Sea of Azov. Rest on the Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov is a truly unique gift of nature, which we must appreciate. It is unique in its appearance, depth, size, composition of flora and fauna and plays a very important role in the ecosystem of the region.
Brief historical background. In ancient times, the Sea of Azov did not exist! The full-flowing Don River flowed into the ancient Black Sea (approximately in the area of \u200b\u200bthe modern Kerch Strait).
There is a theory that around 5600 BC there was a very strong rise in the water level of the Black Sea, which was caused by a major earthquake. (Perhaps it was this event that gave rise to the legends of the Flood).
Sea of Azov - Origin of the name. This area has always been at the crossroads of the historical paths of different peoples and, therefore, has managed to change a large number of names. The ancient Greeks living on these shores affectionately called him Meotida (Nurse - translated from Greek). The ancient Romans jokingly called it for its shallow water - Palus Maeotis (Meotian swamp). The Scythians called it - Kargulak (Sea rich in fish). The Meotian tribes called him - Temerinda (meaning the Mother of the Sea). The Turks called it Barh el-Assak (Dark Blue Sea). The Horde conquerors called it - Balyk-dengiz (Fish Sea).
The main theory of the origin of the original name - Azov came from the Turkic adjective "azak" (meaning the mouth of the river, a low place). Subsequently, the word "Azak" was transformed into the modern one - Azov.
The Sea of Azov is an inland sea in the eastern part of Europe. By its distance from the world ocean, the Sea of Azov is considered a continental sea. The Sea of Azov is connected to the Atlantic Ocean through a very long chain of seas and straits. (Black Sea, Sea of Marmara, Aegean Sea, Mediterranean Sea).
On the world map, it is "indicated by a small blue speck" and is the shallowest sea in the world. The greatest depth of the Sea of Azov does not exceed thirteen and a half meters, and the average depth is not more than seven meters. Such rivers as Don, Kuban, Mius, Berda, etc. flow into it.
Scientists attribute the Sea of Azov to the so-called "flat seas", shallow water bodies with low shores, the bottom is replete with sand and shell deposits. The coast of the sea is mostly sandy and only in the southern part there are sometimes small hills of volcanic origin. The coast of the Sea of Azov is indented with bays. The coastline is a popular resort and recreation area, as well as nature reserves and national parks. An excellent example of a protected area are the Priazovsky National Park and the Biryuchy Island Spit.
Sand and shell spits have advanced into the open sea for many kilometers and are a real decoration of the Azov coast. The most famous spits of the Sea of Azov: Berdyansk Spit, Fedotova Spit, Spit Peresyp, Stepanovskaya Spit, Obitochnaya, Curve, Long, Belosaraiskaya. It is here that sanatoriums, boarding houses and popular recreation centers are located.
Temperature regime of the Sea of Azov.
The water temperature of the Sea of Azov is variable, which is quite normal for shallow water bodies. The minimum temperature is usually fixed at the end of January or February and is close to the freezing point. Only near the Kerch Strait is the water temperature in the Sea of Azov on the surface always positive. The average annual temperature on the surface is about +11 degrees Celsius.
In summer, a fairly uniform temperature is established on the surface of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. The warmest water is in July and reaches +28 ... +28.5 degrees Celsius. In the period from March to August, the water temperature drops from the surface to the bottom by about 1 degree. Temperature distribution may change after the first big storm.
Salinity of the Sea of Azov
Due to the difficult water exchange with the Black Sea and the abundant inflow of fresh river water (up to 12% of the volume of water), the salinity of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is not uniform. The salinity of the water in the northern part in the area of the Taganrog Bay and the salinity of the water in the area of the Kerch Strait may differ by several ppm. The average salinity is kept at 11% and seasonal fluctuations in the salinity of the Sea of Azov usually do not exceed 1%.
In winter, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov freezes quite easily due to the lower salinity of the water in the northern part of the water area from December to March. The southern part freezes quite rarely, and the ice is carried into the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait.
The ionic composition of water is quite different from the salt composition of the ocean and has a different set of sodium and chloride ions. At the same time, there is an increased content of carbonates, sulfates and calcium.
Water transparency in the Sea of Azov
It should be noted that the water transparency of the Sea of Azov is quite low. Moreover, water transparency is uneven at different times of the year and ranges from 0.5 to 8 meters. The color of the water in the Sea of Azov can also vary from greenish-blue to yellowish.
To uninitiated people, it may even seem quite “dirty”. Actually it is not. The transparency is affected by the abundant inflow of river waters, the presence of plankton in sea water, and the rapid resuspension of bottom silts during storm winds. In late autumn and in winter, the water of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is more turbid. During the Summer period, transparency improves significantly, with the exception of the “sea bloom” period, when many plant microorganisms develop in the upper layers of the water. The best time to relax on the Sea of Azov is June, July and early August.
The relief of the bottom of the Sea of Azov.
The bottom of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov has a fairly uniform relief. The bottom depth increases smoothly, there are practically no holes and significant differences in depth. Moreover, near the shore, small “splash pools” are often washed up in which children love to frolic. This is not surprising, there is usually a shallow depth and even warmer water. It is this feature that parents who have small children really like. Indeed, on the one hand, you can not be afraid that the kids will go too deep, and on the other hand, a comfortable depth for swimming adults begins after 15-20 meters from the shore. In the northern part of the water area there is shallow water (20 kilometers with depths of no more than 6 meters). The maximum depth of the Sea of Azov is 13.5 meters.
Ecology of the Sea of Azov.
Ecologists record quite severe pollution of coastal waters near large industrial cities on the coast. So, the most polluted area of the Sea of Azov is the area in the area of Taganrog and Mariupol. At the same time, the section from Berdyansk to Genichesk is environmentally friendly, as it does not have large settlements and industrial enterprises. Sea water should not be drunk (during bathing) or used to gargle for small children. This can cause intestinal upset and fever.
The true pearl of the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is, which has an exclusively recreational and resort direction and access to the Milk Estuary. On the other side of the Milk Estuary, the Priazovsky National Park begins and a small village is located -.
Currents in the Sea of Azov.
The currents are often affected by blowing winds and the direction of the currents change quite often. The south-east and north-east winds have the strongest attention. Most often, a circular current is recorded along the coast of the sea (counterclockwise).
Flora and Fauna of the Sea of Azov
It is difficult to find a more diverse inland sea in the world in terms of the number of animal and plant organisms. In terms of productivity, the Sea of Azov is 160 times greater than the Mediterranean Sea, forty times greater than the Black Sea and six times greater than the Caspian Sea. This is really an amazing property, considering that the area of the Black Sea exceeds the area of the Sea of Azov ten times!
Phytoplankton and benthos abound in the waters of the Sea of Azov. Mollusks occupy a dominant place and their remains just form the bottom sediment.
The ichthyofauna is represented by 103 species of fish (both marine and freshwater). Anadromous species of fish are in the sea until puberty, and only for spawning enters rivers or estuaries. The breeding period in most cases does not exceed 2 months. Among migratory fish in the Sea of Azov, the following are most valued: Beluga, Sturgeon, Severyuga, Herring.
Semi-anadromous fish species enter rivers to breed, but they can remain there much longer than anadromous fish species. Sometimes they can stay in the rivers for up to one year, and the young in most cases remain in the rivers for the winter period. The most popular semi-anadromous fish species in the Sea of Azov are Taran, Pike perch, Bream, Chekhon.
goby
Marine fish species (permanently remaining in sea water) are divided into those permanently living in the Sea of Azov and entering from the Black Sea. We refer to the permanently living species of fish: All types of gobies, pelengas, flounder, kalkan, tyulka, needle fish, gloss. To the group of fish entering the Sea of Azov, we include: Azov and Black Sea anchovy, Black Sea herring, red mullet, striped mullet, Black Sea kalkan, mackerel, horse mackerel, sharp nose, etc.
