North Aegean Sea - Environment

Despite the fact that the N. Aegean Sea is an oligotrophic region, it is among the most productive areas in the Eastern Mediterranean. This is due to (a) the influence of nutrient rich, low saline, Black Sea Water occupying the surface water layers, (b) river flows that locally enhance the productivity of the coastal zone, and (c) the extended continental shelf. The area is characterized by hydrological complexity mostly related to the Black Sea waters (BSW) that enter the Aegean Sea through the Dardanelles Strait as a surface current. Two anticyclonic systems are present, one in the eastern part (the Samothraki gyre) and another one in the western (at Strymonikos Gulf), which are almost permanent features in the area during early summer. These systems are coupled with a cyclonic system located in the center of the area, south of the island of Thasos.

Wide Posidonia oceanica meadows extend up to a maximum depth of 25 m while other macrophytes are also found at slightly deeper bottoms. Sand (approximately with 40-90% content) and mud (approximately with 10-60% content) dominate the surface sediments in the area.