Editing Limfjord

{{Short description|Shallow part of the sea, located in Denmark}}
{{About|a location in [[Denmark]]|the sea inlet in [[Croatia]]|Lim (Croatia)}}
[[File:Limfjorden zs 1 ubt.JPG|thumb|Limfjorden in winter at its narrowest section, in Aalborg]]
[[File:Map DK Limfjorden.png|thumb|Location map of ''Limfjorden'' in Denmark. Note - the inlet from the North Sea is much narrower than this map implies]]
[[File:Limfjord 1 2004 ubt.jpeg|thumb|300px|[[Limfjordsbroen]] (bridge) linking Aalborg and [[Nørresundby]]]]

The '''Limfjord''' ([[Danish language|common Danish]]: ''Limfjorden'' {{IPA|da|ˈliːmˌfjoˀɐn|}}, in northwest Jutlandish dialect: ''Æ Limfjord'') is a shallow part of the sea, located in [[Denmark]] where it has been regarded as an [[inlet]] ever since [[Viking Age|Viking times]]. However, it now has entries both from the [[North Sea]] and [[Kattegat]], and hence separates the [[Vendsyssel-Thy|North Jutlandic Island]] (Danish: ''Nørrejyske Ø'', which includes the old provinces of ''Vendsyssel'', ''Han herred'' and ''Thy'') from the rest of the [[Jutland Peninsula]]. The Limfjord extends from [[Thyborøn Channel]] on the [[North Sea]] to [[Hals Municipality|Hals]] on the [[Kattegat]]. It is approximately 180 kilometres (111 miles) long and of an irregular shape with numerous bays, narrowings, [[List of islands of Denmark|and islands]], most notably [[Mors (island)|Mors]], and the smaller ones [[Fur (island)|Fur]], [[Venø]], [[Jegindø]], [[Egholm]] and [[Livø]]. It is deepest at [[Hvalpsund]] (24 metres).

Its main port is [[Aalborg]], where a railway bridge ([[Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden]]) and road bridge ([[Limfjordsbroen]]) have been built across the Limfjord to [[Nørresundby]], while [[European route E45#Denmark|motorway E45]] crosses it through a tunnel to the east. Commercial ports also exist at [[Thisted]], [[Nykøbing Mors]], [[Skive, Denmark|Skive]], [[Løgstør]], [[Struer, Denmark|Struer]], [[Lemvig]] and [[Thyborøn]]. There are also bridges at [[Oddesund]], [[Sallingsund]], [[Vilsund]], [[Aggersund]] and [[Sebbersund]], and a number of ferry crossings.

==History==
===Western opening===
From the early Middle Ages until 1825, the Limfjord was only open to the sea at its east end. In that year, the  [[February flood of 1825|North Sea broke through]] from the west and created a second opening, turning the northern part of Jutland [[Vendsyssel-Thy]] into an island.

An isthmus of shifting sand had separated the Limfjord from the North Sea during historic times. The present inlet, Thyborøn Channel, has existed only since 1862. A passage also existed during the [[Viking Age]]. Based on place names and the geography, it is thought to have been to the south of the present one, between [[Ferring Sø]] (locally still called 'the Fjord') and Hygum Nor. [[Canute the Great]] sailed into it in 1027 on his way back from England. According to [[Saxo Grammaticus]] it closed at some time around 1200. There are records of several floods piercing the isthmus  during the 16th to early 19th century.

On 3 February 1825 [[February flood of 1825|a flood]] pierced a permanent opening, the so-called [[Agger Channel]], in the north of the 13&nbsp;km long and less than 1&nbsp;km wide [[isthmus]], the [[Agger Tange]], which had until then linked [[Thy (district)|Thy]] with the rest of [[Jutland]]. The western part of North Jutland lost its road connection with mainland Jutland, but the towns and harbours in the western part of the Limfjord could benefit from becoming directly accessible from the North Sea, to the dismay of [[Aalborg]]. From the 1840s the western route became increasingly important, as Britain had opened for import of grain, and ships could return with British coal. However, the instability of Agger Channel made the towns of the western Limfjord look for a second option.