The most shallow sea is considered to be the Sea of Azov. It is this inland sea that has the smallest depth, due to which its waters warm up very quickly with the arrival of heat, but also cool down quickly in the autumn.
The average annual water temperature in the Sea of Azov is 12C. This is much higher than, for example, in the neighboring Black Sea. For Azov, winter freezing of the upper layers of water is characteristic. This is due to the reduced salt content in them, despite the fact that salt-enriched water from the Sivash regularly flows into the Sea of Azov.
The maximum depth of the Sea of Azov is small - almost 15 m. At the same time, in the coastal part, the depth fluctuates at the level of 2-6 m. A distinctive feature of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is the complete absence of ebbs and flows. Instead, there are constant changes in the bottom surfaces as a result of the impact of silt deposits.
Factors that can affect the maximum depth of the Sea of Azov.
The Sea of Azov is inland. The main sources of water entering it are the rivers, the Sivash and the Black Sea, with which Azov is connected by the Kerch Strait, as well as atmospheric precipitation. Changes in the volume of water inflow from even one of the mentioned sources can significantly affect the depth of the sea.
In addition to how much the sea receives water and rivers, seas and bays, snow and rain, one more important factor should be taken into account - high temperatures of air masses, which provoke accelerated evaporation of water in the summer.
The next factor is silt deposits. The bottom of the Sea of Azov throughout its area is smooth and flat, very soft. This is ensured by deposits of bottom silt covered with fine sand. During storms (which are not so uncommon here), silt masses rise and are transported by water flows to other areas. It is this feature that often complicates the work of the crews of ships that sail the Sea of Azov. In order not to unexpectedly get stranded, it is recommended that ship captains, when moving away from the central part of the sea, in which the maximum depth of the Sea of Azov reaches 13.5-14.5 m, periodically check the depth. Only this will help to secure the further path, since the depth maps compiled for the Sea of Azov navigation very quickly become outdated and lose their relevance.
The shallow depth of the Sea of Azov is an advantage for tourists and a disadvantage for those who surf its expanses on ships. But be that as it may, it is thanks to this factor that the water in the sea is so warm in summer that it cannot but please everyone who wants to swim in the gentle sea waters and experience the healing power of local mud baths.
In autumn and winter, the weather of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is influenced by Siberian. As a result of its influence, winds of the northeast and east directions mainly blow. Their average speed is 4 - 7 m / s. During this period, powerful storms are observed, the speed of which reaches over 15 m / s. In this case, a sharp drop in temperature occurs. The average temperature in January is about – 2 – 5°C. During stormy periods it drops to -25 - 27°С.
In spring and summer, the climatic conditions of the Sea of Azov are influenced by the Azores maximum. When exposed to it, winds of various directions are observed. Their speed is quite small - 3 - 5 m / s. In the warm season, complete calm is observed. In the summer on the Sea of Azov it is quite high. In July, the air warms up to + 23 - 25°C on average. In spring, less often in summer, the sea is in power. At the same time, winds of the southwestern and western directions are observed. The speed of these winds is 4 - 6 m/s. During cyclones, short showers are also observed. In the spring-summer period, sunny weather prevails, with high temperatures.
Two large rivers carry their waters to the Sea of Azov: the Kuban and about 20 small rivers. Small rivers mainly flow into the northern part of the sea. The river runoff of the Sea of Azov is determined by the volume of water carried by the Kuban and Don rivers. The waters produced by small rivers are used for evaporation. On average, the sea receives about 36.7 km 3 per year.
The largest amount of water comes from the Don (more than 60%), which flows into the Taganrog Bay in the northeastern part of the sea. The Kuban brings its waters to the southeastern part of the sea. The waters of the Kuban make up 30% of the total flow. Most of the river water enters the eastern part of the sea; it is absent in the rest of the mainland. The sea receives the largest amount of fresh water in the spring and summer. After the Kuban and Don rivers began to be regulated, the seasonal distribution of the mainland runoff changed. Prior to this, in the spring, the rivers brought about 60% of the total runoff, in the summer - 15%. After the creation of hydroelectric facilities on the rivers, it began to account for 40%, and the share of summer increased to 20%. There is an increase in winter and autumn runoff. A greater change was made to the Don than to the Kuban.
Water exchange between Azov and occurs through. During the year, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov gives off about 49 km2 of water, the Black Sea about 33.8 km3 of water. On average, the waters of the Black Sea increase their volume per year due to the Sea of Azov by about 15.5 km3. River runoff and marine water exchange are closely related. If there is a decrease in river runoff, then there is a decrease in the runoff of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov and an increase in the inflow of the Black Sea water. The waters of the Sea of Azov interact with the waters through the Thin Strait. During the year, the sea gives off about 1.5 km 3, and receives about 0.3 km 3 from the Sivash.
On average, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov loses and receives approximately the same amount of water per year. The waters of the sea are fed by river runoff (about 43%) and the waters of the Black Sea (40%). During the year, the Sea of Azov loses its waters as a result of water exchange with the Black Sea (58%) and evaporation from the surface (40%).
In the water expanses of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, ice forms every year. Due to the fact that the winter here is short and the frosts are changeable, the formation of ice is irregular. During the winter, the ice undergoes various changes: it appears and disappears again, becomes drifting, and then freezes to a stationary state. At the end of November, the first ice begins to appear in the Taganrog Bay. In early December, ice covers the northeastern and northwestern parts of the sea. Only in mid-January, ice appears in the southwestern and southern regions. The timing of ice formation may vary from year to year. The maximum thickness that ice can reach is 80 - 90 cm. On average, the ice thickness can be about 20 cm, with a relatively mild winter.
Sea of Azov (photo by Mikhail Manaev)
In mid-February, the ice gradually weakens. At the end of February, it begins to collapse near the coast in the southern part of the sea. By the beginning of March, the ice breaks up in the northern part, and in mid-March, in the Taganrog Bay. The sea is completely free of ice only by mid-March - April.
Human economic activity is widely developed in the Sea of Azov. Fishing is well developed here. A large number of valuable species of fish (especially sturgeons) and a large number of various marine products are mined here. Currently, the volume of fisheries is declining due to a decrease in the number and diversity of the marine fauna. There are reserves in the bowels of the Azov Sea. Various goods are produced on the waters of the sea. Also on the sea coast there are resort areas for recreation.
Sea of Azov (Ukrainian Sea of Azov, other Greek Μαιῶτις λίμνη, lat. Palus Maeotis) is a semi-enclosed sea of the Atlantic Ocean in eastern Europe. The shallowest sea in the world: the depth does not exceed 13.5 meters, the average depth is about 7.4 m (according to various estimates, from 6.8 to 8 m).
The Sea of Azov is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by a long chain of straits and seas (the Kerch Strait - the Black Sea - the Bosphorus Strait - the Sea of Marmara - the Dardanelles Strait - the Aegean Sea - the Mediterranean Sea - the Strait of Gibraltar - the Atlantic Ocean).
Two largest rivers flow into the sea - and the Kuban River.
