Amazing South: Dniester estuary is the largest in Odesa region

The Dniester Estuary is a huge natural reservoir formed by the mouth of the Dniester River at its confluence with the Black Sea. It is rightfully called one of the largest estuaries in Ukraine and the largest in Odesa region.

The estuary is located within the northwestern Black Sea coast and occupies the lower coastal part of the Dniester river valley. It is located on the border between Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi and Odesa administrative districts.

Intent continues the Amazing South section with a story about this unique aquatic ecosystem.

Characteristics of the estuary

The Dniester Estuary is separated from the Black Sea by the Buhaz sand spit, which varies in width from 40 to 500 meters. This estuary is classified as semi-open. It is the only one in Odesa Oblast that has a connection to the Black Sea through an artificially deepened narrow connecting strait, the Tsarhorodske Estuary, located in the southern part of the spit. This deepening was made so that ships from the sea could pass to the port in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi and to the pier in Ovidiopol.

The mouth of the Tsarhorod River. PHOTO: kor.ill.in.ua

The reservoir has an elongated shape and stretches from northwest to southeast. Unlike other estuaries, the Dniester's water area is widened in the northern part and narrowed in the southern coastal part.

The bay extends into the land for more than 40 km. Its width ranges from 4 to 12 km, and the average depth is 2.6 meters. The water area of the estuary covers 370 square kilometers, and together with the floodplains of the Dniester delta, it reaches 410 square kilometers.

The important port of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi and the Ovidiopol pier are located on the banks of the Dniester Estuary. A sliding bridge for rail and road transportation is spanned across the estuary, which was damaged by the Russian invaders' attack. The estuary is crossed by Dniester ferries.

How the giant estuary was formed

The Dniester Estuary was formed in a similar way to other similar bodies of water in the region. This was facilitated by the process of ingression - the penetration of sea water into the adjacent low-lying areas of river valleys. This happened in the Late Karangatian geological period (about 130-75 thousand years ago). The Dniester valley at this point gradually lowered and was below sea level. Accordingly, the sea flooded this lowered part of the coastal land and formed a sea bay. According to some scientists, the process of ingress into the coastal depressions of river valleys was repeated several times.

The transgression-regression cycles (periodic advances of sea waters onto the land, followed by retreat) tended to repeat in this area every 1800-2000 years as sea level cyclically changed. Subsequently, the water area of the bay was separated from the Black Sea basin by a sandbar, and it acquired the features of an estuary. This happened about 2000 years ago as a result of sea level rise and lowering of the adjacent land.

Ancient Ophiuchus

In different historical periods, this ancient land survived the times of Byzantium, the Old Russian state, the Golden Horde, the Moldavian principality, the Ottoman and Russian empires, the Romanian Kingdom, the USSR and Ukraine. On the banks of the estuary there are traces of the presence of many peoples - Scythians, Greeks, Ostrogoths, Romans, Turks and Genoese. This fact is confirmed by the remains of the Ajider fortification in Ovidiopol, which has survived to this day in the form of earthen ramparts, and the Akkerman fortress in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, which was built by the Genoese. Archaeologists are excavating in this area and still find the remains of ancient cities.

Akkerman fortress. PHOTO: bessarabia.ua

According to historians, the first settlers on the coast of the estuary were the ancient Greeks. Ancient geographers and researchers have repeatedly mentioned the settlement of Ophiussa on the Dniester (Tiras). This name is translated from the ancient Greek as "snake island". Ukrainian historian Mykhailo Agbunov hypothesized that in ancient times there was an island in the Dniester delta between the two branches of the river. It was probably on this island that the settlement of Ophiussa was located.

Researchers interpret references to Ophiussa in different ways. Some consider it a separate settlement, while others believe it to be the original name of Tira, an ancient Greek polis on the site of modern Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi. There is also a version that in the fourth century BC the island was called the "island of the Tiragetes" because the Goths lived here.

In ancient times, the level of the Black Sea was significantly lower - by about 4-5 meters. After a gradual rise in the water level in the estuary as a result of another transgression, freshwater soil layers began to salinize, and the delta island was washed away. All that remained of it was a small peninsula, now covered with dense floodplains. The surface of the island is now hidden under the thickness of the estuary waters. In the 1980s, a group of archaeologists conducted underwater research in the estuary and discovered traces of several settlements that lived on the island.

Properties of the estuary water

The salinity of the water in the Dniester Estuary depends on the ratio of freshwater runoff from the Dniester and seawater entering through the Tsargradska Gap. As a result, the salinity level differs significantly in different parts of the estuary: in the northern part, the water is almost fresh, while closer to the sea, its salinity increases.

Due to the heterogeneous level of salinity in the Dniester Estuary, the processes of therapeutic mud formation have not fully manifested themselves. They are found mainly in the southern part of the water area. The chemical composition of these muds is sulfide-silt - peloids. They have high plasticity, contain a large amount of mineral salts, organic substances and hydrogen sulfide, acting as a powerful natural remedy for diseases of the skin, respiratory tract, musculoskeletal system, nervous and genitourinary systems.

