Baltic Sea specific features. Seas of Russia - Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea(also called East Sea) is considered an inland sea that penetrates deep into the continent.
The northern extreme point of the Baltic Sea is located near the Arctic Circle, the southern one is near the German city of Wismar, the western one is near the city of Flensburg, and the eastern one is near St. Petersburg. This sea belongs to the ocean.
General information about the Baltic
The area of the sea (excluding islands) is 415 km. sq. It washes the shores of such states:
- Estonia;
- Russia;
- Lithuania;
- Germany;
- Latvia;
- Poland
- Latvia;
- Denmark;
- Finland;
- * Sweden.
Large bays are: Bothnian, Finnish, Riga, Curonian (separated by a scythe). The largest islands: Eland, Wolin, Aland, Gotland, Als, Saaremaaa, Muhu, Men, Usedom, Fore and others. Most big rivers: Zapadnya Dvina, Neva, Vistula, Venta, Narva, Pregolya.
The Baltic Sea through the Volga-Baltic basin comes to and is located on the continental shelf. In the area of islands, shoals and banks, the depth varies within 12 meters. There are a couple of basins where the depth reaches 200 meters. The Landsort basin is considered the deepest (470 meters), the basin depth reaches 250 meters, and in the Gulf of Bothnia - 254 meters.
In the southern region, the seabed is flat, while in the north it is predominantly rocky. A huge part of the bottom is covered with sediments glacial origin various colors (green, brown, black).
A feature of the Baltic Sea is that there is an excess fresh water, which is formed due to river runoff and precipitation.
Its surface brackish waters constantly go into. During storms, the exchange between these seas changes, as in the straits the water mixes from the bottom. The salinity of the sea is on the wane from the Danish Straits (20 ppm) to the east (in the Gulf of Bothnia 3 ppm, and in Finland - 2 ppm). Tides can be diurnal and semidiurnal (do not exceed 20 cm).
Compared to other seas, the disturbances of the Baltic Sea are quite insignificant. In the central parts of the sea, waves can reach 3-3.5 meters, less often - 4 meters. During large storms, waves 10-11 meters high were recorded. The most transparent water with a bluish-green tint is observed in the Gulf of Bothnia, in coastal areas it is more turbid and has a yellowish-green color. Due to the development of plankton, the lowest water transparency can be traced in summer. The soils of the coastal zone are diverse: in the southern regions - sand, in the east - silt and sand, and on the northern coast - stone.
Climate of the Baltic Sea
The sea temperature is generally lower than in other seas. In the mornings at summer time due to the southerly winds that drive the upper warm layers into the ocean, the temperature sometimes drops below 12 degrees. When they start to blow northern winds, surface waters become much warmer. The highest temperature is in August - about 18 C. In January, it varies from 0 to 3 C.
Due to low salinity, harsh winters and shallow depths, the Baltic Sea often freezes over, although not every winter.
Flora and fauna
The water in the Baltic Sea changes from sea salt to fresh water. Marine mollusks live only in the western region of the sea, where the water is saltier. Of the fish, sprat, cod, herring are represented here. Smelt, vendace salmon and others are found in the Gulf of Finland. Seals live in the region of the Aland Islands.
Due to the presence of many islands, rocks, reefs in the sea, navigation in the Baltic Sea is quite dangerous. This danger is somewhat reduced due to the presence of a large number of lighthouses here (most of them). The largest cruise ships out of the Danish straits and into the Atlantic Ocean. The most difficult place is the Great Belt Bridge. The largest ports: Tallinn, Baltiysk, Lubeck, Riga, Stockholm, Szczecin, Rostock, Kiel, Vyborg, Gdansk, St. Petersburg;
- Ptolemy called this sea the Venedian, which comes from the name of the Slavic peoples who lived in ancient times in the southern part of the coast - Wends or Wends;
- The famous route from the Varangians to the Greeks ran across the Baltic Sea;
- The Tale of Bygone Years calls him by the Varangian Sea;
- The name "Baltic Sea" is found for the first time in the treatise of Adam of Bremen in 1080;
- This sea is rich in oil, manganese, iron and amber. The Nord Stream gas pipeline runs along its bottom;
- Every year on March 22, the Baltic Sea Environment Day is celebrated. This decision was taken by the Helsinki Commission in 1986.
