The Azov Sea is an inland sea in the east of Europe. This is the shallowest sea in the world, its depth does not exceed 13.5 meters. By morphological features, it belongs to flat seas and is a shallow water body with low coastal slopes. The sea shores are mostly flat and sandy, only on the southern coast are hills of volcanic origin, which in places turn into steep advanced mountains. Far from the ocean, the Sea of ​​Azov is the continental sea of ​​the planet. The coastline is indented by bays and spits, the territory of which is a protected or resort-recreational zone. The shores Sea of ​​Azov low-lying, composed of sand-shell deposits. They flow into the Sea of ​​Azov large rivers Don, Kuban and numerous small rivers Mius, Berda, etc.

The salinity level of the Sea of ​​Azov is formed primarily under the influence of the abundant inflow of river waters (up to 12% of the water volume) and the difficult water exchange with the Black Sea. The water contains very little salt in the northern part of the Azov Sea. For this reason, the sea freezes easily. In winter, partial or complete freezing is possible, while ice is carried into the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait.

The underwater relief of the sea is relatively simple. With distance from the coast, the depths slowly and smoothly increase, 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 area of ​​greatest depths is located in the center of the sea. The arrangement of isobaths, which is close to symmetric, 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. western (Morskaya and Arabatskaya banks) coasts, the depths above 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, and the southern coast is steep underwater slope to depths of 11-13 m.

Sea currents are dependent on the very strong north-east and south-west winds blowing here and therefore very often change direction. The main current is a counterclockwise circular current along the shores of the Sea of ​​Azov.

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 the onset of sexual maturity, and enter the river only for spawning. The breeding period in rivers and or on brooks usually does not exceed 1-2 months. Among the Azov migratory fish there are valuable commercial species such as beluga, sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, herring, vimbets and shemaya.

Semi-anadromous species enter rivers from the sea for breeding. However, in rivers, they can stay for a longer time than anadromous ones (up to a year). As for the juveniles, they roll down from the spawning grounds very slowly and often remain in the river for the winter. Semi-anadromous fish include common species such as pike perch, bream, ram, sabrefish and some others.

Marine species breed and feed in salty waters. Among them, the species that constantly inhabit the Sea of ​​Azov stand out. These are pilengas, flounder-kalkan, glossa, tulka, percarina, three-spined lump, needle fish and all kinds of gobies. And, finally, there is a large group of marine fish entering the Sea of ​​Azov from the Black Sea, including making regular migrations. These include: Azov anchovy, Black Sea anchovy, Black Sea herring, red mullet, singil, ostronos, striped mullet, Black Sea kalkan, 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 freshened sea areas. Here you can find such fish as sterlet, goldfish, pike, ide, bleak, etc.

In terms of the number of plant and animal organisms, the Sea of ​​Azov has no equal in the world. In terms of productivity, the Sea of ​​Azov is 6.5 times higher than the Caspian Sea, 40 times the Black Sea and 160 times the Mediterranean Sea. But in size it is 10 times smaller than Black.

Geologists are unanimous on the fact that the depths of the Azov Sea are very rich. Zircon, rutile, ilmenite were found here. Under the seabed are minerals that contain a good half of the periodic table. There are underwater mud volcanoes in the southeastern part of the sea. Industrial reserves of natural gas have been found in the depths of the Sea of ​​Azov.

The Sea of ​​Azov is a semi-enclosed shelf water body, and it belongs to the Mediterranean system.In general, this natural body of water is a zone of mixing of the Black Sea and river waters, therefore some researchers consider it as a (shallow) Black Sea bay or a spacious, vast estuary of a river.

From this article you can find out about the area of ​​the Azov Sea, about its location, the origin of the name, and many others. dr.

Sea of ​​Azov: general information

This reservoir is the northeastern Black Sea basin. Connects them together

According to its morphological characteristics, the Azov belongs to flat types and is a shallow water body with not very high coastal slopes.

A rather small area and depth of the Azov Sea is noted (the latter is not more than 14 meters, and its average depth is only about 8 meters). Moreover, more than 1/2 of the territory is up to 5 meters deep. And this is the main feature.

Without taking into account the Sivash, the Azov Sea has an elliptical shape elongated to the southwest from the northeast. It is the smallest natural body of water in the World Ocean.

Two great rivers flow into it - the Kuban and Don - and many (more than 20) smaller ones, which mostly flow from the side of its northern bank.

Parameters of the Sea of ​​Azov: area

The Azov Sea basin has an area of ​​about 570 thousand square meters. km. Its length is 343 km long, and its widest part is 231 km. 2686 kilometers - the length of the entire coastal line.

