With which Seas and Oceans does the Mediterranean Sea Communicate?

The seas and oceans that communicate with the Mediterranean Sea are many and contribute in different ways to the particular properties of this sea. The Mediterranean Sea is located between West Asia, southern Europe, and northern Africa. This location defines the hydrographic sources with which it communicates.

In general, the Mediterranean Sea communicates directly with a single ocean, the Atlantic Ocean. As for rivers, there are many that communicate with this sea, the Nile River of Egypt and the Pó River of Italy are some of them.

The rivers that communicate with the Mediterranean Sea come from different parts of Europe. Among the countries that have rivers that flow into the Mediterranean are Spain, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, among others.

Oceanography of the Mediterranean Sea

The Atlantic Ocean is the only ocean that communicates directly with the Mediterranean Sea. The waters of the Atlantic enter through the Strait of Gibraltar and mix with the surface waters of the Mediterranean.

The entry of the waters from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean is of extreme importance, since it allows to recover the level that is lost due to evaporation effects.

There is also a flow from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, although it is much less than the flow entering the Mediterranean from the Atlantic. This flow helps to maintain the balance in the levels of the Mediterranean Sea..

Rivers that connect with the Mediterranean Sea

There are more than 300 large rivers that connect, through the almost 46,000 km of riverside, with the Mediterranean Sea. However, this estimate only considers rivers with a length greater than or equal to 100 km.

On the European side, the countries with the most rivers that flow into the Mediterranean Sea are Spain, France, Italy and Turkey.

On the African side, there are rivers of nations such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among others..

Among the largest rivers that communicate with the Mediterranean are: the Nile River in Egypt; with a length of 3800 km; the Al Arab River in Sudan, 800 km long; the Menderes River in Turkey, 548 km long; the Tiber river of Italy with a length of 405 km, among many others.

Impact of the connections on the characteristics of the Mediterranean Sea

The concentration of various chemical substances and even living organisms in the Mediterranean Sea is strongly influenced by the waters that arrive through the rivers and the Atlantic Ocean..

Several studies show that nutrients such as phosphorus, or even radioactive particles present in the sea rather than produced in the Mediterranean Sea basin, come from various European and African countries and are transported through rivers.

On the other hand, the currents that come from the Atlantic Ocean influence some of the organisms present in the Mediterranean Sea..

It is estimated that 87% of the dinoflagellates found in the Atlantic Ocean are also found in the Mediterranean due to the effects of communication between these bodies of water..

References

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