COASTS OF THE SEA OF AZOV AND DELTA
The coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is less picturesque and diverse than the Black Sea. But it also has its own unique beauty. The steppes come close to the sea, and in some places the floodplains overgrown with reeds. The shores are treeless, they are either low and gentle, with a sandy-shell beach, or low, but steep, composed of yellow loess-like loams. The coastline of the sea forms rather smooth bends, and only long sandy spits give it some indentation. A large number of spits is one of the characteristic features of the shores of the Sea of Azov.
West Coast.
The western shore of the Sea of Azov is represented by a long oblique - the Arabat arrow. It stretched along the seashore for 112 km, separating the shallow Sivash Bay from it. The width of this flat sand-shell spit ranges from 270 m in its southern and middle parts to 7 km in its northern part, where there are several small hills.
The Arabat Spit is a huge natural beach. Parallel to it, a series of long shoals stretched. They are perfectly visible from the walls of the old Genoese fortress, located near the village of Arabat, or directly from the elevated native coast. In calm sunny weather, the greenish-blue waves of the sea with a slight noise gently run onto the sandy-shell beach and the foam of light surf surrounds it, as if with a narrow white lace. Rolling on the wing, white-winged gulls glide low over the water. In the distance, on the spit, salt extracted from Sivash dazzlingly shines under the rays of the hot sun. Beautiful sea and in a storm. When the fierce nordost blows, it darkens, becomes severe.
With an angry noise, boiling with white foam, steep-walled waves fall on the shores. You can spend hours admiring the foamy expanse of the sea, the rapid run and the stormy surf of the waves.
Any person who has visited the Sea of Azov will forever have a memory of its discreet, but soul-stirring beauty.
Hot mineral waters have been discovered on the Arabat Spit, which are superior to Matsesta in their chemical composition and medicinal properties. Based on these healing waters, it is planned to create a new resort - Azov Matsesta.
South coast.
It is represented by the territory of the Kerch and Taman Peninsulas, between which the Kerch Strait is located, connecting the Azov and Black Seas. The Kerch Peninsula is the eastern tip of the Crimea. Its area is about 3 thousand square meters. kilometers. In the bowels of the peninsula, large deposits of iron ores have been discovered that feed the metallurgy of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, oil and natural gas.
The northern and northeastern parts of the Kerch Peninsula are composed of marls, clays, limestones; Tertiary sandstones occur in places.
The western part of the Kerch Peninsula is flat, the eastern part is hilly. Within the limits of the peninsula, the southern coast of the Sea of Azov for the most part breaks off steeply into the sea, leaving only a narrow strip of the beach. In some places, the steep banks are composed of bryozoan limestones, which staunchly resist the onslaught of sea waves. Such, for example, is Cape Kazantip, at the base of which lies a bryozoan reef - an atoll. To the west of this cape is Arabatsky Bay, to the east - Kazantipsky. To the east of Cape Kazantip, a low-lying alluvial stretch of coast stretches. The shores of both bays are composed of soft clay rocks. Yuzhnemysa Kazantip - Aktash salt lake. This is a relic lake. It is a remnant of the Kazantip Bay, which once jutted far into the land.
In the middle of the Kerch Peninsula, a low Parpach ridge stretches from west to east. Between this ridge and the shore of the Sea of Azov. there is a wide longitudinal valley. In its lower parts there are salt lakes, and in particular Lake Chokrakskoye, known for its healing properties, as well as a number of mud volcanoes.
East of the Kazantip Bay, near the Kerch Strait, the coast of the Sea of Azov is calmer, but here it is characterized by capes composed of hard bryozoan limestones, for example, Capes Zyuk, Tarkhan and others.
The Kerch Strait, which connects the Black and Azov Seas, is shallow and relatively narrow. Its width varies from 4 to 15 km. The length of the strait is 41 km. The depth is about 4 m.
In ancient times, the Kerch Strait was called the Cimmerian Bosporus. The name itself contains a hint of the strait's milkiness, since "bosporus" in translation into Russian means "bull ford".
The Crimean coast of the strait is steep in places. In its northern part is the port city of Kerch.
The Caucasian coast of the Kerch Strait is low, sandy, sometimes with dunes. The fairway of the strait is cluttered with reefs, sandbars and coastal shoals, which previously hampered navigation. Now a channel has been dug in the strait for the passage of ships with a large draft.
Communication across the strait between the Crimea and the Caucasus was previously carried out by ordinary steamships carrying cargo and passengers. In the spring of 1955, a railway crossing was opened. On the Crimean coast, northeast of Kerch, a railway station Crimea was built, and on the Caucasian coast, on the Chushka Spit, a railway station Kavkaz was built.
On large diesel-electric ferries, trains are easily and quickly transported through the Kerch Strait. The railway route between the Crimea and the Caucasus is thereby significantly shortened.
The Taman Peninsula, which is part of the Krasnodar Territory, covers an area of approximately 1900 sq. km. Of these, a little more than 900 sq. km, and the rest of the territory is estuaries and floodplains.
Its nature is unique. From a geological point of view, this is a young peninsula, since it was formed in the Quaternary period. Back in the 1st century A.D. e. in its place there were about five islands, the transformation of which into a peninsula occurred, apparently, in the 5th century AD. e. under the influence of the accumulative "activity of the Kuban River, mud volcanoes and tectonic uplifts. The formation of the Taman Peninsula continues.
The surface of the peninsula is a hilly plain with low dome-shaped hills, elongated in the form of interrupted ridges from the southwest to the northeast. Mud volcanoes and ancient burial mounds are scattered almost everywhere. .The landscape is enlivened by numerous estuaries. The floodplains, overgrown with reeds and sedge, are also widespread.
The Taman Peninsula contains in its bowels such natural resources as oil, combustible gases, iron ores, salt, building materials in the form of limestone, clay and gravel.
The climate of the peninsula is moderately warm. The sun generously supplies it with the heat of its rays, but there is little precipitation here - only 436 mm per year - and therefore there is a lack of moisture.
On the peninsula there are fertile chernozem-like and chestnut soils, covered with drought-resistant steppe, and along the valley of the Kuban River - with floodplain vegetation.
It is now famous for its vineyards.
The shores of the Taman Peninsula are quite diverse, but two types of shores prevail: high, steep - abrasion, that is, formed as a result of the destructive work of sea waves, and low, flat - accumulative. The latter were formed from sandy-argillaceous deposits as a result of the activity of sea waves and currents.
The shore of the Taman Bay, from Cape Tuzla up to the village of Taman, is elevated and steep. On average, its height here varies from 15 to 30 m. To the east of the village of Taman, the coast goes down and remains low throughout the southern and eastern coasts of the bay. Only in some places there are steep cliffs, and then often due to the cultural layer of ancient Phanagoria.
The northern shore of the bay is also elevated and in some places abruptly breaks off to the sea.
"Accumulation" in Latin means "accumulation". This term in geology refers to the process of deposition of loose material of various origins.
Spit Chushka, composed largely of quartz sand and broken shells, has low banks.
Farther to the east, the coast of the Taman Peninsula is high (up to 50-60 m above the level of the Sea of Azov) and often has a stepped landslide character. It is composed mainly of loess-like clay and bordered by a strip of beach consisting of sandy-clay deposits, in places with an admixture of shells, pebbles and rubble.
Then, up to the village of Golubitskaya, the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov either lowers or rises again, but, starting from this village, it becomes low, and in the region of the delta of the Kuban River it acquires a swampy character.
It is interesting to note that in the area of the village of Kuchugury on the low coast of the Sea of Azov, eolian landforms are observed in the form of low (1–3 m) sandy mounds - dunes formed under the influence of northern winds.
