Sasyk Lagoon

Sasyk Lagoon

The coast of Sasyk Lagoon near Hlyboka village

19th-century map of the lagoons of Sasyk, Shahany, Alibey, and Burnas
Location Black Sea
Coordinates 45°38′37″N 29°39′27″E / 45.64361°N 29.65750°E / 45.64361; 29.65750Coordinates: 45°38′37″N 29°39′27″E / 45.64361°N 29.65750°E / 45.64361; 29.65750
River sources Cogalnic River, Sarata River
Ocean/sea sources Atlantic Ocean
Basin countries Ukraine
Surface area 215 km2 (83 sq mi)
Average depth 1.05 m (3.4 ft)
Max. depth 3.3 m (11 ft)
Settlements Tatarbunary

Sasyk, or Kunduk (Romanian: Limanul Sasic, Conduc, Turkish: Sasık Gölü, Kunduk Gölü), is a lagoon or liman in southern Ukraine, near the Danube delta. It is a Ramsar listed wetland site important for migrating, breeding and moulting birds. About 25,000 pairs of wetland birds make their nests there and seasonal conglomerations of birds are up to 100,000 individuals.[1]

The area of the lagoon is 215 km2, and the depth up to 3.3 m. Until 1978 the lagoon was separated into two parts: northern brackishwater area, including the rivers Cogalnic and Sarata, and a southern marine area. The lagoon was separated from the sea by a 0.5 km wide sandbar.

In 1978 a concrete dam was built on the sandbar and the lagoon was connected to the Danube River by a canal, through which fresh flood waters come. This has adversely changed the salinity in the lake, and this plus disturbance from recreation and commercial fishing activities has influenced the habitat for wildfowl.[1]

Notes and references

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sasyk Lagoon.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, September 20, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.