Resorts and settlements along the estuary

The estuary coast is the location of 17 settlements. Among them are 2 cities, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi and Ovidiopol, as well as 15 villages. In addition, the recreational zones of Zatoka and Karolino-Bugaz, adjacent resort villages located 60 km southwest of Odesa, are located on the shores of the estuary. They form a single sandy spit that separates the Black Sea and the Dniester Estuary.

Zatoka resort. PHOTO: zatoka.travel

These places are known for their wide beaches of fine golden sand stretching for tens of kilometers, gentle entrance to the sea, and are considered one of the cleanest seaside resorts in the region. Carolina Bugaz is closer to the mainland. It offers its visitors more relaxing leisure and a wide range of recreation centers, private estates and hotels. Zatoka is a resort with a more developed infrastructure, rich in restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, and water attractions.

There is also the village of Shabo, known for its wine and cognac products, on the banks of the Dniester Estuary.

Protected areas

The Lower Dniester National Nature Park is located on the northern coast of the Dniester Estuary. It has important environmental, scientific, recreational, and healthcare significance not only at the national but also at the European level. This park deserves special attention, more detailed consideration, and a separate discussion.

In the western part of the estuary, the 65-hectare Liman Landscape Reserve, which is part of the NNP Nyzhniodnistrovskyi, is a nature conservation site of local importance in Ukraine. It is located in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district of Odesa region between the villages of Semenivka and Moloda. The birth of the reserve is the work of a prominent Ukrainian forester, huntsman and environmental enthusiast Yevsey Pavlovych Kostetskyi, also known as "Grandfather Yevsey," who personally created a unique natural area in the Lower Dniester region. He devoted his life to the forest, which he planted for over 40 years. The Liman Nature Reserve was created to preserve the typical and unique landscapes of the Dniester Valley. In 1980, it was granted nature protection status.

The Liman Landscape Reserve. PHOTO: upload.wikimedia.org

The landscape of the reserve is characterized by elevation changes, deep gullies, and steep picturesque slopes covered with gully forests, which is typical for this part of Transnistria. This makes the area an ideal habitat for rare species of flora and fauna. The reserve is home to many species of trees, including aspen, sucker, birch, oak, poplar, pine, and blue spruce. Yevsey Kostetskyi also collected a unique collection of animals here, including mouflon. The territory of the reserve is also known among local historians as the location of ancient archaeological and historical sites. After Yevsei Pavlovych's death in 2016, his life's work did not disappear; it is continued by the descendants of Yevsei's grandfather, his sons.

In the northwestern part of the Dniester Estuary, there is a peculiar branch that forms a narrow, elongated body of water called the Karagol Bay. It is about 9 km long and up to 3.5 km wide. The depth of the bay is shallow - mostly 1-2 meters, with a maximum depth of four meters.

The bay is part of the protected tract "Dniester Plains" (now the Lower Dniester National Nature Park). Karagol Bay offers a view of the high, steep banks of the Dniester Estuary. The left, or eastern, shore is cut by slopes and terraces, where limestone is exposed in places. The western bank, on the other hand, is low-lying and gradually turns into the Dniester floodplains, a marshy floodplain with dense reeds and cattails.

The Dniester plains. PHOTO: pryroda.in.ua

The Gulf of Karagol is a unique ecosystem that is of great importance for the conservation and restoration of the biodiversity of the Dniester Delta. Since 1965, the bay has had the status of an ichthyological reserve. It is a wintering and spawning ground for many fish species, including carp, carp and crucian carp. That is why there are strict restrictions on commercial fishing.

The Gulf of Karagol. PHOTO: upload.wikimedia.org

Due to the combination of shallow water and impassable flats, the right bank of the bay has become a nesting, feeding, and resting place for a large number of waterfowl. Here you can see rare pelicans, mute swans, herons, and cormorants. Rare species of plants and fungi that are under protection can also be found in the bay. Among them is the steppe wrinkle, which is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Logistical obstacle in Odesa region

As a result of military operations and Russian missile strikes, the bridge in Zatoka was destroyed. As a result, the region's logistics are critically hampered. The main problem is the lack of a direct, stable road and rail connection between Bessarabia and the rest of Odesa Oblast. This forces transport to make a long detour through the village of Mayaki on the M15 highway, which increases the distance by more than 100 km one way.

After the destruction of the bridge in Zatoka, car traffic was limited, and railroad traffic was also suspended. As the enemy continues ballistic missile attacks, projects to build a new bridge are being considered.

A boat across the Dniester estuary. PHOTO: ua.sudohodstvo.org

The Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Commercial Sea Port is currently working on launching new transit logistics routes for cargo from Asia to the EU. Passenger boats and a hydrofoil have been organized to provide passenger traffic between Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi and Ovidiopol across the Dniester Estuary.

Юлія Сичова