Connection of two seas. Incredible photos of sharp borders at the confluence of seas or rivers! Why doesn't water mix? Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Sea

Not such a rare phenomenon is the visible boundary between communicating bodies of water: two seas, a sea and an ocean, a river and a tributary, etc. And yet, it always looks so unusual that you involuntarily wonder: why do their waters not mix?

1. North Sea and Baltic Sea


The meeting point of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea near the city of Skagen, Denmark. Water does not mix due to different densities.

2. Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean


The meeting point of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Strait of Gibraltar. Water does not mix due to differences in density and salinity.

3. Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean

The meeting point of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Antilles.

The meeting point of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean on Eleuthera Island, Bahamas. On the left is the Caribbean Sea (turquoise water), on the right is the Atlantic Ocean (blue water).

4. The Suriname River and the Atlantic Ocean

The meeting point of the Suriname River and the Atlantic Ocean in South America.

5. Uruguay River and its tributary

The confluence of the Uruguay River and its tributary in the province of Misiones, Argentina. One of them is cleared for needs Agriculture, the other in the rainy season becomes almost red with clay.

6. Rio Negro and Solimões (section of the Amazon)


Six miles from Manaus in Brazil, the Rio Negro and Solimões join but do not mix for 4 kilometers. Rio Negro has dark water, while Solimões has light water. This phenomenon is explained by the difference in temperature and flow rate. Rio Negro flows at a speed of 2 km/h and a temperature of 28 degrees Celsius, and Solimões at a speed of 4 to 6 km/h and a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius.

7. Mosel and Rhine

The confluence of the Moselle and Rhine rivers in the city of Koblenz, Germany. Rhine - lighter, Moselle - darker.

8. Ilz, Danube and Inn



The confluence of the three rivers Ilz, Danube and Inn in Passau, Germany. Ilz is a small mountain river (on the 3rd photo in the lower left corner), the Danube in the middle and the Inn light color. The Inn, although wider and fuller than the Danube at the confluence, is considered a tributary.

9. Alaknanda and Bhagirathi

The confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers in Devaprayag, India. Alaknanda is dark, Bhagirathi is light.

10. Irtysh and Ulba

The confluence of the Irtysh and Ulba rivers in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. The Irtysh is clean, the Ulba is muddy.

11. Jialing and Yangtze

The confluence of the Jialing and Yangtze rivers in Chongqing, China. The Jialing River stretches for 119 km. In the city of Chongqing, it flows into the Yangtze River. clear waters Jialing meets the brown waters of the Yangtze.

12. Irtysh and Om

The confluence of the Irtysh and Om rivers in Omsk, Russia. Irtysh - muddy, Om - transparent.

13. Irtysh and Tobol

The confluence of the Irtysh and Tobol rivers near Tobolsk, Tyumen region, Russia. Irtysh - light, cloudy, Tobol - dark, transparent.

14. Chuya and Katun

The confluence of the Chuya and Katun rivers in the Ongudaysky district of the Altai Republic, Russia. The Chuya water in this place (after confluence with the Chaganuzun River) acquires an unusual cloudy white lead color and seems dense and thick. Katun is clean and turquoise. Combining together, they form a single two-color stream with a clear boundary and flow for some time without mixing.

15. Green and Colorado

The confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA. Green is green and Colorado is brown. The channels of these rivers run through rocks of different composition, which is why the colors of the water are so contrasting.

16. Rona and Arv

The confluence of the Rhone and Arves in Geneva, Switzerland. The river on the left is the transparent Rhone, which emerges from Lake Leman. The river on the right is the muddy Arve, which is fed by the many glaciers of the Chamonix valley.

Miracle of the Qur'an: Seas that don't mix

Sura 55 "The Merciful":

19. He confused two seas that meet each other.

20. Between them there is a barrier that they cannot cross.

Sura 25 "Discrimination":

53. He is the One who mixed two seas (kinds of water): one is pleasant, fresh, and the other is salty, bitter. He placed between them a barrier and an insurmountable obstacle.

Exploring expanses of water in the Strait of Gibraltar, Jacques-Yves Cousteau discovered an amazing fact that cannot be explained by science: the existence of two water bodies that do not mix with each other. They seem to be separated by a film and have a clear boundary between them. Each of them has its own temperature, its salt composition, flora and fauna. These are the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in contact with each other in the Strait of Gibraltar.

