Authie River
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| Authie | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Origin | Picardie |
| Mouth | English Channel |
| Basin countries | France |
| Length | 103 km |
| Source elevation | 131 m |
| Avg. discharge | 10,8 m³/s |
| Basin area | 1304 km² |
The Authie is a river in northern France whose 103 km course crosses the departement of the Pas-de-Calais and Somme. Its source is near the village of Coigneux. It flows through the towns of Doullens, Auxi-le-Château, Nempont-Saint-Firmin and Nampont, finally flowing out into the Channel near Berck. [1]
Its regular course has attracted mankind for many centuries, developing an agricultural environment that is still dominant today. The valley of the Authie, with many towns, villages, abbeys and chateaux, holds a rich architectural heritage alongside the banks of the river, while the river mouth forms a sizeable bay between Fort-Mahon-Plage and Berck, typical of Picardy estuaries. The area is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna.
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[edit] Etymology
The origin of the name Authie has not been established with any certainty. A possibility is the pre-Celtic word atur meaning river.[2] Many waterways’ names, such as the Adour, are a corruption of the Celtic term alt meaning deep and that could refer to the steep-sided bed of the river.[3] Another suggestion stems from the Latin word attegia designating groups of fishermen and lumberjacks living by any river. [4].
[edit] Geography
 The Authie at Doullens |
 The Authie at Frohen-sur-Authie |
[edit] Hydrology
In the context of an oceanic/pluvial system, the Authie has a uniform and comparatively sustained outflow of 10.8 cubic m/s at its outlet.[5]. The river flow is affected by the oceanic climate, characterized by an average annual temperature of 10°C, very few days of frost, comparatively high rainfall between 800 and 900 mm per year except near the coast estuary where rainfal is less than 650 mm per year. [6]
[edit] Departements and communes traversed
- Pas-de-Calais (62) : Beauvoir-Wavans, Auxi-le-Château, Labroye, Groffliers, , Nempont-Saint-Firmin and Berck.
- Somme (80): Coigneux, Authie, Doullens, Hem-Hardinval, Boufflers, Dompierre-sur-Authie, Argoules, Nampont, Quend and Fort-Mahon-Plage.
[edit] Annexes
[edit] Bibliography
- Gérard Bacquet, Val d'Authie, Ed. Château, Auxi-le-Château, 1975 ASIN B0000DP6VS
- Eric Alibert, La Côte d'Opale, Carnet du Littoral, Gallimard - Conservatoire du littoral, 1998 ISBN 2070514676
[edit] External links
- Website of the Association for the development and promotion of the environment in the Val d'Authie.
- Aascalys (Aa, Scarpe,Canche, Authie, Lys) website dedicated to the rivers and countryside of Artois.
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Authie on the Sandre (Fr.Gov) website
- ^ The origin of the name of the Authie
- ^ The Authie: a valley, landscapes, a little history on cpie-authie.club.fr Read online
- ^ The website of the town of Authie
- ^ The Authie Artois-Picardy Water Agency website.
- ^ French weather chart on Le Ponthieu et le Vimeu, by the Ministry of Agriculture Read online
