The Aegean Sea is nothing more than an arm that comes out of the Mediterranean Sea. Although the Mediterranean Sea is larger and has great importance, the aegean sea It has a great cultural and historical richness and it is one of the most identifiable seas by historians around the world. In this article we are going to show you all the characteristics that this sea has and why it has become so famous.
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Description
The Aegean Sea is a place where there have been historical events of all kinds. From walks and explorations of different civilizations such as the Minoan and Mycenaean as the presence of numerous wars. This sea is said to be the origin of great civilizations although it is not very clear at all.
The Aegean Sea lies between Greece and Turkey and is just one arm of the Mediterranean Sea. Throughout this sea there are almost 2.000 small islands and some also large ones that currently belong to Greece. Among the best known islands we find Lesbos, Crete, Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos, Leros, Euboea and Samos.
The sea is smaller in the north, but its width increases as it approaches the Mediterranean Sea. It is thus known for the existence of a different flora and fauna present and the islands mentioned. Other famous islands further south are Rhodes, Karpathos, Cases, Kythera, Crete and Antikythera.
It is a great place to go on vacation as it has numerous bays and inlets perfect for swimming and sightseeing without too many storms. They also have numerous gulfs due to the existence of so many islands in such a relatively small area. Its estimated area is about 214.000 square kilometers. The maximum length is 700 km. Its widest part is about 440 kilometers wide.
Despite what you may think and how small it is, it is quite deep. In it, more than 2.500 meters of depth are recorded under the sea in which all kinds of abyssal species inhabit. Its depth record is found on the island of Crete with a length of 3.500 meters.
Division and seas
The Aegean Sea has different divisions of water with different characteristics each. In the first one we find a surface layer of at least 50 meters deep in which we have temperatures in summer of about 21-26 degrees. The second layer is the intermediate one, with a depth that reaches 300 meters and whose temperatures are around 11-18 degrees. Finally, another deeper layer that extends from 300 meters to the depths and, in it, the temperatures are between 13 and 14 degrees.
As you can see, it is a fairly warm sea in general. Due to the many islands and the politics of each of them, the Aegean Sea is divided into three smaller seas. Something similar to what happens in Spain with the Alboran Sea. The small seas are Crete, Thrace and Myrtos, each corresponding to the surrounding island. This sea is fed by the flow that comes from numerous rivers, among which we find the Maritsa, the Mesta, the Estrimón and the Vardar.
Formation of the Aegean Sea
Some may wonder how this kind of arm that derives from the Mediterranean Sea was formed. This has happened because a large land mass was descending in depth until causing a depression that generates different currents. The bottom of this sea has numerous slopes and cracks as a result of the depression caused by the movement of tectonic plates.
In certain parts of the world, plate tectonics are more active than others. Especially in the intraplate areas and at the edges. After some studies it has been possible to find out that this sea is quite young and that it has appeared when a process of movement of the crust takes place. The earth's crust began to shift and zones of elevation in some places and depression in others were opening. This is how the varied relief of the bottom of the Aegean Sea has been formed.
It is quite common to see how the basin of this sea is continuously attacked by earthquakes and Volcanic eruptions being in an area of high plaque activity.
Existing biodiversity
This sea, although small, is rich in biodiversity. There are many animal and plant species that exist there. The flora and fauna is influenced by the Mediterranean Sea. Among the species that we find the most, we can see:
- Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus)
- Dolphins
- Mediterranean Sea monk seals (monachus monachus)
- Common porpoises (phocoena phocoena)
- Whales
You can also find some species of invertebrates such as decapods, crustaceans and mollusks. For its part, algae are of great importance in this sea since most of the marine flora is abundant. Because the terrain is rocky, this area it is not as abundant as the Caribbean, but it can be assimilated to it. There are many people who claim to have gone to both places and not differ so much. Olive trees grow on the mainland just as it happens in Andalusia.
Main threats
Of course, the hand of the human being is also present in this sea. Not because it was a beautiful and small sea was it going to get rid of human contamination. For the vast majority of seas and oceans pollution is a serious environmental problem that can destroy flora and fauna and, with it, all the economic and exploitation activities that may exist.
Some of the most important habitats of these animal and plant species are degraded by the continuous trash that is dumped. All this has triggered the possibility of extinction of many species that inhabit it.
Apart from pollution by spills, the noises caused by boats disturb and alter the way of life of cetaceans and there are constant collisions with ships.
I hope that with this information you will know more about the Aegean Sea.