“In 1962,” says Jacques Cousteau, “German scientists discovered that in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea converge, the waters of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean do not mix. Following the example of our colleagues, we began to find out whether the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea mix. We first explored the waters of the Mediterranean - its natural salinity, density and life forms. We did the same in the Atlantic Ocean. These two masses of water have been meeting in the Strait of Gibraltar for thousands of years, and it would be logical to assume that these two huge water masses should have been mixed long ago - their salinity and density should have become the same, or at least similar. But even in places where they converge closest, each of them retains its properties. In other words, at the confluence of two masses of water, the water curtain did not allow them to mix.”

Upon discovering this obvious and incredible fact, the scientist was extremely surprised. “I rested on my laurels for a long time at this amazing phenomenon, which cannot be explained by the laws of physics and chemistry,” writes Cousteau.

But the scientist experienced even greater surprise and admiration when he found out that this was written in the Koran 1400 years ago. He learned about it from Dr. Maurice Boukay, a Frenchman who converted to Islam.

“When I told him about my discovery, he told me skeptically that this was said in the Koran 1400 years ago. It was like a bolt from the blue for me. And indeed, it turned out that way when I looked at the translations of the Koran. Then I exclaimed: “I swear that this Koran, from which modern science lagging behind by 1400 years, cannot be human speech. This is the true speech of the Most High.” After that, I accepted Islam and every day I was amazed at the truth, justice, ease, usefulness of this religion. I am infinitely grateful that He opened His eyes to the Truth,” Cousteau writes further.

They say that the Atlantic Pacific Ocean We do not mix our waters. It is quite difficult for us to understand how the same liquids cannot combine. In this article, "Me and the World" will try to figure it out.

Of course, to say that the waters of the oceans do not mix at all is wrong. So why is the line between them so clearly visible? In the place where they touch the different direction of the currents, as well as the difference in the level of density of water and the amount of salt in it. On the line of their intersection, it is even clearly visible that the colors of the reservoirs are completely different. This joint is clearly visible in the photo.

The well-known scientist Jacques Cousteau at one time spoke about the directions of currents, when the force of the earth at an angle to the axis of rotation does not allow the waters to completely mix at the place of their meeting. But what is interesting is that this phenomenon was written in the Koran 1400 years ago.


The invisible confluence of the oceans occurs only in the Southern Hemisphere, since in the Northern they are separated by continents.


Such clear boundaries can be seen not only at the point where the oceans meet, but also the seas, and between river basins. For example, the North and Baltic Seas do not mix due to the different densities of their waters.


At the confluence of the Irtysh and Ulba, in the first river the water is clear, in the second it is muddy.


In China: the clean Jialing River flows into the brown-dirty Yangtze.


In two rivers, having traveled almost 4 km, they never mix. This is due to the different speed of their currents and temperature. Rio Negro is slower and warmer, while Solimões flows faster but cooler.




And there are many such examples. From the outside, all this seems mystical until an exact explanation comes.

Video: the border of the meeting of two oceans

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There are many mysterious places and phenomena on Earth. One of such phenomena can be called a meeting of reservoirs, the waters of which do not mix. Many believe that these are the laws of physics, others consider it an inexplicable anomaly, and still others attribute such a phenomenon to the vagaries of nature.

Jacques Cousteau and the Strait of Gibraltar

In 1967, German scientists tried to find out the reasons why the waters of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea do not mix in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Jacques Cousteau decided to follow the example of his colleagues and study the immiscibility of the water column of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea in the Strait of Gibraltar by analyzing the density and salinity of the waters.

The scientist believed that for many millennia the waters of the two reservoirs should have mixed. But even in those places where the sea and the ocean seem to touch each other, they still retain their distinctive features.

What is the surface tension of water

As it turned out, the reason for the non-mixing of waters from different reservoirs lies in the surface tension, and this is the main parameter of water. In order not to delve into physics: this is the force due to which water molecules can connect with each other, this is how a drop, puddle, jet, etc. appear. And the stronger the surface tension, the less the volatility of the liquid.

