Water Circulation in the Northern Black Sea in Summer 2016 (Based on the Data Obtained in the 87th Cruise of the R/V Professor Vodyanitsky)

The present work represents the results of water circulation in the northern Black Sea analyzed based on the data of the surveys carried out in the 87th cruise of R/V Professor Vodyanitsky in July 2016. It is shown that during the survey the westward flows being the Rim Current (RC) manifestation are predominant within the studied water area. Based on the survey data, the latitudinal location of the Rim Current geostrophical deep stream is close to its climatic position. In the western part of the polygon, the Rim Current is divided into three branches. The northern branch is located over the shelf, the central one – over the continental slope and the southern one – over the deep-sea regions. The Sevastopol anticyclone is characterized by extremely asymmetric vertical development: its northern periphery over the shelf is weak, whereas the southern periphery over the continental slope is intensive. In the central part of the polygon the Rim Current intensifies, at that one intensive stream is traced. In the eastern part of the polygon two branches of the Rim Current are observed: the intensive northern one over the continental slope and the coastal shelf, and the one located closer to the deep-sea regions (its velocity is rather low and it weakens moving eastward). In the upper layer to the east off Cape Ai-Todor, the anticyclonic gyre is observed; whereas within the 50–100 m below it, the cyclonic turn of the currents is revealed

Hydrological Research in the Northern Part of the Black Sea in 2016 (87th, 89th and 91st Cruises of R/V Professor Vodyanitsky)

The present paper represents the complex monitoring results of the hydrological field condition and water dynamics in the Black Sea northern part within the economic region of Russia carried out in the scientific expeditions in 2016 (87th, 89th and 91st cruises of R/V Professor Vodyanitsky). It is shown that distributions of all the thermohaline characteristics obtained from the data of three surveys demonstrate a pronounced seasonal character of a signal. It is manifested in consistent decrease of the upper mixed layer mean temperature, growth of temperature in the cold intermediate layer core and in deepening of the lower boundary of the upper mixed layer, the cold intermediate layer core and the hydrogen sulphide zone upper boundary. In course of three surveys, the Rim Current deep stream was located above the continental slope. The maximum velocities are observed nearby the Crimea southwestern coast. In the western part of the region considered, a well pronounced Sevastopol anticyclone (most distinct in October, 2016) is observed. The Sevastopol anticyclone manifests itself also in distributions of the hydrological characteristics. Temperature increase, salinity decrease and deepening of the lower boundary of the upper mixed layer and the cold intermediate layer core are observed on the sea surface in the anticyclone area