Protect our blue backyard (seas surrounding England)

the North Sea

England has a few main bodies of water to determine the boundaries, which range from shallow busy shipping lanes to the deep open ocean.

The North Sea (the coldest sea on earth!)

The North Sea is on the east coast (Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Northumberland). It’s the coldest sea on earth and also borders Scotland:

Scotland, it’s a beautiful place. The water is almost turquoise. It looks like the Caribbean. You soon realise it’s not the Caribbean, when the water touches your scrotum, and you go for the high jump record. Billy Connolly

The North Sea also houses several islands on the Scottish coast and Danish Coast (Sylt is also known as ‘The Hamptons of Germany’, made popular in the 60s by playboy Gunter Sachs and his then-wife Brigitte Bardot).

A Line in the World is a book by a woman from ‘Denmark’s answer to Manchester’ who lives on the North Sea coast.

This relatively shallow sea is packed with fish, which is why there are so many fishing ports on the east coast. It serves as a shipping route to Northern Europe (cargo ships visit Sweden from Newcastle though passenger ships no longer run due to environmental concerns). Other ships travel to Belgium and the Netherlands.

The sea also has quite a lot of oil and gas reserves left, which is why this is a political hot potato. Reform UK and the Conservatives both want the sea opened up for more oil and gas drilling. But environmental campaigners say not only will this harm birds, fish and wildlife, but the reserves would only last 20 years.

And in addition, whoever drilled for them would sell to the highest bidder. So it would not ‘bring down energy prices’ for the UK, it’s far better to spend money and effort creating walkable communities and investing in wildlife-friendly green energy for long-term security.

Fossil fuels are the reason energy costs have soared. To burn more will lock in a future of worsening floods, deadly heatwaves and wildfires. The path to genuine energy security, lower bills, warmer homes and hundreds of thousands of quality jobs is clean energy and heating, and modern low-carbon industries. UK Green Building Council

English Channel (world’s busiest shipping route)

This sea is more in the news for being the subject of the boat migrant crisis (there are solutions to be a compassionate patriot – strong borders while helping vulnerable people from abroad).

Situated on the south coast of England, this is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, separating England from France. At the narrowest point of the Strait of Dover, it’s only 20 miles wide (which is why on a clear day, you can even see France, if you’re paddling on a Kent or Sussex beach.

The Atlantic Coast (southwest Cornwall)

This is the beginning of a vast open ocean that looks over to the USA. This sea greatly influences our climate, bringing mild and wet region to England.

The Celtic Sea is a small ‘sea within a sea’, part of the Atlantic Ocean around Cornwall that looks over to Wales and Ireland. It is rich in marine wildlife, including dolphins and seals.

The Irish Sea (the northwest of England)

The Irish Sea is found on the small stretches of coast in Cheshire and Cumbria, and forms the border between England and Ireland. Known for its strong tidal currents (you’ll know if you’ve ever taken the bumpy ferry from Holyhead in North Wales to Ireland), it has a rich history of trade links.

This sea teems with life (seals, sea turtles, whales and basking sharks), all of whom have been affected by oil pollution and nuclear contamination (due to Sellafield power station that is now being decommissioned).

The Isle of Sea also contains many islands, the two best-known are the Isle of Man and Anglesey in North Wales.

The Solent (seagrass meadows and chalk reefs)

The Solent is a 7000-year old stretch of water, formed when sea levels rose during the last Ice Age. This flooded the River Frome estuary, causing the Isle of Wight to separate from the mainland. This narrow stretch of sea is  an important haven for seagrass meadows (home to endangered sea turtles and sea horses) and rare chalk reefs (like our version of coral reefs that help wildlife to feed, breed and hide). The best way to help is to avoid anchors (using modern alternatives instead).

This is home to Hayling Island (birthplace of windsurfing). But please never use jet skis, they cause pollution, injuries and can separate baby creatures from parents.

The Solent is also home to two cities: Portsmouth (where commercial hovercraft glide over to the Isle of Wight) and Southampton (one of the world’s busiest cruise ports).

Further afield (the world’s major oceans)

Now you know about the seas surrounding England, you may as well learn about the world’s major oceans too, so you can really get your bearings! Together they make up around 70% of our planet (good reason to never release balloons or fire lanterns, as most end up in the sea, harming marine creatures).

  • The Pacific Ocean is the world’s deepest ocean, covering a third of the earth’s surface. It has over 25,000 islands and is home to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and thousands of volcanoes.
  • The Atlantic Ocean straddles the Equator, linking both Americas, Europe and Africa. It has icy Baltic sea to warm Caribbean waters. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge helped form volcanic islands including Iceland and Azores. It faces major struggles, due to climate change and pollution.
  • The Indian Ocean connects Africa with Asia and Australia. The warmer waters are home to unique wildlife, colourful coral reefs and dense mangrove forests. Due to major cities operating in the ocean, again it’s at risk from pollution, and rising sea levels.
  • The Southern Ocean is an icy sea across the bottom of the globe, surrounding Antarctica. With harsh winds and towering waves, often only explorers sailed the stormy seas. Today tourists flock to see penguins, seabirds and blue whales, but this brings pollution.
  • The Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean, on the northern most tip of the world, with temperatures rarely above freezing, packed with thick ice and icebergs. This ocean is home to polar bears, who need the thick ice to survive, so they can hunt for seals, without becoming exhausted from swimming.

Seas, Gulfs and Bays covers other big bodies of water including warm tropical seas, cold and icy seas (like the North Sea) and salty inland seas. Other seas include:

  • The Mediterranean
  • Gulf of Mexico
  • South China Sea
  • The Bering Sea
  • Hudson Bay
  • The Caribbean
  • The Red Sea
  • Weddell Sea

Coasts (extraordinary facts about our oceans)

Coasts is a book of amazing facts about the oceans, including rising sea levels, tides, puffins, sea caves and sea otters. Our coasts are home to a huge variety of wildlife from whales and dolphins to rare orchids and undersea forests.

Impressive natural structures include dunes, saltmarshes along with manmade features – piers, lighthouses and holiday camps! Some of the questions answered in this book include:

  • Where were human footprints found (from 850,000 years ago?)
  • Where do minke whales return to the coast, each year?
  • Where is the coast’s largest gannet colony?
  • Where can you see the remains of a famous shipwreck, at low tide?
  • Do you know sand dunes can sing? Where can you hear them?
  • Where can you find a mermaid carved in a church? And why?

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