The area of ​​the Azov Sea in sq. km. is about 37,600 (this does not include the area of ​​islands and spits, which occupy 107.9 sq. km). The average volume of all water is 256 km 3. As noted above, approximately 43% of the territory is located at depths from 5 to 10 meters.

origin of name

The sea received its modern, relatively new name several centuries ago from the name of the Turkish city of Azov. The latter, in turn, comes from the name of the local feudal lord (Azak or Azum).

But even earlier, the ancient Greeks called it "Meotis limne", which means "lake of meots" (peoples who lived on the shores). The Romans called him ironically - "Palus Meotis", which means "swamp of the Meots". And this is not surprising for the Sea of ​​Azov. The area, and especially its depth, is not very large.

The Arabs called "Baral-Azov" and "Nitshlakh", and the Turks called "Bahr-Assak" (the Sea of ​​Dark Blue) and "Baryal-Assak". There were many more names in antiquity, everything is innumerable.

Azov in Russia became famous in the 1st century AD. e., and the name was given to him - the Blue Sea. After it was formed, it was called Russian. Then the sea was renamed many times (Mayutis, Salakar, Samakush, etc.). In the 13th century, the sea was approved with the name of the Saksin Sea. The Tatar-Mongol conquerors gave him the name "Chabak-dengiz" (bream or chabachye) and "Balyk-dengiz" (translated as "fish sea"). As a result of the transformation of the last name (chabak - dzybakh - zabak - azak - azov), the current name arose (dubious version). All the assumptions about the origin cannot be described here.

Animal species, water volumes, area: comparisons of the Sea of ​​Azov with other seas

The area is almost 2 times larger than the Azov, and the Chernoe is almost 11 times, and, accordingly, in terms of water volume, it is 1678 times larger.

And yet, this area could freely accommodate two European states such as Luxembourg and Belgium.

It is interesting to compare the number of species of Mediterranean plants and animals in different seas looking from west to east. In the Mediterranean - more than 6,000 species of various organisms, in the Black - 1,500, in the Azov - about 200, in the Caspian - about 28, and in the Aral there are only 2 species of organisms. This explains the fact that all of them, sometime in the distant past, gradually separated from the Mediterranean Sea.

Water spaces of the Azov Sea, area of ​​territories coastline accommodate a huge variety of animal species.

There are many different waterfowl on the shores: ducks, geese, steppe sandpipers, geese, lapwings, mute swans, black-headed gulls and many others. etc. In the sea and in the mouths of rivers flowing into it, as well as on estuaries, there are 114 species (together with subspecies) of fish. This body of water is also called the Sea of ​​Shellfish.

And in terms of biological productivity, it ranks 1st in the world.

The relief is underwater

The relief of the seabed is simple. The depths here generally increase gradually with distance from the coast, and, naturally, the deepest places are in the very center. Almost flat bottom at Azov.

The entire territory of the Sea of ​​Azov arose thanks to large bays. There are no large islands on it. There are small shoals (Turtle Island, Biryuchiy Island, etc.).

Climate

The area of ​​almost the entire surface of the water warms up quickly in April-May. From June to September, the average water temperature is more than 20 ° C, and in July-August it reaches 30 ° C. And in Sivash (for comparison), the water warms up to 42 degrees.

The swimming season lasts 124 days. During this favorable period, there is a relatively low or very high temperature of water and air for only a few days.

Due to the small size of the Sea of ​​Azov (area, depth, volume), its influence on the climate of the land surrounding it is rather weak and only slightly noticeable only in a narrow strip (coastal).

The water here heats up quickly in summer and cools down in the same way in winter. The sea freezes completely only in the most severe winters. Moreover, throughout the winter, ice forms and thaws several times, since thaws often occur in these places.

In conclusion, some interesting facts

There are some very interesting and curious facts from history.

1. For many millions of years the sea was part of a huge ocean called Tethys by geologists. Its endless expanse stretched from Central America across the Atlantic Ocean, part of Europe, Black, Mediterranean, Caspian and Aral sea and further east through India to the Pacific Ocean.

2. Russian prince Gleb in 1068 measured the distance from Kerch to Taman on ice. The inscription on indicates that the distance from Korchev to Tmutarakan (the ancient name of Kerch and Taman, respectively) was about 20 km. It turns out that over 939 years this distance has increased by 3 km.

3. Sea water contains little salt (another feature). In this regard, water freezes quite easily. Therefore, the sea is not navigable from the end of the year (December) to the very middle of April.

Beaches in the village. Kurortnoye

Holidays on the Sea of ​​Azov are preferred by those who love warm sea waves, soft golden sand and the magical aroma of steppe herbs. Located on the banks of the Azov, an ideal place for a summer vacation with children. Here you have the opportunity to wake up at dawn and admire the delightful sunrises from the depths of the sea!

