Lake Baikal. What Lake Baikal is famous for: interesting facts. Where are the deepest places of Baikal
The younger generation had the opportunity to write a complex work “What is Lake Baikal famous for?” 4th grade high school left not much information in our memory. This is the best thing in the world, people over forty will say. But this is not the only indicator that puts Lake Baikal into the category of record holders. Well, let's update our information about this pearl of Russia. It’s 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 the list in 1996, at the twentieth session of UNESCO World Heritage humanity (numbered 754). What is unique about this lake? We will talk about this in our article.
Where is Lake Baikal located and why is it famous (briefly)
This unique natural 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 Russian Federation. Baikal is so big that it can be seen even from space. It stretches like a blue crescent from southwest to northeast. Therefore, the local population often calls Baikal not a lake, but a sea. “Baigal Dalai” is how the Buryats respectfully call it. The coordinates of the lake are: 53°13′ north latitude and 107°45′ east longitude.
What is Lake Baikal famous for? Let's look at its different parameters.
Depth
Let's start with the basic truths. Baikal is not only the deepest lake on the planet, but also the most impressive continental depression. This title was confirmed by scientific research conducted in 1983. The deepest place in the lake - 1642 meters from the surface of the water surface - has coordinates 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 World Ocean.
The average depth of Baikal is also impressive: seven hundred and forty-four meters. Only two lakes in the world have 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 on Google, a certain Vostok 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 rise 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 to such European countries, like Switzerland, Belgium or the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The length of Baikal is six hundred and twenty kilometers, and its width varies between 24-79 km. Moreover, the coastline stretches for two thousand one hundred kilometers. And that's not counting the islands!
Size is what Lake Baikal is famous for, although this indicator does not make it the largest on the planet. But the reservoir occupies an honorable eighth place among the giants. Ahead are the Caspian (which is also a lake, although salty), Superior in America, Victoria, Huron, Michigan, the Aral “Sea” and Tanganyika.
Honorable age
Baikal - lake 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 figure seems fantastic. After all, lakes “live” on average about ten, in extreme cases, fifteen thousand years. Then alluvial deposits and silty sediments accumulate and change the whole thing into a swamp, and it, after centuries, into a meadow. But Siberians are famous for their longevity. And what Lake Baikal is famous for is its venerable age.
It should be said that the Siberian giant is also unique in other parameters - hydrological. Baikal feeds about three hundred rivers, and only one flows out of it - the Angara. And one more unique thing: seismic activity during a tectonic fault. From time to time, earthquakes occur at the bottom of the lake. In fact, sensors record about two thousand of them every year. But sometimes large earthquakes occur. So, in 1959, the bottom of the lake dropped by fifteen meters due to a shock.
What was most remembered by the surrounding residents was the Kudarino earthquake of 1862, when a huge piece of land (200 sq. km) with six villages inhabited by one thousand three hundred people went under water. This place in the delta is now called Proval Bay.
Unique fresh water reservoir
Despite the fact that the pearl of Siberia ranks only eighth in the world in size, in terms of water volume it holds the record. What is Lake Baikal famous for in this regard? Most of the water is in the Caspian Sea. But it's salty 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 have taken the Angara three hundred and eighty-seven years to drain the lake.
Unique fauna and flora
Another strange thing is that, despite the enormous depth of Baikal, bottom vegetation exists in the lake. This is explained by seismic activity under the tectonic basin. Magma heats the bottom layers and enriches them with oxygen. Such warm water goes up, and the cold one goes down. Half of the 2,600 species of animals and plants inhabiting the water area are endemic. What surprises biologists most is that the only mammal in the lake 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. Perhaps this is a golomlyanka. She is viviparous. Her body contains up to 30 percent fat. She also surprises scientists with her daily migrations. They rise to feed from the dark depths of shallow water. The lake is also home to Baikal sturgeon, omul, whitefish, and grayling. And the bottom is covered with freshwater sponges.
Purity and transparency of water
With such an area of water surface and the presence of industrial enterprises nearby, it would be logical to think that Lake Baikal would become polluted. Not so! The water here is not only potable, 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 performs the function of a natural filter: it passes water through itself, absorbing 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. A photo of this unique reservoir demonstrates the majestic, pristine beauty of nature. It depends on us whether we preserve it for posterity.
