The length of the coastline of the Sea of ​​Azov. Sea of ​​Azov. Rest on the Sea of ​​Azov. Economic importance and environmental problems

Our ancestors who inhabited ancient Rus' The Sea of ​​Azov was known in the first century. But they called it differently - affectionately the Blue Sea. It may well be that our great poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, who stayed in Tmutarakan (former name) and wrote the Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish, which is still popular among both children and adults, had in mind the hut of an old man with an old woman with a broken trough precisely on its shore.

He called him "blue" too!? And "Lukomorye has a green oak" from the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila"? - this is also about the Blue Sea. The truth about the one that merged with the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait. And a place where our warm south seas rush into each other's arms and was called Lukomorye! It is not far from the resort on the shores of the Temryuk Bay of the Sea of ​​Azov, which is especially loved by Muscovites: there is much more sun here than in the same Sochi and Gelendzhik (it shines 280 days a year) plus magnificent sandy beaches plus plenty of attractions and entertainment. But it is also surprising that, after returning home, tourists quite often confuse which seas they swam in: from the Sea of ​​Azov to the stone’s throw, and the temptations to swim in both are strong! What vacationers do with great passion!

But after all, only Russians lived on the shores of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov. As then, so now their shores were inhabited and inhabited by representatives of other large and small nations. Therefore, say, the Greeks are still living in compact settlements with a pronounced culture of the Hellenes and Athenian architecture, called this shallowest body of water in the world - Meotian Lake. Romans - Meotian swamp. Turks - Bahr - el Assak or Bahr-y Assak, which literally translates - dark, blue sea.

I must say that throughout its history, the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov was renamed several times. Sometimes it was called Samakush, sometimes Salakar, sometimes Mayutis. And as evidenced by the chronicles, in particular, by Pimen, dating back to the seventeenth century, the sea became the Sea of ​​Azov in tune with the city of Azov founded on its shore. At least in the eighteenth century, this name was firmly established behind him. Hence the villages derived from it - Azovskaya, Priazovskaya, the city of Novoazovsky or the village of Priazovskiy.

Taking into account the fact that the Sea of ​​Azov through the Kerch Strait still connects with the Black Sea, it can rightly be called a semi-enclosed sea. It splashes in the east of Europe. This is the most, we emphasize once again, the shallowest sea in the world. Its average depth ranges from 6 to seven and a half meters, the maximum exceeds thirteen and a half meters.
Like the Black Sea, the Sea of ​​Azov is connected by straits and seas to the great Atlantic Ocean. In this sequence: through the Kerch Strait - with the Black Sea, through the Bosphorus Strait with the Sea of ​​​​Marmara, then through the Dardanelles with the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas and already through the Strait of Gibraltar merges with the Atlantic Ocean. Quite muddy rivers flow into the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov, plus not so great depth, silt deposits at the bottom. Therefore, unlike the Black Sea, the Azov Sea is not so transparent - from 0.5 to 8 meters of visibility, depending on weather conditions.

Dimensions and features of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov

Its surface area is 37,800 square kilometers. You can add another 107.9 to them square kilometers, which fall on the islands and spits. The coastline exceeds 1470 kilometers. The largest length is 380, the largest width is 200 kilometers. The drainage area is 586,000 kilometers.
Salinity exceeds 14-15 percent. Unlike the Black Sea, there is less chlorine and calcium in the water, but it is richer in carbonates and sulfates. Average annual temperature water is about 11 degrees, in the summer it warms up to 24-26, but it happens, in some places, up to 30-odd. In winter, it can cool down to one with a plus sign or to zero. With more low temperatures air, even ice is formed, which enters the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait. Adding extra trouble to the sailors, especially in the Novorossiysk area, when in winter the North wind boron, which binds the hulls of ships with an ice shell.

