home Vitamins and dietary supplements Why is the Black Sea called “Black”? Why is the Black Sea called black? What does the Black Sea look like?

Why is the Black Sea called “Black”? Why is the Black Sea called black? What does the Black Sea look like?

October 31 is celebrated as International Black Sea Day. On this day in 1996, representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Georgia signed a strategic action plan to save the Black Sea. The need for such a document arose due to the danger of destruction of unique natural complexes water area. At the same time, it was decided to make October 31 International Black Sea Day.

The depths of the Black Sea are fraught with many mysteries. Thousands of years ago, the sea was one with the Caspian, until they were separated by rising land. As a result, the Caspian Sea remained desalinated, and the Black Sea more than once connected with the Mediterranean and became increasingly salty.

The last connection occurred 8 thousand years ago, when the Bosphorus Strait was formed. Due to the salt water, many freshwater inhabitants died. The decomposition of the remains of their organisms created the initial supply of hydrogen sulfide, which still exists today.

No less interesting is the history of the name of the sea, which was not always “Black”. Over the centuries it has changed several names. Greek sailors in the 6th-5th centuries. BC e. they called it Pont Aksinsky, which means Inhospitable Sea. Other historical names of the Black Sea are Temarun, Cimmerian, Akhshaena, Scythian, Blue, Tauride, Ocean, Surozh, Holy.

There are several versions of why the sea was called Black.

Turkish hypothesis

According to the historical hypothesis, the modern name of the Black Sea was given by the Turks, who tried to conquer the population of its shores, but met such fierce resistance that the sea was nicknamed Karaden-giz - Black, inhospitable.

Sailors' hypothesis

From the point of view of sailors, the sea is called the Black Sea because of strong storms, during which the water in the sea darkens. True, strong storms are rare on the Black Sea, and strong waves (more than 6 points) too - no more than 17 days a year. And the change in water color is typical for any sea, not only the Black Sea. They also claim that the sea could be called Black because of the black silt that remains on the shore after a storm. But this silt is more gray than black.

Hydrologists' hypothesis

According to hydrologists, the sea is called Black because any metal objects, lowered to greater depth, rise to the surface blackened. The reason is hydrogen sulfide, which is saturated in the Black Sea water at a depth of more than 200 m.

Because of hydrogen sulfide, the Black Sea is also called the sea of dead depths. The thing is that the water does not mix well there, and hydrogen sulfide accumulates at the bottom. This is a waste product of bacteria that large quantities live in the depths. They decompose the corpses of animals and plants. Starting from a depth of 150-200 m, there is no other life in the Black Sea. Over millions of years, bacteria have accumulated more than a billion tons of hydrogen sulfide.

Mysterious glow

Peridene algae give the Black Sea water a mysterious glow. Together with her, tiny luminous predators live in the water - noctilucs, or night lights. They will glow even if you filter them from water and dry them. The glow is caused by a substance that scientists named “luciferin” in honor of the lord of hell Lucifer.

In addition to the predators of nocturnals, some species of jellyfish glow in the water of the Black Sea at night. The most common jellyfish are Aurelia and Cornerot jellyfish. Aurelia is the smallest Black Sea jellyfish; it is rarely more than 30 cm in diameter. Cornerot is the largest local jellyfish; the size of its dome can reach half a meter in diameter. Aurelia is not poisonous, but cornet can cause a burn similar to that of nettles.

Why is there no oxygen at the bottom?

Due to the desalination of the Black Sea by rivers, there are two layers of water in it. Superficial, to a depth of about 100 m, mainly of river origin, and into the depths of the sea along the bottom of the Bosphorus more salty water. The salinity of the bottom layers reaches 30 grams of salt per liter of water, and on the surface it is twice as fresh - 17 grams of salt per liter of water. Water stratification prevents vertical mixing of the sea and enrichment of the depths with oxygen.

Salinity of the surface layer black sea water is 17 grams of salt per liter of water, which is two times lower than ocean water. This is too small for most marine organisms, so undersea world The Black Sea is relatively sparse in diversity. But the total mass of living organisms is large. After all, the very rivers that desalinate the Black Sea bring nutrients, necessary for the development of marine vegetation. Therefore, there is a lot of plankton in the Black Sea, and algae grow thickly along the shores.

"Healing" jellyfish

Some vacationers believe in the healing power of jellyfish and deliberately seek encounters with them. It is believed that jellyfish venom can cure radiculitis. It's a delusion. Such “therapy” will only cause suffering to both the jellyfish and the person: for example, the root can cause a burn similar to a nettle burn, burning, redness, and blisters will appear. To prevent the cornet from causing harm, it is enough to move this jellyfish away from you with your hand, holding it top part dome with no tentacles.

