Maelstrom

Left: An old map, pointing the place where the terrible Maelstrom was located. Olaus Magnus "Carta Marina"

"This," said I at length, to the old man --"this can be nothing else than the great whirlpool of the Maelstrom."

                                                                    Edgar Allan Poe: A Descent Into the Maelstrom

Mentioned in many literature sources, specially those involving sea environments, Maelstrom is a whirlpool formed in many several places around the world, and whose characteristic nature has been origin of the most diverse legends and explanations. Indeed, although a powerful natural phenomenon, its real nature has been exagerated by the folklore, many times being described as a gigantic whirlpool that takes the poor ships that have had the bad luck of being caught by its evil currents righ into the bottom of the sea. The true is that a Maelstrom is, and has been, able to sink a little ship and put in huge troubles the bigger ones when its currents and activity are at its top.

A draw showing the legendary and folkloric vision of the Maelstrom "The Maelstrom" by Harry Clark

The most well known Maelstroms are located in the Norwegian coastshore and one of them, the "Moskstraumen" became famous thanks to the pen of Edgar A. Poe and his famous "A Descent into the Maelstrom" from1841. Some years later Jules Verne mention this Maelstrom on his novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, when the Nautilus submarine is destroyed in the terrible crushing currents of the Moskstraumen. Well, even Melville mention it briefly in one episode of the Moby Dick. Now, a little introduction on these Norwegian whirlpools.

Moskstraumen

This system of whirlpools and currents lies between Moskenes and the island of Mosken, hence its name, south west from the Lofoten arhipelago. Though its strenght has been exagerated in literature, it is still a very powerful and dangerous water surface, one of the most powerful phenomenons of its nature in the world and it is formed by the encounter of waters flowing from the North Atlantic and the North Sea. Because it is also covered most of the time by a deep fog, and due of its somewhat mystical landscape of stormy sky, islands far into the horizon covered by fog, and the not that friendly weather, the Moskstraumen is one of the most wonderful landscapes that a person can ever see. Thus it is easy to imagine the feeling of an ancient sailor that happened to sail cross this remote place and its fierce waters, the soil for the fertile imagination was set. Even in these modern times when it seems like every single place on earth has been visited and explored, the sight of the Moskstraumen still raises the most basics instincts and feelings within the human mind, for those who stare in person to such an extraordinary sight.

The Moskstraumen, with the Islands of Mosken and Værøy in the background

Saltstraumen

The most powerful Maelstrom in the world, the Saltstraumen is created when the water from the sea try to get into the Skjerstad Fjord (of 500m deep) across a narrow strait of 3 km long and only 150m wide and 30 meter deep. Since a difference in height of about 1 meter also exists between the sea and the fjord, the result is a massive river-like current plenty of whirlpools that can transport up to 372 millions m3 of water in a 6 hours time frame and reaching up to 40 km/h of speed. If it is not highly peculiar enough, it could be also mentioned that the stream can flow both ways, changing its direction more or less every 6-8 hours. The several whirlpools formed can be huge, many of them can be as much as 15 meters in diameter. It is known that current reach its top during new and full moon periods, and if this occur during a sea storm, the result can be a gigantic and overwhelming stream whose roar can be heard from several kilometers away.

But not everything is fury. Between the periods when the stream is about to change its direction, the Saltstraumen can be as calm and peaceful as a placid river and can be also sailed by larger ships, who use it as a strait in order to avoid the even more dangerous open sea waters. Local news papers even has an special daily section where the today condition expected for Saltstraumen is informed. Also, the Saltstraumen has been a source of wealth and resources for the human settlements that have inhabited along its waters since thousand years ago. Traces of human activity dates back to 10000 years ago. The pure and highly oxigenated waters of the Maelstrom are the ecosystem for a huge amount of fish and other marine species. Animals like moose, otters, foxes and thousands of birds dwell in the area and of course, the waters of the Saltstraumen are one of the best places for fishing in the whole world. A place worth of superlatives, these Maelstroms are.

 

The Saltstraumen during a calm period. Photography by Magnus Porsbjer - wikicommons

All pics courtesy of Wikicommons