The younger generation had a chance to write a comprehensive work “What is Lake Baikal famous for?” The 4th grade of high school left not so much information in our memory. This is the most in the world, - people over forty will say. But this is not the only indicator that brings Lake Baikal into the category of champions. Well, let's update our information about this gem of Russia. It is not for nothing that the lake is called the sacred sea! It is rightfully considered a unique creation of Mother Nature, the pride and national treasure of Russia.
As a natural site, Baikal was included in 1996, at the twentieth session of UNESCO, in the World Heritage List of Humanity (number 754). What is the uniqueness of this lake? We will talk about this in our article.
Where is Lake Baikal located and what is famous for (briefly)
This natural unique attraction is located almost in the center of Asia. On the map of our country, the lake is located in Eastern Siberia, in its southernmost part. Administratively, it serves as the border between the Buryat Republic and the Irkutsk region of the Russian Federation. Baikal is so big that it can be seen even from space. It stretches like a blue crescent from the southwest to the northeast. So local population often calls Baikal not a lake, but a sea. “Baigal dalai” is how the Buryats respectfully call it. The coordinates near the lake are: 53°13′ north latitude and 107°45′ east longitude.
What is Lake Baikal famous for? Let's look at its different options.
Depth
Let's start with common truths. Baikal is not only the deepest lake on the planet, but also the most impressive continental depression. This title has been confirmed. scientific research held in 1983. The deepest place in the lake - 1642 meters from the surface of the water surface - has the coordinates of 53°14′59″ north latitude and 108°05′11″ east longitude. Thus, the lowest point of Baikal lies 1187 meters below sea level. And the lake has a height of 455 meters above the oceans.
The average depth of Baikal is also impressive: seven hundred and forty-four meters. Only two lakes in the world have an indicator of a kilometer between the water surface and the bottom. These are (1025 m) and Tanganyika (1470 m). The deepest - that's what Lake Baikal is famous for.
In English, in Google, a certain East is among the top three record holders. This lake was found in Antarctica. It has a depth of more than 1200 meters, and another four kilometers of ice rises above the water surface. Thus, we can say that the distance between the surface of the earth and the bottom of the East is more than five thousand meters. But this body of water is not a lake in the usual sense of the word. Rather, it is an underground (subglacial) reservoir of water.
Dimensions
The area of this reservoir is 31,722 square kilometers. That is, the size of the lake is quite comparable with such European countries like Switzerland, Belgium or the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The length of Lake Baikal is six hundred and twenty kilometers, and the width varies between 24-79 km. At the same time, the coastline stretched for two thousand one hundred kilometers. And that's not counting the islands!
Dimensions - this is what Lake Baikal is famous for, although this indicator does not make it the largest on the planet. But the reservoir takes an honorable eighth place among the giants. Ahead are the Caspian (which is also a lake, although salty), the Upper in America, Victoria, Huron, Michigan, the Aral Sea and Tanganyika.
honorable age
Baikal is a lake of tectonic origin. This explains its record depth. But when did the tectonic fault occur? This question is still considered open among scientists. Traditionally, the age of Baikal is determined at 20-25 million years. This number seems fantastic. After all, lakes “live” on average about ten, in extreme cases, fifteen thousand years. Then alluvial deposits, silty sediments accumulate and change everything turns into a swamp, and it, after centuries, into a meadow. But Siberians are famous for their centenarians. And what Lake Baikal is famous for is its venerable age.
It should be said that the Siberian giant is also unique in other respects - hydrological. Baikal feeds about three hundred rivers, and only one flows out of it - the Angara. And one more uniqueness: seismic activity during a tectonic fault. From time to time, earthquakes occur at the bottom of the lake. In fact, the sensors record about two thousand of them annually. But sometimes there are large earthquakes. So, in 1959, from the shock, the bottom of the lake sank fifteen meters.
The Kudara earthquake of 1862 was the most memorable for the local residents, when a huge piece of land (200 sq. km) with six villages, in which one thousand three hundred people lived, went under water. This place in the delta is now called Proval Bay.
Unique fresh water tank
Despite the fact that the pearl of Siberia occupies only the eighth place in the world in terms of size, in terms of the volume of water it reaches the record. What is Lake Baikal famous for in this regard? Most of the water is in the Caspian. But it's salty in there. Thus, Baikal can be called the undisputed leader. It contains 23,615.39 cubic kilometers of water. This is about twenty percent of the total reserve of all lakes on the planet. To demonstrate the significance of this figure, let's imagine that we managed to block all three hundred rivers flowing into Baikal. But even then it would take Angara three hundred and eighty-seven years to drain the lake.
