Inland sea

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An inland sea ( Low German within , inside ') is a great addition to the sea , which with a sea or ocean through a strait is connected (strait), at the opposite shore to the naked eye (sight).

Differentiation from similar terms

In contrast to inland lakes and other inland waters , inland seas are not completely enclosed by a land area.

Gulfs (e.g. Gulf of Finland ) or gulfs (e.g. Bay of Biscay ) are not considered inland seas because they are connected to the respective main sea by a wide area of ​​the sea or only separated from it by a large-meshed chain of islands.

Marginal seas differ from inland seas in the same way . They lie at the edge of an ocean and are much less clearly delimited from it. For example, the North Sea is not an inland sea, but a marginal sea of ​​the Atlantic.

Inland seas can lie between two continents, for example the Black Sea or the Red Sea . See also Mediterranean (waters) .

Salinity

The salinity of an inland sea can differ significantly from that of the neighboring ocean, as the inflow and / or outflow of salt water only takes place via the relatively narrow strait that connects the inland sea with the ocean. If the inland sea is relatively large in relation to the width of the strait, its salinity depends primarily on the ratio of the evaporation rate to the freshwater input from the flowing waters and from precipitation . This ratio in turn essentially depends on the climate in the respective region.

So is z. B. the Baltic Sea a so-called dilution basin, in which the salinity is lower than that of the oceans. Due to their location in a humid climatic zone , the entry of fresh water through precipitation and rivers is generally high and evaporation is relatively low. This can not be compensated for by the small inflow of normal salty water through the straits that connect them to the North Sea and thus the Atlantic (see below ).

The Mediterranean, on the other hand, belongs to the so-called concentration basins, in which the salinity is higher than that of the oceans. Due to its location in a semi-humid to arid climatic zone , the entry of fresh water through precipitation and rivers is generally low and evaporation is relatively high. This can not be compensated for by the small inflow of water with lower salt content via the straits that connect it with its neighboring seas (see below ).

Examples of inland seas

Arctic Ocean (Arctic Ocean)

The White Sea is sometimes referred to as the inland sea of ​​the Barents Sea or the Arctic Ocean . Its opening to the icy Arctic Ocean is around 45 km wide.

Atlantic Ocean

The Sea of ​​Marmara, taken at Tekirdağ

Inland seas of the Atlantic Ocean are:

Indian Ocean

Inland seas of the Indian Ocean are:

Caribbean Sea

Lake Maracaibo seen from the north from a height of 313 km, the Tablazo Street in the lower left corner

An inland sea of the Caribbean is the Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela , through the Tablazo Street (almost 10 km wide) with the Gulf of Venezuela joined

Pacific Ocean

An inland sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean is the Seto Inland Sea ( Japan ), connected to the Pacific Ocean by four different straits

The Gulf of California is not an inland sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean, but a marginal sea , as its opening is around 200 km wide.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ David Voelker: Marine geology - dilution basin. Website of the Free University of Berlin (last changed in July 2009).
  2. ↑ David Voelker: Marine geology - concentration basin. Website of the Free University of Berlin (last changed in July 2009).