Tourists who have ever visited Baikal talk not only about the marvelous views, distances, water horizons of the lake, but first of all about the energy and grandeur that emanate from Baikal, many note his unearthly deep beauty and strength. Writers called Baikal sacred, healing, omnipotent...
Talking about the beauties of the Russian land, one cannot help but talk about great place— Lake Baikal. It is perhaps one of the main attractions and marvelous landscapes, the treasures of our country’s natural treasures.
In addition to the fact that Lake Baikal is a masterpiece of the Russian land, Eastern Siberia, it also occupies an honorable place among water beauty planet: this is the deepest lake in the world, and one of the largest reservoirs of fresh water (by the way, fresh water on Earth is only a few percent of the total volume of water).
About the beauty of the lake in the documentary film “Baikal Without Borders”:
About Lake Baikal
« Baikal is a lake of tectonic origin in the southern part of Eastern Siberia.
The lake and coastal areas are distinguished by a unique diversity of flora and fauna; most of the animal species are endemic (that is, found only here).
Local residents and many in Russia traditionally call Baikal a sea (as A. Chekhov said).
However, the world's deepest freshwater lake is not only beautiful place Russia, but also an enviable tasty morsel for other countries.
Baikal is located in the center of Asia on the border Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia in the Russian Federation. The lake stretches from northeast to southwest for 620 km in the form of a giant crescent. The width of Lake Baikal ranges from 24 to 79 km. The bottom of Lake Baikal is 1167 meters below the level of the World Ocean, and the surface of its waters is 455.5 meters higher.
The water surface area of Lake Baikal is 31,722 km² (excluding islands),which is approximately equal to the area of countries such as Belgium or the Netherlands. In terms of water surface area, Baikal ranks seventh among the largest lakes in the world.
Length coastline- 2100 km.
The lake is located in a kind of basin, surrounded on all sides mountain ranges and hills" (Wikipedia)
The “deepest” established value of the lake is 1642 m (recorded by an expedition in 1983), average depth— 744.4 m, which far exceeds the parameters of the depths of the most deep lakes. Only the Caspian Sea (1025 m) and Tanganyika (1470 m) are deeper than the average depths of Lake Baikal.
“The water reserves in Baikal are gigantic - 23,615.39 km³ (about 19% of the world's lake fresh water reserves - all fresh lakes in the world contain 123 thousand km³ of water).
In terms of volume of water reserves, Baikal ranks second in the world among lakes, second only to the Caspian Sea, but the water in the Caspian Sea is salty. There is more water in Baikal than in all five Great Lakes combined (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario), and 25 times more than in Lake Ladoga.”
“Interesting facts. If all the water contained in Baikal is divided among all Russian citizens (141,927,297 people), then each person will have about 166.4 thousand cubic meters of water, which is approximately 2,773 railway tanks of 60 tons each.”
Baikal water has unique properties: it is always clean, transparent, especially in spring, stones can be visible at a depth of several tens of meters; “it contains very few dissolved and suspended minerals, negligible organic impurities, a lot of oxygen” - mineral salts over 96 mg/l.
Some “experts” believe that the water from Baikal can be drunk without treatment, while others are sure that it must either be boiled or passed through filters. Near the shore, where there is a lot of algae, there is garbage, especially in the heat, even if Baikal itself remains cold, but in small backwaters it is warmer (where many decomposition products can accumulate near the shore), or after a storm - it is still better not to try raw water .
Collected far from the shores, at depth, in a clean backwater, and raw or (if desired and preferred) passed through filters, Baikal water is a healthy product.
The temperature in the lake, as a rule, is always cold, even in summer it does not exceed +9 degrees Celsius (at a depth of +4), in some backwaters it can reach +15 and even +23 degrees Celsius.
Spring usually arrives on Baikal and its environs with a delay of two weeks, and autumn is delayed. If there is sizzling heat in the area - which, of course, is almost unrealistic for Siberia and Russia, but anything can happen - then a fresh, slightly “cold”, saving breeze will blow near the lake, and the cool water temperature will cool down “just right” anyone.
The age of the lake, according to scientists, is about 25-35 million years. First mention: "110 BC" e. “The lake was first mentioned in Chinese chronicles under the name Beihai.”
