Dzharylhach National Nature Park

Dzharylhach Island is a long, thin line of sand and shoals, running west-to-east in the bay between the Crimean Peninsula to the south, and the mainland to the north. At times of low water, the shoals can become exposed to join the island as a spit of the mainland. The coastal waters are very shallow, typically less than 1 meter.[2] The characteristic salty soil of the island is called solonetz. The bay is part of the Ramsar site Karkinitska and Dzharylgatska Bays.[2]

The official climate designation for the Dzharylhach area is Humid continental climate - hot summer sub-type (Köppen climate classification Dfa), with large seasonal temperature differentials and a hot summer (at least four months averaging over 10 °C (50 °F), at least one of which is over 22 °C (72 °F)).[3][4] The average temperature in January is −2.6 °C (27.3 °F), and floating ice may appear in the bay for 1–5 days. Average temperature in July is 22.9 °C (73.2 °F), in the middle of a hot summer season that typical lasts for 5 months. Winds of 6–12 m/s are observed an average of 223 days per year; absolute calm is very rare.[1]

The plants on the island are specialized for the environment, and include psammophytes (plants that grow in loose and shifting sand), halophytes (plants adapted to saline habitats), reed-beds in fresh and saline wetlands, the representative flora of coastal meadows and seaside steppe, and synanthropes (wild plants associated with proximity to humans, in this case tree and shrub plantations). Over 500 species of vascular plants, in 72 families are recorded in the terrestrial borders of the park.[1][2]

Mouflon, a vulnerable species of wild sheep, in the park

There are over 80 species of invertebrates in the park. Because the area contains many shallow coastal flats with protective thickets, it is famous for crayfish, crabs, and fish. The bay itself is known for mussels and fish. Wild animals include deer, boar, and mouflon (a type of wild sheep).[1]

Park management sponsors educational programs for children and school groups, as well as public-awareness activities and ecological tours. The park also sponsors balanced recreational access to beaches, subject to small fees and protection of environmentally sensitive zones.[1] The area is important for waterfowl. The vulnerable red-breasted goose is endemic to the area[2]