An attraction of the Taman Peninsula are mud volcanoes (salses), of which there are up to 25. Many of them look like low cones with truncated tops. Some salsas are temporarily inactive. The rest emit dirt and gases, such as methane, nitrogen. carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen.
Eruptions of mud volcanoes are usually calm and quiet, but sometimes they resemble eruptions of real volcanoes, as they are accompanied by an explosion, and then the products of volcanic activity are scattered hundreds of meters from the crater, and liquid mud forms large streams.
A very interesting phenomenon is represented by mud volcanoes at the bottom of the Sea of Azov near the shores of the Taman Peninsula. So, intense mud volcanic activity was observed near the village of Golubitskaya. One of the eruptions was noted on September 6, 1799. An underground rumble was heard, then a deafening crack was heard and over the sea, 300 meters from the shore, a column of fire and black smoke rose. The eruption continued for about two hours, leading to the formation of an island of mud with a diameter of more than 100 m and a height of up to 2 m. A few months later, it disappeared, washed out by the waves of the sea.
Similar eruptions were repeated later - in 1862, 1906, 1924, 1950 and 1952. In 1952, to the west of the village of Golubitskaya, 5 km from the coast, also as a result of mud volcanic activity, a mud island was formed, then washed away by sea waves.
Eastern coast of the Sea of Azov
The eastern shore of the Sea of Azov, from Temryuk to Primorsko-Akhtarsk, for about 100 km, is a low-lying delta of the Kuban River with numerous estuaries, channels, extensive floodplains overgrown with reeds and sedge. The Kuban River, originating from the glaciers of Mount Elbrus, is one of the largest and most abundant rivers in the North Caucasus. Its length is 870 km. The catchment area is 57,900 sq. km. Its delta was formed on the site of the Gulf of the Sea of Azov, deeply protruding into the land. Tens of thousands of years ago, this bay extended to the place where Krasnodar is now located. The huge lagoon was separated from the sea by an embankment and then gradually filled with river sediments. A certain role in the formation of the southwestern part of the delta was also played by the activity of mud volcanoes (salses) of the Taman Peninsula, which at that time still had the appearance of an archipelago of small islands. The products of eruptions of mud volcanoes carried channels between the islands and, along with river nayaos, gradually filled the lagoon.
The formation of the delta continues in our time, and it experiences subsidence, which is 5-6 mm per year in Achuev, and 3 mm per year in other parts of the delta.
The Kuban River annually discharges an average of 11.4 billion cubic meters into the Sea of Azov. meters of water containing a total of over 3 million tons of dissolved substances and a lot of turbidity. The water in the river is muddy all year round, but it carries especially a lot of sediment during floods, which in the Kuban are observed on average 6-7 per year. The total amount of solids carried by the river (the so-called solid runoff) is 8.7 million tons per year. Over 52,000 freight wagons would be required to transport such a load. Due to these sediments, the Kuban delta is growing. Now the Kuban Delta, covering an area of 4300 sq. km, begins at the so-called Raz-der, near the city of Slavyansk, where the branch of the Protoka is separated from the Kuban to the right (to the north). The latter carries about 40-50% of the Kuban water and flows into the Sea of Azov near Achuev.
Below the Protoka, not far from the mouth, the Kuban is still divided into a number of branches, of which the largest are the Petrushin sleeve and the Cossack erik. The Petrushin branch, representing here the main navigable channel of the Kuban River, goes past Temryuk and flows into the Sea of Azov.
Cossack erik is the left-bank branch of the Kuban, it carries its waters to the large Akhtanizovsky estuary, which has a connection with the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov through the Peresyp arm.
The modern delta of the Kuban River is a whole labyrinth of shallow lakes or estuaries, interconnected by channels, or, in the local language, eriks, which form bizarre loops between low-lying swampy land.
In the Kuban Delta, vast areas are occupied by floodplains that stretch for tens of kilometers. The floodplains of the Kuban delta, adjacent to the Sea of Azov, are called the Sea of Azov. They are divided by the Protoka river into two massifs: the Azov floodplains proper in the western part and the Angelino-Cheburgolsky in the eastern part.
The Azov floodplains are bizarre labyrinths of swamps and estuaries of various sizes, with fresh, semi-salty and salt water, overgrown with surface and underwater vegetation. The former is dominated by reeds, reeds, sedges, cattails and burdocks. Underwater, or “soft” vegetation of estuaries is charophytes, pondweeds, hornwort, water lilies, etc.
In the Azov estuaries there are thickets of a wonderful plant - lotus. During the flowering period, large pink flowers of amazing beauty rise on stems above the spreading emerald leaves, spreading a strong aroma. This tropical newcomer, brought to us from Africa, is a useful medicinal and food plant.
The estuaries of the Kuban delta are rich in fish. More than 70 species of it are found here, including ram, bream, pike perch, shad, sprat, carp weighing up to 15 kg, catfish weighing up to 100 kg.
In the floodplains and estuaries of the delta, a lot of birds live, especially waterfowl: wild geese, ducks. There are whole colonies of cormorants and pelicans. Swans, herons, many birds of prey live here. Of the mammals, foxes are numerous, there are wild cats and wild boars in the deaf floodplains. The muskrat has been acclimatized, producing beautiful brown fur.
The bowels of the delta are rich in minerals - natural gas, oil, mineral waters.
Most of the Kuban river delta has not yet been developed for agriculture, although the soils here are very fertile.
But gradually the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is changing the landscape. In the floodplains, instead of dense reeds and rotten estuaries, blue squares of rice paddies already stretch for many kilometers. In 1952, the Kuban irrigation system with an area of 23,000 hectares was put into operation. In 1967, 62 thousand hectares of land were occupied for rice, reclaimed by meliorators from the floodplains. When the Krasnodar reservoir on the Kuban River comes into operation, the rice fields will expand to 250-300 thousand hectares and will annually produce up to 700 thousand tons of high-quality rice for our Motherland.
To the north of Primorsko-Akhtarsk, up to, floodplains are found only at the mouths of the Azov steppe rivers - Beisug and Chelbas.
The shores of the Sea of Azov are represented in this area by low and gently sloping sandy spits, but for the most part the coast here is steep or steeply descending to the sea. It is complex, like the coastal plain, with loess and loess-like loams and clays of the late glacial period. Loess is a rock that is easily washed away by waves, and therefore the seashore here is quickly destroyed. The average rate of destruction along the entire coast is 3 m per year. The maximum is up to 18 m. The soils of this part of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov are represented by carbonate West Caucasian fertile chernozems. Previously, this entire area was a feather-grass-forb steppe, on which herds of wild horses—tarpans and herds of swift-footed saigas grazed. There were even moose. Now these lands are plowed up, and in the summer here [a boundless yellow-green sea of \u200b\u200bcorn sways, fields of corn and sunflowers are spread.
In addition to the Kuban River, such steppe rivers (counting from south to north) flow into the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov from the east, such as Kirpili, pouring their waters into the Kirpilsky estuary; Beisug, which flows into the Beisug estuary; Chelbas, flowing into the sweet estuary; Eya, which carries water to the large Yeisk estuary, and, finally, the small rivers Wet Chuburka and Kagalnik, which flow directly into the Sea of Azov.
A characteristic feature of the landscape of the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov, as noted above, is the presence of numerous estuaries.
Don Delta.