Resorts
Among the resorts of the Baltic Sea, the most famous are: Zelenogorsk, Svetlogorsk, Zelenogradsk, Pioneer (Russia), Saulkrasti and
The Baltic Sea is located between Central and Northern Europe, it enters the Atlantic Ocean basin. The reservoir washes the shores of such states as Russia, the Baltic countries (Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia), Poland, Germany, Denmark, Scandinavian countries (Finland, Sweden). The water surface area is 415 thousand square meters. km. The volume is 21.7 thousand cubic meters. km. The maximum length is 1600 km. The maximum width is 193 km. The average depth corresponds to 55 meters, and the maximum is 459 meters. The length of the coastline is 8 thousand km.
Geography
The reservoir is connected by artificial channels with the North and White seas. In the first case, this is the Kiel Canal (length 98 km). It allows ships, without going around Jutland, to immediately enter the North Sea. In the eastern part of the channel is german city Kiel, in the western city of Brunsbüttel. As for the White Sea, the path to it passes through the White Sea Canal.
In a natural way, the Baltic is connected with the North Sea through the Kattegat (200 km long) and Skagerrak (240 km long) straits. This is a body of water between Jutland and Scandinavia.
gulfs
There are the following large bays in the Baltic: Botanical, Finnish, Riga, Curonian.
Botanical Bay is located in the northern part of the reservoir between Sweden and Finland. In the southern part it has the Åland Islands. Its area is 117 thousand square meters. km.
The Gulf of Finland is located in the eastern part of the Baltic. It washes the shores of Estonia, Russia and Finland. Its area is 29.5 thousand square meters. km. On its banks are such large cities as St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Tallinn.
The Curonian Lagoon is a lagoon separated from the sea by the Curonian Spit. Its area is 1610 sq. km. The waters of the bay belong to Lithuania and Kaliningrad region Russia. At the junction of this small body of water with the sea is the city of Klaipeda.
Islands
The Åland Islands are an archipelago in the Botanical Bay. It has 6757 islands, but only 60 people live. by the most big islandÅland is considered with an area of 685 sq. km. The total area of the archipelago is 1552 sq. km.
Gotland Island (Sweden) is located in the central part of the sea and 100 km from the Swedish coast. Its area is almost 3 thousand square meters. km. About 57 thousand people will live on it.
Another Swedish island is called Öland. Its area is 1342 sq. km. 25 thousand people live on this piece of land. Every summer they receive at least 500 thousand tourists.
The island of Bornholm, although located not far from the Swedish coast, belongs to Denmark. Its area is 588 sq. km. 42 thousand people live on it. From the island to Copenhagen 169 km, and to Sweden 35 km.
Poland owns the island of Wolin with an area of 265 sq. km. On it is the city of Wolin with a population of about 5 thousand people.
The island of Rügen belongs to Germany. Its area is 926 sq. km. It is home to 77 thousand people. These are the lands of the Prussian province of Pomerania.
The Estonian island of Saaremaa, which is part of moonsund archipelago. It is wholly owned by Estonia. As for Saaremaa, its area is 2.7 thousand square meters. km with a population of 35 thousand people. There are 4 large and approximately 500 small islands in the archipelago. Them total area is about 4 thousand square meters. km.
Rivers flowing into the Baltic Sea
Rivers such as the Neva with a length of 74 km, Narva (77 km), Daugava or Western Dvina(1020 km), Neman (937 km), Vistula (1047 km), Pregolya (123 km), Venta (124 km), Odra or Oder (903 km).
Baltic Sea on the map
Hydrology
The reservoir is notable for the fact that a large excess of fresh water is constantly present in it. They come from rivers and as a result of precipitation. Surface salt water go to the North Sea through the Kattegat and Skagerrak straits. But salt water enters the Baltic in the same way, but only through a deep current. The tides are small. Their size does not exceed 20 cm.
The wind has a much greater influence on the water level off the coast. It can raise the level up to 50 cm, and in narrow bays and bays up to 2 meters. If we talk about standing waves (seiches), then here the amplitude of oscillations reaches 50 cm.
As for storms, the Baltic Sea is generally calm. The height of the waves does not exceed 4 meters. In rare cases, winds can create waves with a height of 10 meters. Since the salinity of the water is low, in winter the hulls of ships may be subject to icing.
Ice appears in the bays in the month of November. This applies to the northern and eastern regions. At the same time, the thickness of the ice crust can reach up to 60-65 cm. The southern and central parts of the reservoir are not covered with ice. The ice cover melts in April. In the north, floating ice floes can be found in the month of June. Since 1720, the reservoir has completely frozen over 20 times. The last such case was recorded in January 1987. During this period, there was an extremely severe winter in Scandinavia.