Most big island Baikal - Olkhon:
« 71 km long and 12 km wide, located almost in the center of the lake on its western coast, area - 729 km², according to other sources - 700 km²." There are a total of 27 islands on the lake.”
About 336 (sometimes, during floods, during river valleys, these numbers reach - according to various estimates, up to 1123) rivers and streams flow into Baikal.
“The largest tributaries of Baikal are the Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Turka, Snezhnaya, Sarma. One river flows out of the lake - the Angara.
The flora and fauna of Baikal and the Baikal Nature Reserve are clearly described in the film “Baikal Fantasies”:
Flora of Baikal rich in algae, among which there are unique representatives, endemics. Fauna is also very diverse and unusual, for example, the Baikal epishura (a type of planktonic crustacean from the subclass of copepods) is a microscopic crustacean (size about 1.5 mm), actively maintains the cleanliness of the lake, passing organic matter through its body.
In addition to epishura, about 2,600 species and subspecies of endemic aquatic animals live in the water depths of Lake Baikal: fish, worms, crustaceans, sponges, etc.
Among the fish found here are: Baikal omul, grayling, Baikal sturgeon, pike, whitefish, burbot, taimen - 58 species in total. The birds and animals living in the vicinity of the lake are also unique.
Even when the lake freezes, algae actively live under water, ensuring the existence of fauna; also, thanks to ice cracks, oxygen enters the lake.
In winter, the thickness of the ice on the surface of the lake is from 1 m to 5 m. Icy Baikal on a sunny winter day with cracks in the ice shimmering in the light is a beautiful sight.
In the Baikal Nature Reserve (located on east coast in the southern part of Baikal and covers an area of 165.7 thousand hectares. mountain range Khamar-Daban) there are brown bears, wild boars, roe deer, sables, black kites, wood grouse...
Most of the reserve is occupied by taiga, protected plants: calamus, common viburnum, yellow egg capsule, edible honeysuckle, etc.
It happens that Baikal “shakes”; seismic activity is quite high there: earthquakes of 1-2 points are the norm, but more serious ones occurred last time in 2008 (9 points) and in 2010 (6.1 points).
From whom and from what is it worth saving Baikal?
Any miracle of nature necessarily suffers encroachments... from whom do you think, first of all? Naturally - from the people themselves, the industries they built, decay products, garbage.
“Lake Baikal is a unique ecological system, the legal basis for the protection of which is regulated by the Federal Law “On the Protection of Lake Baikal” adopted in 1999.
In 1996, Baikal was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.”
Several foundations and environmental organizations are also involved in the protection of Lake Baikal.
One of the main problems is poachers. They kill and catch the Baikal seal. her cubs, the spawning omul.
In addition, forests in the vicinity of Lake Baikal are regularly cut down.
The Transneft company is constructing an oil pipeline near Lake Baikal.
Vacationers near the lake, remember that nature must be protected, because although it is silent, it is priceless for our prosperous existence, it is better not to conduct experiments with the meaning of testing what will happen to us if the best wonders of nature do not become, at least clean up the trash after yourself - this is such a small thing.
Cutting, sawing and damaging trees , any, regardless of size.
Leave trash behind. If you were able to drag a full bottle here, will you really be bothered to carry it when it becomes empty?
Lighting a fire where there has never been one. Nature takes years to heal the wound caused by fire. If the parking lot is not equipped with a fire pit, and you desperately need a fire, light it on the shore, on pebbles, after making sure that there are no trees nearby whose roots can be damaged by fire.
Decorate with cretin writing, i.e. with their own names, names of places of residence and other outrages, coastal rocks . Make no mistake, nature is self-sufficient, man can only worsen it.
Fishing using poaching methods. I'll explain how to catch her with a fishing rod. Or do you care what your grandchildren eat?
Pick flowers. Are they more beautiful dead?
Play loud music. And don’t turn it on quietly, better listen to the rustling of leaves and the splash of waves. Or is that not what you came here for?”
Holidays on Lake Baikal
Every year, Baikal and the Baikal Nature Reserve are visited by over 400 thousand tourists, including from other countries.
