Trash

Another interesting aspect of the marine environment by Gamle Nygårdsbro are the various objects that are thrown into the water from the bridge, washed up against it's coulombs or otherwise mysteriously appear. These objects have included many bicycles, shopping trolleys, and traffic cones - staple pollution in many urban waters - swell as other objects/materials.

When I see electronic goods, such as the old modem below, this saddens me particularly as I am concerned that such products may contain harmful substances such as various heavy metals. I have no idea weather or not any of this litter can have significant consequences for the environment and marine life. Bicycles and shopping trolleys can be interesting to observe as they are slowly consumed by the sea bed. My intention here (as with the Gamle Nygårdsbro blog in general) is to present an objective documentary of any developments. This may serve as a reference to those with a more particular environmental interest, or simply as an interesting historical catalogue in it's own right.

Typical trash by Gamle Nygårdsbro

Typical urban trash. Many traffic cones and related objects ended up on the sea bed here during the extensive roadworks involved in constructing the light railway which opened in June 2010.

Disapearing Bikes (re-traced). GN 04/05/12

Bikes In Water @ Gamle Nygårdsbro 29/04/12

Over a period of several years, there were numerous bikes thrown into the water by the bridge. Some of them looked so good that I was tempted to try salvaging them with rope and hooks. Some have disappeared again, likely savaged from a boat or from the bridge. These are on the verge of disappearing in another way…

Modem In Water @ Gamle Nygårdsbro 10/05/12

This electronic device (I think it's an old sort of telephone modem) has been lying on the sea bed for some months. Close to the bridge is a site for domestic waste sorting… there may be a connection.

Birch Tree Under Gamle Nygårdsbro 10/05/12

This birch may have come from beside the nature trail that goes around the fjord.

Birch 04/05/12

Intro Post - The Begining!

I first moved over the bridge (house that is) in 1998. Since then I have walked over the bridge many times over the coarse of an average week, and at all times of day.
I have always been fascinated by the marine and wildlife that live around this bridge, and have enjoyed following the various bicycles, shopping trolleys and other stuff that has been thrown in and (occasionally) fished out again.
When I first started paying attention to this area, staring into the water every time I walked past, there were always fish to be seen. This was part of the initial fascination.
Since then, the site has been through periods when people fished there very actively from the bridge, and now I spot fish more seldom there.
The Sea bed has also changed dramatically several times; at one point there were thousands of starfish all over the bed, and at other times there have been many more muscles. Perhaps these changes have been due to various building projects, such as the installation of the new light railway that now drives along the rout, perhaps due to municipal projects to clean the fjord, or most likely a combination of parameters at various times.
Now that I have a decent camera on my phone, I have decided (finally) to start this blog that is committed to documenting all environmental changes and observations made along Gamle Nygårdsbro.
The most obvious change taking place at the point of this post, is the construction of a large public art installation by Thorsten Goldberg. It replaces a rather interesting natural feature that has been a favourite spot for the local heron, and for the undergraduate arts students from "KiB" who are annually challenged to create something site specific in the area. This is an area that has been subject to relentless change over the past 10 years or so, and I expect such changes will continue, but what they might entail remains to be seen!