The most dangerous inhabitants Black Sea

Sea ruff, or Black Sea scorpionfish, looks creepy: a head covered with outgrowths, bulging eyes, a mouth with sharp teeth. Instead of the rays of the dorsal fin there are spines, at the base of each there is a poisonous gland. There are scorpionfish different color- black, gray, yellow, pink. The wounds from her thorns cause sharp pain. The main symptoms of poisoning are local inflammation and a general allergic reaction. Deaths It is not known from scorpionfish injections.

Sea dragon- a snake-like bottom-dwelling fish with bulging eyes and a huge mouth. The rays of its dorsal fin contain poisonous spines. It lies in wait for prey, buried in sand or silt. If you step on a baby dragon and get hurt, you will have to urgently run to the pharmacy for an antihistamine to relieve allergic reaction and inflammation.

They live in the Black Sea stingray(sea cat) and sea fox stingray. You should be wary of the spines that are located on the tail of stingrays. In the stingray, this spine is a real sword up to 20 cm in length. He can inflict a deep chopped wound on them.

The only Black Sea shark - katran- usually no more than a meter in length. She is afraid of people and rarely comes to the shore, she stays cold water depths It can pose a danger only for fishermen when they take it with their hands - the dorsal fins of the katran are equipped with large poisonous spines. Katran's liver contains a substance that helps patients with certain forms of cancer. There is even a drug called “katrex”, which is made from the liver of a Black Sea shark.

The most harmless inhabitants of the Black Sea depths

The most common shellfish in the Black Sea are mussels, brine, oysters and scallops. They are edible. Oysters on Black Sea coast Kuban is rare, and all the coastal stones and piers are covered with mussels. They need to be boiled or fried before eating. It is not recommended to eat mussels caught in the port or treatment facilities: after all, these are real living filters that pass through a huge amount of sea water.

Among the mollusks that live in the Black Sea are scallops. They have about a hundred eyes, but are completely blind. In place of the removed eye, a new one appears in the scallops. It is unclear why scallops need eyes. They move very briskly: the mollusk slams the valves of its shell with force, and a stream of water carries it a meter or two forward.

The largest and most unusual crab of the Black Sea, the blue crab Callinectes sapidus, is found in the coastal soil. It is bright blue. Its homeland is the east coast of the USA. It entered the Black Sea in the 1960s. from the Mediterranean, and there, most likely, was transported with the ballast waters of ships. True, over the years of life in the Black Sea, the blue crab was never able to truly spread. Winter water temperatures are too low for it.

In the shallow waters of the Black Sea lives the gerbil fish, or sand miner. While swimming underwater, you can sometimes stumble upon a shiny silver and, in addition, moving wall made up of a flock of gerbils. Fish that look like silver worms hide in the sand and rise up unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, filling everything around them. In a moment, they will disappear just as quickly - they will dive into the sand.

The material was prepared by the editors of rian.ru based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Many people wonder why the Black Sea is called black? Is it really black, and what is the reason for this name? The answer to this question can be obtained by flying over it on an airplane - from a height it really looks black, unlike the Mediterranean and other seas. But in fact, the question is rooted far back in history.

And the Bulgarians call him - Black Sea, and the Italians - Marais Nero, and the French - Mer Noir, and the British - Black Sea, and the Germans - Schwarze Meer. Even in Turkish, “Kara-Deniz” is nothing more than “Black Sea”.

Where does such unanimity come from in naming this amazing thing? blue sea, captivating us with its radiant serenity? Of course, there are days when the sea is angry, and then its face darkens to bluish-violet... But this happens rarely, and even then only during difficult times for it winter time.

And in clear weather with early spring and until late autumn the Black Sea is remembered for a long time for its rich blue, turning into light turquoise tones as it approaches the shore... “The sky wants to be beautiful, the sea wants to be like the sky!” – V. Bryusov said poetically about this. And yet, who and when called this sea the Black Sea?

There is such a fascinating science - toponymy, which studies the origin of geographical names (toponyms). According to this science, there are at least two main versions of the origin of the name Black Sea.

Version one. It was put forward by the ancient Greek geographer and historian Strabo, who lived in the 1st century BC. In his opinion, the sea was called Black by Greek colonists, who were once unpleasantly struck by storms, fogs, unknown wild shores inhabited by hostile Scythians and Taurians... And they gave the stern stranger the appropriate name - Pontos Akseinos- “inhospitable sea”, or “black”. Then, having settled on the shores, becoming related to the sea of good and bright fairy tales, the Greeks began to call it Pontos Evxeinos - “hospitable sea.” But the first name was not forgotten, like the first love...