Basically, all roads to the lake go through the nearest major cities: Ulan-Ude, Irkutsk, Severobaikalsk. From any of these points you can easily get to Baikal by bus.
For example, from Irkutsk (70 km to Baikal) you can get there: by railway transport (trains, trains), from the bus station or central market by bus, minibus, in the summer (from mid-June to August) from the Raketa pier on a yacht or motor ship.
More detailed routes, options for overcoming the path from experienced travelers can be found on the resources: www.magicbaikal.ru, baikalholiday.ru, www.baikalvisa.ru, baikal-tourist.ru, you can order tours to Baikal, cruises, excursions on exatourbaikal.com - and there are plenty of other sites and agencies offering trips to Baikal.
You can hit the road on your own, the main thing is to book a place at a recreation center, hostel, or hotel:
About cruises in reality:
“Often tourists planning a cruise on Lake Baikal do not realize the true size of the lake. From the southern to the northern extremities alone, its length is 636 kilometers.
With an average speed of Baikal motor ships of 15-18 kilometers per hour, the passage along the lake from Kultuk to Severo-Baikalsk (from south to north) will take 36 sailing hours without stops. And this is with good weather conditions, in the absence of a wave. Well, it’s possible to travel around the entire coastline—over two thousand kilometers—in only three to four weeks!”
For example, a 9-day tour by flight from Moscow (for two people, excluding the cost of the flight) will cost, depending on the tour program and vacation spot on Lake Baikal, 26-50 thousand rubles.
A popular and favorite vacation spot among tourists is the village of Listvyanka, there is a recreation center there, there are excursions and cruises.
« The most visited places on the western coast of Lake Baikal:
the entire coast of the Small Sea;
western (Little Sea) coast of Olkhon Island;
Peschanaya Bay and its surroundings;
Circum-Baikal Railway;
north- west coast from the city of Severobaikalsk to the village of Baikalskoye;
any place that can be reached by car.
If you like to relax in the midst of the masses, delighting your ears with the round-the-clock heart-rending howl of pop music, the roar of jet skis and the roar of a trike overhead - choose any of the places listed.
If you want peace and quiet, then you need to look for places that are inaccessible. They still exist even on Olkhon, but you will have to get there either on foot or by water.
I note that silence also happens in the most visited places, but outside summer season. Unfortunately, the unsightly consequences of a good time pastime do not disappear along with the hubbub” (Magic of Baikal.ru).
The most best time for trips to Baikal, if you want to swim or fish - July-August: in June it is still cool, and after August cold winds already blow. But in winter, when Baikal is covered with a thick layer of ice, it is also beautiful there, you just need to dress appropriately, and think more thoroughly about travel options, where to stop, etc.
“It’s better to see once than to hear a hundred times!”, say inspired travelers returning from Lake Baikal. Among Russians’ favorite vacation spots, Baikal is in 6th place after resorts Krasnodar region, Crimea, Caucasus and Mineralnye Vody. Baikal is no less beautiful, it’s just not as hot there as on the sunny coasts.
On Olkhon, for example (according to the reviews of tourists who were there in the summer of 2014), gorgeous views, beaches, very bright sun, cold water - it’s difficult to swim, there’s a lot of garbage everywhere and this is a whole problem, people don’t clean up after themselves, bottles alcohol, dishes, dirt left by people contrast with the background of beautiful nature.
Still, if you have never been to Baikal before, be sure to visit this beautiful place - you will not regret it, and then this is a good alternative to the now expensive foreign holiday. Just remember to pick up trash after yourself.
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 water surface area is over 31 thousand km², and the length of the coastline is 2100 km. Therefore, it is one of the seven largest lakes on the planet. It’s not just the size of the water surface that is striking. The landscapes are also very beautiful. The lake in the shape of an elongated crescent is surrounded by rocks, forested mountains, and cliffs. There are bays of extraordinary beauty with sandy beaches. The numerous islands on the lake are impressive, especially the largest Olkhon.
What is Lake Baikal famous for? This is a miracle lake. It does not age and 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. The lake is home to about 2,600 species and subspecies of animals and about 600 species of plants. Of these, over 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 survive no more than 15 thousand years, and then they fill with silt and die. Baikal does not age. It is even hypothesized 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 buried in the mantle. Baikal - deepest lake in the world. Its depth is 1642 m. In this parameter, it is ahead of two other lakes of outstanding size, including the Caspian Sea. This basin contains huge volumes of fresh water. This represents almost 20% of the world's freshwater reserves.