In its northeastern part, the Sea of Azov forms a vast, strongly elongated Taganrog Bay, into which one of the largest rivers in the European part of the USSR, the Don, flows. Its length is 1870 km, and the catchment area is 422,000 square meters. km. Don annually takes out to the sea an average of about 28.6 cubic meters. km of water. Significant masses of river water greatly desalinate the Taganrog Bay, and the sediment carried by the river shallows it and leads to, which occupies an area of 340 square meters. km. The modern Don delta begins 6 km below Rostov-on-Don, where the non-navigable branch of the Dead Donets separates from the river to the right.
There is always a lot of activity on the Don River; various and numerous ships float up and down the stream. The calm expanse of the mighty river is cut through by passenger ships, cargo ships and fishing boats.
Below the village of Elizavetinskaya, the Don begins to meander strongly along a wide low-lying valley, breaking up into numerous branches and channels, which, in the local language, are not called eriks. There are more and more of these branches and eriks as we approach the Sea of Azov.
The landscape here is unique. Everywhere you can see islands slightly rising above the water with intricately indented shores, covered with dense thickets of reeds. Islets close to the sea are constantly flooded with sea water, and the vegetation on them is scarce or completely absent. With strong westerly winds, the waters of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov rush to the mouth of the Don, prop up the river waters, the Don overflows its banks, flooding not only the delta, but also almost all 100 km upstream.
East winds blowing downstream of the Don have the opposite effect. There is a surge of water, and sometimes so strong that not only the branches of the river, but also the Taganrog Bay become shallow, which disrupts normal navigation. The amplitude of surge phenomena is +3, -2 m.
The Don brings into the sea an average of about 14 million tons of river sediment and about 9.5 million tons of dissolved minerals. Due to sediments, the Don Delta is growing, gradually moving further and further into the sea at a rate of about 1 km per century.
north coast
The northern coast of the Sea of Azov stretched from the mouth of the Don to the city of Genichesk. A number of small rivers flow into the Sea of Azov in this section. Originating in the spurs of the Donetsk Ridge, the rivers Mius and Kalmius carry their waters to the sea. Originating on the low Azov Upland, the rivers Berdya, Obitochnaya, Korsak and a number of small rivers that dry up in summer flow into the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. moreover, the braids bend to the west with their ends, for example, Curve, Belosaraiskaya (south of the city of Zhdanov), Berdyanskaya (near the city of Berdyansk).
Bays and estuaries are formed between the spits and the native coast, for example, Berdyansk and Obitochny. If we exclude alluvial spits, then the rest of the northern shore of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is a flat steppe, for the most part descending to the sea by a cliff. The spits and narrow coastal strip are composed mainly of Quaternary marine sediments. To the north, the plain is composed of loess, loess-like loams and clays of the late glacial period. Fertile chernozems have developed on these rocks. Even in the last century, boundless feather grass-forb steppes stretched here, and in the western half - feather grass-fescue steppes. Tarpans, feral camels grazed in them, and even earlier there were even noble deer and elk. There were beavers in the rivers. During the flowering period, these steppes, according to N.V. Gogol, represented a green-golden ocean, over which millions of flowers splashed. However, such steppes have long disappeared, they are almost completely plowed up. They were replaced by endless fields of wheat, corn, sunflowers, orchards and vineyards.
NATURE OF THE SEA OF AZOV
The Sea of Azov is a peculiar and remarkable body of water in many respects. It is the smallest of all the seas of the Soviet Union, but in terms of its importance in the national economy it is not in last place. Its area, bounded by the parallels 45°16"N and 47°17"N. latitude and meridians 33 ° 36 "E and 39 ° 21" E. d. is only 37800 sq. m. km (without Sivash and estuaries). The greatest depth does not exceed 14 m, and the average depth is about 8 m. At the same time, depths up to 5 m occupy more than half of the volume of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. Its volume is also small and equal to 320 cubic meters. km. For comparison, let's say that the Aral Sea exceeds the Azov Sea by almost 2 times in area. The Black Sea is almost 11 times larger than the Azov Sea in area, and 1678 times in volume. And yet the Sea of Azov is not so small, it would freely accommodate such two European states as the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Its greatest length is 380 km, and its greatest width is 200 km. The total length of the coastline of the sea is 2686 km.
The underwater relief of the Sea of Azov is very simple, the depths generally slowly and smoothly increase with distance from the coast, and the greatest depths are in the center of the sea. Its bottom is almost flat. The Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov forms several bays, of which the largest are Taganrog, Temryuk and the strongly isolated Sivash, which is more accurately considered an estuary. There are no large islands in this sea. There are a number of shoals, partially flooded with water and located near the coast. Such, for example, are the islands of Biryuchy, Turtle and others.
HISTORY OF THE SEA OF AZOV
Meotida
In ancient times, the Sea of Azov did not exist, and the Don flowed into the Black Sea in the area of the modern Kerch Strait. The theory of the Black Sea flood suggests that the filling of the waters of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov happened around 5600 BC. e.
In antiquity, the Sea of Azov was called among the Greeks Meotian Lake (ancient Greek Μαιῶτις), among the Romans Palus Maeotis (“Meotian swamp”), among the Scythians Kargaluk, among the Meotians Temerinda (which means “mother of the sea”), among the Arabs - Bahr al -Azuf, among the Turks - Bahr el-Assak or Bahr-y Assak (Dark blue sea; modern tour. Azak Denizi) and also - Balysyr (Balisira), among the Genoese and Venetians - Mare delle Zabacche.
The sea was renamed many times (Samakush, Salakar, Mayutis, etc.). At the beginning of the XIII century. the name of the Saksinsk Sea is approved. The Tatar-Mongol conquerors replenished the collection of the names of Azov: Balyk-dengiz (fish sea) and Chabak-dengiz (chabache, bream sea). According to some sources, Chabak-dengiz as a result of the transformation: chabak - dzybakh - zabak - azak - azov - the modern name of the sea occurred (which is doubtful). According to other sources, Azak is a Turkic adjective, meaning low, low, according to other sources, Azak (Turkic mouth of the river), which was transformed into Azau, and then into Russian Azov. In the interval of the above names, the sea also received the following: Barel-Azov (Dark Blue River); the Frankish Sea (the Franks meant the Genoese and Venetians); Surozh Sea (Surozh was the name of the modern city of Sudak in the Crimea); Kaffa Sea (Kaffa is an Italian colony on the site of the modern city of Feodosia in the Crimea); Cimmerian Sea (from the Cimmerians); Akdeniz (Turkish meaning White Sea). It is most reliable that the modern name of the sea comes from the city of Azov.
According to the etymology of the word “azov”, there are a number of hypotheses: after the name of the Polovtsian prince Azum (Azuf), who was killed during the capture of the city in 1067; by the name of the Osos (Asses) tribe, which in turn allegedly came from the Avestan, meaning "fast"; the name is compared with the Turkic word azan - "lower", and the Circassian uzev - "neck". The Turkic name of the city of Azov is Auzak. But even in the 1st c. n. e. Pliny, listing the Scythian tribes in his writings, mentions the Asoki tribe, similar to the word Azov. It is generally accepted that the modern name of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov came to Russian toponymy at the beginning of the 17th century, thanks to the annals of Pimen. Moreover, at first it was fixed only for its part (the Taganrog Bay, which before the appearance of the city of Taganrog was called the Don Estuary). Only in the second half of the 18th century, the name "Sea of Azov" was assigned to the entire reservoir. The sea gave its name to the villages of Azovskaya and Priazovskaya, and the cities of Azov (in the lower reaches of the Don River, Rostov Region) and Novoazovsk, the village of Priazovskoye and other settlements.