Version two. In the 1st millennium BC, long before the arrival of careless Greek colonists, on the eastern and northern shores Sea of Azov Indian tribes lived - Meotians, Sindians and others, who gave the name to the neighboring sea - Temarun, which literally means “black sea”. This was the result of a purely visual comparison of the color of the surface of the two seas, now called the Azov and Black. From the mountainous shores of the Caucasus, the latter appears darker to the observer, as can be seen even now. And if it’s dark, it means black. The Meotians on the shores of the mentioned seas were replaced by the Scythians, who fully agreed with this description Black Sea. And they called him in their own way - Akhshaena, that is, “dark, black.”

There are other versions. For example, one of them says that the sea was so named because after a storm black silt remains on its shores. But this is not entirely true, the silt is actually gray, not black. Although... who knows how all this was seen in ancient times...

In addition, there is another hypothesis about the origin of the name “ Black Sea", put forward by modern hydrologists. The fact is that any metal objects, the same anchors of ships, lowered to a certain depth in the Black Sea, rise to the surface blackened under the influence of hydrogen sulfide located in the depths of the sea. This property was probably noticed since ancient times and, undoubtedly, could have served to assign such a strange name to the sea.

In general, the sea is capable of taking on a wide variety of colors and shades. Let's say, in February-March you can find that the water off the Black Sea coast is not blue, as usual, but brown. This color metamorphosis is a biological phenomenon, and it is caused by the mass reproduction of the smallest unicellular algae. The water begins to bloom, as people say.

IN " color scheme» There are a lot of interesting things in the Black Sea. In all other respects, there are countless amazing and entertaining things...

A sea of fairy tales and mysteries
The Black Sea protects!
The scent of legends is so sweet
The magic of legends is a magnet!

A sea of truths, revelations,
A sea of fiction and secrets,
Sea of thousands of generations
A sea of hundreds of thousands of countries!

Dmitry Rumata “Secrets of the Black Sea”

Everyone knows that there are 4 seas on the planet, the names of which are based on colors. These are Black, Yellow, Red, White. Today we will talk about Cherny - this mysterious and unique body of water with an interesting history.

The waters of the Black Sea are filled with numerous secrets. Many thousands of years ago it was one with the Caspian, until the earth separated them. The Caspian continued to remain fresh, while the Black repeatedly merged with the Mediterranean and became increasingly salty. The composition of the reservoir changed, certain types of flora and fauna disappeared, while others, on the contrary, appeared.

Why was the Black Sea called the Black Sea? This question still worries many people today. This article will be devoted to answering this question.

Brief historical background

Many centuries ago, the Black Sea was part of an ocean called Tethys. After the formation of the mountain ranges, Tethys divided. In place of the Black Sea was the Sarmatian Sea-lake. It was inhabited by freshwater representatives, the remains of which are still found to this day.

Later, as a result of the emerging connection with the ocean, the Meotic Sea was formed, which was salt-water. Other inhabitants settled in it, preferring a similar composition of water.

18-20 thousand years ago, on the territory of Chernoe, there was Lake Novoevksinsky, which later merged with the Mediterranean. The waves rushed into the Black Sea in a powerful stream, flooding the coast. Possible reason Scientists call this event an earthquake. Sometimes the event is compared to the Biblical flood.

As a result of the salty flow, freshwater inhabitants died and thereby created a huge resource of hydrogen sulfide that exists to this day. Therefore, the reservoir is considered a “sea of dead depths.”

Undoubtedly, the history of the formation of this reservoir is interesting. But no less informative is why the Black Sea was called the Black Sea?

Different names in history

It is known that over the centuries the reservoir has changed many names. In the VI-V centuries BC. e. he was called Pont Aksinsky. The sea also bore the names: Temarun, Scythian, Taurian, Surozh, Holy.

It was called Surozh because of the city of Sugdei, which stood on the site of modern Sudak. The Khazar Sea was called because of the people who lived on these shores.

At the beginning of our era, the sea was called Scythian, although the Scythians called it Tana, which translates as black.

Scientists put forward different hypotheses why the Black Sea was called the Black Sea. Let's look at each of them.

Version of the scientist Strabo

The historian Strabo in the 1st century concluded that the name of the sea was given by the Greeks, struck by storms, fogs and wild barbarians who lived here. It seemed inhospitable to them, and they called it black (Pontos Akseinos).