Wonderful water
Dozens of rivers and streams flow into Baikal, but only one flows out - the Angara. The main feature of Baikal water is its purity and transparency. The amazing beauty of the stones, natural world visible through a huge thickness of water. This is due to the fact that it contains few suspended substances. A clean source of water is not rivers. The water is purified by some living organisms in the lake itself. Water is like distilled water. It contains a lot of oxygen.
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, since the water temperature can reach 23 °C.
Spring is clean water surface the lake is especially good. It appears blue, and the transparency is the highest - up to 40 m. This is due to the fact that the inhabitants of the lake in cold water have not yet reproduced 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.
Baikal is one of the wonders of Russia. The depth of Lake Baikal is a record. The next African lake, Tanganyika, has a depth of 200 meters less. The reservoir is popular among tourists and researchers. Until now, the secrets of Lake Baikal have not been fully revealed and excite scientists.
Where is
Located almost in the center of Eurasia, in Western Siberia, on the border of the Irkutsk region and the Buryat Republic, Baikal has the shape of a huge crescent. In area it is equal to the Netherlands, Belgium or Denmark. Surrounded by mountains and hills, the reservoir occupies a huge pit. A very interesting question is how deep Lake Baikal is. We'll talk about this later, but now we'll describe the coastline. In the eastern part it is relatively flat, the mountains are tens of kilometers away. The western shore of the lake is mountainous.
The area where Lake Baikal is located is seismically active. Earthquakes of small magnitude occur regularly; there are also strong ones, the echoes of which are felt even in Irkutsk. Thus, in the second half of the 19th century, an earthquake with a magnitude of 10 occurred. As a result, an area of land of 200 square meters was flooded. km, where 1300 people lived. Strong tremors were noted in 1959 (9 points), in 2008 (9 points) and 2010 (6 points).
History of the lake and its name
For a long time it was believed that the age of Baikal is 25-30 million years. But recent studies of the topography of the lake bottom with its mud volcanoes have shown that it is up to 150 thousand years old. In this regard, Baikal is also unique, because the average age of lakes of similar origin is 10-15 thousand years.
The rift depression in which Baikal is located is similar in structure to the depression Dead Sea. Its depth is the depth of Lake Baikal. Scientists have different opinions on the formation of the basin.
There are 3 versions:
- The depression is the result of a transform fault.
- The depression arose as a result of the action of a hot mantle flow located under the lake.
- The depression was formed as a result of minor collisions between the Hindustan and the Eurasian plate.
It is obvious that as a result of seismic activity, the topography of the bottom of Lake Baikal is changing and is still subsiding.
The origin of the name of the lake is unclear, but all four points of view reflect the greatness of the reservoir and indirectly indicate the depth of Baikal: Japanese - “great water”, Turkic - “rich lake”, Mongolian - “rich fire” and Chinese - “northern sea” . In our country modern name began to be used in the 17th century, it was borrowed from the Buryats (Beighel): in the Russian language the word was assimilated and the usual pronunciation was established - Baikal.
Landscape and climate features
The record depth of Lake Baikal and the vast watershed area determine local climate. Mild winters, but fairly cool summers, long autumns and long springs - these are the climatic characteristics of the areas adjacent to the lake. Also, the weather of Baikal is influenced by local specific winds, such as Barguzin or Kultuk. Due to the current winds, Baikal is considered one of the most restless lakes in the world.
Another remarkable property of the climate is mirages, which appear up to 7 times a year and last for 5-6 hours. They arise due to the difference in air temperature on the surface of the water and the space above it. Mirages occur due to the refraction of rays. Landscape objects can be visually raised above the surface of the water so that the horizon is visible. Another type of mirages is when thousands of kilometers away natural objects optically approaching.
Waters of Baikal: features and currents
The water of the lake has been fascinating since ancient times local residents: she was idolized, she was treated. It is saturated with oxygen, close in composition to distilled water, and due to the action of microorganisms it is practically devoid of minerals. The volume of Baikal water makes up 90% of Russia's fresh water reserves and 20% of the world's. To put it into perspective, there is more water in our great lake than in the 5 largest American lakes combined.
