{{Short description|Tidal whirlpool system at the Lofoten archipelago in Norway}} {{Infobox body of water |name = Moskstraumen |native_name = |other_name = |image = Moskstraumen.jpg |alt = |caption = |location = Nordland county, Norway | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 9 | mapframe-caption = Interactive map of the maelstrom location |basin_countries = Norway |coords = {{coord|67|48|N|12|50|E|region:NO_type:waterbody |display=inline, title}} |type = Maelstrom |inflow = |outflow = |catchment = |length = |width = |area = |depth = |max-depth = |volume = |shore = |frozen = |islands = |cities = |reference = }}
'''Moskstraumen'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Informasjon om stadnamn |url=https://stadnamn.kartverket.no/fakta/563083 |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Norgeskart |publisher=Kartverket |language=no}}</ref> or '''Moskenstraumen''',<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Armstrong |first1=Christian |last2=Howe |first2=John A. |last3=Dale |first3=Andrew |last4=Allen |first4=Christopher |title=Bathymetric observations of an extreme tidal flow: Approaches to the Gulf of Corryvreckan, western Scotland, UK |journal=Continental Shelf Research |date=15 March 2021 |volume=217 |article-number=104347 |doi=10.1016/j.csr.2021.104347 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278434321000042 |access-date=18 May 2026 |issn=0278-4343|url-access=subscription }}</ref> also known as the '''Lofoten maelstrom''',<ref name="j1" /> is a system of tidal eddies and whirlpools, one of the strongest in the world,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9jEI7eZ03zkC&q=Moskenstraumen+t |title=Guinness World Records 2006 |isbn=1-904994-02-4 |editor-last=Glenday |editor-first=Craig |page=76}}</ref> that forms at the Lofoten archipelago in Nordland county, Norway between the Norwegian Sea and the Vestfjorden. It is located between the Lofoten Point ({{langx|no|Lofotodden}}) on the island of Moskenesøya (in Moskenes Municipality) and the island of Mosken (in Værøy Municipality).<ref name="brit">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Maelstrom |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/356256/Maelstrom}}</ref><ref name="r1">{{Cite web |title=The Lofoten Maelstrom |url=http://www.math.uio.no/maelstrom/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508025220/http://www.math.uio.no/maelstrom/ |archive-date=2006-05-08 |publisher=University of Oslo |quote=includes animation of the tidal current}}</ref> Moskstraumen is unusual in that it occurs in the open sea, whereas most other tidal flows are observed in confined straits or rivers. It originates from a combination of several factors, the dominant being the strong semi-diurnal tides and peculiar shape of the seabed, with a shallow ridge between the Moskenesøya and Værøya islands which amplifies and whirls the tidal currents.
Moskstraumen has been featured in many historical accounts, generally exaggerated. It is also popularly known as maelstrom{{snd}}a Nordic word (malstrøm/malström) for a strong whirlpool which originates from the Dutch combination of ''malen'' (to grind) and ''stroom'' (stream). This term was introduced into the English language by Edgar Allan Poe in 1841, through his short story "A Descent into the Maelström". Poe provides an alternative name for the whirlpool with the line: "We Norwegians call it the Moskoestrom, from the island of Moskoe in the midway."<ref name="PoeDescent">{{Cite web |last=Poe |first=Edgar Allan |year=1841 |title=A Descent into the Maelström |url=http://pinkmonkey.com/dl/library1/desce_.pdf |access-date=2010-11-17 |publisher=Graham's Magazine |format=PDF}}</ref>
==Description and mechanism== [[File:Moskstraumen current.png|thumb|upright=2|Moskenstraumen maelstrom from a NASA satellite image near Lofoten. Grey and blue-grey colors indicate rough seas.]] Moskstraumen is located between the Lofoten Point of the island of Moskenesøya (in Moskenes Municipality) and the small island of Mosken in Værøy Municipality. It involves strong tidal currents flowing through the shallows between these islands and the Atlantic Ocean and the deep Vestfjorden, creating large, weak eddies and small whirlpools.