Marine life

The Sea of ​​Azov is a true paradise for lovers fishing. There is no other reservoir in the world richer in fish! It is found here six and a half times more than, for example, in the Caspian Sea. Forty times more than in the Black Sea. And 160 times more than in the Mediterranean. There are more than a hundred species and subspecies of fish. There are so-called anadromous, entering the rivers to spawn - beluga, stellate sturgeon, herring, fish. There are semi migratory species that enter the rivers for breeding and even winter in them - carp, bream, ram, pike perch, etc. Sterlet, bleak, pike, silver carp, and ide are found in the desalinated waters of the sea. Well, who among the lovers of fishing does not know such inhabitants of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov as red mullet, striped mullet, horse mackerel, mackerel, pelengas from the mullet or anchovy family, which the same Muscovites take lightly salted or salted in large containers to their native land and treat their relatives and friends. Under boiled potatoes - the most relish!
There are larger inhabitants in the sea. For example, a porpoise is an Azov dolphin. It is also called pig, puffer. They live either in pairs or in flocks of up to ten or more individuals. Females are larger than males - 90, 150 centimeters. Weighing thirty or more kilograms. Live for 25-30 years. In the floodplains of the estuaries adjacent to the sea, there is a lot of waterfowl, among the reeds you can see wild boar, fox and muskrat, brought here from North America.

Rest on the sea

We have already said that the length of the coastline of the Sea of ​​Azov reaches almost one and a half thousand kilometers. Of course, most of them are on the magnificent sandy beaches. And the entire coast of the sea is an almost continuous area for recreation with resort towns and settlements, thousands of sanatoriums, boarding houses, recreation centers, children's health camps, tent camps, hotels, hotels, a huge private sector. For example, the same world-famous Taman in 2001 received the status of a resort of federal significance due to the presence of a large number of therapeutic mud both mined from the bottom of salt lakes, estuaries, and extinct or active mud volcanoes.

Silt or mud applications will help you get rid of skin diseases, put your musculoskeletal system in order, help with rheumatism and sciatica - the range of their beneficial effects for health is very wide, and procedures can be alternated with swimming in the sea, in which useful salts are also dissolved and which is within easy reach: the same salt lake

The Sea of ​​Azov is located in the south of the European part of Russia. It is connected by a narrow (up to 4 km) and shallow (4–3 m) Kerch Strait with.

The Sea of ​​Azov is the shallowest and one of the smallest seas in the world. Its area is 39 thousand km2, the volume of water is 290 km3, the average depth is 7 m, and the maximum depth is 15 m.

The sea has a relatively simple outline. The northern coast is flat, steep, with alluvial sand spits. In the west, it separates from the sea a bay, which is connected to the sea by the Genik Strait. In the southeast, the delta of the Kuban River stretches for 100 km with extensive floodplains and numerous channels. The Kuban River flows into the 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 delta of the Don River.

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.

Almost all river runoff into the sea (more than 90%) comes from the Don and Kuban rivers. 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. According to long-term average data, about 49 km3 of water annually flows out of the Sea of ​​Azov as surface runoff. The resulting runoff of water from the Sea of ​​Azov to the Black Sea is about 15 km3/year.

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°С, during northeastern storms it drops to –25…–27°С.

Warm, clear weather with light winds prevails in spring and summer. In July average monthly temperature throughout the sea is 23–25°C, and the maximum is more than 30°C. 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 main types of bottom sediments common in the Sea of ​​Azov are silts, silts, sands, shell rocks and sediments of a mixed type.
Silts accumulate in the deepest parts, in a hydrodynamically calm environment and occupy the maximum areas of distribution. Silts are transitional varieties bordering the central part of the reservoir and accumulating at a slight distance from the shore and in the apex of the Taganrog Bay. Sands and shell rocks are most widespread on accumulative forms, sand and shell banks, as well as spits and beaches.

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 changes levels mainly depend on the mode. 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.

With sharp changes and wind in the Sea of ​​Azov, seiches can occur - free standing fluctuations in the level. In the water areas of ports, seiches are excited with periods of several hours.

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 rivers, runoff currents are traced.

Under the action of the western and south-western winds, a clockwise circulation of waters 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. At 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 forms annually on the Sea of ​​Azov, and the ice coverage strongly depends on the nature of winter. 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 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 maximum 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 mild winters central part The seas are, as a rule, free of ice; it is observed only along the coasts, in bays and estuaries.

The clearing of the sea from ice in mild winters occurs during March, first in southern regions and estuaries, then - in the north and last of all - in the Taganrog Bay. The average duration of the ice period is 4.5 months.

In winter, almost throughout the entire water area, the water temperature on the surface is negative or close to zero, only near Kerch Strait rises to 1–3°С. In summer, throughout the sea, the temperature on the surface is uniform - 24–25 ° С. Maximum values in July-August in the open sea it reaches 28°C, and off the coast it can exceed 30°C.
The shallowness of the sea contributes to the rapid spread of wind and convective mixing to the bottom, which leads to the alignment of the vertical temperature distribution: its difference in most cases does not exceed 1°C. However, in summer, when there is calm, a layer of temperature jump is formed, which limits the exchange with the bottom layers.

