In this article we will consider information about what the Varangian Sea is and how it is called in the modern world. We will also touch upon the problem of its ecological situation, its features, because the sea itself is very remarkable. Although there are some disagreements about the ancient name, which is found in the writings, and the modern analogue.
Historical background
Our ancestors, the ancient Slavs, called the Varangian Sea that way because the ancient Russian name for the Scandinavian peoples among the Slavs was “Varangians”. And they came to our territory because of this sea. By the way, this was also the name of the trade route that connected the Black and B altic Seas (“from the Varangians to the Greeks”). This name remained until the 18th century, and after that it became known as the B altic Sea, which had Lithuanian roots in its origin.
Besides this, the Varangian Sea was once called by other names. For example, Sveisky, Svebsky, Amber. Also, in the XVI-XVII centuries it had an important strategicimportance for Russia as an outlet to Europe and the main sea route. After the Russian Empire won the Northern War with Sweden, almost all of its eastern coast began to belong to it.
So, now we know that in ancient times the modern B altic Sea was called the Varangian Sea. By the way, some researchers and scientists are inclined to believe that this is not at all the case. They cite numerous facts for the fact that the Varangian Sea in the annals and the modern B altic Sea are not the same, but the Mediterranean Sea was called so in ancient times. So now there are at least two options. However, we will still lean towards the first option, as the more plausible one.
Sea location and coastal zone
The ancient Varangian Sea was formed about fourteen thousand years ago as a result of land subsidence. Before that, there was a lowland at this place, which was filled with water during the melting of glaciers, and a fresh lake appeared. In this place, the land rose and fell several more times. The latter happened about seven thousand years ago, which led to the formation of the sea in the current limits.
Today, the coastline of the B altic is rather uneven. Here you can find a large number of bays of various sizes, coves, spits and capes. The northern part of the coast is quite rocky, but to the south, the stones gradually turn into a mixture of pebbles with sand and later completely into sand.
This sea belongs to the Atlantic Ocean basin and is inland, cuts deep into the land. North extreme pointit is located almost near the Arctic Circle, and in the south - near the German city of Wisma. As you can see, it has a fairly large extent, which also affects its climate. The most extreme western point is the city of Flensburg (also Germany), and the eastern one is part of the city of St. Petersburg.
Other information about the sea
It should be noted that the Varangian Sea is slightly s alty. This is due to the fact that many freshwater rivers flow into it, but a rather weak connection with the Atlantic Ocean. Complete renewal of marine s alt water occurs in about thirty or fifty years. However, the salinity of the waters in all places is different. This is due to weak movements of vertical layers of water.
If we talk about its temperature regime, it is rather low. In summer, it reaches an average of seventeen degrees in the Gulf of Finland.
Features of the B altic Sea
The Varangian Sea, whose modern name is the B altic, has its own characteristics. It was mentioned above that it is low-s alted. It should be noted that as a result of all this, its animal world is rather poor, and is divided into zones with marine species and those that live in fresh water.
This is also due to the fact that the sea itself in its current form is quite young (about five thousand years), which is quite a short time for the adaptation of an animal representative of the water world. However, the scarcity of species is offset by the number of representatives of the animal world.
Today's ecological situation in the sea
Today, the Varangian Sea (the modern name is the B altic Sea) has its own environmental problems. Due to the large washout of nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilized fields, their level rises in it, which leads to a decrease in oxygen and, as a result, difficulties with the processing of organic substances. Entire areas appear that are very saturated with hydrogen sulfide.
Another important problem for the B altic waters is oil. It enters the sea with various effluents and greatly pollutes the surface. In addition, there is an accumulation and increase in the amount of heavy metals in the sea, which get there with domestic and industrial waste.
Since the B altic has always been in the thick of historical events, and a lot of ships sailed along it, a considerable amount of flooded cargo, which is dangerous, lies at the bottom of it. After all, it is not known when the metal holding harmful substances will become thinner, and what can happen.
