The Black Sea Flood

The Black Sea deluge is a well-known and highly debated event in the Late Quaternary history of the region. It is one of three proposed flood scenarios for the Black Sea, with two other hypotheses suggesting a rapid or gradual rise in sea level. The deluge hypothesis, first introduced by William Ryan, Walter Pitman, Petko Dimitrov, and their colleagues in 1997, suggests that around 7600 years ago (c. 5600 BC), there was a catastrophic inflow of Mediterranean seawater into the freshwater lake of the Black Sea. According to this theory, during the Early Holocene period, glaciers were melting rapidly all over the world due to rising global temperatures. This caused an increase in sea levels globally and led to changes in hydrology patterns. As a result, some rivers draining into the Black Sea started declining in volume and changing course towards the North Sea. Additionally, evaporation also played a role in lowering water levels. As these changes occurred gradually over time, it eventually resulted in significant drops in water levels at both ends of the Bosporus strait – which connects the Black Sea to Marmara Sea- causing it to become narrower than before. However, when glacial meltwater reached its peak around 8800 years ago (c. 6800 BC), it triggered an abrupt jump in sea-levels that breached through this narrow opening between Marmara and Black Seas. This sudden influx of seawater flooded approximately 100000 square kilometers (39000 sq mi) of land surrounding modern-day Turkey's coastlines while significantly expanding its shoreline northwards and westwards. The scale of this event has been compared to Niagara Falls as researchers estimate that about 50 km3(10 cu mi)of water flowed through each day for almost 300 days continuously.These numbers give us an idea about how devastatingly powerful this flood must have been. One of the most significant implications of this event is that it could have profoundly affected prehistoric settlements in Eastern Europe and neighboring parts of Asia. Some archaeologists even believe that this deluge may be the basis for various oral histories, including the well-known story of Noah's flood. The lack of Neolithic sites in northern Turkey also supports this theory as they suggest that these areas were uninhabitable after being submerged by seawater during the Black Sea deluge. However, some experts argue that there is no concrete evidence to connect this event with Noah's flood or other ancient myths. Despite its controversial nature, the Black Sea deluge hypothesis gained widespread attention when it was first published in 1997. It was later popularized through a series of expeditions led by marine archaeologist Robert Ballard, who discovered what appeared to be ancient shorelines, tool-worked timbers, and man-made structures at around 100 meters (330 ft) below sea level off the coast of modern-day Turkey. These findings were widely covered by mainstream media outlets like The New York Times and were later published as a book. This increased public interest further fueled debates among scientists about whether such an event occurred at all and if yes then how did it happen? In response to Ryan et al.'s hypothesis, Andrei L.Chepalyga proposed another catastrophic flood scenario for Late Quaternary sea-level rise in the Black Sea between 2003-2007. According to his late Pleistocene Great Flood hypothesis, brackish Neoeuxinian Lake occupying much of present-day Black Sea basin experienced rapid inundation due to glacial meltwater overflow from Caspian Sea via Manych-Kerch Spillway shortly after Late Glacial Maximum (17-14 thousand years ago). This meltwater flooding connected several lacustrine and marine water bodies starting from Scandinavia towards southwards until reaching Bosphorus strait – forming a cascade of Eurasian basins. Chepalyga also suggested that this event could have been responsible for the Great Flood mentioned in various ancient myths and legends. The Late Pleistocene Great Flood hypothesis has gained some support from experts who argue that it may have imposed substantial stresses on human populations living in the region at that time, leading to its inclusion in cultural memory as a catastrophic flood. It is also believed to have played a significant role in stimulating early human activities like shipping and horse domestication. However, not all experts agree with these theories of catastrophic flooding events. Some propose an alternative explanation known as the gradual inflow model or progressive flood model. This theory suggests that around 8000 years ago (6000 BC), the level of Marmara Sea rose high enough for two-way flow to start between Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea, resulting in a gradual inundation process instead of sudden flooding. Evidence supporting this scenario includes disparate ages of sapropel deposition in eastern Mediterranean and Black Seas, buried back-stepping barrier islands observed on Black Sea shelf, and underwater delta composed of Black Sea sediments near Bosphorus Strait. Opponents of deluge hypothesis often criticize it for exaggerating both magnitude and pace at which water levels would have risen during this event.