The Sea of Azov: ten interesting and little-known facts
Much has been written about the rest on the Sea of Azov, its advantages and disadvantages are described in detail …The Sea of Azov: ten interesting and little-known facts.
However, about this very sea of information, besides addressed to specialists, there is little surprise in the network. And this despite the fact that the Sea of Azov is in many ways unusual, scientists believe that it was formed as a result of a global natural disaster around 5600 BC. e., that is, in historical times.We have tried in this article to eliminate some gaps in the knowledge of tourists, who are happy to relax in the resorts of the warm and sunny Azov coast, and here provide little-known information about the Sea of Azov.
Rest in the resorts of the warm and sunny Azov coast
Shoal and other “records”
The fact that the Sea of Azov is the shallowest in the world is known to everyone. The greatest depth is 13.7 meters, by sea it’s a trifle. But few know about the other “world record” belonging to him. The Sea of Azov among the internal seas of the planet is the most distant from the World Ocean. Including from the Atlantic Ocean, which belongs to the basin. One more “record” all-Russian, this is the smallest sea of all washing the shores of our country.
The Sea of Azov – shallow water and other “records”
Heat and Ice
The temperature in the upper layers of the water in the resort areas of the coast in summer sometimes rises to 30 degrees Celsius. And in winter, bays and coves in the same areas are often covered with ice. In the history there are cases when the water area of the Sea of Azov was covered with ice almost completely.
Ice on the Azov Sea
To whom the crucian, to whom the shark …
Many large and small rivers flow into the Sea of Azov, annually bringing millions of cubic meters of fresh water. And the narrow Kerch Strait cannot provide him with real, “sea” salinity, it is three times lower here than on average in the World Ocean. Low salinity leads to natural paradoxes. So, in the Sea of Azov are found river fish, such as pike perch, crucian carp, pike.
River fish are found in the Azov Sea, such as pike perch, crucian carp, pike.
And they are side by side with stingrays, sharks and even dolphins! True sharks are small, quite safe and very rarely found near the coast.
Shark katran in the Sea of Azov
And the waves are quiet here …
The Sea of Azov can be called the “quietest” in the world. The highest wave that was ever observed here did not exceed 4 meters. On average, the height of storm waves in the seas and oceans is 7–8 meters, waves (tsunamis) with a height of more than 30 meters are known, but no such cataclysms were noted on the Sea of Azov.
Storm warning on the Sea of Azov, 2 meter waves
Kerch Strait widens
In 1068, Gleb Svyatoslavovich, the Russian prince who ruled Tmutarakan (the farthest Russian principality, at the mouth of the Kuban) at that time, measured the distance between the extreme points of the Taman and Kerch Peninsulas on the ice. It was the first known attempt to measure the width of the Kerch Strait. The measurement showed a result of approximately 20 kilometers. Today, after 950 years, this distance has become more than three kilometers. Whether the prince was wrong, or the strait has expanded over the years – there is no consensus among scientists.
Kerch Strait
It also glows!
If you are lucky and you go to rest on the Sea of Azov in August, you can witness an amazing sight – the night glow of the sea. The common belief is that algae glow, erroneously. There are even less grounds for speculation about some connection of this luminescence with the level of radiation. Scientists call this natural phenomenon “bioluminescence”, its cause – the accumulation of a large number of living microorganisms near the surface of sea water.
The Sea of Azov glows at night
Clean, azure …
Another misconception about the Sea of Azov is based on stories about some unprecedented turbidity of its water. In fact, the Azov water is very clean, the sand covering the seabed and being quite close to the sea surface is an excellent natural filter. The waves and the wind can sometimes lift the sand from the bottom, and the water may become slightly muddied, but the wind subsides – and the water again becomes transparent, with a beautiful azure shade.
The Sea of Azov – clear transparent water without jellyfish and algae
Beyond the four seas
As mentioned above, the Sea of Azov – the most distant from the oceans. From the “native” Atlantic Ocean, it is separated by as many as four “intermediate” seas – the Black, Marmara, Aegean, and Mediterranean. Therefore, and also because of the narrowness of the Kerch Strait, there is never any ebb or tide here.
The Sea of Azov – the most remote from the oceans
Deep and expensive
At the bottom of the Azov Sea, more precisely, in the depths of the earth under its water area, and in the coastal areas there are large deposits of oil and gas. Fortunately for holidaymakers and anglers, they are not developed, the mining process is considered to be too time consuming and expensive.
