A New State in the Hydrological Regime of the Sea of Azov in the 21th Century

The dynamics of the state of the Sea of Azov during the 20th and early 21st centuries is described. The basic factors that form the hydrological regime of the sea are presented. It was revealed that the current state of the Sea of Azov, characterized by a significant positive anomaly of water temperature and salinity, has not previously been noted in the history of the study of the sea. It has been noted that the standard deviation of series of the mean annual values of water salinity and temperature increases, which may indicate an increase in variability of these characteristics in the modern period.