<ref name="j1" /> In 1986, the Norwegian Hydrographic Service published a pilot book saying that currents could reach strengths of 5 metres per second,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Moe |first1=H. |last2=Ommundsen |first2=A. |last3=Gjevik |first3=B. |title=A high resolution tidal model for the area around The Lofoten Islands, northern Norway |journal=Continental Shelf Research |date=1 February 2002 |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=485–504 |doi=10.1016/S0278-4343(01)00078-4 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278434301000784 |access-date=18 May 2026 |issn=0278-4343}}</ref> although a 1997 study found a maximum strength of 3 m/s<ref name="j1" /> and ship-based measurements in 1999 measured currents of 1.7 m/s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Saetra |first1=Øyvind |last2=Halsne |first2=Trygve |last3=Carrasco |first3=Ana |last4=Breivik |first4=Øyvind |last5=Pedersen |first5=Torstein |last6=Christensen |first6=Kai Håkon |title=Intense interactions between ocean waves and currents observed in the Lofoten Maelstrom |journal=Journal of Physical Oceanography |date=21 September 2021 |doi=10.1175/JPO-D-20-0290.1 |url=https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/phoc/51/11/JPO-D-20-0290.1.xml |access-date=18 May 2026}}</ref>
[[File:Moskenes komm.svg|right|thumb|Coat of arms since 1986 for Moskenes Municipality, a stylized view of Moskstraumen.]] The currents are about {{convert|8|km|spell=in}} wide<ref name="brit" /> and suck in various small microorganisms, thereby attracting fish and fishing boats, which could be in danger even in modern times.<ref name="Koppel">{{Cite book |last=Kopel |first=Tom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=acqyEz8TViMC&pg=PA78 |title=Ebb and Flow: Tides and Life on Our Once and Future Planet |publisher=Dundurn Press |year=2007 |isbn=1-55002-726-3 |pages=78–79}}</ref> The flow currents are strongest around July–August. They can be clearly seen from a plane or the nearby {{convert|601|m|adj=on}} tall Lofotodden Hill on Moskenesøya.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Jules |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aB_3QXyOTkQC&pg=RA1-PA374 |title=The Rough Guide to Scandinavia |publisher=Rough Guides |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-84353-053-4 |page=374}}</ref> There are regular tourist boat trips between Moskenesøya and Værøya.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maelstrom and coastal caves |url=http://www.datadesign.ws/attract.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100906121007/http://www.datadesign.ws/attract.htm |archive-date=2010-09-06}}</ref>
Moskstraumen is created as a result of a combination of several factors, including tides, strong local winds, position of the Lofoten and the underwater topography; unlike most other major maelstroms, such as Saltstraumen, Gulf of Corryvreckan, Naruto whirlpools, Old Sow whirlpool, and Skookumchuck Narrows, it is located in the open sea rather than in a strait or channel. Tides have an amplitude of about {{convert|4|metres|spell=in}}<ref name="r2" /> and are semi-diurnal at Lofoten, meaning that they rise twice a day; they are the major contribution to Moskstraumen. Tides are combined with the northerly Norwegian Sea currents and with storm-induced flow to result in a significant stream, with a reported speed varying between the sources from about {{convert|11|to|20|km/h}} and above.<ref name="brit" /><ref name="j1">{{Cite journal |last=Gjevik |first=B. |last2=Moe |first2=H |last3=Ommundsen |first3=A |year=1997 |title=Sources of the Maelstrom |url=http://folk.uio.no/bjorng/moskstraumen/bilder/nature.pdf |journal=Nature |volume=388 |issue=6645 |pages=837–838 |doi=10.1038/42159 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Strong topographic enhancement of tidal currents: tales of the Maelstrom |url=http://www.math.uio.no/~bjorng/moskstraumen/bilder/article.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040414111611/http://www.math.uio.no/~bjorng/moskstraumen/bilder/article.pdf |archive-date=2004-04-14 |format=PDF}}</ref> This flow occurs at the significant depths of about {{convert|500|m}}. It then meets a ridge of only about {{convert|20|m|sp=us}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Garrison |first=Tom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=srUHU4SrCT4C&pg=PA227 |title=Essentials of Oceanography |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2008 |isbn=0-495-55531-2 |page=227}}</ref> deep (other sources say {{convert|40–60|m}})<ref name="r2">{{Cite web |title=History of Flakstad & Moskenes, Lofoten Islands |url=http://www.lofoten-info.no/history.htm#13 |website=Lofoten-Info.no}}</ref>) at the chain of Moskenesøya, Mosken, and Værøy islands that causes an upward movement and eddies around the island edges.<ref name="Koppel" />
