Deep in the Eurasian continent, the Sea of Azov is a stepping stone between freshwater and saltwater. Like no other sea in the world, it sits at the far end of a chain of water bodies: the Black, Marmara, Aegean, and Mediterranean Seas, and all the straits that connect them.
When scientists study the Black Sea’s coastal seaweed forests, they often dive beneath the surface to see them in person. Formed by two species of brown algae in the genus Cystoseira, these ecosystems can look dull from a distance. “But when you actually dive deeper, you can see the biodiversity, and these various interesting invertebrates and fish species which are moving there,” says marine biologist Sofia Sadogurska.