Later, having lived on these shores, the Greeks changed their minds and began to call the sea “hospitable” - Pontos Evxeinos. But the original name has not been erased from people's memory. That is why the Black Sea is called the Black Sea.

Another version

To the question why the sea is called Black, there is such an answer. The theory owes its appearance to the Indian peoples.

According to history, long before the arrival of the Greek colonists, in the 1st millennium BC, various Indian tribes lived on the Black Sea coast, calling the neighboring sea Temarun (“black sea”).

This was explained by the external comparison of Azovsky and Cherny. If you observe reservoirs from mountainous heights, Black really looks darker. So, calling it that is quite fair.

Indian tribes replaced the Scythians, they agreed with a similar description. They began to call the sea Akhshaen, that is, “black.”

Turkish version

According to this version, the sea owes its name to the Turks. They sought to conquer its shores, but always met resistance from the local residents. That's why they called him Black, that is, unfriendly.

Marine hypothesis

Sailors believe that the Black Sea is so named because of the strongest storms that turn the water a deep black color.

However, such natural phenomena they do not occur here very often, and the shade of the water changes not only in this body of water, but also in any other.

Perhaps it is so called because of the color of the silt that is thrown onto the coast during a storm. True, the silt is more gray than black.

Hydrological hypothesis

Hydrologists put forward their own version when answering the question of why the Black Sea was called the Black Sea. Any metal object lowered to an impressive depth is brought up darkened. The culprit for this is hydrogen sulfide, which the reservoir is rich in at a level below 200 meters.

This substance appears as a result of the life of bacteria living in the deep layers. Below 150-200 meters in the sea there are exclusively microorganisms that have accumulated a huge amount of hydrogen sulfide molecules.

Mythical version

There is also a legend about why the Black Sea was called the Black Sea. It lies in the fact that in the reservoir lies the sword of a hero. The wizard Ali, who was near death, threw him there.

The sea is now agitated, wanting to throw the sword ashore. And the restless element looks dark. That's why the Black Sea is called the Black Sea. The legend answers this question this way.

The cardinal directions hypothesis

Among Asian peoples, the cardinal directions are marked with color. The north is painted black. That is, the Black Sea is a body of water located in this area. This is true for Asians.

Color spectrum

We have practically answered the question why the Black Sea was called the Black Sea. But is a body of water always colored the same?

The Black Sea has different shades. For example, in early spring the water off its shores is brown. This is due to the proliferation of algae. The water begins to “bloom.”

Some inhabitants water element have a mysterious glow. For example, peridenea algae. In addition to them, predators called nocturnals live in the water. They also glow thanks to a substance called "luciferin" - named after the ruler of hell.

If you look at a body of water while flying over it in an airplane, it looks deep blue. And from space the sea is really very black.

Why is the water of the reservoir so dark? A large area of the sea basin is filled with hydrogen sulfide. In small quantities this gas is colorless. But in water its thickness is 1000-2000 meters, which is why the reservoir is so deep blue.

Where did hydrogen sulfide gas come from?

In the Black Sea, at a level below 200 meters, only single-celled microorganisms live. Plants and animals cannot survive in such conditions. This unique property unique to this body of water.

Many people wonder: where does hydrogen sulfide come from? sea depths? Let's take a closer look at this issue.

Oxygen enters the reservoir from the atmosphere, and also appears in the upper water layers as a result of photosynthesis. In order for oxygen to penetrate to depth, water must mix. In the Black Sea, the water practically does not mix. In him upper layer formed by river currents, and it is fresh in composition. Salt water penetrates from the Sea of Marmara and flows inland.

Thus, in the Black Sea there are two water layers with at different levels density and temperature. What does this lead to? The stratification of sea waters prevents the sea from mixing and oxygen from penetrating to a significant depth.

After living organisms die, their bodies become food for bacteria. When organic matter decomposes, oxygen is used. The deeper, the more decomposition, which means more oxygen is absorbed. This means that the deeper you go, the less of this substance there is. Below a depth of 100 meters, oxygen is not formed, but only absorbed. The substance cannot penetrate here either.

At levels below 200 meters there is no oxygen gas at all. Only anaerobic microorganisms live here. They help the decomposition process of all remains. As a result of this reaction, hydrogen sulfide appears. This gas is poisonous to both animals and plants. It serves as a blocker respiratory process mitochondria. Sulfur is taken from protein amino acids, as well as from seawater sulfates.

Some scientists say that hydrogen sulfide appeared in the sea due to pollution of the reservoir. The amount of gas is increasing, and the sea is on the verge of disaster. This is partly true. A lot of water from agricultural fields entered the sea in the 70-80s of the 20th century. As a result, the growth of mud and phytoplankton in the reservoir increased. When they rot, they actually release hydrogen sulfide. But this process did not introduce any radical changes to the composition of the sea. There is also no risk of a hydrogen sulfide explosion, scientists believe.

