SEASONAL VARIABILITY OF VERTICAL TEMPERATURE AND SALINITY DISTRIBUTION IN THE SEA OF MARMORA

A. S. Zapevalov

Monthly mean temperature and salinity profiles in the Sea of Marmora are analyzed using long-term observations. Throughout the year, the water has a distinct two-layer structure. The upper layer has mean salinity varying from from 21 to 27‰. Below 50 m, the mean salinity is 38.6‰. The salinity gradient at the Black Sea/Mediterranean boundary in some seasons is as large as 1‰/m. The seasonal variability of temperature is 16.5ºC. It decays rapidly with depth and is not observed below 40 m.