AT central regions seas the color of the water is bluish-green. It also has maximum transparency. The closer to the coast, the transparency decreases, and the color changes to pale green with a yellowish or brown tint. The cause of poor transparency is often plankton.
Water temperature and salinity
In the central parts of the sea, the temperature of the surface water layers is 14-17 degrees Celsius. In the Botanical Bay, the corresponding values are 9-12 degrees Celsius. But in the Gulf of Finland it is 1 degree warmer than in the central part. At depth, the temperature first decreases and then rises. At the bottom it is 4-5 degrees Celsius.
In sea water, salinity decreases from west to east. At the extreme western points, it is equal to 20 ppm at the sea surface. At a depth it reaches 30 ppm. In the center of the reservoir, salinity at the surface is 7-8 ppm. In the north it is 3 ppm, and in the east 2 ppm. With depth, these figures increase and reach 13-14 ppm.
Helsinki Convention 1992
In 1992, the states whose shores are washed by the Baltic Sea signed a convention on strict observance of environmental and maritime law in the waters of the Baltic. The governing body of the convention is the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) or the Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment. The contracting parties are Russia, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Germany, Poland. Instruments of ratification were deposited by Germany, Sweden and Latvia in 1994, Finland and Estonia in 1995, Denmark in 1996, Lithuania in 1997, Russia and Poland in 1999.
The convention testifies to the high responsibility that people have towards the unique region formed by the Baltic waters. Its flora and fauna should not be at risk of ecological catastrophe.
Heavily cut into the mainland. Its not as severe as the climate of the Arctic seas, although the Baltic Sea is located in the northwestern part of Russia. This sea is almost completely limited by land. Only from the southwest is this sea connected to the waters by various straits. The Baltic Sea belongs to the type of inland seas.
The shores that this sea washes have a different origin. Quite complicated and. The Baltic Sea has a rather small depth, due to the fact that it is located within the boundaries of the continental shelf.
The greatest depth of the Baltic Sea was recorded in the Landsort Basin. The Danish Straits are characterized by shallow depths. The depth of the Great Belt is 10 - 25 m, the Small Belt - 10 - 35 m. The waters of the Sound have a depth of 7 to 15 m. The shallow depths of the straits interfere with the unhindered exchange of water between the Baltic Sea and. The Baltic Sea covers an area equal to 419 thousand km2. The volume of water is 321.5 km3. The average water depth is about 51 m. The maximum sea depth is 470 m.
The climate of the Baltic Sea is influenced by its location in the zone of temperate latitudes, proximity Atlantic Ocean and the location of much of the sea inland. All these factors contribute to the fact that the climate of the Baltic Sea is in many ways close to the maritime climate of temperate latitudes, and there are also some features of the continental climate. Due to the rather significant extent of the sea, there are some distinctive features of the climate in different parts of the sea.
In the Baltic, it is largely due to the influence of the Icelandic low, the Siberian and. Depending on whose influence is dominant, seasonal features differ. In autumn and winter, the Baltic Sea is influenced by the Icelandic Low and the Siberian High. As a result of this, the sea is in power, which spread in autumn from west to east, and in winter to the northeast. This period is characterized by cloudy weather with large southwestern and western winds.
In January and February, when the lowest temperature is observed, the average monthly temperature in the central part of the sea is -3°C, and in the north and east - 5-8°C. With the strengthening of the Polar High, cold ones enter the Baltic Sea. As a result, it drops to – 30 – 35°С. But such cold snaps are quite rare and, as a rule, they are short-lived.
In the spring-summer period, the Siberian High loses its strength, and the Azores and, to a lesser extent, the Polar High have a dominant effect on the Baltic Sea. At this time, the sea is observed. Cyclones coming to the Baltic from the Atlantic Ocean are not as significant as in winter. All this causes the unstable direction of the winds, which have low speeds. In the spring season, northerly winds have a great influence on the weather, they bring cold air.
In summer, winds from the western and northwestern directions prevail. These winds are predominantly weak or. Due to their influence, cool and humid weather is observed in summer. average temperature July reaches + 14 - 15°С in the Gulf of Bothnia and +16 - 18°С in other areas of the sea. It is very rare for the Baltic to receive warm air masses that cause hot weather.
The temperature of the waters of the Baltic Sea depends on the specific location. AT winter time the temperature of the waters near the coast is lower than in the open sea. In the western part, the sea is warmer than in the eastern part, which is associated with the cooling effect of the land. In summer, the coldest waters are near the western coasts in the central and southern zones of the sea. Such a distribution of temperatures is due to the fact that the western ones move the heated upper waters from the western shores. Their place is taken by cold deep waters.
