The Black Sea is bounded
by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and
is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via
the Mediterranean and
the Aegean seas
and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean Sea region of
the Mediterranean. These waters separate eastern Europe and western Asia. The Black Sea is also connected to the Sea of Azov by the Strait of Kerch.
The Black Sea has an area of
436,400 km2 (168,500
sq mi) (not including the Sea of Azov), a maximum depth of
2,212 m (7,257 ft), and a volume of 547,000 km3 (131,200 cu mi). The
Black Sea forms in an east-west trending elliptical depression which lies
between Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania,Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. It is constrained by the Pontic Mountains to the south, the Caucasus Mountains to the east and features a wide shelf to the
northwest. The longest east-west extent is about 1,175 km.
The Black Sea has a positive water balance; that is,
a net outflow of water 300 km3 per year through the Bosphorus and the
Dardanelles into the Aegean Sea. Mediterranean water flows into the Black Sea
as part of a two-way hydrological exchange. The Black Sea outflow is cooler and
less saline, and floats over
the warm, more saline Mediterranean inflow -because of density difference due
to salinity-, leading to a significant anoxic layer
well below the surface waters. The Black Sea also receives river water from
large Eurasian fluvial systems to the north of the Sea, of which the Don, Dnieper and Danube are the most significant.
Very interesting information. I understand the Black Sea is a lake, in spite of its name. Is the water opaque? Have you gone swimming in the Black Sea?
ReplyDeletePictures and Information you provided really attract me. I hope I can be there someday.
ReplyDeleteJairo, it is not lake---it is really sea. Yes I have been at black sea. Nice place
ReplyDelete