Unique fauna and flora
It is also strange that, despite the enormous depth of Baikal, there is benthic vegetation in the lake. This is due to seismic activity under the tectonic depression. Magma heats the bottom layers and enriches them with oxygen. Such warm water rises, and cold - falls. Half of the 2600 species of animals and plants inhabiting the water area are endemic. Biologists are most surprised by the only mammal of the lake that lives 4 thousand kilometers from its marine counterparts and has adapted well to fresh water.
It is difficult to say which fish Lake Baikal is most famous for. Maybe it's a golomlyanka. She is viviparous. Her body contains up to 30 percent fat. She also surprises scientists with her daily migrations. Schools of fish rise for food from the dark depths to shallow water. The Baikal sturgeon, omul, whitefish, and grayling also live in the lake. And the bottom is covered with freshwater sponges.
Purity and transparency of water
With such an area of the water surface and the presence of nearby industrial enterprises it would be logical to think that Lake Baikal would become polluted. It wasn't there! The water here is not only drinkable, but close to distilled. You can drink it without fear. And it helps the lake to cleanse itself. This endemic one and a half millimeters in size acts as a natural filter: it passes water through itself, assimilating all the dirt. As a result, the pebbles at the bottom are clearly visible. Water transparency up to forty meters is what Lake Baikal is famous for. The photo of this unique reservoir demonstrates the majestic pristine beauty of nature. It depends on us whether we save it for posterity.
Lake Baikal and its drainage basin belong to the unique geosystems of the world. Baikal is located in the central part of Eastern Siberia, not far from the conventional geographical center of Asia. The mountain basin of the lake is the most important natural frontier of Siberia. In this area, the boundaries of various floristic and faunal areas converge, creating biogeocenoses that have no analogues.
Baikal is one of the greatest lakes on the planet, a lake of "superlative degree": the deepest (1637 m) and the oldest (about 25 million years), containing the most a large number of endemics (more than 1000 species) and representatives of flora and fauna (more than 2600 species) living in fresh water bodies of the Earth. The lake has a unique in terms of volume (23.6 thousand cubic km) and quality of fresh water (20% of the world). The Baikal depression is the central link of the Baikal rift zone, which arose and developed simultaneously with the world rift system. A number of factors suggest that the lake is a nascent ocean. The climate of the Baikal coasts is unusually mild for Siberia - the number of sunny days here is higher than in many Black Sea resorts. 336 rivers flow into Baikal (Selenga, Barguzin, Upper Angara, etc.), and one flows out - Angara.
The entire lake basin (the total catchment area is 557 thousand sq. km, of which 332 are in Russia) is a peculiar and very fragile natural geosystem, the basis of which is the system of the lake itself with its natural process of formation of the purest waters of drinking quality.
Baikal - the largest lake in the world
Baikal is one of the greatest lakes the globe, the largest freshwater lake in Russia. Its length is 636 kilometers, the water surface area is 31,500 square kilometers. Baikal is 1.7 times larger than Lake Ladoga, the largest in Europe. Among the fresh lakes of the world, it ranks sixth. Larger than it are two African lakes - Victoria and Tanganyika, and three of the five Great American Lakes - Superior, Huron and Michigan.
Baikal is not only one of the largest lakes, but also the deepest lake on the planet. As already mentioned, its greatest depth is 1637 meters.
The maximum depth of Tanganyika is 1435 meters, Issyk-Kul is 702. On Earth, only 8 lakes have a depth exceeding 500 meters (L. Rossolimo).
Tanganyika - fresh water, but its water contains a high content of magnesium salts. The entire thickness of fresh water deeper than 800 meters can only be studied in Baikal.
The average depth of the lake is also very high - 730 meters. It exceeds the maximum depths of many very deep lakes. This is what determines the water reserves in Baikal.
Baikal is the world's largest freshwater lake in terms of water resources. Its volume is 23,600 cubic meters. kilometers, which is about 20% of the planet's fresh lake waters - much more than in all fresh lakes in the world. The volume of the latter is estimated at 123 thousand cubic kilometers of water. There is more water in Baikal than in all five of the American Great Lakes combined. The Baikal volume of water is almost twice as much as in Lake Tanganyika, 90 times more than in the Sea of Azov, 23 times more than in Lake Ladoga. Based on the current need of people for water, equal to 500 liters per person per day, Baikal water can provide the entire population of the Earth for about 40 years (G.N. Galaziy, 1984).
Geological features of the structure of Lake Baikal
The most remarkable feature of Baikal is its antiquity. Given the deep relict endemism of the fauna of the lake, most researchers determine its age at 20-30 million years. The vast majority of lakes, especially those of glacial and oxbow origin, live for 10-15 thousand years, then they are filled with sediments, dragged by rafts and sooner or later turn into swamps, and then dry up. Research recent years allowed geophysicists to hypothesize that Baikal, on the contrary, is a nascent ocean. This is confirmed by the fact that its shores diverge at a speed of up to 2 cm per year, just as the continents of Africa and South America, the shores of the Mediterranean and Red Seas, etc. Along with active movements of the earth's crust, significant magnetic anomalies along its axis were noted in the Baikal region. These anomalies are comparable in scale with similar anomalies in the area of the mid-Atlantic fault. The lake has many of the features inherent in the ocean - abyssal depths, a huge mass of water, internal waves and seiches, tides, strong storms, high waves, expansion of the basin due to the separation of the coast, large magnetic anomalies, etc.
The lake lies in the Baikal depression - a bottomless stone bowl, surrounded on all sides by mountains. The depression is framed by medium-altitude mountain ranges Primorsky and Baikalsky - from the western side, Barguzinsky (with a maximum height of 2840 m) and Khamar-Daban - from the east and southeast. The depth of the depression is determined by the height of the mountains above it, the depth of the lake and the thickness of the loose sediments lining its bottom. The layer of these lake sediments in some places reaches 6,000 meters, and their volume is twice the volume of the lake and reaches 46,000 cubic kilometers. It is easy to calculate that the depth of Baikal's crystalline bed reaches 8-9 kilometers.
The deepest point of the Baikal root basin lies about 7,000 meters below the ocean level. The Baikal depression is the deepest basin on earth's land. Its "roots" cut through the entire earth's crust and go into the upper mantle to a depth of 50-60 kilometers.
Hydrology of Lake Baikal
Every year, about 60 cubic kilometers of beautiful and unique water quality is reproduced in Baikal, which in some cases can be used instead of distilled water. The rare purity of water is ensured by the vital activity of its unique flora and fauna. The main properties of Baikal water are characterized as follows: there are very few dissolved and suspended mineral substances in it, negligible organic impurities, lots of oxygen. The total mineralization of water in Baikal is 120 milligrams per liter, while in many other lakes it reaches 400 or more milligrams per liter. The total content of ions in the water of the lake is 96.7 milligrams per liter.
Its transparency depends on the purity of water. Baikal is not only extremely clean, but also the most transparent lake in the world. In the spring, after being freed from ice, the transparency of its water reaches 40 meters - ten times more than in many other lakes. The standard of the highest transparency is the water of the Sargasso Sea, approaching the transparency of distilled water. Here, the Secchi disk disappears from view at a record depth of 65 meters. Recent studies have shown that at depths of 250 - 1200 meters the transparency of Baikal water is no less than in the Sargasso Sea.
Climate characteristics
In terms of the number of hours of sunshine, Baikal is richer than the neighboring territories of Siberia and even some western and southern regions of the country - in the north of the Baikal depression (Nizhniangarsk) 1948 hours per year, in the south of the lake (Babushkin) and in the middle part (Khuzhir) 2100 and 2277, and on the Riga coast, located at the same latitude - an average of 1839 hours a year, in Abastumani in the Caucasus - 1994. The average annual air temperature in the depressions of the lake is distributed as follows: in the southern basin -0.7 C, in the middle -1.6 C , in the north -3.6 C.
The water temperature in the surface layer varies from +14, +15 C (in August) to 0 C (in December-January). In coastal areas, during surges, the temperature can reach +16, +17 C, mainly under the eastern coast. In shallow bays and sors, it rises in summer to +22, +23 C. On average, the freezing of Lake Baikal begins on December 21 and ends on January 16 - it takes about a month to completely freeze. From the beginning of the destruction of the ice cover in the southern basin, which occurs in April, to complete cleansing the entire reservoir in May-June also lasts about a month or more. Most precipitation falls on the Khamar-Daban coast - about 800 mm / year or more, as well as in the mountains - from 1200 to 1400 mm; least of all - on the islands of Olkhon and Ushkany, on the Malomorsky coast of the lake and on the middle section of the western and eastern coasts. On average, it receives from 160 to 300 mm of precipitation per year.