In 1862, a flood pierced another opening, the [[Thyborøn Channel]], through the remainder of Agger Tange  (see satellite image<ref>[http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=56.711717&lon=8.198779&z=11.1&r=0&src=0 Satellite image]</ref>). Agger Channel was continuously filling with sand and eventually closed in 1877. Since then, the remaining Thyborøn Channel has been kept open and navigable by dredging. The harbour of Thyborøn was built in 1914–1918 and a town was founded. The two isthmuses have shifted eastwards since the 1800s. They have only been preserved by [[groyne]]s, persistent [[sandpumping]] and two [[road dam]]s along their inward (eastern) side.

===Løgstør Banks and the Frederik VII Canal===
At Løgstør, where the wide, western part of the Limfjord meets the narrow eastern section, the infamous sand banks of Løgstør Grunde were an obstacle to ships. Larger ships needed to be unloaded and reloaded when passing the banks. The [[Frederik VII Canal]] at [[Løgstør]] was completed in 1861 to allow for easier passage. Traffic had increased after the western opening at Thyborøn became navigable. The sand banks were finally dredged out in 1901, rendering the canal obsolete. The canal is now a well-preserved heritage site.

===Plans for re-closing the western inlet===
A 1946 act provided for re-closing the Channel with dams and sluices at Thyborøn, but this was never carried out. This idea re-emerged in 2005 and is now{{when|date=January 2020}} officially being investigated. It is thought that the isthmuses would be easier to preserve, and that the water level of the Limfjord would be more controllable. In periods of persistent western winds, flooding occurs on low-lying land and harbour areas in the towns of the western Limfjord, since the water cannot escape through the narrow, eastern part of the Limfjord.<ref>Torben Larsen: [http://www.hum.aau.dk/video/2010/bygg/torbenlarsen/ Flood in the Limfjord] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120802142836/http://www.hum.aau.dk/video/2010/bygg/torbenlarsen/ |date=2012-08-02 }}, lecture and PowerPoint, [[Aalborg University]], 7 April 2010</ref>

Historically, a North Sea to Limfjord [[canal]] has also been proposed between [[Hanstholm]] harbour and [[Vejlerne]] (or [[Klitmøller]] and [[Thisted]]), e.g. by [[Jørgen Fibiger]] in 1933,<ref>[http://www.thistedmuseum.dk/paludan/Txt/Ingeni%C3%B8ren%20bag%20Hanstholm%20Havn%20J%C3%B8rgen%20Fibiger.htm ''En Kanal fra Limfjorden til Jammerbugten''] (A Canal from the Limfjord to the Jammerbugt), [[Aalborg Stiftstidende]], 2 Jan. 1933 (in Danish) {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109015742/http://www.thistedmuseum.dk/paludan/Txt/Ingeni%C3%B8ren%20bag%20Hanstholm%20Havn%20J%C3%B8rgen%20Fibiger.htm |date=2016-01-09 }}</ref> the engineer behind the project of Hanstholm harbour.

==In literature==
===Limgrim legend===
According to myth, a woman (in some versions a ''[[jötunn]]'') gave birth to a pig, [[Limgrim]], which soon grew so big that its bristles could be seen over the treetops. It strolled around and dug channels in the ground. One day it reached the sea and water broke in. This would have been at the eastern inlet of the Limfjord, at [[Hals, Denmark|Hals]]. The legend is also handed down in a medieval ballad with a Christian tint. In the ballad, the pig is summoned to a [[Thing (assembly)|Thing]] by peasants to pay for the damage to their crops, and it is sentenced to the [[breaking wheel]].<ref>August F. Schmidt: [http://www.thistedmuseum.dk/Historisk%20%C3%85rbog/%C3%85rgang%201929/Schmidt,%20August%20F.%20%20%20Lidt%20om%20Limfjorden.pdf Lidt om Limfjorden : Limgrises Vise; Smaaøer og Holme] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308171831/http://www.thistedmuseum.dk/Historisk%20%C3%85rbog/%C3%85rgang%201929/Schmidt%2C%20August%20F.%20%20%20Lidt%20om%20Limfjorden.pdf |date=2012-03-08 }} (''A little about the Limfjord : Limgrise's ballad, small islets and holms''), Historisk Årbog for Thisted amt 1929 (in Danish)</ref>

The state environmental surveillance vessel ''Limgrim'', based at Skive, is named after the legend.

