1.7. Mouth areas of rivers
and water-marsh lands
Mouth areas of rivers. The mouths of the following
rivers locate along the shore from the north to the south. They are as follows: Samur,
Gusarchai, Mazarchai, Gudialchai, Garachai, Velvelichai, Shabranchai, Gilgilchai, Atachai,
Keshchai, Tugchai, Sumgayitchai - in the Middle Caspian water area; Kura, Ulumchai,
Lenkaranchai, Tangeruchai and Astarachai - in the South Caspian water area.
On the north Devechi river falls into Devechi lagoon, and
waters of Vilyashchai river used for irrigation on the south. The rivers are corresponded
to small ones and don't form large delta except Samur and Kura rivers.
The upper border of mouth zone of Kura river is 27 km from
the mouth (Garavelli point). In top the delta branches and two water flows - south-eastern
(navigable Kura), passing 90-95% of total flow, and the north-eastern (Old Kura). Mouth
sea-shore includes a part of coastal sea zone opened eastward from delta, and water areas
of South-West Kutluk and North-East Kutluk gulfs as well. Marine border of the mouth zone
is distanced from delta marine margin for 30 km on average. Cultural activity of human
(such as regulation of river flow, water volume reduce due to water usage for irrigation,
artificial re-distribution of flow on the delta marine margin) as well sea level
fluctuation influence upon the hydrological state of mouth zone.
Delta area is nearly 100 km2. Sea level
increase promotes for oozing and shallow of river branch, washing out and flooding of
delta banks.
Mouth sea-shore represents a sea-shore of open type of
area about 700 km2. In spring due to increase of flow of river deposits the
bank growth and moving forward takes place on sea-shore, and on sea - underwater spits.
The main mass of river alluvium deposits on sea-shore to the south-east and south from
delta.
In the mouth of the north-eastern branch with little water
discharge (less 10 m3/sec.) and good duration of the bringing-up wind the
backward flow of the whole present cross-section is observed. At the same time the salt
waters of sea-shore can fall into the river.
Water-marsh lands. On Azerbaijan coast of
the Caspian Sea the water-marsh lands are represented by variety and uneven distribution.
On Samur-Devechi coast there are 3 main types of
water-marsh lands:
open marine shallows with length of 170 km, width - 3-4
km with rich fodder suupply for aquatic birds;
open reaches of Agzibir lake with dense bushes and
underwater hydrophytes, they are important place for aquatic birds' stop-off when
igration; the area is 1.6 ths. ha;
floods near Agzibir lake growing with couch-grass,
colicotnia europeae, ephymeric cereals, etc. Thier are is 4.4 ths/ha.
On Apsheron-Gobustan coast there are mainly 4 types of
water-marsh lands:
open marine shalows with width 5-10 km, with oozy,
oozy-sandy, oozy-shelly and sandy grounds;
sandy spits, islands and shallows located mainly on
islands of Baku and Apsheron archipelagoes, including Shakh Dili;
lakes and reservoirs of Apsheron peninsula with small
rush growths on shores;
semidesert and desert biotopes (wormwood-saline and
ephymeric-heterograss-cereal vegetative formation) located on Caspian shore by separate
zones. In spring-winter and autumn-winter seasons small meadows are formed on the
mentioned areas during the floods; there the species from Charadriiformes oder are
mainly met;
The reservoirs of the south-eastern part of Kura
lowland and open shallows of the Caspian shore are confened mainly to the territory of
Gizilagach and Shirvan reserves and bandovan preserve and subdivided into 8 types of
lands:
water area of Great Gizilagach gulf has an international
meaning during the migration and wintering as an inhabitant place of aquatic birds The
maximal depth is 2.5 m. The north-eastern and the southern part of the gulf are connected
with sea.
coastal, open marine shallows from Kyur Dili is. up to
bandovan cape (depth is up to 6 m, width - up to 3-4 km);
coastal spits, shallows and islands, located mainly in
the eastern and western parts of Kyur Dili is. and the Caspian Sea shore adjoining to Kura
delta;
growths of the underwater hydrophytes located on the
teritory of Gizilagach reserve on the northern and the western shore of Great Gizilagach
gulf (2.5 ths. ha) with small reaches on Pirman lagoons (3.3 ths.ha), Khazar (9.7 ths.ha)
and Akushin (3.3 ths.ha) floods, Kura delta and Shorgel lake (4 ths. ha, Shirvan reserve);
growths of tamarisks on Pirman lagoon, Khazar and
Akushin floods, Kura delta and on separate areas of Shirvan reserve. Bushes of tamarisks
reach 2-8-m height. The total area occupied by land on the south-eastern lowland is about
3.3 ths.ha. In these lands water stays on 20-70-cm height;
growths of rushes taking all the low-lying areas (the
total number is 5.4 ths.ha) adjoining to salt and fresh reservoirs on the south-east of
Kura lowland;
cereal-heterograss associations occupy vst territories
of the south-eastern part of Kura lowland and the Caspian Sea shore. In winter and autumn
a considerable part of the low-lying areas of this biotope is filled with water;
biotpes of the cultivated landscape of the south-eastern
part of Kura lowland, on border with Lenkaran lowland.
In Lenkaran coast there are 3 types of water-marsh
lands:
open shallows of the Caspian Sea with length of 60 km,
width 4-5 km, being the inhabitant places of aquatic birds mainly. The main part of water
area has the depths of 3-10 m, shallows - up to 1 m, width - 1.5 km and length of 15 km on
its northern border with Gizilagach reserve;
water area of the Lesser Gizilagach gulf, separated from
sea by artificial dam and turned out to be a fresh-water reservoir. The depth doesn't
exceed 2.5 m on the whole open water area. The gulf is flooded by Vilyashchai and
Gumbashichai rivers. Gulf waters come out on fishing, emergenmce and throwing down canals;
growths of the underwater hydrophytes on Viravulchai
mouth (about 200 ha) and on shore of Lesser Gizilagach gulf (8.8 ths. ha).
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INTRODUCTION
SECTION 1
SECTION 2
SECTION 3
SECTION 4
SECTION 5
APPENDIX 15
APPENDIX 16
    
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