| Description |
The Black Sea is a largely closed water body that receives a significant proportion of its surficial inputs as fresh water from the Danube, Dnepr, Dnestr, Don, and Kuban Rivers.( Balkas, et al., 1990) The Mediterranean contributes marine water and fauna through the narrow Bosporus Strait. (Caddy, 1993). The Black Sea is characterized by a narrow continental shelf, with the widest shelf and most productive area in the Sea of Azov. (Caddy, 1993) The Black Sea is characterized by stratification and poor flushing. (Caddy, 1993) Because of bathymetry and stratification (Balkas, et al., 1990), the lower part of the water column has recently consisted of unoxygenated water with well-developed stratification. The upper shelf water may have suffered low-oxygen episodes recently. (Caddy, 1993). Reductions in freshwater flow, especially due to irrigation, have had a major effect on estuarine fauna of the Black Sea. (Ivanov and Beverton, 1985) (http://www.na.nmfs.gov/lme/text/lme62.htm). |