Due to the abundance of hydrogen sulfide in sea waters, there is no deep-sea fauna here, as in other seas. Such low biodiversity is another characteristic of the Black Sea. There are no predatory deep-sea fish here, which live in other salty bodies of water.

So, we have explored in detail why the Black Sea is called the Black Sea. Due to the abundance of hydrogen sulfide, the reservoir has a rich, rich dark color. Apparently that's why it's called Black. However, the reader can accept any answer to the question posed. All possible versions and hypotheses are presented in the article.

Was it always called that way?

No not always.

It has changed several names throughout history. The ancients called it Pont Euxine - “hospitable sea”. The Russians who came to its shores called the sea Pontic, or Russian.

And throughout history it was called Temarun, Cimmerian, Akhshaena, Scythian, Blue, Tauride, Ocean, Inhospitable, Surozh, Holy.

The modern name of the sea is explained by several hypotheses. Historical hypothesis suggests that the name “Black Sea” was given to it by the Turks and other conquerors who came to its shores to conquer the local population.

They met such fierce resistance from the Circassians, Shapsugs, and Adygs that even the sea was nicknamed Karaden-giz - Black, inhospitable.

From the point of view of sailors, the sea is called “Black” because there are very strong storms, during which the water in the sea darkens.

It must be said that strong storms are very rare on the Black Sea. Strong waves (more than 6 points) occur here no more than 17 days a year.

As for the change in water color, this phenomenon is typical for any sea, not only the Black Sea. There are also suggestions that the sea could be called the Black Sea because, after a storm, black silt often remains on its shores. Indeed, during a storm, the sea throws silt ashore, but it is gray rather than black.

The third hypothesis, which hydrologists adhere to, is based on the fact that metal objects lowered to great depths rise to the surface blackened. Moreover, this happens with almost any metal. Even with gold. The reason for this effect is hydrogen sulfide, which is saturated in the Black Sea water at a certain depth.

How did the Black Sea arise? How did seas and oceans appear on Earth? Why is the water in rivers fresh and the water in seas salty? Where did the water on the planet come from?

The lives of oceanographers, geologists, paleontologists, and chemists are devoted to answering these simple questions. Nobody knows the exact answers. Man lives on the planet for only a short time, so we can only guess.

It is possible that the history of the Black Sea looked like this. Tens of millions of years ago, in the area of the modern seas of the Mediterranean, Marmara, Black, Azov, Caspian and Aral Sea, the bay of the ancient huge Tethys Sea stretched. So this sea is called by the name of the goddess of the sea, the daughter of Neptune Thetis (Tethis).

The bay consisted of two parts: the western - the modern Mediterranean Sea and the eastern - the rest. The western part was salty, and the eastern part was desalinated, since many rivers flowed into it.

About 13 million years ago, during the formation of the Alpine Mountains, the connection between the two parts of the Tethys Sea was interrupted.

In place of the eastern part of the bay, the desalinated Sarmatian Sea arose.

Later 3 million years of evolutionary changes, its water area has decreased significantly, and salinity has increased. Each change in salinity was naturally accompanied by a mass extinction of the inhabitants of this reservoir.

8 million years ago the Pontic Sea was formed. It included modern Black and Caspian Sea.

The modern peaks of the Caucasus mountains were then its islands. The Pontic Sea was practically fresh. More fresh than the modern Caspian.

The land continued to rise and a million years ago separated the Black and Caspian seas forever. The Caspian Sea remains desalinated.

Then the Black Sea connected with the Mediterranean several times. Each such unification made the Black Sea more and more salty.

Last connection occurred 8 thousands of years ago and was catastrophic. A powerful earthquake split the land. The modern Bosphorus Strait emerged.

Huge masses of salty Mediterranean water rushed into the Black Sea basin, causing the death of a huge number of freshwater inhabitants.

So many of them died that the decomposition of the remains of their organisms in the depths of the sea, deprived of oxygen, created that initial supply of hydrogen sulfide, which continues to exist to this day. The Black Sea has become " Sea of the dead depths."

Historians believe that this entire cataclysm took place before the eyes of the people who lived here. Are these events the global flood? After all, as you know, Noah moored his ark to the Caucasian Mount Ararat, which then could well have looked like an island in the raging stream of the confluence of two seas.

Now nature has taken a time out.

