This article will focus on estuaries. What it is? What is the meaning of the word estuary? In mountainous areas, the sea coast is often not even, but very rugged, resulting in the formation of large and small bays, such as a lagoon and estuary. This word is translated from Greek as a harbor or bay. However, the bays, which are called in this way, have some distinctive features. So what are they?
What is an estuary?
In geography, this term refers to a narrow, elongated and shallow bay. It is formed as a result of lowering the coastal strip. After some time, the estuary begins to separate from the sea with a sandy scythe or a heap. A shallow water zone may also form between the main body of water and this small bay, and if it is completely separated from the sea, an estuary lake will appear in its place. Such bays are most often found near the northern and western shores of the Azov and Black Seas. They can be either open, which is otherwise called “lips,” or closed, with a heap.
However, not all narrow and shallow bays are called estuaries. In the place of formation of all bays of estuary origin in the old days were the estuaries of the rivers, which are now flooded by the sea. If you look at the map, it is important to note that all estuaries have a sinuous shape. This has an explanation. If the river valley is winding, then the estuary takes the same shape, and also absorbs the valleys of its tributaries. The degree of salinity of the estuary is intermediate, a cross between the fresh water of the river and the salt water of the sea. However, due to the absence or insufficient amount of precipitation, river water may be insufficient, and the estuary very quickly becomes very salty as a result of evaporation.
From the foregoing, we can draw conclusions about the origin and nutrition of these natural bays, as well as give them a definition. Thus, the estuary is a narrow and elongated bay formed in the lower reaches of the river. As a rule, their bottom is rich in medicinal mud used in medicine to treat various diseases of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems.
What is the use of mud formed at the bottom of estuaries?
In the water of closed estuaries, that is, in estuary lakes, special microorganisms begin to develop over time. And at the bottom of the reservoir saline to the state of brine, a black oily mud deposit is deposited, consisting of the remains of these microorganisms. It consists of sulfur dioxide and colloidal iron oxides. These estuary muds have medicinal properties, therefore they are widely used in medicine for healing from various ailments. They also deposited magnesia, sulfur and other layers of salts. This occurs as a result of fluctuations in salinity in closed estuaries. Silt-salt deposits can have a thickness of several tens of meters. Such estuaries can be found off the coast of the Crimean peninsula (in Saki, Sasyk and other areas), in Dnepropetrovsk, off the coast of Odessa.
Lake Liman
Near the Black Sea coast of Crimea near the village of Olenivka there is a lake with the characteristic name Liman. It is not difficult to guess that it has an estuary origin and was formed as a result of flooding of the river valley by the sea. This body of water has an area of 0.4 km². Its length is 1.6 m and its width is 1.2 km. Lake Liman is separated from the bay of Karadzhin by a narrow embankment. At the moment, there is not a single river that flows into or out of the lake. It feeds on precipitation and sea water, therefore, depending on the time of year, its depth ranges from 40 cm to 1 meter. The layer of silt that lies at the bottom of the lake has a high coefficient of mineralization. In the summer season, windsurfing competitions are held here. In addition to the Crimean lake Liman, other small ponds bear this name. For example, there are lakes of the same name in Kharkov and Kherson regions.
Names of estuaries
- Dniester estuary (Odessa region). Formed at the mouth of the Dniester River at the confluence of the Black Sea. By the way, its former name is Lake Ovidiev.
- Anadyr estuary. This is the name of the part of the Anadyr Bay near the Bering Sea.
- Hadzhibey estuary. Located in the north-east of the Black Sea near Odessa. Its width is about 5 km.
- Dry estuary. It is located on the Black Sea coast, like the Dniester, near the city of Odessa. On its shore is the seaport of Illichivsk. By the way, the last dying autobiographical work of the Soviet writer Valentin Kataev, a native of the hero city of Odessa, is the story “The Dry Estuary”.
Localities called Liman
This name in Russia, and throughout the world, are called various settlements. For example, in the Republic of Azerbaijan (Lankaran region) and in the state of Wyoming (USA) there are cities called Liman. Similar villages are located in Astrakhan, Voronezh, Rostov regions, in the Stavropol Territory (RF), as well as in Ukraine: Kharkov, Kherson and other regions.
Conclusion
So, from the foregoing, it became clear that the estuary is a shallow salt bay or bay that was formed in the lower reaches of the river valley (at the mouth) as a result of flooding of the river valley by the sea. These natural bays can be open, direct access to the sea, or they can be separated from the sea in bulk. If the estuary is completely separated from the sea, then it turns into a lake of estuary origin. The greatest wealth of these reservoirs is the healing mud, which is extracted from their bottom, therefore sanatoriums and hospitals are located on the coast of estuary lakes, which provide a wide range of both therapeutic and preventive services for everyone. All year round in these health resorts people with various health problems are treated. By the way, one of the indications is infertility. They say that Crimean mud works wonders, and many women, having undergone treatment with estuary mud, can finally comprehend the joy of motherhood.