This article will focus on estuaries. What it is? What is the meaning of the word liman? In mountainous areas, the sea coast is often not even, but very indented, as a result of which large and small bays are formed, such as a lagoon and an estuary. This word is translated from Greek as a harbor or bay. However, the bays, which are named 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 the lowering of the coastal strip. After some time, the estuary begins to separate from the sea by a sandy spit or embankment. A shallow water zone can also form between the main body of water and this small bay, and in the event of complete separation from the sea, an estuary lake appears 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 rash.
However, not allnarrow and shallow bays are called estuaries. At the place of formation of all bays of estuary origin, in former times, there were estuarine parts of the rivers, which are now flooded by the sea. If you look at the map, you will notice that all the estuaries have a sinuous shape. This has its own 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, something between the fresh water of the river and the s alt water of the sea. However, due to the lack or insufficient amount of precipitation, river water may not be enough, and the estuary very quickly becomes very s alty as a result of evaporation.
From the above, we can draw conclusions about the origin and nutrition of these natural bays, as well as give them a definition. Thus, an estuary is a narrow and elongated bay formed in the lower reaches of the river. As a rule, their bottom is rich in healing mud used in medicine to treat various diseases of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems.
What is the use of the 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 a reservoir s alted to the state of brine, a black oily silty sediment is deposited, consisting of the remains of these microorganisms. It consists of iron sulfide and colloidal iron oxides. These firth muds have healing properties, so they are widely used in medicine for healing various ailments. In themmagnesian, sulphurous and other layers of s alts are also deposited. This occurs as a result of salinity fluctuations in closed lagoons. Silty-s alt deposits can be several tens of meters thick. 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 Lyman
At the Black Sea coast of Crimea, near the village of Olenovka, there is a lake with the characteristic name Liman. It is not difficult to guess that it is of firth 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 Karadzhin Bay by a narrow embankment. At the moment, there is not a single river that flows into or flows out of the lake. It feeds on precipitation and sea water, therefore, depending on the season, its depth ranges from 40 cm to 1 meter. The layer of silt that lies at the bottom of the lake has a high mineralization coefficient. In the summer season, windsurfing competitions are held here. In addition to the Crimean lake Liman, other small lakes also bear this name. For example, there are lakes of the same name in Kharkiv and Kherson regions.
Names of estuaries
- Dniester estuary (Odessa region). It was formed at the mouth of the Dniester River at the confluence with the Black Sea. By the way, its former name is Lake Ovid.
- Anadyr Estuary. This is the name of a part of the Gulf of Anadyr near the Bering Sea.
- Khadzhibey Estuary. It is located in the north-east of the Black Sea near Odessa. Its width is about 5km.
- Dry firth. It is located on the Black Sea coast, like the Dniester, near the city of Odessa. On its shore is the seaport of Ilyichevsk. By the way, the last autobiographical work of the Soviet writer Valentin Kataev, a native of the hero city of Odessa, is the story "Dry Estuary".
Settlements called Liman
This name in Russia, and throughout the world called various settlements. For example, in the Republic of Azerbaijan (Lenkoran region) and in the state of Wyoming (USA) there are cities called Liman. There are settlements of the same name in the Astrakhan, Voronezh, Rostov regions, in the Stavropol Territory (RF), as well as in Ukraine: Kharkov, Kherson and other regions.
Conclusion
So, from the above, it became clear that an estuary is a shallow s alty bay or bay, which was formed in the lower reaches of the river valley (at the mouth) as a result of the flooding of the river valley by the sea. These natural bays can be open, with direct access to the sea, or they can be separated from the sea by an embankment. If the estuary is completely separated from the sea, then it turns into a lake of estuary origin. The greatest we alth of these reservoirs is the healing mud, which is extracted from their bottom, therefore, on the coast of the estuary lakes there are sanatoriums and clinics that provide a wide range of both therapeutic and preventive services for everyone. Throughout the year, people with various he alth problems are treated in these he alth resorts. By the way, oneof the indications is infertility. They say that the Crimean mud works wonders, and many women, after undergoing treatment with firth mud, can finally comprehend the joy of motherhood.
