Main Natural and Anthropogenic Sources of Pollution of the Black Sea, Its Shelf Zones and Small Water Reservoirs
The data on the Black Sea pollution levels of oil products, heavy metals, Municipal solid waste, plastic, radioactive pollution of the sea are analyzed. The processes of transfer, transformation and disposal of contaminants are considered, and estimates o
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Main Natural and Anthropogenic Sources of Pollution of the Black Sea, Its Shelf Zones and Small Water Reservoirs
9.1
Introduction
According to modern estimates, the Black Sea is one of the most polluted areas of the World Ocean. The uniqueness of this semi-isolated body of water from the World Ocean lies in a significant amount of fresh water, 70% of which comes from industrial areas of Europe and contains a large number of different pollutants. Study of migration and time of stay of pollutants in the Black Sea is an actual scientific problem, the decision of which will allow to estimate ability of the sea to self-cleaning [1]. The uniqueness of the Black Sea also lies in the fact that about 80% of the water column and bottom sediments are within the anaerobic zone, they are deprived of other life forms than bacteria, so the sea can be called a bacterial sea. Surrounded by industrially and agriculturally developed countries, the Black Sea serves as a natural lagoon for their runoff. The ratio of catchment land area to its mirror area (422,000 km2), equal to 4.4, is an order of magnitude higher than the average for the ocean—0.4. The rivers carry into the sea toxic chemicals from fields, pesticides, detergents, limit and aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metal salts and other toxic substances. Large amounts of fertilizers and organic substances washed off the fields, leading to over-fertilization—eutrophication of the reservoir also goes to the sea, especially in its shallow coastal ecosystems [1]. As a result of significant anthropogenic load on the Black Sea ecosystem, some parts of its water area have lost the ability to self-clean, as evidenced by modern analysis of the environmental situation in the sea. At the same time, the coastal part of the Black Sea is under the greatest pressure, especially in the estuaries of rivers, in the area of ports and the location of large cities. In addition to river runoff, the ever-increasing stress on coastal areas is caused by stormwater, domestic and industrial runoff from onshore enterprises, communities and recreational complexes. Their local impact is often catastrophic. About 180
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 K. Pokazeev et al., Pollution in the Black Sea, Springer Oceanography, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61895-7_9
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9 Main Natural and Anthropogenic Sources of Pollution …
thousand vessels with total displacement of 125 million tons pass through the straits of the sea every year, with more than 12 thousand tons of oil entering the sea. Strong impacts on the biological communities of the sea and its fishing potentials have been caused by irrational, excessive fishing, and in recent years by the shift of new settlers from other areas of the world’s oceans, which is destroying the autochthonous communities of the Black Sea (see Chap. 8 Black Sea flora and fauna for more details). The peculiarities of sea water circulation determine significant differences in the state of the Black Sea coastal and deep water ecosystems
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