32 Die Küste, 74 ICCE (2008), 31-44 
Fig. 1: Seabed Morphology of the North Sea and South-western Baltic Sea. 
(Data source for water depths: dhi Water Environment Health) 
well as the North Frisian Islands separate the tidal flats from the deeper offshore waters, 
while in front of the low macro-tidal estuaries of the Elbe and Weser Rivers barrier islands 
are not developed. 
2.1 Offshore Waters 
The seabed morphology of the eastern German Bight is characterized by a relatively 
smooth slope and an uneven sea floor. The most prominent morphological features are the 
shoal Amrum Bank and the island of Helgoland together with the adjacent Steingrunde, a 
submarine lag deposit area. Relict deposits of the Saalian terminal moraines are present to 
wards the NNW oriented slope of the former Elbe glacial spillway, which forms the western 
boundary of the eastern German Bight. Strips of coarse sand, submarine dunes, sand ribbons 
and biogenic patches are described as typical bed-form features for this area (Roster, 1974; 
Tabat, 1979; Werner, 2004). Other recent morphological elements are the longitudinal sand 
bars in the nearshore zone of Sylt Island, which are in equilibrium with the present hydro- 
dynamic regime (Figge, 1976). 
Along the southern coastline of the German Bight, the seabed has a relatively steep slope. 
In the shallow parts, seawards of the East Frisian barrier islands, long-shore sand bars occur 
down to water depth of approx. 6 m below MSL (Mean Sea Level). Further offshore, shore- 
face connected sand ridges are present (Reineck and Singh, 1973; Swift et al., 1978). These