Does the Sea of Azov glow in August. What you did not know about the Sea of Azov. Interesting Facts. Why do plankton glow in the sea
A lot has been written about the rest on the Sea of Azov, its advantages and disadvantages are described in detail ...
However, there is surprisingly little on the net about this sea of information, except for that addressed to specialists. And this despite the fact that the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov 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, already in historical times. In this article, we have tried 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 we present little-known information about the Sea of Azov.
Shallow water and other "records"
The fact that the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is the shallowest in the world is known, perhaps, to everyone. The greatest depth is 13.7 meters, by sea standards - a trifle. But few people know about another "world record" belonging to him. The Sea of Azov among the inland seas of the planet is the most distant from the World Ocean. Including from the Atlantic Ocean, to the basin of which it belongs. Another all-Russian "record" is the smallest sea of all washing the shores of our country.
Heat and ice
The temperature in the upper layers of water in the resort areas of the coast in summer sometimes rises to 30 degrees Celsius. And in winter, bays and bays in the same zones are often covered with ice. In history, there are cases when the waters of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov were almost completely covered with ice.
To whom is carp, to whom is a shark ...
Many large and small rivers flow into the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, bringing annually millions of cubic meters of fresh water. And the narrow Kerch Strait cannot provide it 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 \u200b\u200bAzov there are river fish, such as pike perch, crucian carp, pike.
And they coexist here with stingrays, sharks and even dolphins! True, the sharks here are small, quite safe and are extremely rare off the coast.
And the waves are quiet...
The Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov can also be called the most "quiet" in the world. The highest wave ever seen here did not exceed 4 meters. On average, the height of storm waves in the seas and oceans is 7-8 meters, waves (tsunami) with a height of more than 30 meters are known, but such cataclysms have not been noted in the Sea of Azov.
The Kerch Strait is expanding
In 1068, Gleb Svyatoslavovich, the Russian prince who ruled at that time Tmutarakan (the farthest Russian principality, at the mouth of the Kuban), measured the distance between the extreme points of the Taman and Kerch peninsulas on ice. This 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 increased by three kilometers. Either the prince was mistaken, or the strait has expanded over the years - there is no consensus among scientists.
It also glows!
If you are lucky and you go to rest on the Sea of Azov in August, you will be able to witness an amazing spectacle - the night glow of the sea. The common belief that it is algae that glows is erroneous. There is even less reason to speculate about some connection between this glow and the level of radiation. Scientists call this natural phenomenon "bioluminescence", its cause is the accumulation of sea water near the surface. a large number living microorganisms.
Clear, azure...
Another erroneous opinion about the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is based on stories about some unprecedented turbidity of its water. In fact, the Azov water is very clean, the sand that covers the seabed and is quite close to the sea surface is an excellent natural filter. Waves and wind can sometimes raise sand from the bottom, and the water can become a little cloudy, but the wind subsides - and the water again becomes transparent, with a beautiful azure hue.
Beyond the four seas
As mentioned above, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is the most distant from the oceans. It is separated from the "native" Atlantic Ocean 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 are never ebb or flow here.
deep and expensive
At the bottom of the Sea of Azov, more precisely, in the bowels of the earth under its water area, and in coastal areas, there are large deposits of oil and gas. Fortunately for vacationers and fishermen, they are not exploited, the extraction process is considered too time-consuming and expensive.
How to see…
The Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, by European standards, is not so small. In its waters, two European states could freely settle down - the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. And the total length of the sea coastline is 2688 kilometers.
Hurry to see! The Sea is now shining in Crimea!! A spectacle of rare beauty!
“... The whole sea is on fire. On the crests of small, slightly splashing waves, blue gems play. In those places where the oars touch the water, deep brilliant stripes light up with a magical brilliance. I touch the water with my hand, and when I take it back out, a handful of luminous diamonds fall down, and gentle, bluish, phosphorescent lights burn on my fingers for a long time. Tonight is one of those magical nights that fishermen talk about: "The sea is on fire!"»
(A.I. Kuprin.)
To all those who like night swimming in the sea know what the classic says so poetically and subtly. This is about night glow of the sea.
