THE BALTIC SEA-CLIL degrees Celsius in winter.
Some of the sea even freezes in winter-
The Baltic Sea is an inland shelf sea, joined with The North Sea by
the system of straits (cieśniny) like Sund or Great Belt,Small Belt,
Skagerrak or Kattegat. The sea’s surface is 415 thousand square
kilometers which means it’s actually bigger than the surface of
Poland. There are about 250 rivers falling into the Baltic sea and
they bring lots and lots of sweet water into it. The biggest rivers are
the Vistula River (Wisła), the Neman River (Niemen), the Daugava
River(Dźwina) and the Newa River (Newa).The Baltic Sea is a
shallow shelf sea with the average depth of 52 metres.
Its coastline is diversified (zróżnicowana). There are islands, for
example Zealand (which is the biggest one), Wolin which belongs to
Poland and Usedom (Uznam) ,a part which belongs to Poland. It
also has peninsulas (półwyspy)-Hel Peninsula or Vistula Spit and
gulfs (zatoki) for example the Gulf of Finland, the Gulf of Bothnia
(Zatoka Botnicka),the Gulf of Riga or the Bay of Gdansk.
In the south the coastline is usually flat and sandy with some cliffs.
In the north it’s rocky, especially in Sweden and Finland where the
coast is skerry (szerowe/szkierowe).
Peninsulas, called landforms or spits come from sand and rocks
brought by the sea- the result of the creative activity of it.
On the other hand, many cliffs and skerries are made by the
abrasion- a destructive activity of the sea which crushes and
fagmentates the shore.
The temperature of the sea is quite cold. It reaches from 18 up to
22 degrees of Celsius in summer (22 in the gulfs) and from 0 to 2
it’s the Gulf of Bothnia (Zatoka Botnicka).
The Baltic Sea is not very salty. Actually, its salinity (7.5) is lower
than the salinity of the average ocean sea (35 ). The reasons for it
are:
 Due to the limited connection (narrow straits) with the
Atlantic ocean through the North Sea not enough salt water
enters the Baltic
 More than 250 rivers bring sweet water to the sea
 Because the sea is cold, it doesn’t evaporate much
Although beautiful and fantastic, the Baltic Sea is polluted,and it is
being polluted all the time. The rivers bring toxic waste (substancje
toksyczne), nitrogen (azot) and phosphorus (forsfor) mainly from
the farms. But not only the land is dangerous- there are oil spills
(wycieki ropy) from the ships caring oil or oil platforms.
Also, the sewage from the cities and the factories pollute the sea.
The greatest danger,however, is eutrophication-the growth of little
organisms called phytoplankton (zielenice) which lowers the
transparency of the water and the oxygen (tlen) level and that leads
to the death of many animals living in the sea.
Despite the pollution, The Baltic Sea is beautiful and it attracts
many tourists, because it has a lot to offer:
-the cliffs – up to 90 meters of height
-the lighthouses- there are 15
-amber-believed to have medicinal values. We can find small
animals or insects sunk in it.
WORKSHEET
Ex.1. Circle the correct answers.
The Baltic Sea is a deep/shallow ,
inland shelf/intercontinental shelf sea with the depth of 252/52
metres on average. It’s bigger/smaller than Poland and it’s a sea
with high/low temperature and the salinity of 7,5/17.
The diversified coastline in the south is rocky/flat and sandy and in
the north flat/skerry.
The peninsulas or spits are the result of the creative/destructive
force of the sea.
The abrasion is the result of the creative/destructive force of the
sea.
Ex.2. Answer the questions.
1. How big is the surface of the Baltic?-…………………………………
2. How many rivers fall into it?-……………………………………..
3. Which are the biggest rivers which fall into the Baltic sea?-
………………………………………………………………………………………….
4. Which is the biggest island? -……………………………………………..
5. What is the average temperature of the sea in summer?
……………………………
6. Which part of the sea freezes in winter?-……………………………..
7. What is the average salinity of the ocean?-………………………….
8. How many lighthouses are there on the coast?-
……………………
9. What is the Baltic Gold?-…………………………………………………….
10. What can you find sunk in the amber?-………………………………
Ex.3.Circle four correct answers about SALINITY (zasolenie)
1. The salinity of the Baltic sea is 7,5 %
2. The salinity of the Baltic sea is 35 %
3. The low salinity is caused by the low water exchange
between the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea due to
narrow straits
4. Not enough sweet water is delivered by the rivers
5. Low downpour (opady) and high evaporation caused by high
temperatures
6. Low evaporation caused by the low water temperature
7. Lots of sweet water delivered by the rivers
Ex.4.True or False?
1. Most of the nitrogen and phosphorus come from the farms.-
2. Eutrophication is the result of the growth of fungus.-
3. The pollution of the Baltic is caused by the sewage.-
4. Oil spills and oil platforms are no danger to the sea.-
5. There are 25 lighthouses around the Baltic Sea.-
Ex.5. NOW-find online!!! What animals live in the Baltic Sea? Give
at least four examples!!!
1……………………………………………..
2……………………………………………..
3……………………………………………..
4……………………………………………...
5………………………………………………