In the history of the study of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, there are three stages:
Ancient (geographical) - from the time of Herodotus to the beginning of the 19th century.
Geological and geographical - XIX century. - 40s of the XX century.
Complex - the middle of the XX century. - today.
The first map of Pontus Euxinus and Meotida was made by Claudius Ptolemy, he also determined the geographical coordinates for cities, estuaries, capes and bays of the coast of the Sea of Azov.
In 1068, the Russian prince Gleb Svyatoslavich, who ruled at that time in Tmutarakan, measured the distance between Kerch and Taman on the ice. As the inscription on the Tmutarakan stone testifies, the distance from Tmutarakan to Korchevo (the ancient name of Kerch) was approximately 20 km (for 939 years this distance increased by 3 km.) From the XII-XIV centuries. the Genoese and Venetians began to draw up portolans (pilots and sea charts) of the Black and Azov Seas.
GEOGRAPHY OF THE SEA OF AZOV
The extreme points of the Sea of Azov lie between 45°12′30″ and 47°17′30″ N. latitude and between 33°38′ (Lake Sivash) and 39°18′ east. longitude. Its greatest length is 380 km, the greatest width is 200 km; coastline length 2686 km; surface area - 37,800 km² (this area does not include islands and spits, occupying 107.9 km²).
According to morphological features, it belongs to flat seas and is a shallow water body with low coastal slopes. In terms of distance from the ocean, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is the most continental sea on the planet.
In winter, partial or complete freezing is possible, while ice is carried into the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait. As a rule, ice formation is typical for January, but in cold years it can occur a month earlier.
Map of the depths of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov 
The underwater relief of the sea is relatively simple. With distance from the coast, the depth slowly and smoothly increases, reaching 13 m in the central part of the sea. The main area of the bottom is characterized by depths of 5–13 m. The location of the isobaths, which is close to symmetrical, is disturbed by their slight elongation in the northeast towards the Taganrog Bay. The 5 m isobath is located about 2 km from the coast, moving away from it near the Taganrog Bay and in the bay itself near the mouth of the Don. In the Taganrog Bay, the depths increase from the mouth of the Don (2–3 m) towards the open part of the sea, reaching 8–9 m at the boundary of the bay with the sea. western (Morskaya and Arabatskaya banks) coasts, the depths over which decrease from 8–9 to 3–5 m. The underwater coastal slope of the northern coast is characterized by wide shallow water (20–30 km) with depths of 6–7 m underwater slope to depths of 11–13 m.
The catchment area of the Sea of Azov Basin is 586,000 km².
The sea shores are mostly flat and sandy, only on the southern coast there are hills of volcanic origin, which in some places turn into steep frontal mountains.
Sea currents are dependent on the very strong northeast and southwest winds blowing here and therefore change direction very often. The main current is a circular current along the shores of the Sea of Azov counterclockwise.
Salinity
Changes in the salinity of the Sea of Azov in the 20th century
The hydrochemical features of the Sea of Azov are formed primarily under the influence of an abundant inflow of river waters (up to 12% of the water volume) and difficult water exchange with the Black Sea.
The salinity of the sea before the regulation of the Don was three times less than the average salinity of the ocean. Its value on the surface varied from 1 ppm at the mouth of the Don to 10.5 ppm in the central part of the sea and 11.5 ppm near the Kerch Strait. After the creation of the Tsimlyansk hydroelectric complex, the salinity of the sea began to rise. By 1977, the average salinity of the sea had increased to 13.8 ppm, and in the Taganrog Bay - to 11.2. In a larger area of the sea, the water salinized to 14–14.5 ‰. During the period of relatively high humidity (1979–1982), a rapid decrease in salinity to 10.9 ‰ was noted, but by 2000 its value increased again and stabilized at the level of 11 ‰. Average seasonal fluctuations in salinity rarely reach 1-2 percent.
In the northern part of the Sea of Azov, the water contains very little salt. For this reason, the sea freezes easily, and therefore, before the advent of icebreakers, it was unnavigable from December to mid-April. The southern part of the sea does not freeze and remains moderate in temperature.
During the 20th century, almost all more or less large rivers flowing into the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov were blocked by dams to create reservoirs. This has led to a significant reduction in the discharge of fresh water and silt into the sea.
The main ionic composition of water in the open part of the sea differs from the salt composition of the ocean in the relative poverty of chlorine and sodium ions and the increased content of the predominant components of land waters - calcium, carbonates and sulfates.
Transparency and color of water
The transparency of the waters of the Sea of Azov is low. It is not the same in different regions and at different times of the year and ranges from 0.5 to 8 m. The inflow of a large amount of muddy river waters, the rapid resuspension of bottom silts during sea waves and the presence of significant masses of plankton in the Azov water determine its low transparency. The lowest transparency is observed in the Taganrog Bay (0.5–0.9 m, occasionally up to 2 m). The color of the water here varies from greenish-yellow to brown-yellow. In the eastern and western regions of the sea, the transparency is much higher - on average 1.5–2 m, but can reach 3–4 m. 5 to 8 m. The water here is greenish-blue. In summer, transparency increases almost everywhere, but in some parts of the sea, due to the rapid development of the smallest plant and animal organisms in the upper layers of the water, it drops to zero and the water acquires a bright green color. This phenomenon is called the "bloom" of the sea.
Flora and fauna
Phytoplankton and benthos are developed. Phytoplankton consists (in%): diatoms - 55, peridinium - 41.2, and blue-green algae - 2.2. Among the biomass of benthos, mollusks occupy a dominant position. Their skeletal remains, represented by calcium carbonate, have a significant share in the formation of modern bottom sediments and accumulative surface bodies.
The ichthyofauna of the Sea of Azov currently includes 103 species and subspecies of fish belonging to 76 genera, and is represented by anadromous, semi-anadromous, marine and freshwater species.
Anadromous species of fish feed in the sea until puberty, and enter the river only for spawning. The breeding period in rivers and or on borrowings usually does not exceed 1-2 months. Among the Azov anadromous fish there are the most valuable commercial species, such as beluga, stellate sturgeon, herring, fish and shemaya.
Semi-anadromous species for breeding come from the sea into the rivers. However, in rivers they can linger for a longer time than anadromous (up to a year). As for the juveniles, they leave the spawning grounds very slowly and often stay in the river for the winter. Semi-anadromous fish include mass species such as pike perch, bream, ram, sabrefish and some others.
Marine species breed and feed in salty waters. Among them, species that constantly live in the Sea of Azov stand out - pelengas, Black Sea Kalkan, flounder-glossa, sprat, perkarina, three-spined stickleback, long-snouted needle fish and all types of gobies. And, finally, there is a large group of marine fish that enters the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea, including those that make regular migrations: the Azov and Black Sea anchovy, Black Sea herring, red mullet, golden mullet, sharp-nosed mullet, black sea trout, horse mackerel, mackerel, etc.
Freshwater species usually constantly live in one area of the reservoir and do not make large migrations. These species usually inhabit desalinated water areas of the sea. Here you can find such fish as sterlet, silver carp, pike, ide, bleak, etc.
Marine mammals in the Sea of Azov are represented by one species - the harbor porpoise (other names are Azovka, Azov dolphin, puffer, pig). The porpoise leads a herd life. Groups consist of two to ten individuals. The population has always been small, there are no modern data. Azovka is the smallest animal from the group of cetaceans. And representatives of the local Azov-Black Sea population are smaller than dolphins from other parts of the range. Females are slightly larger than males: 90-150 cm. Known maximum sizes of males reached 167 cm, and females - 180 cm. The average weight of azovok is 30.2 kg. Life expectancy - 25-30 years.
