The Sivash Salt Lagoons in the Crimean Peninsula

There’s a place that lies between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov is called the “Crimean Peninsula”. Sivash Salt Lagoons is actually located just south of the Ukrainian mainland and is almost entirely surrounded by water. It is linked with the Ukrainian mainland by the Isthmus of Perekop a strip of land about five to seven kilometers wide. And separated from the Russian region of Kuban on the east by the Strait of Kerch. On the other side of the northeast is located the Arabat Spit, a thin strip of land that splits a system of shallow salt-water lagoons named Sivash, from the Sea of Azov.

These lagoons almost cut the Crimean Peninsula off from the mainland and work as a natural border between the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Kherson Oblast that passes through Sivash. To the north side, the Isthmus of Perekop splits Sivash from the Black Sea and at the same time, links the Crimean Peninsula to the mainland.

The Sivash lagoons are very shallow with a mean depth of about 50 cm to 1 meter, while the deepest place is mere about 3 meters. Although the bottom is covered with silt about 5 meters thick. However Sivash Salt Lagoons are so shallow, so water entering Sivash from the algae-ridden Sea of Azov evaporates rapidly in summer. Therefore producing a terrible stench which has received the lagoon name is “Rotten Sea”.

It is estimated that more than 200 million tonnes of salt exist in Sivash Salt Lagoons. In consequence, salt harvesting has converted into a big business in Crimea. In summer when water levels recede, plentiful pinkish-white salt pans are uncovered and covering dozens of square kilometers in the region.

The eye-catching pink color is the result of microalgae that flourish in salty conditions and yield high levels of beta-carotene. A reddish pigment that protects it from the region’s penetrating sunlight. The salt is gathered by traders and exported to European Union countries, Russia, and to Japan. Where it is prized for its purported value in fighting the effects of radiation.

The below picture shows the diversity of colors the lagoons yield owing to their varied chemical composition. Hence you can view different colors, such as peach, mustard, lime green, blue, blue-green, beige, and brown. Moreover thick layers of silt coat the bottoms of the shallow marshes, which are abundant in mineral salts to supply a local chemical plant.

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