The lodos is the strong south-westerly wind which may predominate episodically in the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek language, Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish language, Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It ...
and
Marmara Sea
The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via the B ...
as well as the Mediterranean coast of
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
all the year round; it frequently raises high seas and may give violent westerly
squall
A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes, as opposed to a wind gust, which lasts for only seconds. They are usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to the ...
s. The word ''lodos'' is
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
, coming from
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
word "
Notus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, the Anemoi (Greek: , 'Winds') were wind gods who were each ascribed a cardinal direction from which their respective winds came (see Classical compass winds), and were each associated with various seasons ...
", and originally means "southern wind".
The predominant wind-driven surface current of the Aegean Sea is from northwest to southeast, but about twenty times a year the wind shifts southwards, pushing from the Mediterranean towards the Black Sea. If it continues long enough, the surface current also reverses, creating treacherous going for mariners. When Lodos is blowing, the winds in the
Turkish Straits begin to shift during the early morning hours. The Black Sea's currents are also affected by Lodos.
They are at their strongest in the afternoon and often die down at night, but sometimes lodos winds last for days without a break. Similar winds blow in the
Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...
and
Ionian maritime regions. Lodos winds are dangerous to sailors because they come up in clear weather without warning and can blow at 9-10
Beaufort Beaufort may refer to:
People and titles
* Beaufort (surname)
* House of Beaufort, English nobility
* Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England
* Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility
Places Polar regions ...
. Most vessels cannot sail under such conditions.
Lodos brings wind and waves from the south from October to April, with a peak season in December. Along with warm waters from the South, lodos also brings African dust from the
Sahara Desert
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, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
, map =
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, location =
, country =
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, ...
, which contains many minerals such as sulfate, iron, zinc and other minerals that are beneficial to plants. If lodos persists for more than a day, these mineral-rich dusts cause headaches, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases.
During strong lodos winds, especially in December, large vessels are warned against crossing the
Bosphorus Strait
The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern T ...
and at times, the strait is closed to all naval traffic due to lodos shifting charted surface currents. Vessels are most vulnerable to these shifting currents if they lack speed or experience an engine failure. in which case the only means to halt a vessel would be anchoring, but there is not enough distance at Bosphorus for such a measure, and disaster becomes inevitable.
See also
*
List of local winds
This is a list of names given to winds local to specific regions.
Africa
*Berg wind, a seasonal katabatic wind blowing down the Great Escarpment from the high central plateau to the coast in South Africa.
* Cape Doctor, often persistent and dry so ...
*
Bora (wind)
The bora is a northerly to north-easterly katabatic wind in areas near the Adriatic Sea. Similar nomenclature is used for north-eastern winds in other littoral areas of eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea basins.
Name
It is known in Greek as (' ...
*
Etesian
The etesians ( or ; grc, ἐτησίαι, etēsiai, periodic winds; sometimes found in the Latin form etesiae), ''meltemia'' ( el, ετησίες,μελτέμια; pl. of meltemi), or meltem ( Turkish) are the strong, dry north winds of the Aegea ...
*
Gregale
The Gregale ( ca, Gregal, it, Grecale, , mt, Grigal, , el, Γραίγος, ''Graigos'') is a Mediterranean wind that can occur during times when a low-pressure area moves through the area to the south of Malta and causes a strong, cool, northea ...
*
Khamaseen
Khamsin, chamsin or hamsin ( ar, خمسين , meaning "fifty"), more commonly known in Egypt as khamaseen ( arz, خماسين , ), is a dry, hot, sandy local wind affecting Egypt and the Levant; similar winds, blowing in other parts of North ...
*
Levantades Gales from between north-north-east and east-north-east are the most important gales of the east coast of Spain. They are known locally as llevantades (in Catalan language, Catalan) and are an intense form of the llevant or Viento de Levante, levan ...
*
Leveche
The libeccio (; Leveche ; sh, lebić ; ca, llebeig ; mt, Lbiċ; el, λίβας ; oc, labech ) ; el, γαρμπής, links=no ; it, garbino ; sh, garbin, links=no ; es, garbino, ; oc, garbin ). is the westerly or south-westerly wind wh ...
*
Marin (wind) The Marin is a warm, moist wind in the Gulf of Lion of France, blowing from the southeast or south-southeast onto the coast of Languedoc and Roussillon. It brings rain to this region which it has picked up crossing the Mediterranean, and also can b ...
*
Mistral (wind)
The mistral ( ca, Mestral, el, Μαΐστρος, it, Maestrale, mt, Majjistral, Corsican: ''Maestrale'') is a strong, cold, northwesterly wind that blows from southern France into the Gulf of Lion in the northern Mediterranean. It produces ...
*
Sirocco
Sirocco ( ), scirocco, or, rarely, siroc (see below) is a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and can reach hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe, especially during the summer season.
Names
''Sirocco'' derives from ...
*
Libeccio
The libeccio (; Leveche ; sh, lebić ; ca, llebeig ; mt, Lbiċ; el, λίβας ; oc, labech ) ; el, γαρμπής, links=no ; it, garbino ; sh, garbin, links=no ; es, garbino, ; oc, garbin ). is the westerly or south-westerly wind wh ...
External links
Local Mediterranean winds
Winds
Turkish words and phrases
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