Spatial distribution of salinity under conditions of natural inflow 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 high seas salinity was within 10–11‰. Vertically, in almost all regions, gradients were observed sporadically, mainly due to the influx 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.

Hydrocarbon fields of the Sea of ​​Azov

Two areas are distinguished in the Sea of ​​Azov: the oil and gas Indolo-Kuban, which corresponds to the trough of the same name in the structure of the basement and sedimentary cover, and the gas-bearing West Ciscaucasian, which includes almost the entire rest of the water area, with the exception of the eastern part of the Taganrog Bay. The latter is assigned to the Central Ciscaucasian gas-bearing region.

The oil and gas potential of the Sea of ​​Azov is associated with a wide range of deposits. It includes pre-Cretaceous (Triassic) deposits of the transitional (intermediate) complex and Cretaceous-Cenozoic sequences of the sedimentary cover of the Scythian plate. According to the data of deep exploratory drilling and well testing, five oil and gas bearing and promising complexes have been identified in the water area: pre-Cretaceous, Lower Cretaceous, Upper Cretaceous-Eocene, Maikop and Middle Miocene-Pliocene. At the same time, industrial productivity was established only in the deposits of the Maikop series and the Middle-Upper Miocene, in which gas deposits were discovered.

In the Western Ciscaucasian region, in the zone Azov shaft Maikop deposits are productive in Morskaya, Small, Zapadno-Beisugskaya, Beisugskaya and Strelkovaya areas. The gas content of the Middle-Upper Miocene deposits was established in the Obruchevskaya, Signalnaya, Zapadno-Beisugskaya and Oktyabrskaya areas. It should be noted that in the Beisugskaya area, which is, as it were, the boundary between the local uplifts of the Azov and Kanevsko-Berezansky swells, the main gas reserves are associated with the Eocene sandy-clayey formations of the Tikhoretskaya and Cherkasskaya formations; Lower Cretaceous deposits are also productive, although their gas reserves are insignificant.

In the offshore part of the Indolo-Kuban region, industrial gas content has been established in the Middle Miocene clay-carbonate formations in the Severo-, Severo-Bulganakskaya, Severo- and Vostochno- and Seismic exploration areas.

All gas deposits identified in the water area are located in the depth interval of 300–1500 m, reservoir pressures in them are close to hydrostatic ones, the initial well flow rates are small and amount to a few tens of thousands of m3/day.

The volume of predicted hydrocarbon resources in the Sea of ​​Azov, estimated in 2002, amounted to about 1.5 billion tons of reference fuel (CF), including 757.4 million tons of fuel equivalent in the Russian sector of the Sea of ​​Azov. Of these, in the Indolo-Kuban trough - 35.7 million tons of coal fuel, at the Timashovskaya step - 372.8 million tons of coal fuel, on the Azov swell - 342.1 million tons of coal fuel and in the North Azov trough - 6.9 million tons of coal fuel.

Until recently, the Sea of ​​Azov was the most productive fishing reservoir in the world. The ichthyofauna of the Sea of ​​Azov has a complex genesis and includes representatives of various faunal complexes - Mediterranean, Ponto-Caspian, boreal-Atlantic and freshwater. Currently, it includes 103 species and subspecies of fish. Of these, 14 species are rare, endangered and vulnerable - 7. The number of marine species is 39, freshwater - 8, anadromous and catadromous migrants - 14, brackish water - 42. The average catch per unit of its water area was 70–80 kg/ha. In the second half of the 1930s, the annual catches of “white” and “red” fish, together with herring, reached 140–170 thousand tons.

This was mainly determined by exceptionally favorable physical-geographical and, in particular, hydrometeorological conditions, which include:

• the inland location of the Sea of ​​Azov in temperate latitudes on the southern margin of the Russian Plain;
• temperate continental climate;
• a large influx of total solar radiation (from 4.9 to 5.3 thousand MJ / m2), positive for the year, causing a relatively high average annual and summer (11.5 ° C and 24–25 ° C, respectively);
• the character that determines, in particular, the intense wind mixing of waters;
• a large, relative to the volume of the sea, inflow of nutrient-rich river waters, which leads to a positive freshwater balance;
• reduced, approximately three times, in comparison with the waters of the ocean, salinity;
• high concentrations of biogenic salts in its waters (total nitrogen on average 1000 mg/m3, including mineral - 120 mg/m3; total phosphorus - 65 mg/m3, including mineral - 9 mg/m3; silicon - 570 mg/m3; m3).