This magic of nature usually takes place from July to the end of September, during the summer-autumn development of plankton.
In our latitudes, this phenomenon can be observed in the Black and Okhotsk Seas.
Those who were lucky enough to accidentally and unexpectedly witness this miracle perceive it as the magic of nature. Those who have heard or read about it, take note that this incredible phenomenon is necessary in without fail see with your own eyes.
In August, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov glows very brightly.
I think those who rested in the second half of summer in our tent camp "Kimmeria" in the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, they will never forget the night luminous action they saw.
Yes, indeed an extraordinary sight, even for me, who often visits the sea.
I like to swim at dusk and at night, enjoying the warm sea, the stars in the sky and the blessed light of sea water, from which you come to blissful delight!
You stand on the shore, shrouded in a mysterious world, surrounded by the caress and warmth of the bay, the smell of sea grasses and shimmering darkness.
The stars are burning above your head, the lights of distant shores are shining, then you draw water from the sea - and the sea sparkles in your hands ...
I remember how even inveterate pragmatists, entering the night sea and watching this magical action, rejoiced like children, not hiding their surprise and delight from what they saw.
And the night storm! You stand on the top and see below you how the seething abyss is silvering and glowing ... it seems that the starry sky and the blue sea have changed places.
Paustovsky very accurately noted:
“... the sea turned into an unfamiliar starry sky thrown at our feet. Myriads of stars, hundreds of milky ways floated under the water. They then sank, dying to the very bottom, then flared up, floating to the surface of the water.
sea glow have been observed for a long time and the explanation for this phenomenon was given far from immediately.
A description has been preserved of the lights in the sea, seen by H. Columbus on the night when the ship "Santa Maria" approached the islands of the "West Indies". The ship at the time was near Watling Island, the site of Columbus's first landing.
Later, Charles Darwin in his “Journey on the Beagle” described not only the glow of the sea, but also the glow of a hydroid, one of the lower invertebrates: “I kept a large bunch of these zoophytes in a vessel with salt water ... When I rubbed in the dark some part of the branch, then the whole animal began to strongly phosphoresce with green light; I don't think I've ever seen anything more beautiful than this. The most remarkable thing was that the sparks of light rose up the branches, from their base to the ends "...
The paths taken by scientists before they were able to correctly explain the essence of sea glow, which for centuries remained one of the mysterious phenomena of the universe. Various assumptions have been made.
It was believed that this is due to the phosphorus content in water or electrical charges that arise due to the friction of salt and water molecules. Others believed that the glow arises as a result of the friction of sea waves against the atmosphere or some solid(boat, rock, coastal pebbles). It was even assumed that at night the sea returns the energy of the Sun accumulated during the day.
B. Franklin came closest to the truth.
He believed that it was an electrical phenomenon.
And only in 1753, they found an explanation for this phenomenon - the naturalist Becker saw under a magnifying glass tiny unicellular organisms, two millimeters in size, which responded to any irritation with a glow.
The phenomenon itself was named "bioluminescence", which literally means "weak living glow", or "cold" light, because it does not appear from a heated source, but as a result of a chemical reaction with oxygen.
This is the natural glow of a large mass of marine organisms that have luminescent (luminous) cells.
Glowing in the sea many living organisms - from tiny bacteria not visible to the eye to huge fish.
But the principle of glow is similar for everyone, it is akin to the glow of nocturnal firefly beetles, which we are surprised and admire on warm summer nights.
The substance - luciferin (light carrier - Greek) is oxidized by oxygen under the action of the enzyme luciferase and quanta of green light break out.
Why do living organisms glow? The reasons are different: scaring away enemies or attracting a victim ... It happens that during the mating season, lovers “shine with happiness” ... Yes, yes .. literally glow with happiness -)).
In the Black Sea you can see glow of ctenophores, tiny plankton crustaceans and planktonic algae.
The largest, of course, are transparent ctenophores, which are similar in shape to jellyfish, although they are not at all a related species.
During the day, ctenophores sparkle like an underwater rainbow, and at night they glow.