There is only a very slow rise of the mountains surrounding the sea - a few centimeters per century. The mountains are growing, but the sea is also advancing. Moreover, it comes faster than the mountains rise - 20-25 centimeters per century. It might not seem like much, but the ancient cities of Taman have already disappeared to the bottom of the sea.

In addition to salt, seawater also contains dissolved gases: oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and hydrogen sulfide. The source of hydrogen sulfide is the decomposition of residues aquatic organisms. Hydrogen sulfide in the Black Sea is of biochemical origin. Scientists have shown that special bacteria living in large numbers in the depths of the sea, living in an oxygen-free environment, decompose the corpses of animals and plants. As a result of their activity, hydrogen sulfide is released. In the Black Sea, the water does not mix well. Therefore, hydrogen sulfide accumulates at the bottom. Almost starting from a depth of 150 - 200 meters, only hydrogen sulfide bacteria live in the sea. There is no other life. Over millions of years, bacteria have accumulated more than a billion tons of hydrogen sulfide in the sea. Hydrogen sulfide is a poisonous gas and can burn and explode.

What color is the Black Sea? Blue? Blue? Green? We can safely say that the Black Sea is not “the bluest in the world.” The color of the water in the Red Sea is much bluer than in the Black Sea, and the bluest is the Sargasso Sea. What determines the color of sea water? Some people think it depends on the color of the sky. This is not entirely true. The color of water depends on how seawater and its impurities scatter sunlight. The more impurities, sand and other suspended particles in the water, the greener the water. The saltier and purer the water, the bluer it is. A lot flows into the Black Sea large rivers, which desalinate the water and carry with them many different suspensions, so the water in it is rather greenish-blue, and near the coast it is rather green.

Who lives in the sea? The Black Sea is one of the most sparsely inhabited seas on earth. There are only thirty-seven kilograms of biological mass per cubic kilometer of Black Sea water. This happens because life in the Black Sea is concentrated only in a narrow coastal strip in the area of shallow depths. There is no life below two hundred meters.

But despite the comparative poverty of marine flora and fauna, there are more than 250 species of algae alone in the Black Sea. There are algae that live near the shore - coraline, cystosera, sea salad, Laurencia, there are those that need depth - phyllophora, or sea grapes, and there are those that simply float in the water, for example peridenea. Interestingly, it is she who creates the autumn glow of the sea. Along with the peridenea, luminous tiny predators, noctilucas, or nocturnals, also live in the water. If you filter them from water and dry them, they will still glow with cold light. The glow is caused by a substance that scientists call “luciferin”, in honor of the lord of hell, Lucifer.

At night, some species of jellyfish and ctenophores also glow. Most often in the sea there are jellyfish with the names Aurelia and Cornerot. Cornerot is the largest Black Sea jellyfish, and Aurelia is the smallest. If aurelia is rarely more than 30 cm in diameter, then the size of the dome of the cornerot can reach half a meter. Aurelia is not poisonous, but cornet can cause a burn similar to a nettle burn. The burn may cause a slight burning sensation, redness, and sometimes blistering. In order not to experience the effect of the poison of this beautiful jellyfish with a slightly purple dome, when meeting it, it is enough to move it away from you with your hand, grasping the upper part of the dome, which has no tentacles.

Although there are vacationers who deliberately seek encounters with stinging jellyfish. They believe in healing power Cornerot poison. It is believed that if you rub a person’s body with jellyfish, you can be cured of radiculitis. It's a delusion. Such therapy does not bring relief, but causes suffering to both the jellyfish and the patient.

The most common shellfish in the Black Sea are, of course, mussels, brine, oysters and scallops. All of them are edible. Oysters and mussels are specially bred. Oysters live up to 30 years. They are very tenacious: they can survive without the sea for more than two weeks. Maybe that's why they are eaten alive. Oysters on the Black Sea coast of Kuban are relatively rare. However, all the coastal stones and port piers are covered with mussels. Mussels live for 7 - 10 years and do not taste as refined as oysters. They need to be boiled or fried before eating. Sometimes you can find a small pearl in a large mussel.; Usually it happens Pink colour And irregular shape. Mussels are real living filters. They pass through themselves a huge amount of sea water. At the same time, everything that was contained in this water accumulates in their bodies. Therefore, it is not recommended to feast on mussels caught in the port or near sewage treatment plant effluents.

Scallops are also interesting in their own way. This mollusk can move like a missile. With force, the scallop slams the doors of its shell, and the stream of water carries it a meter or two forward. Scallops have many eyes. There are about a hundred of them. Why he needs them is unclear. This mollusk is blind. If an eye is removed, a new one will grow in its place.