The Sea of ​​Azov, as it is now, was formed several centuries ago. Initially, millions of years ago, it was part of the Tethys Ocean. The formation of continents led to the fact that the Tethys ocean was divided into more familiar seas and oceans. During the formation of the Quiet and Atlantic Ocean parts of the vast ocean were separated by new land, thus the Sarmatian Sea appeared. The Azov-Black Sea basin received this name after the tribes that inhabited its shores.

Later, with the arrival in Crimea, it was renamed into Pontic. Since about this time, scientists have been able to recreate the approximate outlines of the sea from the surviving descriptions of travelers, ancient chronicles. The Pontic Sea had an outlet to the Caspian. Busy trade routes passed through the strait that existed at that time. Several more centuries passed and the strait between the Caspian Sea and the Pontic Sea disappeared, the external outlines of the Black and Azov Seas became even more similar to modern ones.

In the 13th century, the Pontine Sea received its modern name- Azov. Historians are inclined to believe that the name comes from the Turkic settlement on the Azak coast. In translation, the word means "located in the lowlands" - this is one of the most successful decipherments of the name of the Sea of ​​Azov.

Today, along the entire coast of the Sea of ​​Azov, there are numerous resort villages and cities.On the seashore in Russia and Ukraine, there are quite large seaports hosting ships from all over the world. Hotel, recreation center, mini-hotel in Yeisk, Mariupol, Berdyansk complement the port character of the cities.

In Russia, the Sea of ​​Azov became known in the 1st century AD, and it was called the Blue Sea. After the formation of the Tmutarakan principality, the modern Azov Sea began to be called Russian. With the fall of the principality, the sea was renamed many times (Samakush, Salakar, Mayutis, etc.). At the beginning of the XIII century. the name of the Saksin Sea was approved. The Tatar-Mongol conquerors replenished the collection of the names of Azov: Balyk-dengiz (sea of ​​fish) and Chabak-dengiz (chabach, bream sea). According to some data, Chabak-Dengiz as a result of the transformation: Chabak - Dzybakh - Zabak - Azak - Azov - the modern name of the sea came about (which is doubtful). According to other sources, azak is a Turkic adjective meaning "low, low-lying", according to other sources, "azak" (Turkic "mouth of the river"), which was transformed into Azau, and then into the Russian Azov. In the interval of the above names, the Sea of ​​Azov also received the following: Barel-Azov ("Dark Blue River"); The Thracian Sea (the Thracians meant the Genoese and Venetians); The 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); Akdengiz (Turkish meaning White Sea).

The most reliable should be considered that the modern name of the sea comes from the name of the city of Azov. There are a number of hypotheses on the etymology of the word "Azov": by the name of the Polovtsian prince Azum (Azuf), who was killed during the capture of the city in 1067; by the name of the tribe of the Wasps (Assy), which, in turn, allegedly descended from the Avestan, meaning "fast"; the name is compared with the Türkic word azan - "lower", and the Circassian uzev - "neck". The Turkic name of the city of Azov is Auzak. But even in the 1st century. AD Pliny, listing the Scythian tribes in his writings, mentions the Asoki tribe, similar to the word Azov. It is believed that the modern name of the Sea of ​​Azov came into Russian toponymy at the beginning of the 17th century. thanks to the annals of Pimen. Moreover, at the beginning it was fixed only for its part (Taganrog Bay), and only during the Azov campaigns of Peter I the name of the Sea of ​​Azov was fixed for the entire reservoir. The sea gave its name to the villages of Azovskaya and Priazovskaya and the city of Azov (in the lower reaches of the Don River, Rostov region), the village of Priazovskiy and the farm Azovka.

History of the study of the Sea of ​​Azov

There are three stages in the history of the study of the Sea of ​​Azov:

1. Ancient (geographical) - from the time of Herodotus to the beginning of the XIX century.

2. Geological and geographical - XIX century. - 40s of the XX century.

3. Complex - mid XX century. - today.

The first map of Pontus Euxinus and Meotida was compiled by Claudius Ptolemy, he also identified geographical coordinates for cities, river mouths, capes and bays of the Azov Sea coast.

In 1068 the Russian prince Gleb measured the distance between Kerch and Taman along the ice. As evidenced by the inscription on the Tmutarakan stone, the distance from Tmutarakan to Korchev (the ancient name of Tamini and Kerch) was approximately 20 kilometers (in 939 years this distance increased by 3 kilometers).

