Black Sea

Black Sea Latest News

Russia recently reported destroying 251 Ukrainian drones overnight, mostly over its southwest and the Black Sea, with one targeting Moscow.

About Black Sea

• It is a large inland sea situated at the southeastern extremity of Europe.
• It is one of the marginal seas of the Atlantic Ocean.
• The roughly oval-shaped body of water has a surface area of  436,000 sq.km.
• Bordering Regions:
  • West: Balkan Peninsula (Southeastern Europe).
  • East: Caucasus Mountains.
  • North: East European Plains (Russia & Ukraine).
  • South: Anatolia (Turkey, Western Asia).
• Countries bordering the Black Sea are Turkey to the south, Bulgaria and Romania to the west, Ukraine to the north, Russia to the northeast, and Georgia to the east. The Crimean Peninsula juts into the Black Sea from the north.
• Russia has the longest coastline (2,300 km), followed by Turkey (1,329 km) and Ukraine (1,282 km).
• It connects to the Aegean Sea (Mediterranean) via the Bosporus Strait, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles Strait.
• To its east, the Kerch Strait links the Black Sea to the smaller Sea of Azov. 
• The Black Sea has lower salinity than the world’s oceans due to isolation from the Mediterranean.
• Major rivers flowing into it include the Danube, Dnieper, Southern Bug, Rioni, and Dniester.

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Environmental and Strategic Importance of the Black Sea

• World’s Largest Meromictic Basin: 
  • Movement of water between the lower and upper layers of the Sea is rare. 
  • This creates considerable temperature and nutrient differences between these layers, with the lower layers being absolutely free of oxygen and anoxic. 
  • This complex water chemistry is fueled by extensive freshwater inputs from multiple large rivers and rainfall, with salt water exchanges with the Aegean Sea only through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Strait.
• Anoxic zones: One of the largest anoxic basins, meaning low dissolved oxygen in deeper layers, affecting marine biodiversity.
• Crucial for global trade, particularly for Russia and Ukraine’s grain and energy exports.
• NATO and Russia frequently conduct naval operations in the region.
• Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is stationed in Sevastopol, Crimea, making the region highly militarized.
• Key Islands: Snake Island (Ukraine); Giresun Island (Turkey); St. Ivan Island (Bulgaria).

Source: ET