==In literature== [[File:Maelstrom, Carta Marina.png|right|thumb|The maelstrom off Norway, as illustrated by Olaus Magnus on the ''Carta Marina'', 1539.]] [[File:Maelstrom-Clarke.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Illustration for Edgar Allan Poe's 1841 story "Descent into the Maelström", by Harry Clarke, 1919.]] Moskstraumen was described in the 13th century in the Old Norse poems "Edda" and remained an attractive subject for painters and writers, including Edgar Allan Poe, Walter Moers, and Jules Verne.<ref name=r1/> The Swedish bishop Olaus Magnus included Moskstraumen into his detailed report on the Nordic countries and their map, Carta Marina (1539). He attributed the whirlpool to divine forces and mentioned that it was much stronger than the previously known Sicilian whirlpool Charybdis. Most other writers of the time believed that Moskstraumen played an important role in the ocean circulation, but, given a large number of tales and lack of scientific observations, grossly overestimated the size and power of the phenomenon.<ref name="j1" /> The Moskstraum, referred to simply as the Maelstrom, was the inspiration for Poe's short story "A Descent into the Maelström" (1841), which brought the term ''maelstrom'', meaning strong whirlpool, into the English language.<ref>{{Cite web |year=1991 |title=The Merriam-Webster new book of word histories |url=https://archive.org/details/merriamwebsterne00merr/page/300 |page=300 |isbn=0-87779-603-3}}</ref> Moskstraumen also features in the climax of Jules Verne's 1870 novel ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas''{{ref}} and is mentioned by Captain Ahab in Herman Melville's 1851 novel ''Moby-Dick''.<ref name="moby-dick">{{cite wikisource|first=Herman |last=Melville |title=Moby-Dick |wslink=Moby-Dick/Chapter 36|authorlink=Herman Melville|chapter=Chapter 36}}</ref> A likely source of information on Moskstraumen for those writers was a fictional description of Moskstraumen by Jonas Danilssønn Ramus from 1715 which was translated into English and partly included into the 1823 edition of ''Encyclopædia Britannica''.<ref name="j1" /> Poe quoted Jonas Ramus and ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' in his tale.<ref name="PoeDescent" /> Moskstraumen is visited by characters in Liu Cixin's ''Death's End'', who made extensive references to Allen Poe. The whirlpool is used as a metaphor for black holes, specifically the fact that light cannot escape beyond the event horizon.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Liu |first=Cixin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A_1oCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA377 |title=Death's End |date=2016-09-20 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-1-4668-5345-4 |language=en}}</ref>
Rosa Arciniega's 1933 Spanish-language dystopian novel ''Mosko-Strom: El Torbellino de las Grandes Metrópolis'' references Moskstraumen. A.S. Byatt's 2001 novel ''The Biographer's Tale'' also features the Maelstrom prominently.
One of the first scientific descriptions of Moskstraumen was presented by the Norwegian priest and poet Petter Dass in his poem "The Trumpet of Nordland" (published in 1739) which included a versified topographical description of northern Norway. There he clearly related the whirlpool with tides by noting that it was the strongest at full and new Moon and the weakest at half-Moon. He also noted that since the large fjords of Moskenesøya had to be filled and emptied within 6 hours, the related water flow should create strong currents. Dass' novel was however not translated into English and remained unknown in Europe. The relation of Moskstraumen with the tides was further mentioned by A. Schelderup in an article which was likely written in the 1750s and published in 1824.<ref name="j1" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Schelderup |first=A |title=Kongelige norske Videnskabersselskabs Skrifter |year=1824 |volume=2 |location=Trondheim, Norway |pages=78–85 |language=no}}</ref>
==In painting== right|thumb|''Moskstraumen I'', oil painting by Ingo Kühl In 1999 the German painter Ingo Kühl visited the Lofoten, set up a provisional studio in Reine in a rorbu and painted Moskstraumen.
==See also== * Lofoten Vortex
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{AmCyc Poster|Maelstrom|Moskstraumen}} *[http://www.kartverket.no/dnl/den-norske-los-5.pdf Den Norske Los, Bind 5: Rørvik-Lødingen og Andenes] – Norwegian pilot guide with information about Mokstraumen (pages 234-236) *[http://www.yr.no/kart/#lat=67.84157&lon=12.68222&zoom=8&laga=straum&proj=3575 yr.no: Sea currents] – real-time sea currents map from Norway *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080505010019/http://books.eserver.org/fiction/poe/descent.html Edgar Allan Poe: A Descent Into the Maelstrom (1841)] – complete text
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Category:Whirlpools Category:Bodies of water of Norway Category:Landforms of Nordland Category:Lofoten