WITH Far East Together with the ships, the rapana mollusk arrived in the Black Sea. Now it has filled the entire coast of the Caucasus. Rapana is edible. You can cook from it tasty soup, and its meat resembles sturgeon. Rapana is a predator, and the objects of its hunt are mussels and oysters. Young rapana drill into the shell of the victim and drink the contents, and adult individuals secrete mucus, which paralyzes the valves of the mollusk and allows the rapana to eat the host. It is believed that rapana is the closest relative of those same extinct mollusks from whose shells the ancient Phoenicians obtained their famous purple dye. The discovery of purple is attributed to the Phoenician god Melqart. One day he and his beloved dog were walking along the seashore. The dog was rummaging in the coastal algae. Suddenly Melkart noticed that a trickle of blood was flowing from the dog’s mouth. He called his pet and tried to wipe away the blood. It turned out that there was no wound. The dog just chewed the shell, from which purple-bloody paint leaked out. Melkart passed on the secret of mining to the Phoenicians, who, during the existence of their people, were able to completely process all relatives of rapana into paint.

Crabs are also found in the Black Sea. “Spider”, marbled, stone, grassy, xantho, redbark. There are 18 species in total. Here they do not reach large sizes. The largest is the red-barked one. But even it rarely reaches a size of more than 20 cm in diameter.

There are approximately 180 species of fish that live in the Black Sea. Beluga, sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, herring, anchovy (Black Sea anchovy), sprat, sprat, mullet, red mullet, horse mackerel, mackerel, flounder, bonito, tuna. It is extremely rare for a swordfish to swim into the Black Sea. There are also eels in the sea - river and sea. Among fish that do not have a large commercial value, we can note the goby, the ruffe, the pipefish, seahorse, stickleback, sea dragon, the greenfinch is a small bright fish capable of cracking the shells of mollusks and gurnard (trigla) with its teeth, monkfish.

Previously, as many as 3 species of mullet lived in the Black Sea, but due to fishing and sea pollution, the number of the mullet herd began to decline catastrophically. To improve the situation, from Sea of Japan a bearing was brought. This is also a mullet, but more unpretentious. It acclimatized perfectly, multiplied and now became an object of fishing for fishermen. Fortunately, the population of Black Sea mullet in last years is gradually recovering.

The Stargazer, sometimes called sea cow, burrows deep into the mud, exposing to the surface only one antennae, reminiscent of a worm. With this antennae it attracts small fish and swallows them.

The pipefish and seahorse differ from other fish in that their females spawn eggs not into the water, but into special folds of skin on the back of the males, and the males carry the eggs until the fry hatch. It is also interesting that the skates' eyes and spines can rotate autonomously and look in different directions.

There are two types of sharks in the Black Sea: Katran (spiny shark, dogfish) and the small spotted shark scyllium (cat shark). Katran can sometimes reach 2 meters, and the cat shark never grows more than a meter. Both katran and scyllium are not dangerous for humans, although in relation to fish they behave like real evil and cruel predators. They eat everything that moves, even if they themselves are full. Katran meat is quite tasty. Fins, liver and balyk are especially good. Katran's liver contains a substance that helps patients with certain forms of cancer. There is even a drug called “katrex”, which is made from the liver of a Black Sea shark.

The Black Sea is home to not only fish, but also sea animals. Over the past 80 years, whales have entered the sea twice. Three species of dolphins live permanently: the harbor porpoise (Azov-ka), the bottlenose dolphin and the white sided dolphin. Moreover, the azovka and the white-sided duck have been living on our planet for 10 million years. Bottlenose dolphin is younger. She has been roaming the seas for about 5 million years. Real old-timers of the ocean. For comparison: man appeared on Earth about 350 thousand years ago. So it is quite possible that dolphins are our older brothers in mind. At least dolphins score 190 points in intelligence tests, humans are only 25 points higher. But these are human tests. I wonder how many points we would score in a dolphin test?

For the last 30 years, scientists have been concerned with the question: do dolphins have their own language? It seems that the search for the dolphin alphabet was not crowned with success. People have never learned to distinguish between individual “letters” and “words” in a dolphin whistle. Or maybe their language doesn’t consist of “words.” It is known that dolphins “see” in the water using an ultrasonic locator. They send a signal, it is reflected from the obstacle and comes back. Then in the dolphin’s brain it is transformed into an image, a picture. So why use words in this case? I just took it and sent it to my friend not a telegram, but a photograph. Maybe this is what is happening? There is no answer to this question yet. But dolphins are constantly studied in special dolphinariums, one of which is located in Maly Utrish.