If swimming summer night at sea, you will see how suddenly the green magic lamp flashes: it was you who touched the ctenophore.
And if you scoop sea water into your palms and throw it up - green sparks will fly into the air - along with drops, a lot of tiny crustaceans went into the air.
This is probably the only and wonderful way to see life in every drop of sea water, without a microscope.
Luminous plankters create a completely different effect: each of them is the smallest crumb, but in their multimillion-dollar mass, they seem to envelop large objects and spaces with light. And then you can see a striking picture: a luminous swimmer or a boat that glows and splashes splashes of diamond light with its oars.
And if you are lucky, you can see the games of dolphins blazing with green fire!
spectacle glowing sea
- one of the most fascinating in nature, which you can admire endlessly ...
The most numerous of the luminous plankters in the Black Sea - planktonic alga noctiluca, or as it is popularly called -.
This seaweed is a predator. She does not have chlorophyll, and she looks like a miniature transparent apple with a tail-flagellum. For planktonic algae, it is quite large - about 1 mm in diameter.
Noktilyuk- not the only representative of bioluminescents in the Black Sea, some other small algae and bacteria also glow.
Some jellyfish sometimes burn with white light. 
The strange animal “sea feather”, similar to a coral bush, burns with the same light.
If it is taken out of the water at night, then many wandering points of fire begin to run up and down along the branched parts of the animal.
Some shrimp emit a bright yellow light, and the Black Sea folada shell, drilling through the rocks, burns with blue fire.
If you walk along the edge of the surf, you can find small, constantly luminous dots on the sand - these are amphipods, or sea fleas - but only already inanimate, they no longer jump, like those that we chase after the seagulls during the day.
These crustaceans have already begun to be eaten and decomposed, bacteria that glow.
Not only planktonic microorganisms glow, but also many bottom ones: if you dive onto a rocky bottom and rub any smooth surface, it will glow; lift the stone from the bottom, rub it - it will glow.
If it was calm over the sandy bottom for a long time - there were no waves and no people were swimming, a film of microlife forms on the surface of loose soil, which glows.
Passing along such a bottom, emerald traces will remain behind you.
However, in most cases, the sea glows thanks to nightlight.
When it appears at the surface of the sea, everything glows: bursts of waves, oars, hands dipped into the water, fishing lines and nets, and even submarines and ship bottoms, fish and bathing people become emerald and leave behind a clearly visible sparkling light.
There are real legends about the nightlight ..
.... Taurica. A mysterious and tempting country that so attracts restless Hellenes.
Yes, that's bad luck: the inhabitants of Taurica are proud and freedom-loving, they want to reign supreme on their paradise land.
Neither flattery nor hard cash can approach them.
And then the Greeks decide to act by force.
They select the bravest and most skillful warriors in battle, equip the fastest ships and choose the darkest August night...
And here it is - a strange and such an attractive peninsula!
The black outlines of its steep banks are barely visible against the dark sky.
But this is enough to quietly and smoothly sneak up from the sea to an unsuspecting enemy.
The Hellenes are very careful, because patrols are probably posted on the shore.
And because the oars silently go into the water, none of the soldiers utters a word.
But what is it?!
The sea suddenly flares up with a cold green-blue flame, as if some omnipotent one in an instant lit the sea surface in front of the longed-for Tauris.
“O great Zeus,” cried the Greeks,
Why are you punishing us so cruelly?
And the highlanders have already noticed the approaching enemies and raised the alarm. A lot of lights swept up on the shore. What was left for the Hellenes to do?
Just admire for a while magical mystery of the luminous sea and ... with nothing to turn the ships to the house ...
This is how the tiny one once saved the people of Taurica from great bloodshed and inevitable enslavement.
If you are lucky relax in the Crimea on the Black Sea or the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov in August-September(the most "favorite" time of noctiluca in the sense of glow), whether it's an independent vacation or Dory Wanderer multi-day tours, do not miss the opportunity to swim or at least take a walk near the sea on dark nights.
Then you will definitely witness a fantastic extravaganza on the water.
Or maybe its members...