The transparency of Baikal water is surprising: visibility reaches 40 meters. True, this figure can drop to 10 meters during the flowering period of plants. Depending on the time of year and the activity of plants and microorganisms, Baikal water changes its color from bright blue in cold weather to green in summer and autumn.
Baikal is saturated with 336 rivers and streams that constantly flow into it. Turka, Snezhnaya, Upper Angara, Sarma are the largest of them. The Angara is the only river flowing from Lake Baikal.
Depth indicators
What is the depth of Lake Baikal? It is determined by the origin and parameters of the depression in which the lake is located. The last depth studies were carried out in 1983, they were confirmed in 2002. The lake is mesmerizing: with an average of 730 meters, the maximum depth of Baikal is 1630 meters. There are two more lakes on Earth that have a depth of more than 1000 meters: Tanganyika and the Caspian Sea. Moreover, in the latter the water is salty, not fresh. Even the average depth of Lake Baikal is amazing - few lakes on Earth can boast a value of 730 meters.
Currents act on the surface of Lake Baikal, encircling its shores and largest islands. In certain places (the western coast of the Small Sea) the current is quite strong, so even in calm weather the ships drift. The decrease in the intensity of water movement is affected by the depth of Lake Baikal in this place and distance from the coastline.
Flora and fauna
Baikal is unique for its flora and fauna: two thirds of animal representatives live exclusively here. Oxygenated water provides a favorable environment for species to reproduce. Scientists have discovered only 70% of the fauna of Lake Baikal. The basis of the lake's food chain is made up of epishura crustaceans; in addition, they perform an important function of purifying water - passing it through themselves. The Baikal fauna includes 56 species of fish. Among them, a unique species is the golomyanka. The fish is interesting because it does not lay eggs, but gives birth to live fry. The golomyanka consists of 43% fat; in search of food, it migrates from great depths to shallow ones.
The seal is the only mammal that lives on Lake Baikal.
From flora One can note sponges, which grow at great depths and are the oldest inhabitants of Lake Baikal.
The uniqueness of the lake is recognized throughout the world. Not only the depth of Lake Baikal is taken into account, but also its unique ecosystem. Climate, geographical features the lakes attract tourists and scientists from all over the world.
Numerous scientific studies have been devoted to the problem of the origin of the word “Baikal”, which indicates a lack of clarity in this issue. There are about a dozen possible explanations for the origin of the name. Among them, the most probable version is the origin of the name of the lake from the Turkic-speaking Bai-Kul - rich lake.
Of the other versions, two more can be noted: from the Mongolian Baigal - rich fire and Baigal Dalai - large lake. The peoples who lived on the shores of the lake called Baikal in their own way. Evenks, for example, - Lamu, Buryats - Baigal-Nuur, even the Chinese had a name for Baikal - Beihai - North Sea.
The Evenki name Lamu - Sea was used for several years by the first Russian explorers in the 17th century, then they switched to the Buryat Baigal, slightly softening the letter “g” by phonetic replacement. Quite often Baikal is called the sea, simply out of respect, for its violent temper, because the distant opposite shore is often hidden somewhere in the haze... At the same time, a distinction is made between the Small Sea and the Big Sea. The Small Sea is what is located between the northern coast of Olkhon and the mainland, everything else is the Big Sea.
Baikal water
Baikal water is unique and amazing, like Baikal itself. It is unusually transparent, clean and saturated with oxygen. In not so ancient times, it was considered healing, and diseases were treated with its help. In spring, the transparency of Baikal water, measured using a Secchi disk (a white disk with a diameter of 30 cm), is 40 m (for comparison, in the Sargasso Sea, which is considered the standard of transparency, this value is 65 m). Later, when massive algal blooms begin, the transparency of the water decreases, but in calm weather the bottom can be seen from a boat at a fairly decent depth. Such high transparency is explained by the fact that Baikal water, thanks to the activity of living organisms living in it, is very weakly mineralized and close to distilled.
The volume of water in Baikal is about 23 thousand cubic kilometers, which is 20% of the world's and 90% of Russian fresh water reserves. Every year, the Baikal ecosystem reproduces about 60 cubic kilometers of clear, oxygenated water.
