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The sea is something that Odessans cannot live without. After all, on any occasion, everyone rushes to the beach: in the summer to sunbathe, and in the winter just to breathe fresh air. However, how safe is it today not only for people, but also for its inhabitants? It won't happen Black sea for everyone by a certain ticking time bomb that will cause a global catastrophe?
Journalists talk about problems and consequences on the eve of the International Black Sea Day News.LIVE talked with ecologist Vladyslav Balinsky.
The state of the Black Sea
As of today, the air temperature has dropped significantly, which has brought the Black Sea back to normal. After all, in the summer, when there was abnormal heat and the water temperature was over +30 degrees, the sea turned red due to a massive bloom of algae. This is primarily associated with large biogenic pollution, but it does not pose a great danger to humans.
"This is not a very good sign for the environment. In addition, the so-called red tide, when there was a massive reproduction of unicellular algae, contributed. And this bloom was toxic, because they multiply when there are many pollutants in the sea.", — says ecologist Vladyslav Balinsky.
Tragedy at the Kakhovskaya HPP
At the same time, the expert emphasizes that such a red bloom is one of the consequences of the tragedy at the Kakhovskaya HPP, because a significant number of organisms, in particular crustaceans, died when they got into salty sea water. So the general tiring phenomenon provoked additional environmental problems for the Black Sea, but it is gradually overcoming them and cleaning up.
"The sea showed its reaction to the entry of the remains of freshwater organisms and plants into its waters. And it gave us a certain signal about it by changing color and glowing at night.", - adds Balinsky.
But an important point is that the sea alone can quickly cope with organic pollution. And when it comes to man-made consequences, the ecologist notes, it cannot be done without humans, because it is humans who can prevent even greater pollution.
"Pollution with heavy metals, chemicals and reagents is very dangerous. After all, as of today, they already exceed the norm by ten times. And, unfortunately, this process continues today. And these are only the consequences that we can see", - emphasizes the expert.
The future of the Black Sea
It should be noted that nature tends to accumulate harmful substances and elements, about which not even we, but future generations, can learn. Therefore, Vladyslav Balinsky warns that any changes in the ecosystem should be carefully monitored.
"There are many organic and inorganic compounds that break down over time. And this process can last a very long time, even tens of years. In particular, these can be organochlorine compounds. And the consequences after their breakup are very disappointing", - says the ecologist.
Special attention should be paid to the depths of the Black Sea, where these compounds settle. But during the war, it will not be possible to do this because of the threat from the Russian Federation. According to the ecologist, the Black Sea bottom can be a "time bomb", while the life layer near the surface of the water will function normally.
"The deep environment is hydrogen sulphide, there is no oxygen and no life at all. Therefore, the Black Sea is very vulnerable. And the threats of such disasters in it can greatly affect the biodiversity of organisms such as fish, crayfish and single-celled organisms., — says Vladyslav Balinskyi.
Danger of the Black Sea
Today, the Black Sea remains the only recreation area for the whole of Ukraine, so special attention is paid to the pearl near the sea, because it is the Odesa Bay that welcomes all those who want to relax, which increases the risks of the reproduction of various bacteria. This can affect people's health.
"We understand that the sea is dirty even without us. But if we ask what should be done, then we should know that there is a lot of military debris in the sea, such as mines and other explosive objects. And first you need to get it all out of there, and then think about how to clean the rest. And this problem is not only in Ukrainian waters — it has generally spread throughout the Black Sea. Therefore, this task will be faced by all countries that have access to it.", - says Balinsky.
After removing military debris from the sea, it must be examined. This will help in the study of exactly what compounds it managed to release into the body of water, for example, rocket fuel or lubricant. In addition, the condition and quality of wastewater is also affected.
How war affects marine life
The movement of enemy ships in the Black Sea at the beginning of the war created a lot of noise pollution. All this had a negative impact on marine flora and fauna, which still cannot recover from it. Missile launches and sonar on ships affected various populations that need to be restored today. Thus, in the national park "Tuzlivski lymani" organized a center for the adaptation of injured cetaceans and dolphins on its territory
"We see how fish and mammals suffer from war. And we need to help them recover so that in the future we don't end up with dozens of endangered species of animals.", - says the specialist.
The Black Sea has limited water exchange only through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits. That is why there are increased risks of accumulation of various pollutants in it. According to the ecologist, they are dangerous because they form a certain film on the water, which slows down the population of a number of important unicellular organisms.
"Considering that the sea has a large area, a large number of these organisms die out. And this film also limits the access of oxygen to them, which is already scarce in the Black Sea.", — adds the ecologist.
Desalination of the Black Sea - what threatens it
The process of desalination of the Black Sea is constant and cyclical. It takes place every year in the off-season and does not bring major changes to the ecosystem. In addition, this reservoir is unique, because due to the low level of salinity, some freshwater fish can live in it, which migrate from the rivers from time to time.
"Odesa Bay has a very low salinity, which is why many species have not taken root in it. But it is generally good for us, because the water level in the rivers decreases every year, and, for example, the Danube or the Dniester will be able to be replenished precisely from the water of the Black Sea. Therefore, its desalination should not be feared", — says Vladyslav Balinsky.
Also, the Black Sea is connected with many estuaries, which has a very positive effect on the reservoir, because its life layer will be up to 150 meters, in which fish are constantly present. This allows her to constantly move around the bay. Thus, some species can be found both at the Tyligul estuary and at the mouth of the Danube.
"The living layer of the Black Sea forms a certain shelf zone that goes far into the depths. It is the cradle for all living beings. And the estuaries adjacent to it help fish to reproduce. Because this is exactly why fish enter fresh water. Therefore, a lot depends on the estuaries.", - emphasizes the ecologist.
How long does it take to clean up the ecosystem?
Today, many experts say that the soil pollution caused by the war has consequences that will be seen in a few years. At the same time, these processes take place much longer in the sea, because after disintegration the elements simply remain in certain layers. In addition, the tragedy at the Kakhovskaya HPP added problems for the sea, which will take time to eliminate.
"If we talk about pesticides, they take decades to decompose. But heavy metals do not decompose at all - they will simply gradually settle and form deposits. But there is a danger that sometimes they can rise and enter the metabolism again, provoking such secondary pollution. That is why we need to study these processes so that we can build some expectations and know how much time we still have.", — concludes Vladyslav Balinsky.
Even before the start of the full-scale war, the Black Sea ecosystem was not in the best condition due to the consequences of human activities. However, the invasion of Russia only worsened it and brought new threats that are currently unknown to mankind. So it remains only to wait for the end of hostilities and to restore the reservoir in order to save the ecology not only of Ukraine, but also of the whole world!
