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Tertius (also known as ''Tertiussand'') is a sandbank located in the

Heligoland Bight The Heligoland Bight, also known as Helgoland Bight, (, ) is a bay which forms the southern part of the German Bight, itself a bay of the North Sea, located at the mouth of the Elbe river. The Heligoland Bight extends from the mouth of the Elb ...

off the coast of

Dithmarschen Dithmarschen (, ; archaic English: ''Ditmarsh''; ; ) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Flensburg, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, and Steinburg, by the ...

belonging to the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

state of

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

. Formerly a ''Hochsand'' (a sandbank rising above the

ordinary high water mark A high water mark is a point that represents the maximum rise of a body of water over land. Such a mark is often the result of a flood, but high water marks may reflect an all-time high, an annual high (highest level to which water rose tha ...

, effectively an island), Tertius has been reduced in elevation by

coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of Wind wave, waves, Ocean current, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts ...

in recent decades. As a result, the sandbank is frequently submerged and devoid of terrestrial vegetation. Recent satellite images show that Tertius is often even awash at low tide. Like all unprotected islands, ''Hochsände'', and sandbanks off the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Tertius is migrating steadily eastwards. Tertius seehundbank vor buesum 22

Tertius lies about 10 km west of the popular tourist destination of

Büsum Büsum () is a fishing and tourist town in the district of Dithmarschen, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the North Sea coast, approx. 18 km southwest of Heide. Büsum is also the administrative seat of the ''Amt'' ("collec ...

in the Meldorf Bay, bordering the

tidal channel A tidal creek or tidal channel is a narrow inlet or estuary that is affected by the ebb and flow of ocean tides. Thus, it has variable salinity and electrical conductivity over the tidal cycle, and flushes salts from inland soils. Tidal creeks a ...

'' Piep'', which serves as the access waterway to the port of Büsum. To the south lies the island of Trischen, and to the northeast lies the ''Hochsand'' of Blauort. According to the Schleswig-Holstein National Park Office in

Tönning Tönning ( German; Low German ''Tünn'', ''Tönn'' or ''Tönnen''; Danish: ''Tønning''; North Frisian: ''Taning'') is a town in the district of Nordfriesland in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. History Tönning was destroyed in the ...

, Tertius, like Blauort, belongs to the parish of

Hedwigenkoog Hedwigenkoog is a municipality belonging to the ''Amt'' ("collective municipality") Büsum-Wesselburen in the district Dithmarschen in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Hedwigenkoog is situated on the North Sea coast north of Büsum and Westerdeic ...

in the district of

. However, the state government of Schleswig-Holstein has not yet officially confirmed and authorised this, so the sandbank technically remains an unorganised location. Tertius, when not submerged, provides a resting ground for seabirds and seals. Sightseeing tours are sometimes organised from Büsum to observe these animals. Though the sandbank is not part of the highly protected Zone 1 of the

Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park The Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park () is a national park in the Schleswig-Holstein area of the German Wadden Sea. It was founded by the Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein on 1 October 1985 by the National Park Act of 22 July 1985 and ...

, public access to Tertius is subject to restrictions. The only man-made structure on the island is a

daymark A daymark is a navigational aid for sailors and maritime pilot, pilots, distinctively marked to maximize its visibility in daylight. The word is also used in a more specific, technical sense to refer to a signboard or daytime identifier that ...

, which serves as an optical

navigational aid A navigational aid (NAVAID), also known as aid to navigation (ATON), is any sort of signal, markers or guidance equipment which aids the traveler in navigation, usually nautical or aviation travel. Common types of such aids include lighthouses, ...

for ships.

References

Frisian Islands Dithmarschen Wadden Sea Sandbanks of the North Sea Landforms of Germany {{SchleswigHolstein-geo-stub