Age of Lake Baikal
Usually in the literature the age of the lake is given as 20-25 million years. In fact, the question of the age of Baikal should be considered open, since the use of various methods for determining age gives values from 20-30 million to several tens of thousands of years. Apparently, the first assessment is closer to the truth - Baikal is indeed very ancient lake. If we assume that Baikal is actually several tens of millions of years old, then it is the oldest lake on Earth.
It is believed that Baikal arose as a result of tectonic forces. Tectonic processes also occur in present time, which manifests itself in increased seismicity in the Baikal region.
Climate in the area of Lake Baikal.
The climate in Eastern Siberia is sharply continental, but the huge mass of water contained in Baikal and its mountainous surroundings create an extraordinary microclimate. Baikal works as a large thermal stabilizer - in winter it is warmer on Baikal, and in summer it is a little cooler than, for example, in Irkutsk, which is located 70 km from the lake. The temperature difference is usually about 10 degrees. A significant contribution to this effect is made by forests growing almost along the entire coast of Lake Baikal.
The influence of Baikal is not limited to temperature regulation. Due to the fact that the evaporation of cold water from the surface of the lake is very small, clouds cannot form over Baikal. In addition, the air masses that bring clouds from land heat up when they pass over the coastal mountains, and the clouds dissipate. As a result, the sky over Lake Baikal is clear most of the time. This is also evidenced by the numbers: the number of hours of sunshine in the area of Olkhon Island is 2277 hours (for comparison - on the Riga seaside 1839, in Abastumani (Caucasus) - 1994). You should not think that the sun always shines over the lake - if you are unlucky, you can end up with one or even two weeks of disgusting rainy weather even in the sunniest place of Lake Baikal - on Olkhon, but this happens extremely rarely.
Average annual temperature water on the surface of the lake +4°C. Near the coast in summer the temperature reaches +16-17°C, in shallow bays up to +22-23°C.
Wind and waves on Baikal.
The wind almost always blows on Lake Baikal. More than thirty local names of winds are known. This does not mean at all that there is such a quantity on Baikal different winds, it’s just that many of them have several names. The peculiarity of the Baikal winds is that they almost always blow along the coast and there are not as many shelters from them as we would like.
Prevailing winds: north-west, often called mountain, north-east (Barguzin and Verkhovik, also known as Angara), south-west (kultuk), south-east (shelonnik). Maximum speed wind recorded on Lake Baikal is 40 m/s. In the literature there are also higher values - up to 60 m/s, but there is no reliable evidence for this.
Where there is wind, there are, as you know, waves. Let me immediately note that the opposite is not true - a wave can occur even with complete calm. Waves on Baikal can reach a height of 4 meters. Sometimes values of 5 and even 6 meters are given, but this is most likely an estimate “by eye”, which has a large error, usually towards overestimation. The height of 4 meters was obtained using instrumental measurements in the open sea. The excitement is strongest in autumn and spring. In summer, strong waves on Lake Baikal are rare, and calm often occurs.
Ichthyofauna of Baikal.
Depending on their habitat conditions, fish can be divided into several groups. Sturgeon, pike, burbot, ide, roach, dace, perch, and minnow occupy the coastal shallows and river deltas of Lake Baikal. Siberian fish mountain rivers: grayling, taimen, lenok inhabit small tributaries of the lake and its coastal zone. Omul, since ancient times considered a symbol of Baikal, inhabits its open and coastal part, whitefish, another famous resident of Baikal, inhabits only the coastal part.
The most remarkable group of Baikal fish are gobies, of which there are 25 species. The most interesting of them are the golomyankas. This miracle of Lake Baikal is not found anywhere else in the world. Golomyanka is incredibly beautiful, shimmers blue and pink in the light, and if you leave it in the sun it will melt, leaving only bones and a greasy stain. She is the main and most numerous inhabitant of Baikal, but she rarely gets caught in fishermen’s nets. Its only enemy is the seal, for which it is the main food.
To preserve rare and endangered animals, there is a strict and complete ban on hunting, maximum conservation of habitat, the creation of special nurseries, national parks, nature reserves and sanctuaries.