Dolphins often come close to the shore and allow people to play with them. Games are games, but dolphins have impressive teeth, and the beast weighs about 250 kg. In the ocean, dolphins are not afraid even of sharks. They accelerate in the water and ram their noses into dangerous fish. Of course, when you see a dolphin near the shore, you want to make friends with it, but it’s better to think about what if it’s hungry and comes to hunt for mullet. You would like it if someone deprived you of your lunch, and even demanded that you play with him. Let those who mastered the depths long before people appeared on land rule the sea.

Sometimes sick animals are thrown ashore, as if asking for protection from the inhabitants of the land. In 1994, a real epidemic raged at sea. A virus similar to the causative agent of measles destroyed many of these cheerful and playful servants of Neptune. For quite a long time, dolphins have been the object of fishing. For example, in 1952, 300 thousand bottlenose dolphins were caught. Since 1966, dolphin fishing has been prohibited, although many of them die, suffocating in fishing nets.

Where does such unanimity come from in the name of this amazingly blue sea, captivating us with its radiant serenity? Of course, there are days when the sea is angry, and then its face darkens to bluish-violet... But this happens rarely, and even then only in difficult winter times.

And in clear weather from early spring to late autumn, the Black Sea will be remembered for a long time for its rich blue, turning into light turquoise tones as it approaches the shore... “The sky wants to be beautiful, the sea wants to be like the sky!” - V. Bryusov said poetically about this. And yet, who and when called this sea the Black Sea?

Version one

It was put forward by the ancient Greek geographer and historian Strabo, who lived in the 1st century BC. In his opinion, the sea was called Black by Greek colonists, who were once unpleasantly struck by storms, fogs, unknown wild shores inhabited by hostile Scythians and Taurians... And they gave the stern stranger the appropriate name - Pontos Akseinos - “inhospitable sea”, or “black”. Then, having settled on the shores, becoming related to the sea of good and bright fairy tales, the Greeks began to call it Pontos Evxeinos - “hospitable sea.” But the first name was not forgotten, like the first love...

Version two

In the 1st millennium BC, long before the appearance of careless Greek colonists here, Indian tribes lived on the eastern and northern shores of the Sea of Azov - Meotians, Sindians and others, who gave the name to the neighboring sea - Temarun, which literally means “black sea". This was the result of a purely visual comparison of the color of the surface of the two seas, now called the Azov and Black. From the mountainous shores of the Caucasus, the latter appears darker to the observer, as can be seen even now. And if it’s dark, it means black. The Meotians on the shores of the mentioned seas were replaced by the Scythians, who fully agreed with this characterization of the Black Sea. And they called him in their own way - Akhshaena, that is, “dark, black.”

Other versions

The sea was so named because after a storm black silt remains on its shores. But this is not entirely true, the silt is actually gray, not black. Although... who knows how all this was seen in ancient times...

There is another hypothesis about the origin of the name “Black Sea”, put forward by modern hydrologists. The fact is that any metal objects, the same anchors of ships, lowered to a certain depth in the Black Sea, rise to the surface blackened under the influence of hydrogen sulfide located in the depths of the sea. This property was probably noticed since ancient times and, undoubtedly, could have served to assign such a strange name to the sea.

In general, the sea is capable of taking on a wide variety of colors and shades. Let's say, in February-March you can find that the water off the Black Sea coast is not blue, as usual, but brown. This color metamorphosis is a phenomenon of a biological nature, and it is caused by the mass reproduction of the smallest unicellular algae. The water begins to bloom, as people say.

Did you know that the lower layers of the Black Sea water are extremely saturated with hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which makes this water absolutely unsuitable for any kind of life, and the Black Sea is the largest reservoir of hydrogen sulfide on the planet. As we all remember, hydrogen sulfide is a terribly toxic gas, which is used in small doses in medicinal purposes and has a rotten egg odor, and in large doses, a single inhalation can cause instant death. Therefore, in the lower layers of the Black Sea water, except for anaerobic sulfur bacteria, not a single Living being cannot live. Luckily for us, the layers of water in the Black Sea do not mix, because if they moved, it could become the largest natural disaster since the end of the last Ice Age.

Why such deposits of hydrogen sulfide formed in the Black Sea, no one can yet say for sure. According to the most common version, it was like this: 7500 years ago the Black Sea was a lake - the deepest freshwater lake, the level of which was more than 100 meters lower than the modern one. After the end of the Ice Age, the level of the World Ocean rose, and salty waters poured into the future Black Sea. All freshwater life that lived in the deepest lake died out, and the product of its decomposition was hydrogen sulfide.

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817-1899)

"Black Sea"