Well, for example, alcohol has a very small molecular bonding force, so when it comes into contact with air, it quickly evaporates. Fortunately, water has a very large value for this parameter, so there is still life on our planet.

You can also visually imagine what surface tension is. To do this, take a bowl and slowly pour tea into it to the very brim. For some time, the tea will not overflow, and if you look closely, you can see a thin film on the surface of the drink, which will try to prevent the tea from spilling. This is what happens with reservoirs, each has its own surface tension, which, like a wall, prevents one reservoir from flowing into another.

Where can you see the boundaries between water bodies

In the northernmost part of Denmark, namely in the city of Skagen, the waters of the Baltic and North Seas meet. The Danes call the coastline at Skagen "the end of the world":

  • Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, Antilles

  • Rio Negro and Solimões rivers, Brazil

  • Uruguay River and its tributary, Argentina

  • Green and Colorado Rivers, Utah, USA

  • Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers, India

  • Jialing and Yangtze rivers, China

  • Chuya and Katun rivers, Russia

  • Moselle and Rhine rivers, Germany

  • Three rivers: Inn, Danube and Ilz, Germany

  • Rhone and Arve rivers, Switzerland

By the way, adherents of the Muslim faith are convinced that the reservoirs do not mix because Allah ordered so, because this was written in the Koran even before the moment when the natural phenomenon became known to science. They say that Jacques Cousteau converted to Islam only because he read about the non-mixing of waters in the Koran, and then was able to see all this in reality.

All myths cannot be broken at once, especially when they are created daily by those who wish, but as such questions come in and a small technical or analytical study is carried out, it is possible and I would even say necessary.

Just recently, one of my old acquaintances and a good friend whom I have not seen for a long time wrote to me. Nothing out of the ordinary "hello, how are you, haven't seen each other for a long time", and also in the text of the letter he said that he read my works and decided to ask a question that had tormented him for a long time - Why in some places fresh and salty sea water does not mix. Thus, the topic for the next post in LabOrder (laboratory of orders) was determined.

I have already come across this question, and often in conversations with the same people - religious ones, who at every opportunity mentioned that in Holy Quran talks about not mixing fresh and salt water, and used this statement as an argument in favor of the fact that this book knows what science still cannot explain. Previously, I simply dismissed such "arguments" due to the fact that I am an agnostic, and I have an irreparable conviction that often religion either misinterprets physical phenomena, or creates and demonstrates certain tricks in order to attract more adherents to its ranks. But since a person asked, especially my old friend - let's figure it out.

To begin with, let's ask the holy book what it says about immiscible waters, specifically and in the text. Why text? Often, everyone interprets certain words, in an incomprehensible translation, and wishful thinking.

Since this sura consists of 77 ayat, we will consider only the ayat that we need where this statement about not mixing water is mentioned. ayat

<<25:53. Аллах - Тот, кто создал два моря рядом: в одном море - пресная вода, а в другом море - солёная. Оба моря рядом друг с другом, но Он поставил нерушимую преграду между ними, и они не смешиваются благодаря благоволению Аллаха и Его милосердию к людям>>

But even on this site, the substitution of concepts and the reinterpretation of original statements are already underway. From which I ask people who read such literature to be careful. Here, for example, is the translation of the Quran by Valeria Porokhova (Al Furqan 25:53):

<<Он - Тот, Кто в путь пустил два моря:

Pleasant and fresh - one,

Salty and bitter - another.

He put a barrier between them -

Such an unbreakable barrier

(Which never allows them to merge)>>

It should also be noted that this phenomenon is repeated in sura ayat 19-20.

Pleasant and insipid - Salty and bitter. Well, now you can more or less reliably see what, where and where. It is quite possible that the example with the seas is a metaphor and nothing more. But let's even say that.

In general, I repeat that the main argument is often that the Holy Book mentions the truth that was not yet known to science until now. And they even say that the famous scuba inventor and oceanographer Jacques Cousteau converted to Islam when he first saw this phenomenon in reality. But I'm afraid it might not happen, as with the astronaut Armstrong.

In order to begin to understand this problem, we need to list the places on the planet and the conditions in which a similar phenomenon is observed, where water from one reservoir does not mix with water from another.

