The Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden belongs to the North Rügen Bodden and is a water body on the southern edge of the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

in the German state of

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; ), also known by its Anglicisation, anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a Federated state, state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's States of Germany, sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpom ...

Description

It is a '' bodden'', a type of lagoon that occurs in northern Europe especially on the coast of

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

. It is around seven kilometres long and five kilometres across at its widest point, but in places it is considerably narrower. It has an area of 28.4 square kilometres.Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden
at ruegen-mv.de. Retrieved 30 Sep 21.

Geography

The lagoon is bounded to the north by the Jasmund peninsula, to the east by the spit of the Schmale Heide and to the south by the main body of the island of Rügen, the Muttland. To the northwest near Lietzow it is linked to the Großer Jasmunder Bodden by a ditch and sluice gate. The two ''bodden'' were first separated in 1869 by the construction of an embankment that now carries the B 96 federal road and the Stralsund–Sassnitz railway. This embankment turned the ''bodden'' more or less into a

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

. The shore of the ''bodden'' is quite indented: for example, the Pulitz peninsula juts out well into the ''bodden''. This is designated as a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

Environment

The water of the Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden contains very little salt because it has no direct link to the Baltic Sea. The canal to the Großer Jasmunder Bodden, which only has a salt content of 0.6 to 0.7 per cent itself, is too small to deliver salt continuously. The ''bodden'' is rich in fish. Its water quality is poor, however, due to discharges from the sewage works at

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

and

eutrophication Eutrophication is a general term describing a process in which nutrients accumulate in a body of water, resulting in an increased growth of organisms that may deplete the oxygen in the water; ie. the process of too many plants growing on the s ...

is well advanced. However, an improvement in water quality is still being sought. The moor area of the Ossen lowland near Buschvitz was renatured and an open connection created between the Ossen and the Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden. The dam to the Great Jasmunder Bodden and the dam between Stedar and the Pulitz peninsula are also to be opened. By the Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden is a 9.8 kilometre long circular walk that starts at Lietzow. The trail is classed as moderate and is used by hikers, runners and ornithologists.At the Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden
at alltrails.com. Retrieved 30 Sep 2021.

Important Bird Area

The bodden has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

because it supports large numbers of wintering

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...

as well as breeding sandwich terns and white-tailed sea-eagles.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Vorpommern-Rügen Geography of Rügen North Rügen Bodden Important Bird Areas of Germany Important Bird Areas of Baltic islands