To a large extent, the high fish productivity of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov was associated with the presence huge areas(most of which are now lost as a result of hydrotechnical construction), floodplain and estuary spawning grounds of anadromous and semi-anadromous fish, the reproduction of which was provided by high and long spring (55% of the annual volume in the natural period and 29% in the modern) or spring-summer flood.

Characterized by low inertia and rapid response to the variability of river runoff and processes that determine the large spatial and temporal variability of not only hydrophysical and parameters, but also biological characteristics.

At present, due to the impact of economic activity (mainly irrational fishing), commercial catches in the Azov Sea basin do not exceed 40 thousand tons, and the basis of catches is only low-value fish species: sprat, anchovy, gobies, as well as an acclimatized species - pilengas. Such valuable fish species as sturgeon, herring, fish, shemaya, bream, carp, etc., which in the recent past formed the basis of fishing, have now almost completely lost their commercial value.

The regulation of the Don River in 1952 (the creation of the Tsimlyansk Reservoir), the reduction in runoff by 13–15 km3 per 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 River 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 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 - phenols, in some areas of the sea - with oil products. The greatest pollution is observed in the mouth areas of the Don and Kuban rivers and in the water areas adjacent to major 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, mainly of valuable fish species, have decreased.

The water management situation in the sea basin is very tense. Currently, an average of about 28 km3 of river water per year enters the sea. With such a volume of runoff, it is possible to maintain its salinity within 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.

Sea of ​​Azov, especially Russian part, is a zone favorable for the accumulation of various pollutants, primarily because the bottom of this basin is almost entirely covered with silts of various compositions that accumulate various pollutants. At the same time, most of the main sources of these pollutants are concentrated in the Russian part of this basin. This is, first of all, major rivers Don and Kuban, as well as a number of port cities, including such big center like Rostov-on-Don. Almost all such sources are located in the Taganrog Bay, and Mariupol, which is one of the main polluters, is located on the territory, its influence is also felt in the Russian part of the bay. In addition, the Taganrog Bay has the largest length of abrasion shores in the Sea of ​​Azov, many sections of which are subject to catastrophic erosion. Thus, the Taganrog Bay and its shores are the least ecologically stable in the entire Sea of ​​Azov. Smaller pollution zones associated with the removal of pollutants from land are outlined on the pre-estuary seashore of the Kuban and at the mouth of its Ponura channel, where water comes from rice paddies.

An important place in the Sea of ​​Azov in terms of the nature of pollution is occupied by a special strip of water area - the route of passage of ships from the Kerch Strait to the Taganrog Bay. Special in terms of environmental hazard area on Russian coast The Sea of ​​​​Azov is a zone of Kuban floodplains from Primorsko-Akhtarsk to Temryuk. Over the past 100 years, this entire area has twice been subjected to catastrophic flooding during storm surges from the northwest.

Recreational resources

The total length of the Sea of ​​Azov (within Russia) is about 1000 km and covers a vast territory within Rostov region and Krasnodar Territory. The coastal zone of the sea has favorable natural and climatic conditions for the development of recreational economy. Recreational resources flat territory and the Eastern Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov, of course, lose popular resorts the Black Sea, but upon closer examination, they can make a certain contribution to solving the problems of treatment and active rest population. At present, it is expedient to use the territory for the creation of recreational types of systems proper (that is, only for recreation), the organization of medical resort areas is possible only on the basis of deposits of mineral waters and therapeutic mud. Favorable natural conditions (sunshine, warm sea, sandy beaches, the presence of balneological sources) create a relatively favorable combination for organizing recreation, tourism and, possibly, treatment, designed to meet the needs various groups population. To improve the recreational qualities of the territory, it is necessary to resume work on the preparation of a regional program for recreational nature management, the creation of a network of medical and recreational enterprises that use the local natural potential and are designed primarily for local resident, as well as measures to develop norms and recommendations for the rational use of the coastal zone.

Depth of the Sea of ​​Azov

It is considered the smallest of the seas in the world. The Sea of ​​Azov is located in the eastern part of Europe. Its relief under water is not distinguished by originality or a chain of some complex patterns - the depth slowly and smoothly increases, the further you move away from the coastline. In the central part, the depth is about 14m. Most often the depth larger area seabed from 5 to 13 m. Deepest in the center.

