Authie River

Infobox River | river_name = Authie


caption = The Authie near Maintenay.
origin = Picardie
mouth = English Channel
coord|50|23|30|N|1|33|40|E|name=English Channel-Authie|display=inline,title
basin_countries = France
length = 103 km
elevation = 131 m
discharge = 10,8 m³/s
watershed = 1304 km²The 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. [ [http://sandre.eaufrance.fr/app/chainage/courdo/htm/E5500570.php?cg=E5500570 Authie on the Sandre (Fr.Gov) website] ] 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.

Etymology

The origin of the name "Authie" has not been established with any certainty. A possibility is the pre-Celtic word "atur" meaning river. [ [http://crehangec.free.fr/rivac.htm#a The origin of the name of the Authie] ] 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.The Authie: a valley, landscapes, a little history" on cpie-authie.club.fr [http://cpie-authie.club.fr/val_authie_histoire.htm Read online] ] Another suggestion stems from the Latin word "attegia" designating groups of fishermen and lumberjacks living by any river. [http://www.paysducoquelicot.com/authie.htm The website of the town of Authie] ] .

Geography

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. [ [http://www.eau-artois-picardie.fr/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=417 The Authie] Artois-Picardy Water Agency website.] .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. [French weather chart on "Le Ponthieu et le Vimeu", by the Ministry of Agriculture [http://ddaf59.agriculture.gouv.fr/pdf/Ponthieu-Vimeu.pdf Read online] ]

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.

Annexes

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

External links

* [http://cpie-authie.club.fr/index.htm Website of the Association for the development and promotion of the environment in the Val d'Authie.]
* [http://aascalys.free.fr/index.php Aascalys (Aa, Scarpe,Canche, Authie, Lys) website dedicated to the rivers and countryside of Artois.]

Notes and references