With southern greetings from the sea, South
The Black and Azov Seas wash the southern coast of Russia and every year become literally a place of pilgrimage for vacationers from all over the country and even from near and far abroad. But how much is known about these seas to those who like to relax on their sunny beaches? This article contains some interesting facts about the Black and Azov Seas and their inhabitants.
Interesting Facts about the Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov is the least deep in the world. Its average depth is 8 meters, which does not greatly exceed the depth of an ordinary pond or lake, the maximum is about 13 meters. However, in 2007, during an unprecedented storm, as many as 4 dry cargo ships managed to sink here.
Lake Baikal is about 94 times larger than the Sea of Azov!
Azov is also the warmest of all seas. Due to the small depth and very hot weather in the summer in the south, it can warm up to 30 degrees Celsius in just a couple of days.
Doctors say that the sand that covers the beaches and the bottom of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov can have a healing effect on human body. This is probably due to the proximity of therapeutic mud lakes and volcanoes.
If you swim in the Sea of Azov on a starless summer night, especially at the end of August, you will notice that the water in it glows. This glow comes from certain types of plankton living along the coastline; their bodies contain phosphorus, which, in fact, glows in the dark.
Before the name of Azov was finally fixed behind this sea, it changed many names. The Slavs called it Surozhsky or Blue, the Greeks - Meotida (which means "nurse"), the Arabs - Bahr-el-Azuf, the Genoese and Venetian sailors - Mare Fane, and the Romans disparagingly called Azov Palus Meotis - the Meotian swamp.
Despite its small size, the Sea of Azov is one of the richest in the world in terms of biodiversity. A wide variety of fish live here, which makes this water surface a very attractive place for fishing enthusiasts. And for the incredible number of mollusks, the sea even received a second, unofficial name - Mollusk.
Unlike most seas, Azov freezes in cold winters. This is because the water in it is less salty than in many other seas, and freezes at a temperature of about 0.5-0.7 degrees below zero.
In the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, there are never ebb or flow.
Interesting facts about the Black Sea
About 2,500 species of various living creatures are found in the Black Sea. For the sea, this is a relatively small number: for example, the Mediterranean has become home to more than 9,000 species. However, in the Black Sea waters at a depth of more than 150-200 meters there is no life, since the waters at the very bottom are saturated with hydrogen sulfide. Only a few species of bacteria can live there.
At the end of summer, the Black Sea, like the Sea of Azov, glows at night. The reason for this is the planktonic algae, which contains phosphorus.
Initially, the ancient Greeks called the Black Sea Pontus Aksinsky, which means - Inhospitable. This name was probably due to navigational difficulties and frequent storms. Later, when Greek colonies had already appeared on the Black Sea coast, the sea received a different name - Pont Euxinus, which means Hospitable.
The Black Sea is inhabited by a single species of sharks - katran. This is a small shark, rarely growing more than a meter in length. Naturally, she does not attack people, the only thing she is dangerous with is the poisonous prickly fins on her back.
The most poisonous Black Sea fish It's a sea dragon. Its dorsal fin and gill covers contain a very strong poison that is dangerous to humans.
The Black Sea even has its own holiday, which, in fact, is called the International Black Sea Day. It is celebrated annually on October 31st.
It is interesting that in ancient times the Arabs called the Black Sea the White Sea.
The last time the Black Sea completely froze over was in the 17th century.
The rapana mollusk was brought to the Black Sea from the Sea of Japan, with Far Eastern ships. This mollusk, despite its outward harmlessness, is able to completely destroy some types of mussels and other mollusks, since it is a predator. This is what happened in the Black Sea. Their natural enemies - starfish - could reduce the population of rapanas, but they are not found here.
As you can see, the Black and Azov Seas are full of unusual animals, useful properties, secrets and legends. Therefore, it's time to pack your suitcase and go to the southern resorts to explore all this in more detail!
Surprisingly, even many local residents have never seen the glow of the night sea in their lives. The reasons for this natural miracle are also little known. The following passage will close this gap:
At night, there are both phyto- and zooplankton near our coast - everything is mixed in shallow water. And most of the plankters glow! This is one of the most joyful - for us - their properties. Chemically, the reaction of the glow of marine organisms is exactly the same as that of firefly beetles, which we admire on warm summer nights on the coast. The substance - luciferin (light carrier - Greek) is oxidized by oxygen under the action of the enzyme luciferase. Most chemical reactions release heat, but this one releases one quantum of green light.