Elevations are guessed in the structure of the sea bottom, they go along the eastern and western coasts, so the depth there decreases accordingly from 8-9 to 3-5m. The northern coast is known for its wide shallow area of ​​30 km, the depth of which is no more than 7, while the southern coast is a steep slope up to 12 meters deep.

The catchment area of ​​the entire sea basin is 586 thousand km2. Its shores are mostly sandy and flat, only the south coast is clearly covered with hills. volcanic origin, passing in some places into the mountains.

sea ​​currents are more dependent on the direction of the wind, so they are very changeable in terms of direction. The main current of the Sea of ​​Azov is circular along the coast.

Shores of the shallow sea

The landscape on the coast of Azov is somewhat inferior to its fellow Black in terms of picturesqueness and variety of objects. However, it still has its own unique style and beauty. The neighbors of the sea are the steppes, in some places the floodplains, abundantly overgrown with reeds. The shores are either low and flat, where the beach is sandy with shells, or low with cliffs. The general line of coasts has a smooth outline, indented to some extent by sand spits. There are especially many of them here and this is also part of the unique picture.

Of course, if you compare it with other seas, the Sea of ​​Azov is considered shallow. However, this in no way detracts from either its significance on the world map, or its beauty and natural features.

The underwater relief of the Sea of ​​Azov is relatively simple. As they move away from the coast, the depths slowly and smoothly increase, reaching 14.4 m in the central part of the sea. The main area of ​​the bottom of the Sea of ​​Azov is characterized by depths of 5-13 m. nai great depths located in the center of the sea. 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 border of the bay with the sea.

In the relief of the bottom of the Sea of ​​Azov, systems of underwater heights are noted, elongated along the eastern (Zhelezinskaya bank) and western (Marskaya and Arabatskaya banks) coasts, the depths above which decrease from 8-9 to 3-5 m. For the underwater coastal slope north coast characterized by wide shallow water (20-30 km) with depths of 6-7 m, for the southern coast - a steep underwater slope to depths of 11-12 m. The catchment area of ​​the Azov Sea Basin is 586,000 km2. south coast there are hills of volcanic origin, which in some places turn into steep advanced 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.

Large or of particular interest listed geographic features in clockwise order along the coast of the Sea of ​​Azov, starting from the Kerch Strait.

Bays and estuaries of the Sea of ​​Azov:

Ukraine:

• in the southwest: Kazantip Bay, Arabatsky Bay;
• in the west: Sivash Bay;
• in the north-west: Utlyuksky estuary, Molochny estuary, Obitochny - bay, Berdyansk bay;

Russia:

• 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.

Spit and capes of the Sea of ​​Azov:

Ukraine:

• in the south-west: Cape Khroni, Cape Zyuk, Cape Chagany and Cape Kazantip (Kazantip Bay);
• in the west: Arabatskaya Strelka spit (Sivash Bay);
• 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;
• in the Kerch Strait: Tuzla Spit.

Russia:

• in the northeast: Beglitskaya spit;
• in the east: Cape Chumbursky, Glafirovskaya spit, Long spit, Kamyshevatskaya spit, Yasenskaya spit (Beisugsky estuary), Achuevskaya spit (Akhtarsky estuary);
• in the southeast: Cape Achuevsky and Cape Kamenny (Temryuk Bay).
• in the Kerch Strait: Chushka Spit.

Rivers flowing into the Sea of ​​Azov:

Ukraine:

• in the northwest: Maly Utlyuk, Molochnaya, Korsak, Lozovatka, Obitochnaya, Berda, Kalmius, Gruzsky Elanchik;

Russia:

• in the northeast: Wet Elanchik, Mius, Sambek, Don, Kagalnik, Wet Chuburka, Eya;
• in the southeast: Protoka, Kuban.

coast Sea of ​​Azov

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 sandbars give it some edge. A large number of braid is one of the characteristic features of the shores of the Sea of ​​​​Azov.

Western coast of the Sea of ​​Azov

West Bank 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 arrow 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 shore. In calm sunny weather, the greenish-blue waves of the sea with a slight noise gently run onto the sandy-shell beach and the light foam of the surf borders it, like 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. The Sea of ​​Azov is beautiful even 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 swift running and the stormy surf of the waves of the Sea of ​​Azov.