Coast of the Baltic Sea
Approximately 250 large and small rivers carry their waters into the Baltic Sea. During the year they give the sea about 433 km 3, which is 2.1% of the total volume of the sea. The most full-flowing are: the Neva, which pours 83.5 km 3 per year, the Vistula (30.4 km 3 per year), the Neman (20.8 km 3 per year) and the Daugava (19.7 km 3 per year). In different areas of the Baltic Sea, the proportion is not the same. For example, in the Gulf of Bothnia, rivers give 188 km 3 per year, the volume of continental waters is 109.8 km 3 / year. The Gulf of Riga receives 36.7 km 3 /year and in the central part of the Baltic is 111.6 km 3 /year. Thus, the eastern regions of the sea receive more than half of all continental waters.
During the year, rivers bring an unequal amount of water to the sea. If the full flow of rivers is regulated by a lake, as, for example, near the Neva River, then a greater flow occurs in the spring-summer period. If the full flow of rivers is not regulated by lakes, as, for example, near the Daugava River, then the maximum flow is noted in spring and a slight increase in autumn.
are practically not observed. The current affecting surface waters arises under the influence of winds and river runoff. In winter, the waters of the Baltic Sea are covered with ice. But during one and the same winter, the ice can melt several times and again bind the waters. This sea is never completely covered with ice.
Fishing is widely developed in the Baltic Sea. Baltic herring, sprat, cod, whitefish, lamprey, salmon and other types of fish are caught here. Also in these waters, a large amount of algae is mined. There are many marine farms on the Baltic Sea where the most sought-after fish species are grown. There are a large number of placers on the coast of the Baltic Sea. Amber mining works are carried out in the region. There is oil in the bowels of the Baltic Sea.
Navigation is widely developed in the waters of the Baltic Sea. Sea transportation of various goods is constantly carried out here. Thanks to the Baltic Sea, it maintains close economic and trade relations with Western European countries. There are a large number of ports on the coast of the Baltic Sea.
The Baltic Sea, like a real European one, washes the borders of several states at once. If earlier many principalities and empires fought for the right to own the ports located on it, today the situation in the region of the water area is calm. Nine states have access to the shores of the Baltic Sea: Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Finland.
The Baltic Sea can be called a typical inland sea. It is located in the northwestern part of Eurasia and is connected to the Atlantic Ocean in the North Sea through the Danish straits. The size of the water area is quite large for Europe - 419,000 sq.m, despite the fact that the average depth is 51 m (the maximum figure is 470 m). The Baltic Sea is full-flowing due to the large number of rivers that flow into it - these are the world-famous Vistula, Neman, Neva and Daugava. The largest among them (bringing more water to the pool) is our Neva.
As for the shores of the Baltic Sea, relative to the mainland of the planet, they stretched from the southwest to the northeast. The widest place on land is called a piece of land from St. Petersburg to Stockholm - this is almost 650 km of continuous beach.
It will be fair to note that the Baltic was far from always under the sphere of influence of Russia. These northern shores have long attracted the kings and princes of the specific feudal states. Quite often, commanders, together with armies, tried to get a tidbit of the seashore, but they could not get what they wanted. One has only to recall the bloody attempts of Tsar Ivan the Terrible and the disastrous Livonian War he started.
Luck smiled at Russia only at the beginning of the 18th century. The Northern War, which engulfed almost the entire northern and eastern parts of Europe, allowed Peter the Great to get his piece of the Gulf of Finland and begin the process of "Europeanization" of the Russian people.
Cities on the Baltic Sea in Russia
Today, the Baltic Sea is considered not only a strategic area, but also excellent resort for residents of the country and neighboring regions. The water here is quite cold, sometimes capricious and violent, which, however, does not deter tourists who come here every summer.
Kaliningrad
(Port terminal Kaliningrad, located in the Kaliningrad Bay)
The central city of the region, as is known, was previously called Keninsberg. Today it Big City on the sea, which managed to preserve the outlines of German prosperity, while acquiring a typical Russian appearance. Today people come here not only to the grave of the great Kant, but also to medical mineral water and sandy beaches.
Svetlogorsk and Zelenogradsk
Two typical resort towns that differ only in size. The first is larger and more touristy. A large number of hotels and restaurants for every taste, locals long adapted to the needs of guests and offer a quiet and cozy rest on the seashore.
