nice shallow (or dry) sandbanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hehe, it's no problem at all if you have a lifting keel. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif My friend and I once went for a two-hour walk ten miles off the Lincolnshire coast. The really disconcerting thing was the thunderstorm which passed right overhead. Our mast was by a long way the highest thing for about twenty miles in any direction! I disconnected the VHF radio antenna as the storm approached, and grounded the inner conductor of the coaxial cable through a high-value resistor to prevent static charge building up. Then when I came to disconnect the resistor I got a HUGE electric shock from the OUTER of the coax!

Needless to say the boat floated on the next tide and we carried on our journey with another yarn to tell...

 

[Bejasus]

don't forget though, there are places in excess of 2000 ft. but these are in the North

 

[sailorman]

i did say Southern North Sea /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif