A 'melea' represents a low water habitat. This kind of habitat is a unique type of habitat, created in the areas where the Danube flows into the Black Sea. The term 'melea' comes from a Russian word, which means low water.

Inside a 'melea', the water is only a few centimetres deep. This type of habitats appears after the lake mouths clog. The mouths of Danube's channels are areas which are affected by erosion. Due to this fact, in time, the lowland area turns into a gulf. The gulfs are part of the Danube's Delta and they become habitats for warmth and light loving species.

The low water and the aquatic vegetation represent the tropic basis for various species.
The gulfs are preferred by fish, which come here during their reproductive season. The carp, for example, comes in these areas during springtime. After the eggs are laid, the aquatic vegetation will protect the spawns.

The birth of a gulf or of a lagoon can take up to thousands of years. The specialists believe that over the next 5.000 years, the Musura Gulf will become a lagoon.