In the Black Sea, hydrogen sulfide: the causes of the explosion and the consequences

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

Man is an integral part of nature. She can be favorable, friendly to us. We drink water, breathe air, get heat and food from the environment. It is the source of our life.

But our planet can not only give its we alth to people, but also bring destruction, trouble and deprivation. Earthquakes, fires and floods, tornadoes and volcanic eruptions claim the lives of many people. Hydrogen sulfide in the Black Sea can become a natural disaster. There is a lot of it in these waters.

Neighborhood with the Black Sea can cause tragedy for many people. What are the options for the development of events, as well as how to avoid them, scientists find out. It is interesting to know about their opinion to every inhabitant of our country and the whole world.

What is hydrogen sulfide?

Without going into chemical formulas, we should consider what properties hydrogen sulfide has. It is a colorless gas characterized by a stable combination of sulfur and hydrogen. It is destroyed only at temperatures above 500 ºС.

It is poisonous to all living organisms. In this environment, onlysome types of bacteria. The gas is known for its peculiar smell of rotten eggs. There is no flora and fauna in the water in which hydrogen sulfide is dissolved. The waters of the Black Sea contain it in huge quantities. The hydrogen sulfide zone is impressively huge.

It was discovered back in 1890 by N. Andrusov. True, in those days it was not yet known exactly in what quantities it was contained in these waters. The researchers lowered metal objects to different depths. In hydrogen sulfide water, the indicators are covered with a black sulfide layer. Therefore, there is an assumption that this sea got its name precisely because of this feature of its waters.

Features of the Black Sea

Some people have a question: where does hydrogen sulfide come from in the Black Sea? But it should be noted that this is not an exclusive feature of the presented reservoir. Researchers find this gas in many seas and lakes around the world. It accumulates in natural layers due to the absence of oxygen at great depths.

Organic remains, sinking to the bottom, do not oxidize, but rot. This contributes to the formation of poisonous gas. In the Black Sea, it is dissolved in 90% of the water mass. Moreover, the layer of occurrence is uneven. Off the coast, it begins at a depth of 300 m, and in the center it occurs already at a level of 100 m. But in some areas of the Black Sea, the layer of clear water is even less.

There is another theory of the origin of hydrogen sulfide. Some scientists claim that it is formed due to the tectonic activity of volcanoes,operating on the bottom. But there are still more adherents of the biological theory.

Movement of water masses

In the process of mixing water masses, hydrogen sulfide is processed and changes its form in the Black Sea. The reasons why it nevertheless accumulates are the different levels of salinity in the water. The layers mix very little, as the sea does not have sufficient communication with the ocean.

Only two narrow straits contribute to the process of water exchange. The Bosphorus Strait connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles with the Mediterranean. The closure of the reservoir leads to the fact that the Black Sea has a salinity of only 16-18 ppm. Ocean masses are characterized by this indicator at the level of 34-38 ppm.

The Sea of Marmara acts as an intermediary between these two systems. Its salinity is 26 ppm. The water of Marmara enters the Black Sea and sinks to the bottom (since it is heavier). The difference in temperature, density and salinity of the layers leads to the fact that they mix very slowly. Therefore, hydrogen sulfide accumulates in the natural masses.

Environmental disaster

Hydrogen sulfide in the Black Sea has become the subject of close attention of scientists for a number of reasons. The ecological situation here has deteriorated significantly in recent decades. Mass discharges of waste of various origins led to the death of many species of algae and plankton. They began to sink to the bottom faster. Also, scientists found that in 2003 a colony of red algae was completely destroyed. This representative of the flora produced about 2 million cubic meters. m of oxygen per year. This curbed the growth of hydrogen sulfide.

Now the main competitor of poisonous gas simply does not exist. Therefore, environmentalists are worried about the current situation. While it does not threaten our safety, but over time, a gas bubble may come to the surface.

When hydrogen sulfide comes into contact with air, an explosion occurs. It destroys all living things in the radius of destruction. No ecosystem can withstand human activity. This brings a possible catastrophe closer.

Explosion at sea

Sad incidents are known in history when the waters of the sea blazed with fire. The first recorded case occurred in 1927, 25 kilometers from Y alta. At this time, the city was destroyed by a powerful earthquake of magnitude eight.

But it was remembered by the affected residents also by a terrible fire that engulfed the expanses of water. People then had no idea why the Black Sea was burning. Hydrogen sulfide, the explosion of which was caused by tectonic activity, came to the surface. But such incidents may happen again.

Hydrogen sulfide, coming to the surface, comes into contact with air. This results in an explosion. It can destroy entire cities.

