Recent Pollution Findings on the Black Sea Coast at Tuzlovskyi Limany
In recent days, staff from the Tuzlovskyi Limany National Nature Park have been surveying the Black Sea coastline within the park to identify polluted areas due to an oil spill from tankers on December 15, 2024, in the Kerch Strait.
Within the national park, a new area measuring 2 km of sandy spit near the Tuzlovskyi Limany-Black Sea strait has been found, where the sea washed ashore oil of various fractions totaling 1 kg. It was swiftly collected. The oil was notably soft due to the +30 temperature on the sand.
Interestingly, it was primarily washed up alongside seagrass - Zostera and shells of various species. Strong winds and underwater currents recently dislodged seagrass from the sea floor, where it was contaminated with oil and washed it onto the shore.
It is likely that oil still remains along the shores of Odesa, but not all beaches are being surveyed. Moreover, the strong winds and sand displacement in recent days likely partially cover it, as it dissolves within the sand, poisoning the sandy biocenoses.
The majority of the oil that may have reached the northwestern Black Sea region from the accident site on December 15, 2024, is already dissolving with the warming and is being integrated into the food chains of the hydrobiota of the marine ecosystem and Tuzlovskyi Limany. In particular, the oil likely had a negative effect on the fish Atherina, which died and was washed up on the shore of the Burnas Liman near the specified strait on the 2 km sandy spit.