In addition, the region has a huge number of small villages in the coastal zone. Many of them trade with amber mining and offer excursions to old breweries. Today, the Russian shores of the Baltic Sea have become completely Russified, and only the pointed roofs of temples and two-story houses with red tiles stretching along the coast remind of the time when the lands belonged to Europe.
The Baltic Sea is an inland marginal sea of Eurasia, deeply protruding into the mainland. The Baltic Sea is located in northern Europe, belongs to the Atlantic Ocean basin. It is connected to the North Sea by the Øresund (Sund), B. and M. Belta, Kattegat and Skagerrak straits. maritime border The sea passes through the southern entrances of the Øresund, B. and M. Belta straits. The shores of the Baltic Sea in the South and South-East are predominantly low-lying, sandy, lagoon type; from the land side - dunes covered with forests, from the sea side - sandy and pebble beaches. In the North, the shores are high, rocky, mostly of the skerry type. Coastline strongly indented, forms numerous bays and bays. The largest bays are: Bothnian (according to physical and geographical conditions it is a sea), Finnish, Riga, Curonian, Gdansk Bay, Szczecin, etc.
Bottom relief
The Baltic Sea is located within the continental shelf. The average depth of the sea is 51 meters. Small depths (up to 12 meters) are observed in the areas of shoals, banks, near the islands. There are several basins in which depths reach 200 meters. The deepest basin is Landsortskaya with a maximum sea depth of 470 meters. In the Gulf of Bothnia, the maximum depth is 254 meters, in the Gotland Basin - 249 meters. The bottom in the southern part of the sea is flat, in the north - uneven, rocky. In coastal areas, sands are common among the bottom sediments, but most of The bottom of the sea is covered with sediments of green, black or brown clayey silt of glacial origin.Hydrological regime
A feature of the hydrological regime of the Baltic Sea is a large excess of fresh water, formed due to precipitation and river runoff. The brackish surface waters of the Baltic Sea through the Danish Straits go to the North Sea, and the salty waters of the North Sea enter the Baltic Sea with a deep current. During storms, when the water in the straits is mixed to the very bottom, the water exchange between the seas changes - along the entire cross section of the straits, water can go both to the North and to the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea in March 2000 (NASA) The surface water circulation of the sea is counterclockwise, although strong winds can disrupt the circulation patterns. The tides in the Baltic Sea are semi-diurnal and diurnal, but their magnitude does not exceed 20 centimeters. Of greater importance are surge phenomena - fluctuations in sea level, which can reach 50 centimeters near the coast, and 2 meters at the tops of bays and bays. At the top of the Gulf of Finland, in some meteorological situations, level rises up to 5 meters are possible. The annual amplitude of sea level fluctuations can reach 3.6 meters near Kronstadt, and 1.5 meters near Ventspils. The amplitude of seiche oscillations usually does not exceed 50 centimeters.
Compared to other seas, the waves in the Baltic Sea are insignificant. In the center of the sea there are waves up to 3.5 meters high, sometimes higher than 4 meters. In shallow bays, the wave height does not exceed 3 meters, but they are steeper. However, it is not uncommon for the formation big waves, with a height of more than 10 meters, in conditions when storm winds form waves going from deep water areas to shallow water. For example, in the area of the Elands-Sedra-Grunt bank, a wave height of 11 meters was instrumentally recorded. The low salinity of the surface layer contributes to a rapid change in the state of the sea. In winter navigation conditions, ships are threatened by icing. These features of the Baltic, along with a high level of navigation, a large number of navigational dangers, make navigation in this sea a difficult task. The transparency of water decreases from the center of the sea to its shores. The most transparent water in the center of the sea and the Gulf of Bothnia, where the water has a bluish-green color. In coastal areas, the color of the water is yellow-green, sometimes brownish. The lowest transparency is observed in summer due to the development of plankton. sea ice first appears in the bays in October - November. Coast of Bothnia and a significant part of the coast (except south coast) of the Gulf of Finland are covered with fast ice up to 65 centimeters thick. The central and southern parts of the sea are usually not covered with ice. The ice melts in April, although in the north of the Gulf of Bothnia, drifting ice can occur in June. Floating bottom ice is often found.
Temperature regime
The temperature of the surface layers of water in the summer in the Gulf of Finland is 15-17 °C, in the Gulf of Bothnia - 9-13 °C, in the center of the sea - 14-17 °C. With increasing depth, the temperature slowly decreases to the depth of the thermocline (20-40 meters), where there is a sharp jump to 0.2-0.5 ° C, then the temperature rises, reaching 4-5 ° C at the bottom.