The first factor of a possible explosion

An explosion that can take the lives of thousands, millions of people and all living organisms in the affected area, can happen with a high degree of probability. And that's why. In the Black Sea, hydrogen sulfide is not processed, accumulating under the ever-decreasing thickness of clean water. Humanitytreats this problem irresponsibly. Instead of using technology to process poisonous gas, we dump waste into the water. The rotting process is getting worse.

Telephone, oil and gas pipelines run along the bottom of the Black Sea. They are damaged, fires occur. This may cause an explosion. Therefore, human activity can be considered the first factor in a possible catastrophe.

Second cause of explosion

Natural disasters can also trigger an explosion. Tectonic activity in the area is not uncommon. Hydrogen sulfide at the bottom of the Black Sea can be disturbed by an earthquake or volcanic eruptions. Scientists say that if today there was the same disaster as in September 1927, the explosion would be so strong that a huge number of people would die. Further, a huge amount of sulfur would have fallen into the atmosphere. Acid rain would do a lot of harm.

The thin layer of pure water is getting smaller. Hydrogen sulfide comes especially close to the surface in the southeast of the Black Sea. With shifts of tectonic rocks in this area, a terrible catastrophe is possible. But today, an explosion is possible in any area.

The third cause of the disaster

The thinning of a clean layer of sea water can lead to spontaneous release of a bubble of poisonous gas from the bowels. Why there is so much hydrogen sulfide in the Black Sea is not surprising. The main factors of environmental degradation were discussed earlier.

Scientists say: if all the hydrogen sulfide resting onbottom, will rise to the surface, the explosion will be comparable to the impact of an asteroid the size of half the moon. This would be a global catastrophe that would forever change the face of our planet.

In some areas, poisonous gas approaches the surface at a distance of 15 m. Scientists say that at this level, hydrogen sulfide disappears on its own during autumn storms. But this trend is still alarming. As time goes by, the situation, unfortunately, only gets worse. From time to time, a huge amount of dead fish washed up to the shores, caught in a hydrogen sulfide cloud. Plankton and algae also die. This is a dire warning to humanity of an impending catastrophe.

Similar disasters

Poisonous gas is found in many bodies of water around the world. This is far from a unique phenomenon that characterizes the bottom of the Black Sea. Hydrogen sulfide has already shown its destructive power to people. History can provide information about such misfortunes.

For example, in Cameroon, in a village on the shores of Lake Nyos, the entire population died due to rising gas to the surface. The people who were caught by the disaster were found after a while by the guests of the village. This disaster claimed the lives of 1,746 people in 1986.

Six years earlier, in Peru, fishermen going out to sea returned empty-handed. Their ships were black due to the oxide film. People were starving as a large population of fish died.

In 1983, for unknown reasons, the water of the Dead Seadarkened. It seemed to be turned over, and hydrogen sulfide from the bottom rose to the surface. If such a process took place in the Black Sea, all life in the surrounding areas would die as a result of an explosion or poisoning with toxic fumes.

Real situation today

In the Black Sea, hydrogen sulfide constantly makes itself felt. Upwellings (updrafts) lift gases to the surface. They are not uncommon in the Crimean, Caucasian regions. Near Odessa, there are frequent cases of mass death of fish that fell into a hydrogen sulfide cloud.

It is a very dangerous situation when such emissions occur during a thunderstorm. Lightning caught in a large hearth provokes a fire. The smell of rotten eggs that people feel indicates that the permissible concentration of a toxic substance in the air has been exceeded.

This can lead to poisoning and even death. Therefore, the deterioration of the ecological situation should be noticed by us. It is necessary to take measures to reduce the concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the waters of the Black Sea.

Ways to solve the problem

Specialists are developing several ways to eliminate hydrogen sulfide in the Black Sea. A group of Kherson scientists proposes to use gas as a fuel. To do this, lower the pipe to the depth and once raise the water to the surface. It will be like opening a bottle of champagne. Sea water, mixing with gas, will seethe. Hydrogen sulfide will be extracted from this stream and used for economic purposes. When burned, the gas releases a large amount of heat.

Another idea is to aerate. To do this, in deeply passing pipespumping fresh water. It has a lower density and will contribute to the mixing of marine layers. This method has been successfully used in aquariums. When using water from wells in private homes, it is sometimes necessary to purify it from hydrogen sulfide. In this case, aeration is also successfully applied.

Which way to choose is no longer so important. The main thing is to work on solving the environmental problem. In the Black Sea, hydrogen sulfide can be used for the benefit of mankind. The problem cannot be ignored. Complexity in its decision will be the most reasonable action. If the right steps are not taken now, a big disaster can happen over time. It is in our power to prevent it and save ourselves and other living organisms from death.