Flora and fauna
The exclusivity of many physical and geographical features of the lake was the reason for the extraordinary diversity of its flora and fauna. And in this respect, it has no equal among the fresh waters of the world. Almost half of all species of freshwater mollusks live in Baikal, as well as more than half of all species of oligochaetes, shellfish, etc. /3 are endemic, originated in it and are not found anywhere else in the world. Of the algae, the most numerous are diatoms - 509 species, tetraspore and chlorococcal - 99, blue-green - 90, conjugates - 48, ulotrix - 45, golden - 28, volvox - 13 species, etc. Of the animals, the most common amphipods (gammarids) - 255 species; more than 100 species of shell crustaceans, or ostracods, more than 100 species of gastropods, 83 oligochaetes, more than 100 planarians, about 50 planarians, 56 harpacticides, more than 300 protozoa. 52 species of fish belonging to 12 families live in the lake: sturgeons, Acipenseridae, (1 species - Baikal sturgeon); salmon, Salmonidae, (5 species - davatchan, taimen, lenok, Baikal omul, Coregonus autumnalis migratorius Georgy, whitefish); graylings, Thimallidae, (1 species - Siberian grayling); pike, Esocidae, (1 species); cyprinids, Ciprinidae, (13 species); loaches, Cobitidae, (2 species); catfish, Sibiridae, (1 species); cod, Gadidae, (1 species); perch, Percidae, (1 species); sculpins, Cottidae, (7 species); Abissocottidae, (20 species); golomyankas, Comephoridae, (2 species). 29 species - very diverse in body shape, color and lifestyle of sculpins, or sculpins. Two species - viviparous fish, large and small golomyanka - are known to ichthyologists around the world.
The food pyramid of the lake ecosystem is crowned by a typical marine mammal - the seal, or the Baikal seal, Pusa sibirica Gmel.
There are 848 species of endemic animals in Baikal - about 60% and 133 species of endemic plants - 15%. Completely endemic in Baikal are 11 families and subfamilies, 96 genera, uniting about 1000 species. All this makes it possible to single out the lake in the Baikal subregion of the Holarctic, which is equivalent in area to the vast European-Siberian subregion.
Angara river
The Angara is the "daughter of Baikal", the only river flowing out of the lake, its length is about 1860 km. Annually, the Angara carries out 60.9 cubic km of water from Baikal, and all its tributaries bring 58.75 cubic km per year. at the confluence of the Angara has a water discharge of only about 100 cubic km. The source of the river is located at the level of Baikal, i.e. at an altitude of 456 m above sea level, and the mouth - at an altitude of 76 m. The difference is 380 m, which is used by the cascade of hydroelectric power stations built on the Angara. The width of the Angara at the source is about 1 km, the depth varies in the range of 0.5 - 6 m, the speed of the current along the fairway is 1-2 m / s.
Baikal omul
Baikal omul (Coregonus autumnalis migratorius Georgy) is an endemic fish that came to Baikal relatively recently (during the glacial or post-glacial period), presumably from the estuarine sections of rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean. The omul adapted well to its new ecological niche, underwent significant changes and acquired the biological characteristics of the subspecies. Four populations of omul live in Baikal: Selenga, Chivirkuy, North Baikal and embassy. The most numerous population is Selenga. It spawns mainly in the Selenga and in a number of tributaries of the lake. It lives in the southern basin of Baikal and in the southern part of the middle basin. The omul goes to spawn in the rivers from the end of August - the beginning of September to the end of November. In terms of numbers, the spawning herd reaches from one and a half - two to six - eight million individuals.
The total biomass of all age groups of omul in Baikal is about 25 - 30 thousand tons. The life expectancy of omul is up to 20-25 years, it spawns up to 6 times during its life at the age of 5-6 to 14-15 years. The average size and weight of each population is different. Size 30 - 35 cm, weight from 300 to 600 gr. The largest of the encountered specimens of the Selenga population had a weight of up to 5 kg and a length of about 50 cm.
Baikal seal
The Baikal seal (Pusa sibirica Gmel.) is the only mammal in the lake. According to the classification, the seal belongs to the family of true seals (Phocidae), the genus Pusa. Researchers believe that the Baikal seal came from a common ancestor with the ringed northern seal. It is believed that the seal penetrated from the Arctic Ocean along the Yenisei and Angara during the Ice Age, when the rivers were dammed by ice advancing from the north. In the mid-80s, there were about 70 thousand heads of seals in Baikal. The age limit of the Baikal seal (according to V.D. Pastukhov) is 56 years for females and 52 years for males. Childbearing age lasts from 4-7 to 40 years, pregnancy lasts 11 months. During the life of the female can bring more than 20 cubs. The average weight of a seal in Baikal is about 50 kg, Weight Limit males 130-150 kg, length 1.7-1.8 m. Females are smaller in size - 1.3-1.6 m and up to 110 kg. (+ video clip - Baikal seal on the ice of the lake, 5-10 sec) (According to O.K. Gusev and G.N. Galaziya)
The nature of anthropogenic impact in the basin of the lake. Baikal.
Based on the materials of the TERKSOP of Lake Baikal and the "National Report of the USSR to the 1992 UN Conference on environment and development" in the basin of Lake Baikal, 4 main areas of detrimental anthropogenic impact on the ecosystems of the region are distinguished.
1. The basin of the Selenga River in its lower reaches with 3 large industrial centers: the Gusinoozerskaya State District Power Plant, the Selenginsky Central Control Commission and the city of Ulan-Ude. Ulan-Ude is the largest polluter of the Selenga, it accounts for 53% of all wastewater discharged into the largest river of the Baikal basin. Above the city, the total concentration of impurities in the waters of the Selenga is 0.76 conventional units, below it increases to 62 conventional units. In 1988, the city's emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere amounted to 152.2 thousand tons, of which 58.2 thousand tons fell on the share of industrial enterprises, 94 thousand tons - vehicles.
The Selenginsky PPM in the same year emitted 44.1 thousand tons of pollutants into the atmosphere. The plant dumped 11.9 thousand tons of mineral substances, 3.4 thousand tons of organic substances and 135 tons of suspended matter into the waters of the Selenga. Emissions into the atmosphere of Gusinoozerskaya GRES exceeded 63 thousand tons/year.
2. The southern end of the lake, where the main pollutant is the Baikal pulp and paper mill. In 1988, the plant's emissions into the atmosphere amounted to 30.4 thousand tons. harmful substances, into the water of Baikal - 51.9 thousand tons of mineral substances, 4.7 thousand tons of organic and 532 tons of suspended substances. The maximum allowable concentrations (MPC) of oil products, phenols were exceeded by 3-4 times, and the MPC of sulfates and chlorides was exceeded. As a result of the plant's activity, an extensive pollution zone was formed. The area of pollution of bottom sediments is 20 sq. km. Over the past 10 years, the number of benthic species of living organisms has decreased here from 27 to 10, and the biomass of zoobenthos has decreased by 3 times.
3. Valley of the Barguzin River in the middle and lower reaches. Here, the cut down areas of the allowable cutting area are significantly exceeded, 67% of arable land is covered by erosion processes. Unregulated use mineral fertilizers in this agricultural area may contribute to the eutrophication of the lake.
4. Severobaikalsky area - a section of the coast between the cities of Severobaikalsk and Nizhneangarsk. The commissioning of the Baikal-Amur Railway has significantly increased the anthropogenic load here. Atmospheric emissions of harmful substances in the city of Severobaikalsk in 1988 amounted to 15 thousand tons. The content of oil products in water near Severobaikalsk is 3-5 MPC, if the index is 238 tons. An additional source of pollution of Lake Baikal is the bank protection works carried out in this area.
The current influence of local anthropogenic foci in the lake basin is of a local nature, but if we consider the characteristics of the atmosphere, it covers large parts of the lake, mainly its southern basin. This influence, in addition to local sources, is due to the transfer of air masses from the Irkutsk territorial complex, especially the Novo-Irkutsk CHPP.
Baikal is one of the most famous lakes in the world. There are legends about him. It delights and surprises travelers and tourists. In size, it is a huge sea. The area of the water surface is over 31 thousand km², and the length of the coastline is 2100 km. Therefore, it is one of the seven largest lakes in the world. It is not only the size of the water surface that is striking. Very beautiful and landscapes. The lake in the shape of an elongated crescent is surrounded by rocks, wooded mountains, cliffs. There are bays of extraordinary beauty with sandy beaches. Numerous islands on the lake are impressive, especially the largest Olkhon.