Why do planktonic organisms glow? Let's wait for the night and answer this question ourselves. The less dark the night, the better - the flashes of living light in the sea will become more noticeable. And, of course, the sea must be calm - otherwise we will not see anything. In general, the night should be quiet, dark and warm. There are many such on our coast - from the beginning of July to the end of September. But the most best time- from the beginning of August to the end of September - the first weeks of the summer-autumn development of plankton.
Already approaching the dark water, we see that a weak surf shakes pieces of greenish light on the sand - feel them with your hands - they are slippery, they melt on your fingers. It is the waves that wash the ctenophores [a separate type of animal kingdom (looks like a small jellyfish)] ashore, they have already been smashed into the sand, but they continue to glow. Shake them off your hands - and the light will remain on the palms - even smaller pieces of the delicate bodies of sea creatures stuck, remained on your skin. If we walk along the edge of the surf, we will find small, constantly luminous points on the sand - we will pick them up and try to examine them. These are amphipods, sea fleas - but already dead - do not jump like those that we chased during the day. These crustaceans have already begun to be eaten, decomposed, by bacteria that always glow - in the same way rotten ones glow in the night forest. Do not be afraid - admire, this is also life. Amphipods have a lot of microscopic spines on their shells - we've already seen them - these spines allow you to attach a glowing badge to your shirt - just press the crustacean to the fabric.
We will enter the dark clear water from the familiar beach - by touch. On a summer night, the sea is warmer than the air above it, you can swim without feeling the water - they usually talk about this - like fresh milk - but night is night - and, probably, it’s worth reminding you to be careful again - you don’t have to swim where you can’t stand on bottom. Let's slowly, without splashing, step from the shore and look at our feet. And the legs are glowing! And if you enter the sea on a boat at such a time, the oars seem to be talking - and with each stroke, tongues of green flame break off and remain behind, circling and wriggling. Such an even, strong glow, in which individual flashes are not visible, is caused by phytoplankton dinoflagellates - in warm water they are most. Any movement we make in the water causes radiance and flashes. Radiance is a lot of small flashes of microalgae, merging into a single glow - there are so many of them. And separate bright green lights are flashes of irritated planktonic crustaceans. Sprinkle water - and green sparks will fly into the air - it's you, along with drops, that threw a lot of crumbled crustaceans into the air. If something bright and big caught fire next to you in the water, it is the comb jelly - the largest luminous animal of the Black Sea. You can scoop it up with a boat of palms - consider its magical radiance.
Not only planktonic microorganisms glow, but also many bottom ones: try to dive to the rocky bottom and rub any smooth surface - it will glow; pick up a stone from the bottom, rub it - it will still glow when you surface and lift it above the water. If there were no waves above the sandy bottom for a long time and people didn’t swim, even on the surface of loose soil a film of microlife is formed that can glow - then, walking along such a bottom, you will leave emerald traces.
We have already understood that plankters do not glow all the time, but when irritated - hitting an obstacle, strong movement of water. Such signals for a copepod or dinophyte are a sign of a possible approach of a predator, or even a collision with it. The flash should scare off the aggressor. How could such a small spark scare anyone? But compare the sizes! People are usually frightened by a comb jelly that suddenly lights up - and after all, it is only the size of an apple. For a small plankton-eating fish - sprat, atherinka - a flash of green fire from the crustacean oytona can be a reason to flee. And an outbreak of dinophyte algae, in turn, can frighten a copepod cancer or a worm larva. So, the glow of plankton, which enchants us on summer nights, is the protection of weak plankters from voracious plankton feeders. There are rare cases of constant glow of algae - during the flowering of noctiluca or other dinophyte algae. The density of algae during such a powerful development of phytoplankton - millions of cells in a liter of water - is such that individual collisions, individual flashes of light, simply merge into a constant glow.
