Scientists: The salinity of the Sea of ​​Azov is increasing to a dangerous extent

Scientists at the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences will conduct the first comprehensive study of the Sea of ​​Azov, which has become an inland sea in Russia.

Researcher at the center Oleg Stepanyan said that the main attention during the research will be paid to the high salinity of the Sea of ​​Azov, as its salinity increased by 1.5 times the indicators previously recorded and approached the salinity of the Black Sea, which directly affects living organisms. Earlier, scientists discovered in the eastern part of Taganrog Bay a predatory fish that does not usually live in these waters, the sunfish, which poses a serious threat to local fish species.

The researcher explained that scientific research will be conducted this spring by the Daneb scientific ship, and we will launch the mission at the end of next April.

The researcher pointed out that "the organisms that lived there 5-10 years ago are no longer present, and their place has been taken by other species migrating from the Black Sea. The ecosystem that is losing its stability is being rebuilt, that is, all species of 'invaders' come from distant seas and oceans." This process now in the Sea of ​​Azov needs to be controlled, of course, and it is very interesting to know whether these species extend to the western part of the sea, to its northern part adjacent to the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, and the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic. No one has been there for more than "For 10 years there have been no studies, specifically in the shallow coastal part."

The researcher pointed out that scientists will have to recreate a vision of the situation of the Sea of ​​Azov, to understand its condition, in order to accomplish the tasks of developing the tourism sector. In particular, scientists are studying the problem of the spread of jellyfish on its coast during the holiday season, and will develop several proposals aimed at stabilizing marine conditions.

Scientists plan to conduct eight expeditions in the Sea of ​​Azov and the Black Sea in 2024, and the current expedition will last for 10 days. According to the scientist, this is the optimal time to conduct a high-quality survey of the entire water area of ​​the Sea of ​​Azov. The research will end next December.