From the XII-XIV centuries. the Genoese and Venetians began to compose portolans (sailing directions and nautical charts Black and Azov seas).

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For a very, very long time there was a vast oceanic basin - Paratethys. An extremely large latitudinal elongated body of water consisted of the Alpine, Carpathian-Balkan, Crimean-Caucasian-Aral parts. Complex and hardly recognizable geological processes led to sharp fluctuations in sea level, advances on land and retreats - transgressions and regressions.

In the process of the development of Paratethys, its eastern Crimean-Caucasian-Aralian honor separated from the reservoirs lying much to the west. Sediments of this basin - the eastern branch of Paratethys - have been recorded over significant areas in the south of the CIS and, in particular, on the territory of the southern part of Ukraine. By the beginning of the last (Quaternary) period of the Earth's development (it began a million years ago and continues to this day), the sea retreated from the vast territories of modern land, the Black Sea bowl was formed, the relics of Paratethys broke up into a number of isolated reservoirs, in the place of the modern Azov Sea a reservoir was formed, which was his predecessor.

The geological history of the Azov-Black Sea basin and the entire Ponto-Caspian Sea in the Quaternary has long been of interest to specialists. Many famous scientists - N.I. Andrusov, A.D. Arkhangelsky, P.V. Fedorov, G.I.Popov, G.I. Goretsky, G.I.Molyavko, L.A. Nevesskaya, V.N. Silkoplyas and others worked to recreate it. In the second half of the twentieth century, PV Fedorov paid particular attention to this issue. Basically, according to his data, we are describing the history of the Sea of ​​Azov. The studies of the Kerch Strait, carried out by the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, made it possible to supplement a number of existing ideas, for the strait was that kind of link connecting both the Azov and Black Sea, which allows you to visually record the development of both the first and the second.

By the beginning of the Quaternary period in the south of the CIS, in the Ponto-Caspian region, two large water basins survived - the Paleo-Caspian and the Paleo-Azov-Black Sea, at times connected by a strait located in the modern valley of the Manych River.

The opinions of scientists about the paleogeographic situation at the beginning of the Quaternary period are contradictory. Many experts believe that during this period - in the Chaudin age - the sea retreated from the territory of Azov. Others believe that the regression preceded the Chaudin age, and it was then that a small Chaudin transgressions took place, and on the site of the Sea of ​​Azov there was a reservoir smaller than the modern Sea of ​​Azov. At the beginning of the century, it was freshwater, then the salinity increased.

There are facts indicating the existence of the Manych Strait, connecting the Chaudin (Azov-Black Sea) and Baku (as it is customary to call the Caspian Sea of ​​this time period) reservoirs. The level of the Baku reservoir was much higher than the level of the Chaudin Sea, as can be judged by the preserved coastal terraces. Therefore, a powerful stream flowed from the Caspian, and through the Manych Strait, getting into the Sea of ​​Azov, it penetrated through the Kerch Strait into the Black Sea, and from here into the Mediterranean. Together with the Caspian water, the Baku (Caspian) fauna appeared in the Chaudin basin.

The Chaudin age lasted about 250 thousand years. In the post-Chaudin time (and this is almost 400 thousand years), the sea retreated inside the limits of the modern Azov Sea, then a new large transgression of the Ponto-Caspian took place. This next advance of the sea falls on the next - the ancient Euxinian age of the Quaternary period, which lasted about 100 thousand years.

The level of the Ancient Euxinian Sea did not remain invariably constant, changing several times due to frequent regressions and transgressions. At the end of the century, the water area of ​​the ancient Euxin Sea in the Azov part exceeded the modern contours. The huge influx of both the Caspian (along the Manych Strait) and river waters led to the erosion of the coastal zone and the destruction of the previously deposited Chaudin deposits. The powerful flow of the Azov waters into the Black Sea caused the erosion of the Chaudin deposits along the shores of the Kerch Strait. Only a small remnant of them remained on the banks.

- Postage stamps catalog of stamps of the USSR postage stamps Collector's shop. -

The fauna of mollusks in the Azov part of the ancient Euxinian sea is interesting. There are brackish-water forms here, there are newcomers from the Caspian Sea, there are rare Mediterranean forms. However, the general desalination of the Azov and Black Seas apparently prevented the widespread penetration of Mediterranean mollusks characteristic of the seas of normal salinity.

What happened after the ancient Euxinian transgression is still not entirely clear to geologists. Many admit the Uzunlar Age and the Uzunlar Transgression as a subsequent stage. Others suggest that after a partial regression, the ancient Euxinian reservoir was replaced by the Karangatian one. In the Karangat age, the Sea of ​​Azov again moved to the coast and occupied an area slightly exceeding the modern one.

