Isle of Sheppey Yantlet Creek at the Isle of Grain to the west, it was occasionally used in ancient times by shipping to and from ports such as Chatham and London to reduce exposure to bad weather in the Thames Estuary or North Sea. The Kingsferry Bridge was first built in 1860, thus eliminating the need for ferries. Over time, there have been four bridges built over the Swale at this point. All bridges had to allow sufficient clearance for shipping heading to the commercial docks at Ridham: On 5 September 2013, fog caused a 130 vehicle pile-up on the Sheppey Crossing bridge
River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network The River, Estuary, and Coastal Observing Network (RECON) is a pioneering waterway observing system founded and maintained by Sanibel-Captiva Conservation. RECON is funded primarily by private donations to SCCF's Marine Laboratory. Seven fixed locations stream water quality data from in situ Satlantic instrument packages. The sensor array includes a chemical-free nitrate sensor (ISUS), a CTD (conductivity, temperature, and depth) and fluorometer package for depth, turbidity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and chlorophyll a fitted with a bleach injection system (WETLabs, Water Quality Monitor), and a CDOM fluorometer. One of the stations also incorporates a Nortek