THE SEA OF AZOV 



529 



Salinity 



The salinity of the Sivash is greatly increased by a considerable preponder- 

 ance of evaporation over precipitation and inflow of water from rivers. The 

 gradual increase in salinity in the 

 Sivash is shown in Fig. 251. In the 

 southern part of the Sivash the 

 salinity rises to 124 to 166% . 



Salts dissolved in Sivash water 

 consist mainly of sodium chloride, 

 magnesium chloride, magnesium 

 sulphate, magnesium bromide, 

 potassium chloride, calcium 

 sulphate and calcium bicarbonate, 

 sodium chloride, magnesium 

 chloride and magnesium sulphate 

 being considerably preponderant; 

 the salt composition of Sivash 

 water differs little from that of the 

 ocean {Table 219). 



There is a higher content of 

 sulphates and carbonates in the 

 water of the Sea of Azov as a 

 result of the considerable inflow 

 of river waters. The Azov waters 

 entering the Sivash are concentrated 



and freed from excess of calcium carbonates and sulphates ; thus there occurs 

 a gradual return to the salt ratio common in the ocean. This process is 

 called' by Danilchenko and Ponizovsky 'normalization of Sivash brine'; to 

 illustrate this they give the data set out in Table 220. 



Fig. 251. Gain in salinity (in chlorine) 

 in Sivash from north to south (Zhukov 

 from data of VorobierT). 



Table 219. Salt composition of waters of the ocean, Black and Azov Seas, and the 

 Sivash (Percentage weight of the salt) (P. Danilchenko and A. Ponizovsky, 1954) 



2l 