===Limfjord poets===
A number of writers of the [[Modern Breakthrough]] period (1870-1890) and the next decades came from the area around the Limfjord and often used it as a lyrical motif, or a setting for their prose. These include [[Jens Peter Jacobsen]] of Thisted, [[Johan Skjoldborg]] of [[Hannæs]], [[Jakob Knudsen]] of [[Aggersborg]], [[Jeppe Aakjær]] and [[Marie Bregendahl]] of [[Fjends]], [[Nobel Prize]] laureate [[Johannes Vilhelm Jensen]] of [[Farsø]] and his sister [[Thit Jensen]]. [[Thøger Larsen]] of [[Lemvig]] belonged to the symbolism of the 1920s. [[Johannes Buchholtz]] in [[Struer, Denmark|Struer]] was a prose writer and his home was a meeting point for many of the Limfjord writers. The house is still kept up by the Struer Museum, which allows visitors. Jeppe Aakjær's farm Jenle close to [[Skive, Denmark|Skive]], Johan Skjoldborg's house in [[Øsløs]], and the Johannes V. Jensen Museum in Farsø are also open to the public. [[Erik Bertelsen]] of [[Harboør]] is best known for the song ''Blæsten går frisk over Limfjordens vande'' ('The Wind Goes Fresh over the Limfjord's Waters'), a much-used "local anthem".

The later ones of these Limfjord writers, along with a few others, formed the [[Jutland Movement]], which revolted against the symbolism of the early 20th century. Instead, they wrote social realistic prose, often about poor and exploited people in the countryside, who were a part of Danish society little known to the establishment in Copenhagen.<ref>[http://www.jeppeaakjaer.dk/den_jyske_bevaegelse.htm The Jutland movement] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926181143/http://www.jeppeaakjaer.dk/den_jyske_bevaegelse.htm |date=2013-09-26 }}, jeppeaakjaer.dk (in Danish)</ref>

==Biology and climate==
The western breakthrough of 1825 changed the waters of the Limfjord from [[brackish]] to [[seawater|salty]], with a considerable current from west to east. [[Hypoxia (environmental)|Hypoxia]] sometimes occurs due to warm windless periods in summer or ice in winter.

The fjord today has oceanic salinity, approximately 30 [[Practical salinity unit|PSU]] (or per mille by weight) at all depths. Many animals and maritime plants that can be found in [[Skagerrak]], [[Kattegat]] and the [[North Sea]] can thus be found in the fjord.

Due to its shallow waters, the temperature rises rather quickly during warm and sunny days from mid-April to early September. While in winter, ice can form faster during the cold periods, especially in bays with little current. Problematic ice conditions do not occur every winter.

The Limfjord is notable for its tasty [[blue mussel|mussels]] (''Mytilus edulis'').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nioo.knaw.nl/projects/MaBenE/page/workplan/ |title=Page:workplan - the MaBenE research project |website=www.nioo.knaw.nl |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050512032850/http://www.nioo.knaw.nl/projects/MaBenE/page/workplan/ |archive-date=12 May 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Gourmets appreciate its [[oysters]], which are considered to be of extraordinary size and quality. Had it not been for 
the western breakthrough in 1825, these mussels wouldn't grow as well as they do in the waters with ocean-like salinity.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040805221252/http://www.limfjord.dk/index.htm Limfjord information] 
*[http://www.limfjordsmuseet.dk The Limfjord Museum]

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[[Category:Limfjord| ]]
[[Category:Straits of Denmark]]