Geochemistry and sedimentology of shelf and upper slope sediments of the south-central Black Sea

Eighty-five surface samples from oxic, suboxic and anoxic sites of the south-central Black Sea shelf consist predominantly of clayey silts and silty clays, reflecting the moderate-to-high energy, wave-dominated hydrological regime. Grain size data and net sediment transport patterns suggest that the western part of this shelf is an area of cast-directed active sediment transport. With the, exception of localized nearshore zones, the eastern shelf is by contrast an area of major sediment deposition. The sediment transport vectors are correlated with patterns of surface water circulation and storm-generated longshore currents