<< Галоклин - слой воды, в котором солёность резко изменяется с глубиной (наблюдается большой вертикальный градиент солёности). Один из видов хемоклина. Ввиду того, что солёность влияет на плотность воды, галоклин может играть роль в её вертикальной стратификации (англ.) (расслоении). Повышение солёности на 1 кг/м3 приводит к увеличению плотности морской воды приблизительно на 0,7 кг/м3 >>

<<…А. И. Воейков впервые дал верное объяснение наличию теплой воды на глубинах северной части Индийского океана. Он утверждал, что В БАБ-ЭЛЬ-МАНДЕБСКОМ ПРОЛИВЕ ДОЛЖНО СУЩЕСТВОВАТЬ НИЖНЕЕ ТЕЧЕНИЕ ОЧЕНЬ ТЕПЛОЙ И СОЛЕНОЙ ВОДЫ ИЗ КРАСНОГО МОРЯ В ИНДИЙСКИЙ ОКЕАН. Впоследствии это БЫЛО ДВАЖДЫ ПОДТВЕРЖДЕНО НАБЛЮДЕНИЯМИ в указанном проливе: во время плаваний С. О. МАКАРОВА на «Витязе» в 1886-1889 гг. И АНГЛИЙСКОЙ ЭКСПЕДИЦИЕЙ на судне «Старк» в 1898 г.>>

2) Strait of Gibraltar - between the Iberian Peninsula and the northwestern coast of Africa, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

If you believe this photo, then it was taken in this very place. And the interface that is visible on it is the difference in salinity, which for some reason does not mix.


Again, there are no reliable sources of information that this phenomenon can be observed in this form as shown in the picture above, again, except for you know which sites. Moreover, in different sources this image is attributed to a different location. Okay, let's see where we have "fresh" here and where there is "salt". The Atlantic Ocean is salty, as well as the Mediterranean Sea, which is more salty than the ocean itself. It has been established that the water exchange between these two reservoirs along the upper reaches brings 42.3 thousand km3 to the Mediterranean Sea, and the lower reaches 40.8 thousand km3 of water per year from the sea. What kind of "non-mixing" of water is in question here, one can only guess.

Also, if you believe Valeria Porokhova herself, this barrier and a clear separation is observed in almost every river that flows into any sea (on video from 2:00). Yeah especially where we are talking about the Volga and the Caspian Sea, where could an astronaut see the dividing line? History is silent.


Watch your hands.

Obviously, and most likely, the first thing that surprises people is the clear interface that is shown in the photographs to confirm that the water does not really mix. But my dears, how can water not mix if the world water exchange is almost a fundamental law. Only partly, a relatively blurred interface can be observed due to a number of physical phenomena that can be observed either temporarily or at different depths depending on the changing water temperature, salinity, surface tension and currents carrying it at different speeds, thereby slowing down the diffusion process. I repeat, regarding the clear dividing line, which some people claim and the absence of water exchange, in such places, alas, there are no official and reliable sources.

Why not bring in confirmation of an isolated lake that would have a similar clear division, a "sweet - slide" of water. Maybe because it doesn't exist?

Increasingly, it is the straits and connections of rivers with the seas that are cited as an example. As a result of the connection of two different waters, where the phenomenon appears on which the diffusion process takes place according to the above factors. Why, for example, is no one surprised by such a boundary found in nature?



Maybe because these obvious things were simply not written in Scripture?

On the other hand, no one claims that in the Holy Book, there is generally a detailed explanation of anything except - it was done by God and in His Name!

What is the root of this trick? Yes, in the fact that 1400 years ago this was already described in the Koran, and science is only now making such discoveries. Well, okay. Science simply, besides making discoveries, tries to explain them, by the way, its key difference from any religion, which simply points to God.

That is, what do deeply religious people want to convey to us? And the fact that 1400 years ago, the only one who knew that when two water tanks were connected there would be no dividing line, it was the Holy Scripture of the Koran. And until this moment, for some reason, no one noticed this phenomenon among people who have already been using the fleet with might and main for at least 4000 years. That's it.

And finally, watch this video (I did not give the name to it). Do you still think that deeply religious people who mix reality with faith are capable of professionalism in a particular profession? Especially such as pilots, doctors, scientists, physicists, teachers, designers, etc. ..?