The hot climate, the Mediterranean fauna - everything indicated the low water flow of the rivers flowing here, the high salinity of the waters - up to 30 ppm (the salinity of sea water is determined in ppm - the number of grams of salt in 1000 grams of sea water, ed.) In the southern part, - and also about the lack of communication between the Caspian and Azov. The level of the Karangat Sea was higher than the present one. The Karangat Age lasted approximately 50 thousand years.

At its end, when the sea began to retreat, the discharge of Caspian waters resumed along the Manych Strait. Then it left the Azov territory, and a swampy plain arose in the place of the water area. Among the swamps flowed full-flowing rivers, generously fed by melted glacial waters - Paleo-Don, Paleo-Kalmius, Paleo-Berda, Paleo-Korsak, Paleo-Molochnaya and others. The rivers carried out huge masses of solid runoff, most often sands. In place of the ancient channels, powerful sandy bodies remained, fixed in silty sediments and loess strata.

These so-called alluvial (river) deposits make it possible to trace the ancient river network at the bottom of the Sea of ​​Azov. In the post-Karangat period, the Azov water area only dried up, but the level of the Black Sea also decreased - by about 70, and possibly more meters... The latter has lost touch with Mediterranean Sea, has ceased to be flowing. The Bosphorus and Dardanelles dried up, the Kerch Strait turned into a generalized mouth zone of the Paleo-Don and other Azov rivers. More and more ancient sediments - Chaudin, Old Euxinian, Karangat - were once again subjected to powerful erosion, surviving only in the form of small outliers. IN Kerch Strait formed impressive masses of quartz alluvial sands, a huge paleo-delta protruding into the Black Sea arose.

Approximately 25 thousand years have passed since the last stage in the development of the Azov-Black Sea basin began. As a result of the melting of glaciers, impressive masses of fresh water began to flow into the basins of the Azov and other seas. The sea level rose, and the New Euxinian transgression began. First, along the river valleys, and then everywhere, the sea launched an offensive on land. The Azov region has again turned into the seabed. The entire sea basin occupied a slightly smaller area than the modern sea. The connection of the Black Sea with the Mediterranean was restored, in the last the Black Sea waters were again discharged. From time to time, communication between the Caspian and Azov was established along the Manych Strait, especially in those periods when the level of the Azov Sea exceeded the current one. The Manych Strait disappeared several thousand years ago. At the same time, the Sea of ​​Azov entered its modern shores, a modern climatic situation was established.

The question often arises about the origin of the western gulf of the Sea of ​​Azov - Sivash. For the first time, the Roman historian Strabo (1st century BC) mentions it: "There is an isthmus 40 stades wide (1st stage - 117 meters, ed.), Separating the so-called Rotten Lake from the sea and forming a peninsula called Some, however, argue that the width of the isthmus is 360 stadia.The rotten lake is said to be even four thousand stades wide and makes up the western part of Meotida, to which it is connected by a wide mouth. It is very marshy and hardly navigable for sewn boats because the winds easily open the shallows and then re-fill them with water, so that these marshes are impassable for larger ships. There are three islands in this bay, and along the coast there are shoals and a few pitfalls. "

According to the scientists-lithologists M.F. Stashchuk and V.A. modern form Sivash emerged quite recently, around 1100-1200. Previously, these were the underwater bars and islands mentioned by Strabo. The thickness of the deposits of the Arabat Spit is small and confirms the conclusion about its recent genesis. I must say that the geological history of the Sea of ​​Azov is still largely unknown, and studies of the water area will replenish knowledge in this area.

The Sea of ​​Azov has developed a rather complex bed for itself, filled with a fairly thick, especially in the southern part, a cover of Quaternary sediments. It, as it were, unites the geological structures of the basement of more ancient deposits of different character and age. In the north, the Quaternary sediments of the Sea of ​​Azov overlap: crystalline rocks of the Azov crystalline massif; the northern zone of the Black Sea depression; the system of Black Sea troughs (North Crimean, North Azov, Yeisk); Middle Azov uplift (swell); Indolo-Kuban trough. Modern sedimentation processes are largely inherited from previous geological eras.

The well-known researchers of the Sea of ​​Azov Yu.P. Khrustalev and F.A. , 1%) and biogenic products - 19.85 million tons (37.9%). Terrigenous material is carried out by rivers, mainly the Don and Kuban, arises from the coastal zone and the seabed, to a lesser extent, due to the eolian input. As a result, there is a very complex distribution of bottom sediments.

The local geological processes are much more accessible for study than in other seas. That is why the studies of the Sea of ​​Azov are the development of a kind of model applicable to the study of deeper and less favorable seas.