In terms of the number of plant and animal organisms, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov has no equal in the world. In terms of fish productivity, that is, the number of fish per unit area, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is 6.5 times greater than the Caspian Sea, 40 times the Black Sea, and 160 times the Mediterranean Sea.
Sea of Azov, city of Yeysk 
Geographical features of the Sea of Azov
Geographical features of major or particular interest are listed in clockwise order along the coast starting from the Genichesk Strait.
Bays and estuaries:
On the territory of Ukraine:
in the northwest: Utlyuk estuary, Molochny estuary, Obitochny Bay, Berdyansk Bay.
On Russian territory:
in the north-east: Taganrog Bay, Miussky Estuary, Yeysky Estuary;
in the east: Yasensky Bay, Beisugsky estuary, Akhtarsky estuary;
in the south-east: Temryuk Bay;
in the southwest: Kazantip Bay, Arabatsky Bay;
in the west: Sivash Bay (since April 1, 2014, it has been de facto a section of the Russian-Ukrainian state border).
Spit, capes, largest islands:
Main article: Spit of the Sea of Azov
On the territory of Ukraine:
in the northwest: Fedotova Spit and Spit Biryuchy Ostrov (Utlyuk Estuary), Obitochnaya Spit (Obitochny Bay), Berdyansk Spit (Berdyansk Bay);
in the northeast: Belosarayskaya Spit, Curve Spit.
On Russian territory:
in the northeast: Beglitskaya Spit, Petrushina Spit, Taganrog Cape;
in the east: Cape Chumbursky, Glafirovskaya spit, Long spit, Kamyshevatskaya spit, Yasenskaya spit (Beisugsky estuary), Achuevskaya spit (Akhtarsky estuary), Yeyskaya spit, Sazalnikskaya spit;
in the southeast: Cape Achuevsky and Cape Kamenny (Temryuk Bay);
in the Kerch Strait: Chushka Spit, Tuzla Spit, Tuzla Island;
in the south-west: Cape Khroni, Cape Zyuk, Cape Chagany and Cape Kazantip;
in the west: Arabatskaya Strelka spit.
Rivers flowing into the sea:
On the territory of Ukraine:
in the northwest: Maly Utlyuk, Molochnaya, Korsak, Lozovatka, Obitochnaya, Berda, Kalmius, Gruzsky Elanchik;
On Russian territory:
in the northeast: Wet Elanchik, Mius, Sambek, Don, Kagalnik, Wet Chuburka, Eya;
in the southeast: Protoka, Kuban.
Legal status
The international legal status of the sea is determined by a number of sources of law, the most relevant of which is the Treaty between the Russian Federation and Ukraine on Cooperation in the Use of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait (ratified by both parties in 2004). In this document, Azov is categorized as inland waters in Russia and Ukraine.
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SOURCE OF PHOTO AND MATERIAL:
Team Nomads
The Sea of Azov // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.
Neznamov P. A. Map of the Sea of Azov in 1699 // Proceedings of the State. ist. museum. - 1941. - Issue. 14. - S. 73-81, repr. cards.
Velokurova N. I. Hydrometeorological characteristics of the Sea of Azov / N. I. Velokurova, D. K. Starov. - Moscow-Leningrad: Gidrometeoizdat, 1947.
Tushin Yu. P. Russian navigation in the Azov, Caspian and Black Seas (XVII century) / Yu. P. Tushin; Auth. foreword V. V. Mavrodin; Artistic D. Stankevich; Leningrad Order of Lenin State University named after A.A. Zhdanov. - M .: Nauka (Chief edition of the eastern literature), 1978. - 184 p. — 10,000 copies. (reg.)
Encyclopedia of Taganrog. - Rostov-on-Don: Rostizdat, 2003. - 512 p. — ISBN 5-7509-0662-0.
Brodyanoy A.V. Names of the Sea of Azov. - Vradievka: Publishing house Kovalenko A.G., 2008. - 48 p. - ISBN 978-966-2035-01-8.
http://club.foto.ru/
Wikipedia site
The Inland Sea of Azov is located in the south of European Russia. It is connected by a narrow (up to 4 km), shallow (4-5 m) Kerch Strait to the Black Sea. The border between the seas runs along the line of Cape Takil - Cape Panagia.
The Sea of Azov is the shallowest and one of the smallest seas in the world. Its area is 39 thousand km 2, the volume of water is 290 km 3, the average depth is 7 m, the greatest depth is 13 m.
Sea of Azov
The sea has a relatively simple outline. The northern coast is flat, steep, with alluvial sand spits. Arabatskaya spit in the west
The arrow separates the Sivash Bay from the sea, which is connected to the sea by the Genik Strait. In the southeast, the Kuban delta stretches for 100 km with extensive floodplains and numerous channels. The Kuban flows into the top of the open Temryuk Bay. In the northeast, the largest bay of the sea, Taganrog, juts out into the land for 140 km, the top of which is the Don delta.
Hydrology
Almost all river runoff into the sea (more than 90%) comes from the Don and Kuban. The vast majority of runoff falls on the spring-summer season.
The main exchange of the waters of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov occurs through the Kerch Strait with the Black Sea. According to long-term average data, about 49 km 3 of water annually flows out of the Sea of Azov with a surface stream, and about 34 km 3 of the Black Sea water enters it in the lower course. The resulting runoff of water from the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea is approximately 15 km 3 /year.
Climate
The climate of the Sea of Azov, deeply penetrating into the land, is continental. It is characterized by cold winters, dry and hot summers. In the autumn-winter season, the weather is determined by the influence of the spur of the Siberian anticyclone with a predominance of east and northeast winds at a speed of 4-7 m/s. Strengthening the impact of this spur causes strong winds (up to 15 m/s) and is accompanied by cold air intrusions. The average monthly temperature in January is -1-5°, during northeastern storms it drops to -25-27°.
Warm, clear weather with light winds prevails in spring and summer. In July, the average monthly temperature throughout the sea is 23-25°, and the maximum is over 30°. During this season, especially in spring, Mediterranean cyclones quite often pass over the sea, accompanied by western and southwestern winds at a speed of 4-6 m/s, and sometimes squalls.
The amount of atmospheric precipitation on the eastern coast of the sea is 500 mm per year, on the western coast - about 300 mm.
The small size and shallow depths of the sea contribute to the rapid development of wind waves. A few hours after the start of the wind, the wave reaches a steady state and just as quickly fades when the wind stops. The waves are short, steep, in the open sea they reach a height of 1-2 m, sometimes up to 3 m.
Interannual fluctuations in sea level, determined by long-term changes in the components of the water balance, are several centimeters. Seasonal level changes mainly depend on the regime of river flow. The annual course of the level is characterized by its increase in the spring-summer months and decrease in autumn and winter, the range of fluctuations is on average 20 cm.
The winds prevailing over the sea cause significant surge fluctuations in the level. The most significant level rises were noted in Taganrog - up to 6 m. In other points surges of 2-4 m are possible (Genichesk, Yeysk, Mariupol), in the Kerch Strait - about 1 m.
With sharp changes in atmospheric pressure and wind in the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, seiches can occur - free standing fluctuations in the level. In the water areas of ports, seiches are excited with periods from several minutes to several hours. In the sea, seiches are observed with a daily period of 20-50 cm.
