The Aegean Sea: A “Water Way” Connecting the Diverse Marine Ecosystems of the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

This chapter is an introduction to the book “The Aegean Sea Environment: The Natural System,” which is the first book of the two-volume issue with the second volume entitled “The Aegean Sea Environment: Anthropogenic Presence and Impact.” In the present volume, we aim to approach the Aegean Sea marine ecosystem as a “water-way” connecting the Black Sea with the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, as a natural system. We discuss specific features and geodynamic evolution of the Black Sea–Mediterranean Sea system. We briefly describe geomorphological characteristics, land–sea and air–sea interaction, water masses, hydrology, chemistry, suspended matter and fluxes, sediments at the bottom, as well as biological dynamic and evolution, and life separately for the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Aegean Sea systems. The structure of the book is presented at the end of the chapter.