What is Lake Baikal famous for? This is a wonderful lake. It does not age, it is distinguished by its horizontal, as well as impressive vertical dimensions. The composition of the water, the richness and uniqueness of the flora and fauna are surprising. You won't see this anywhere else. About 2600 species and subspecies of animals and about 600 plant species live in the lake. Of these, more than half of the animals are endemic, that is, they cannot live in other waters and will die. This also applies to most aquatic plants. Baikal is included in the World Natural Heritage List.
forever young lake
The lake is 25-35 million years old. So many ordinary lakes do not exist. They can withstand no more than 15 thousand years, and then they fill with silt and die. Baikal never gets old. There is even a hypothesis that the lake is a nascent ocean. It expands by 2 cm per year. Therefore, Baikal is unique as a lake.
The lake is located in a large depression with a relief bottom. It passes through the earth's crust and is immersed in the mantle. Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. Its depth is 1642 m. According to this parameter, it is ahead of two other lakes of outstanding size, including the Caspian Sea. In this basin there are huge volumes of fresh water. This accounts for almost 20% of the world's fresh water resources.
miraculous water
Dozens of rivers and streams flow into Baikal, and only one flows out - the Angara. The main feature of Baikal water is its purity and transparency. The amazing beauty of stones natural world can be seen through the huge water column. This is due to the fact that it contains few suspended solids. A pure source of water is not a river. The water is purified by some living organisms in the lake itself. Water is like distilled. It has a lot of oxygen.
On a note! The lake is cold. Even in summer time the water is cool and warms up to about +9 °C, in the lower layers - +4 °C. However, in some bays it is quite comfortable to swim, as the water temperature can reach 23 °C.
In spring, the clean water surface of the lake is especially good. It seems blue, and the transparency is the largest - up to 40 m. This is due to the fact that the inhabitants of the lake in cold water have not yet multiplied enough. By summer, the water will warm up a little, and a lot of living organisms will develop. The water will turn green, and visibility in the water column will decrease by 3-4 times.
We will consider interesting facts about Lake Baikal today. This reservoir sets several world records at once. Firstly, this is the deepest lake in the world (1642 meters). Secondly, we are talking about the largest reservoir of fresh water (31,722 cubic kilometers).
Facts for children about Lake Baikal
Origin of the lake
There are several different points of view on the age of the lake. According to some scientists, this reservoir appeared back in the ice age, and therefore its age can be millions of years. The opinion of other experts says that it is no more than a few hundred thousand years old. Neither one nor the other has been proven right to this day. Obviously, interesting discoveries are still waiting for us in this area.
True, the reasons due to which the lake was born do not cause such heated debate. Most scientists support the theory of a transform fault, with the subsequent filling of the resulting depression with groundwater.
There are also several views on the name of the lake, but most experts say that the word Baikal is based on a combination of two Mongolian words "baigal" and "dalai", which literally means a large lake. Its eastern shores are formed mainly by gently sloping hills. At the same time, the western slopes consist mainly of rocky and steep rocks.
As mentioned above, the depth of the lake is 1642 meters. It took more than a million measurements to find out. Nevertheless, thanks to the research of specialists, it became known that there are depressions in the reservoir, up to 7 kilometers deep!
Water Features
The water in Lake Baikal is incredibly clean. It can be used without fear of catching any disease. The chemical composition of water is also very interesting, since it contains almost no minerals and a significant amount of oxygen is dissolved.
Due to the special purity of the water, the transparency of the water is simply amazing. In favorable periods of the year, mainly in spring, you can very clearly see the features of the bottom, located at a depth of up to 40 meters.
The purity of the lake is a merit of the local flora and fauna. The water contains microorganisms, crustaceans and fish, which are fed by various biological and chemical impurities, consuming which the biological purification of the reservoir occurs.
As mentioned above, the lake contains over 31,722 cubic kilometers of fresh water. And it really is a world record. Even the total volume of such large American reservoirs as: Ontario, Huron, Michigan, Erie will be less than one of our lakes.
Obviously, due to its significant size, the freezing of the lake takes a long time. The beginning of the freezing period falls on the end of October or the beginning of November. The final ice cover is formed approximately by the end of January. In some years, the lake was “encased” in an ice shell only by March.
