Husum: The Sea Dyke and Port Entrance

High tide at Husum, on the North Sea. The rain has ceased, a strong wind sweeps over the dyke, and holding a camera steady is an impossibility. The shutter speed of 1/800th was needed!

Port entrance can be seen at the end of the channel, the various tall buildings and structures are adjacent to the Outer Port. The town of Husum is just discernable at the very left of the photo.

These sheep are not any old sheep. They keep the grass low, rendering it difficult for an angry sea to attack the dyke by clawing out tufts of grass. They manure the grass, keeping it in good condition. And their feet compact the soil, obstructing mice and moles from burrowing into the soil and weakening the dyke's structure. Several thousand of them are at work on the North Sea dykes.

The grassed land to the left of the road is koog, or polder.