Any person who has visited the Sea of ​​Azov will forever have memories of its discreet, but soul-stirring beauty. On Arabat Spit open hot mineral water, in terms of its chemical composition and healing properties superior to Matsesta. Based on these healing waters it is planned to create a new resort - Azov Matsesta.

Southern coast of the Sea of ​​Azov

It is represented by the territory of the Kerch and Taman Peninsulas, between which is the Kerch Strait, which connects the Azov and Black Seas. The Kerch Peninsula is the eastern tip of 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. Northern and northeastern parts Kerch Peninsula composed of marls, clays, limestones; Tertiary sandstones occur in places. West Side The Kerch Peninsula is flat, the eastern one is hilly. Within the peninsula, the southern coast of the Sea of ​​Azov for the most part drops steeply into the sea, leaving only a narrow strip of 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 stretches a low-lying alluvial stretch of coast. The shores of both bays are composed of soft clayey rocks. South of Cape Kazantip - Aktash salt lake. This 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 coast 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 shallowness of the strait, since the “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. 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 - 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. Formation Taman Peninsula continues.

Sea of ​​Azov(Ukrainian Sea of ​​Azov) - an inland sea in the east of Europe. This is the shallowest sea in the world, its depth does not exceed 14 meters. It is connected by the Kerch Strait with the Black Sea, the geographical line with which runs along the strip - Cape Takil (Kerch Peninsula) and Cape Panagia (Taman Peninsula). Belongs to the Mediterranean system Atlantic Ocean.

Since ancient times, the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov has had different names among different peoples: the Meotian Sea, the Meotian Lake, the Scythian Ponds, Temeriada, the Mother of Pontus, the Sourozh Sea.

Because the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov is rather shallow, its bottom is covered with silty soil in a consistency with a small shell, it warms up rapidly, which is why it is perfect for families with children, since the water temperature in June is already 20-23 degrees.

General information

The last points of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov lie between 45 ° 12 "30" and 47 ° 17 "30" north. latitude and between 33 ° 38 "(Lake Sivash) and 39 ° 18" east. longitude. Its greatest length is 343 km, the greatest width is 231 km; coastline length 1472 km; surface area - 37605 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 to the continent, the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov is the most continental sea on the planet.

Bathymetry

The underwater relief of the sea is relatively simple. As you move away 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 distribution 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 approximately 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 grow from the mouth of the Don (2-3 m) towards the open part of the sea, reaching 8-9 m at the border of the bay with the sea. western (Sea and Arabat banks) coasts, the depths over which decrease from 8–9 to 3–5 m. underwater slope to depths of 11-12 m.

Square The catchment area of ​​the Sea of ​​Azov Basin is 586,000 km².

The sea shores are mainly flat and sandy, only on the southern coast there are mounds of volcanic origin, which in some places run into steep frontal mountains.

Sea currents are dependent on the very strong northeast and southwest winds blowing here and therefore very often change direction. The main current is a radial direction along the coast of the Sea of ​​Azov counterclockwise.

Salinity

The hydrochemical features of the Sea of ​​Azov are formed primarily under the influence of an abundant influx 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 increase (up to 13 ppm in the central part). Average seasonal fluctuations in salinity occasionally reach 1-2 percent.

The water contains very little salt in the northern part of the Sea of ​​Azov. For this reason, the sea simply freezes, and therefore, before the advent of icebreakers, it was unnavigable from December to mid-April. South part the sea does not freeze and remains a moderate temperature.

Fauna

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 the rivers and or on the lands usually does not exceed 1-2 months. Among the Azov anadromous fish there are the most valuable commercial species, such as beluga, sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, herring, fish and shemaya.

Semi-anadromous species for breeding come from the sea into the rivers. But in rivers they can linger for more long time than passing ones (up to a year). As for juveniles, they roll down from spawning grounds very slowly and often remain in the river for wintering. 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. These are pilengas, flounder-kalkan, glossa, tyulka, perkarina, three-spined komashka, fish-needles and all kinds of gobies. And, in the end, there is a large group of marine fish entering the Sea of ​​​​Azov from the Black Sea, including making constant movements. These include: Azov anchovy, 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 huge migrations. These species usually inhabit desalinated water areas of the sea. There are such fish as sterlet, silver carp, pike, ide, bleak, etc.

In terms of the number of plant and animal organisms, the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov has no equal in the world. In terms of productivity, the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov is 6.5 times greater than the Caspian Sea, 40 times the Dark Sea, and 160 times the Mediterranean Sea. And because it is 10 times smaller than the Dark One in size.