The Sea of Azov in Russia became known in the 1st century BC. e. Our ancestors called it the Blue Sea. Later, after the principality of Tmutarakan was formed, it received a new name - Russian. With the fall of this principality, the Sea of Azov was repeatedly renamed. It was called Mayutis, Salakar, Samakush, etc. At the beginning of the 13th century, the designation Saxin Sea appeared. The Tatar-Mongol conquerors replenished the list. They called it Balyk-Dengiz (translated - "sea of fish"), as well as Chabak-Dengiz (bream, sabach sea). According to some reports, as a result of the transformation, the word "chabak" turned into "basics", where the current name comes from. However, these conjectures are not substantively confirmed.
The most reliable is the origin of the modern name from the city of Azov. Only during the famous Azov campaigns, committed by Peter I, did this name stay in the pond.
Salinity of the Sea of Azov before and after the regulation of the Don
First of all, under the influence of the influx of water from rivers (up to 12% of the total volume of water), as well as the difficulty of exchanging with the Black Sea, hydrochemical features of such a reservoir as the Sea of Azov are formed. Its salinity was three times less than the average salinity of the ocean, before the regulation of the Don. From 1 ppm to 10.5 and 11.5 (respectively, at the mouth of the Don, in the central part and at the Kerch Strait) its value changed. However, after the Tsimlyansk hydropower plant was created, the salinity of the Sea of Azov began to increase sharply, amounting to 13 ppm in the central part. At the same time, seasonal fluctuations of quantities rarely reach 1%.
Water of the Sea of Azov today
Little salt contains in its water the Sea of Azov. Salinity is the main factor because of which it easily freezes. Before the appearance of the icebreakers, the reservoir of interest to us was not navigable from December to mid-April. The water resources of the Sea of Azov as a sea route were therefore used only in the warm season.
Practically all of the most significant rivers flowing into it, during the 20th century were blocked by dams in order to create reservoirs. This fact led to the fact that the discharge of silt and fresh water was significantly reduced.
Water balance
Basically, the water regime of a body of water such as the Sea of Azov, which we are interested in, depends on the influx of fresh waters of various rivers, precipitation falling over the sea, as well as on the incoming waters of the Black Sea and its flow through the Kerch Strait. The following is his water balance. Kuban, Don and other rivers flowing into this sea, bring a total of 38.8 cubic kilometers of fresh water. 13.8 is on the surface its average long-term amount of precipitation from the atmosphere. About 31.2 cubic meters of water flows through the Kerch Strait annually. km These are the resources of the Black Sea. From Sivash through the strait called Thin, in addition, about 0.3 cubic kilometers enter the sea. 84.1 km is the total water supply. The discharge consists of the amount of evaporation from the surface (about 35.5 cubic km) of runoff through the aforementioned Kerch Strait (47.4 cubic km), as well as runoff to Sivash through the Thin Strait (1.4 cubic km). That is, it also equals 84.1.
The ratio of river runoff to its total volume
Moreover, the relation to the total volume of the sea of river runoff is the largest of all other seas on the planet. If the inflow of atmospheric and river waters exceeded their evaporation from the surface, this would lead to an increase in the level and increasing desalination if there were no water exchange with the Black Sea, as a result of which salinity favorable for the habitat of commercial fish was established.
Azov salinity distribution
The following salinity is currently distributed in such a body of water as the Sea of Azov. It reaches 17.5% at the depths of the Prikerchensky region. It is here that the most saline water comes from the Black Sea. Here, salinity is 17.5%. The central part is homogeneous in this parameter. This indicator is 12-12.5% here. Only a small territory has 13%. The salinity of the water in the Taganrog Bay to the mouth of the Don (the river that flows into the Sea of Azov) drops to 1.3%.
In early summer and spring, due to melting ice, as well as a significant influx of river water into the sea, salinity decreases slightly. In winter and autumn, it is approximately the same from the surface to the bottom. The highest salinity of the water of the Sea of Azov is observed in Sivash, a separate shallow bay, and the smallest in Taganrog Bay.
The depth of the Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov is flat. It is a shallow body of water having low coastal slopes.
The largest depth of the Sea of Azov does not usually exceed 15 meters, and the average is at around 8. Depths of up to 5 meters at the same time occupy an area of more than half its area. The volume of the sea is also small, it is 320 cubic meters. For comparison, let us say that the Aral Sea is almost twice as large as this parameter. Almost 11 times more than Azovsky Black, and in volume - as much as 1678 times.
The Sea of Azov, however, is not at all so small. For example, two European states such as Luxembourg and the Netherlands would be freely placed on it. The longest length of this sea is 380 kilometers and a width of 200. 2686 kilometers is the total length that the coastline has.
Underwater terrain
The underwater relief of this sea is very simple. Basically, depths smoothly and slowly increase with distance from the coast. The characteristic of the Sea of Azov in terms of relief is as follows. At its center are the greatest depths. The bottom is almost flat. The Sea of Azov consists of several bays, the largest of which are Temryuk, Taganrog, as well as Sivash, which is very isolated. The latter would be more correct to consider the estuary. There are practically no large islands on the Sea of Azov. There are a number of shallows that are partially flooded with water. They are located near the coast. For example, these are Turtle, Biryuchiy and others.
This is the main characteristic of the Sea of Azov in terms of salinity, depth and topography.