The opening of the ice cover is also not a matter of a couple of weeks. The ice cover finally disappears in June, and sometimes even later. Swimming in it is not very comfortable. Even in the hottest months, the water temperature does not rise above 15 degrees. Obviously, this indicator is determined by the presence of a large number of underground sources.
Despite the fact that Baikal is a lake, the waters here are not too calm. At times, impressive storms shake the reservoir, and the height of the waves can be more than 2 meters. It is curious that in 2008 a storm of 9.1 points was registered.
Baikal is a "collector" of more than 300 different rivers and streams, and only one reservoir flows out of it - the Angara, a fairly large river that flows through several regions and is one of the tributaries of the Yenisei.
Flora and fauna
The unique feature of the lake is its flora and fauna. Most plant and animal species are endemic and therefore only found in this region. According to biologists, about 1000 unique representatives of the animal and plant world and about 2600 others live near the reservoir.
Sturgeon is the largest fish in the lake. Its length reaches 2 meters, and its mass is 130 kilograms. In addition, a rare and small fish lives in the reservoir - Golomyanka, a feature of which is an almost completely transparent body through which you can easily read a newspaper text.
The top of the food chain in the lake is the Baikal seal, one of several species of seal that lives in fresh waters. This animal has no natural enemies. The only danger is man.
It is still not known for certain where the seal appeared in the lake. Biologists agree that these animals came here along the waters of the Yenisei and Angara from the Arctic Ocean basin.
More about Lake Baikal for children ... in the end
Unsolved phenomena
Strange optical illusions resembling the contours of buildings or mountains have been repeatedly seen above the surface of the water. It is known that such phenomena appear in the warm periods of the year.
Moreover, there is even an analogue of Bermuda - the “Baikal Triangle”, an anomalous area where any navigation devices and other equipment refuse to work.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be noted that Lake Baikal is truly one of the most beautiful places in the world. The bewitching mystery of landscapes, in truth, surprises with its pristine beauty and serenity, gives peace, bliss and harmony with nature. Despite the opposite views regarding the name and origin of this reservoir, this fact does not cause a single dispute.
The continent of Asia boasts the most landscape and deep lake called Baikal.
The depth of the lake at its lowest point is 1642 meters, and the average is 730 meters. The area of the lake is 31722 sq. m. The lake is considered the cleanest, because the transparency is 40 meters.
Such a beautiful and clean Lake Baikal takes its place with honor in the list of 7 wonders of Russia.
Scientists still dispute the exact origin of the lake. The approximate age of Lake Baikal is from 25 to 35 million years, and this is surprising.
The average lifespan of lakes is 10-15 thousand years, after which the lakes either dry up or turn into swamps.
Scientists have noticed that Baikal continues to develop and does not begin to dry up.
There are a lot of legends about the origin of the lake, as well as the names. Lake Baikal has the shape of a crescent. There are 27 islands on the area of the lake, of which 5 are flooded. The largest island is called the Holy Nose.
Many rivers flow into Lake Baikal, which periodically dry up, but there are 336 rivers that constantly support the filling of the lake. Angara is the only river that flows into the lake.
Because of severe frosts v winter period lake Baikal freezes. The thickness of the ice on the lake is on average 1 meter, but can reach up to 2 meters.
Rich enough in Baikal underwater world. There are 1085 species in the lake different plants and about 1550 species of different fish.
There is a unique fish in the lake - Baikal omul. Omul meat has a very pleasant taste, it is served in any form: fried, smoked, dried.
There is also a grayling fish that lives only in Lake Baikal. There are white and black grayling. The white one lives only in Baikal, while the black one also lives near the rivers flowing into the lake.
The water in the lake contains almost no mineral salts, it can be considered distilled. For quite a long time, water from the lake was drunk in order to heal and prevent diseases. But drinking water can be collected only in some places that experienced guides know.
Baikal is a very beautiful lake that everyone should see.
Option 2
Someday everyone heard that Baikal is a very large lake, but now, those who have not seen it think that these are just words. Let us now analyze that the distance between northern capital and just the capital of our country directly 635 kilometers.
The length of the lake is 620 kilometers, it turns out that if you place the lake between Moscow and St. Petersburg, 90% of the way can be sailed. Another example, the distance from the center of Moscow to the Moscow Ring Road is about 20 km, while the width of the “rich water”, as it was called in the past, is 80 km.
Is Baikal a promising ocean?
