Page 105 - Çevre Şehir İklim İngilizce - Sayı 3

Mustafa Yücel Evrim Kalkan Tezcan, et al.,

General Characteristics of Marmara Sea

The Marmara Sea is distinguished with its unique structure. The Marmara
Sea is connected to the Black Sea through the Strait of İstanbul having an
average depth of 40 meters, and to the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait
of Çanakkale with a depth of 80 meters. The shallowness of both straits makes
the Sea of Marmara a semi-enclosed sea. Marmara Sea is formed by three
deep basins, and the maximum depth (1270m) is reached in Çınarcık Basin in
the Eastern Marmara. Various biological, physical and chemical characteristics
of the Black Sea and Aegean Sea - the Mediterranean Sea are revealed in
the water masses of the Marmara. Thus, the surface waters of the Marmara
Sea is of Black Sea origin, the deep waters are of Mediterranean origin, both
having different water masses in terms of salinity, temperature and oxygen
content (Ünlüata et al., 1990: 608; Beşiktepe et al., 1994: 49). The Marmara Sea
becomes partially a more sensitive ecosystem due to this variety (Öztürk and
Öztürk, 1996: 250; Yücel et al., 2021: 268).
Turkish Straits System (TSS) formed by the Marmara Sea, the Straits of
İstanbul and Çanakkale, is a structure that ensures interaction between the
Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea and water, heat and mass flows, and
controls the transportation and energy transition between the continents and
seas (Yücel et al., 2021: 268).
The Marmara Sea serves as a natural laboratory with its two-layer
stratification due to being a transition sea between the Black Sea and the
Mediterranean. The Marmara Sea is a land-locked sea, which hosts on its
coast a metropolitan city, İstanbul forming the main elements of Türkiye’s
economy with a substantial number of population; and which supports the
significant economic activities such as transportation, agriculture, tourism
and fishery around it (ÇŞB, ODTÜ-DBE, 2017: 136). The population of the
Marmara Region surrounding the Marmara Sea is more than 30% of the
population of Türkiye. Due to the intensive nature of industry and trade,
the population growth rate is also higher in the Marmara Region. This leads
to an increase in man-made pressures, especially agricultural, commercial
and industrial activities, on the Marmara Sea (Yücel et al., 2021: 268).

The Marmara Integrated Modeling System Project (MARMOD)

There are various pressure elements on the Marmara Sea and sectoral
solutions are not sufficient at this point. Instead, there is a need for holistic
approaches and measures based on sharing responsibilities. In this scope,
it has become necessary to introduce a holistic assessment of the current
situation of the Marmara Sea, take measures to reduce pollution loads by
supporting scenario-based modeling simulations, identify point-based

90 Journal of Environment, Urbanization and Climate