Bottom relief
Shallow shores of the sea pass into a flat flat bottom. Depths gradually increase with distance from the coast. The greatest depths are in the central part of the sea, the depths in the Taganrog Bay are from 2 to 9 m. Mud volcanoes are known in the Temryuk Bay.
Bottom relief and currents of the Sea of Azov
currents
Currents in the sea are excited mainly by the wind. The slope of the level, created as a result of the action of the wind, causes compensatory currents. In the pre-estuary areas of the Don and Kuban, runoff currents are traced.
Under the action of the western and south-western winds, the circulation of waters counterclockwise is formed in the sea. Cyclonic circulation is also excited by easterly and northeasterly winds, which are stronger in the northern part of the sea. With the same winds, but stronger in the southern part of the sea, the currents have an anticyclonic character. With weak winds and calm, slight currents of variable directions are noted.
Since weak and moderate winds prevail over the sea, currents with speeds up to 10 cm/s have the highest frequency. With strong winds (15-20 m/s), the current velocities are 60-70 cm/s.
In the Kerch Strait, with northern winds, a current from the Sea of Azov is observed, and with winds with a southern component, Black Sea water enters the sea. The prevailing current velocities in the strait increase from 10-20 to 30-40 cm/s in its narrowest part. After strong winds, compensatory currents develop in the strait.
ice coverage
Ice forms annually on the Sea of Azov, and the ice cover (the area occupied by ice) strongly depends on the nature of the winter (severe, moderate, mild). In moderate winters, by the beginning of December, ice forms in the Taganrog Bay. During December, fast ice is established along the northern coast of the sea, and a little later - along the other coasts. The width of the fast ice strip is from 1.5 km in the south to 6 - 7 km in the north. In the central part of the sea, only at the end of January - beginning of February, floating ice appears, which then freezes into ice fields of high density (9-10 points). The ice cover reaches its greatest development in the first half of February, when its thickness is 30-40 cm, in the Taganrog Bay - 60-80 cm.
Ice conditions during the winter are unstable. When changing cold and warm air masses and wind fields over the sea, ice fields are repeatedly broken and drifted, and hummocks are formed. In the open sea, the height of hummocks does not exceed 1 m, and near the Arabatskaya Strelka it can reach up to 5 m. In mild winters, the central part of the sea, as a rule, is free of ice, it is observed only along the coast, in bays and estuaries.
Clearing of the sea from ice in moderate winters occurs during March, first in the southern regions and estuaries, then in the north, and finally in the Taganrog Bay. The average duration of the ice period is 4.5 months. In abnormally warm and severe winters, the periods of ice formation and melting can be shifted by 1-2 months or even more.
Water temperature and salinity
In winter, almost throughout the entire water area, the water temperature on the surface is negative or close to zero, only near the Kerch Strait it rises to 1-3 °. In summer, throughout the sea, the temperature on the surface is uniform - 24-25 °. The maximum values in July - August in the open sea are up to 28 °, and off the coast they can exceed 30 °.
The shallowness of the sea contributes to the rapid spread of wind and convective mixing to the bottom, which leads to an equalization of the vertical temperature distribution: its difference in most cases does not exceed 1°. However, in summer, when there is calm, a layer of temperature jump is formed, which limits the exchange with the bottom layers.
Water temperature and salinity on the surface of the Sea of Azov in summer
The spatial distribution of salinity under conditions of natural inflow of river waters was rather uniform, horizontal gradients were observed only in the Taganrog Bay, at the outlet of which the salinity of 6-8‰ prevailed. In the water area of the open sea, salinity was in the range of 10-11‰. Vertical gradients were observed sporadically in almost all areas, mainly due to the inflow of Black Sea waters. Seasonal changes did not exceed 1‰, only in the Taganrog Bay they increased under the influence of the intra-annual runoff distribution.
Since there are no significant differences in water temperature and salinity in most of the sea area, water masses are not distinguished here. The Taganrog Bay is filled with fresh and brackish sea waters, the boundary between which is approximately determined by the salinity of 2‰.
In the 60s - 70s. in the Azov Sea basin, fresh water withdrawals for economic purposes increased, which led to a reduction in river runoff into the sea and, accordingly, an increase in the inflow of Black Sea waters. This coincided with a period of low humidity in the catchment area of the sea, and, under the influence of all factors, an increase in salinity began in 1967. In 1976, the average salinity in the sea reached its maximum value - 13.7‰. In the Taganrog Bay, it increased to 7-10‰ at the outlet of the bay - up to 12‰. The spatial unevenness of salinity became more noticeable; in the Kerch region, especially in dry years, its values increased to 15-18‰, i.e. to values never seen at sea since the turn of the century.
Salt mines in the Sivash Bay
Increased distribution of Black Sea waters in the bottom layers of the sea led to an increase in vertical gradients of salinity and density, worsened the conditions for mixing and ventilation of bottom waters. The likelihood of oxygen deficiency (hypoxia) and the creation of deadly conditions for organisms has increased.
However, in the 80s. Don runoff increased, which had a positive effect on salinity. By the end of the 80s. salinity has decreased again, and at present there is no salinization of the Sea of Azov.
Economic importance and environmental problems
With a natural water regime until the beginning of the 50s. The Sea of Azov was characterized by exceptionally high biological productivity. A large amount of nutrients entered the sea with the river runoff, and 70-80% was introduced with the spring flood.
This ensured the abundant development of phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthos. The area of floodplain and estuary spawning grounds in the lower reaches of the Don and Kuban reached 40-50 thousand km2. These factors, as well as good warming of the sea, low salinity, sufficient saturation of water with oxygen, a long growing season, and a rapid turnover of biogenic substances, determined favorable conditions for the life of the ichthyofauna, numbering 80 species. No wonder the ancient Greeks called the Sea of Azov Meotida, which means "nurse".
In the 30s. In the 20th century, the total fish catch in the Sea of Azov reached 300 thousand tons, more than half of which were valuable fish species (sturgeon, pike perch, bream, etc.).
The regulation of the Don in 1952 (the creation of the Tsimlyansk reservoir), the reduction in runoff by 13-15 km 3 /year, and other consequences of economic activity in the sea basin caused serious negative changes in the sea ecosystem.
The decrease in the annual runoff of the Don by 30%, a significant reduction in the volume of floods caused a decrease in the area of spawning grounds, violated the conditions for the reproduction of freshwater fish species.
The amount and composition of biogenic substances entering the sea and their distribution throughout the year have changed greatly. Most of the suspended matter settles in the Tsimlyansk reservoir; their quantity introduced into the sea in spring and early summer has significantly decreased; the supply of mineral forms of phosphorus and nitrogen was reduced, and the number of organic forms, which are more difficult to assimilate by organisms, increased sharply. Nutrients reaching the sea are mainly consumed in the Taganrog Bay and are carried out to the open sea in small quantities.
The pollution of river and sea waters has increased with various harmful chemicals - pesticides, phenols, in some areas of the sea - with oil products. The greatest pollution is observed in the mouth areas of the Don and Kuban and in the water areas adjacent to large ports. These environmental changes have led to a sharp drop in the biological productivity of the sea. The forage base of fish has decreased several times, and the total catches of mainly valuable fish species have decreased.
The water management situation in the sea basin is very tense. At present, an average of about 28 km 3 of river water per year enters the sea. With such a volume of runoff, it is possible to maintain its salinity within the range of up to 13-14‰. A further increase in water consumption in the basin of the reservoir is unacceptable, as this will cause an irreversible increase in salinity to the level of the Black Sea and will lead to a deterioration in the conditions for the habitat of the most valuable marine organisms.
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