Most often, ice age lakes exist only for 15 thousand years, and after that they begin to fade and completely disappear. But Baikal is not one of those, it is not going to disappear, but on the contrary, scientists suggest that Baikal will soon become an ocean. This is also associated with earthquakes in Baikal, usually these are shocks no higher than 2 points, but stronger ones have also been recorded, for example, the last shake of 6 points in 2010. There is only one reason for these two phenomena - this is the expansion of the lake, due to the appearance of a crack between the Amur and Siberian platforms, which diverges at a rate of 3-4 mm per year. But the moment when Baikal becomes “a little bigger” will happen only after a few million years.
"Population" of the lake
There are a lot of animals and plants on and in the lake, and some of them live only here. Why? Yes, just because here amazing water it contains only 0.1 g/l of salt and 14 mg/l of oxygen. This feature makes it possible for 2600 species of aquatic inhabitants to live. The variety of fish can neither attract fishermen. The water area is inhabited by at least 58 species of fish, for example, omul, grayling, whitefish, taimen, Baikal sturgeon, lenok, golomyanka (a unique fish consisting of 30% fat). There are more than 2,000 species of plants and nesting birds. Only the Baikal seal lives here, as well as the dwarf deer - musk deer.
Landmark of Baikal
In addition to the fact that Baikal itself is a huge attraction, it is fraught with even more beauty than it seems at first glance. Ukovsky waterfall is a wonderful place and if you have the opportunity to visit Baikal, you should definitely look there.
Uk is a tributary of the Uda River, at the mouth of which there is a pearl - a waterfall, which is a wonderful monument of nature, where tourists and foreign tourists from all over the world seek.
Passing to Uda, the river Uk cleared a basalt gorge, the walls of which are higher than 40 meters, the height of this natural monument is 20 meters, and the width is 10 meters. But both the waterfall and the power of the water, which carved an extraordinarily beautiful gorge in the rock, are interesting.
About tourism
The most pleasant time for a trip to Baikal starts from mid-summer and ends on the 20th of August. The rest of the time, the water either has not warmed up yet, or cold winds have already arrived. If there is a desire to feel the beautiful and fabulous Russian winter, then it is better to come to Baikal at the end of winter - early spring, when the lake is captivated by the strongest (1.5 m thick) and most transparent ice. The main thing for a holiday without trouble is to clearly plan all travel. And carry a first aid kit with you.
Baikal - report 3
Russia is rich not only in useful and precious minerals, but also in picturesque and mysterious places. One of such majestic places is Lake Baikal.
It is not only the largest and deepest, but also the oldest. His age could not be accurately determined, but it does not matter, the main thing is that it is on the territory of our country. There are many legends about him. This is the largest reservoir of not just water, but fresh water. The lake has the shape of a crescent and is surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges overgrown with dense forests. In some places, the human foot has not yet had time to set foot. And it's great! There are still places untouched by civilization, where animals, birds and insects live carefree.
The climate of Lake Baikal is unique. It's always blowing here strong wind, which has its own names. It blows along the coast, where it is simply impossible to hide from them. Baikal water affects temperature regime, winters are quite mild, and summers are cool, despite the fact that the temperature can be plus 35 degrees. Swimming is cool too. In winter, the waters of Lake Baikal are covered with a wonderful clear ice. The lake freezes in January and only in early May is freed from ice captivity.
Clouds over the lake appear very rarely due to evaporation cold water. Accordingly, there is practically no rain and cloudy, but it is always sunny. There are few gloomy days, only about 40 for the whole year.
Cities are located away from the coast. Only in the village of Listvyanka, which is the closest of all settlements, you can stop. The tourist infrastructure is well developed here. It is in the village that the famous nerpinary is located, not far from the very source of the Angara is the Shaman-stone, here, according to legend, shamanic rites took place. Only one river, the beautiful Angara, flows out of the lake, into which many small and large rivers flow. The largest river that flows into it is the Selenga.
In the vicinity of the great and mighty lake there is a zone subject to constant earthquakes. There are a lot of invisible ones, sometimes their number reaches 8 thousand a year. Strong ones happen every 2 years and destructive force once every 10 years.
There is a separate law on nature protection mysterious lake Baikal.
Those who love travel and tourism come to Baikal. The most popular places are the bays Barguzinsky, Chivyrkuysky, Polsky Bor. There are many others on the lake interesting places which you can visit.
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