Artistic description of Baikal. Lake Baikal, one of the wonders of Russia. Winter sports
What is Lake Baikal like? Where is it located? Surely many travelers have asked this question, trying to refresh their memory of their school knowledge. Baikal is considered the largest fresh water reservoir on the planet. By age, depth and reserves drinking water he simply has no competitors.
So, Baikal! There are legends about it as a formidable and angry lake. Various epithets are awarded to the famous reservoir: “the blue eye of Siberia”, “the sacred gift of nature”, “the world’s source of drinking water”.
Baikal. Where is the lake?
The lake is in the south Eastern Siberia. This is on the border of Buryatia on the Asian continent. Now do you remember where Lake Baikal is? A photo of the famous lake will help everyone imagine the Siberian beauty of the reservoir. Scientists have recorded the water surface area of Lake Baikal as 31,722 square kilometers. This figure can be equated to the area of Belgium or the Netherlands. The width of the mysterious reservoir reaches 79 kilometers. The length of Baikal is 620 kilometers. From a bird's eye view, the lake looks like a giant crescent. Baikal is the deepest lake. According to scientific research data, its maximum depth is 1642 meters.
No one can definitely answer the question of where the name Baikal itself came from. Many scientific works and literary publications have been devoted to this topic. But not a single scientist was able to provide categorical evidence regarding at least one theoretical guess.
Where Baikal is located, beliefs and legends live. In the past, the peoples living near Baikal called the lake in their own way: “big reservoir” or “rich water”. If we take into account the age of the reservoir, then, according to scientific research data, Baikal was formed more than 20 million years ago.
Typically, ice age lakes live for about 15 thousand years, and then gradually disappear from the face of the earth. However, Baikal shows no signs of aging. Judging by research in recent years, geophysicists have suggested that Baikal may well be an emerging ocean.
Miscellaneous
The Baikal pit is recognized as the cleanest reservoir of drinking water on the planet. The lake is incredibly clean and rich in oxygen. Experts believe that this water is close in properties to distilled water. Previously, Baikal water was used for treatment. Lake Baikal contains a huge variety of living forms. These are fish: the famous omul, whitefish, the perch and salmon families. Which of the fauna can still be found in the area where the lake is located? Baikal?
Baikal seals and noisy seagulls live on the coast. Sometimes there are brown bears emerging from forest areas. Scientists count about 847 species of fauna and approximately 133 species of various plants in the nature of Baikal.
Thanks to such diversity, everything more tourists come to this amazing place to breathe in a breath of fresh Baikal oxygen. Every year there is intensive infrastructure development on Lake Baikal. This encourages everyone who has been here to visit the proposed recreation area many times.
Where to stay on Baikal? Various hotels, sanatoriums, and tour operators are available to vacationers. All conditions are created so that the traveler can improve his physical and spiritual health. For many years, the thermal and mud springs of Goryachinsky, Zmeevoy, and Khakusy have been famous for their healing properties.
All of these natural sources are of great help to a person in the treatment of blood circulation, nervous system and skin diseases. The most popular source is Zmeinaya Bay. Despite the lack of amenities, the number of people coming here is constantly growing.
Baikal can tear a person away from his usual civilization, amaze him with its landscapes and fill him with life-giving energy! Of course, having come to Lake Baikal once, it is impossible to study all the local culture. To begin with, use the services of guides or plan excursions in advance.
Think about what you will travel on: a bicycle, a car or an ATV? And if you are an excellent rider, then a horse is an excellent companion for such trips. If the question arises about what time of year is the cheapest to relax on Lake Baikal, then you should go in September. It was during this period that prices for sanatoriums and tour operator services were significantly reduced.
Baikal. Where is the place that can cause excitement among the male part of the population? This is a fishing zone! This kind of entertainment delights all fans of this exciting activity. On the territory of Lake Baikal there is a great opportunity to allow everyone to show their fishing skills. The most popular places for this are Chivyrkuisky Bay, Maloye More, Proval Bay and Lake Baikal itself.
There is indeed an abundance of fish in these water areas, but catching them is not an easy task. Some tourists even have to resort to the services of instructors. But it's okay!
Just practice and you'll be on your way! Most likely, friends, looking at photos on this topic, will ask: “Where are you?” After a short pause, you will probably give a proud answer: “Like where? Lake Baikal!”
Winter fishing has its advantages. It is no less exciting than in the warm season: there are fewer people, so there is peace and a sense of freedom.
Rest on famous lake Baikal is quite diverse. If you are dreaming of swimming, summer fishing and other entertainment during the hot season, then it is more advisable to go on vacation in July-August. At the beginning of summer, Lake Baikal is still cold and the water is not warmed up enough. And in the northern part of the reservoir there are even floating ice floes. The end of August can ruin travelers' time with gusty winds. During this period, the water mixes and its temperature drops. But for those travelers looking for solitude in nature, autumn is a wonderful time of year. The local coastal vegetation is painted in bright colors, forcing tourists to preserve this beauty in the photo.
Where to relax on Baikal?
If you know what you expect from this trip, it will be easier to decide on a vacation spot. For those who prefer the thick of the masses, the roar of various music and the roar of jet skis, the western coast of Olkhon Island, Peschanaya Bay, the coast of the Small Sea, the coast from the village of Baikalskoye to the city of Severobaikalsk, Circum-Baikal railway.
A cruise on the Circum-Baikal Railway is a win-win option have an interesting holiday. Typically the excursion lasts 2 days by train. On this trip, the guide will tell travelers about famous places Lake Baikal. There are short stops at noteworthy places. Therefore, you can contemplate nature in these parts to your heart’s content.
The places where Baikal is located offer everyone the comfort of tourist centers and sanatoriums of Southern Baikal (Utulik, Electra, Angara and others). This should save the vacationer from questions about where to live on Lake Baikal. Maloe More is located a little secluded, and accommodation here is possible in a yurt at affordable prices. Olkhon Island is located in an inaccessible place. You can only get to it on foot or by water. This is an excellent relaxation area for those who are tired of the city noise and bustle.
You can diversify your time at the deepest reservoir by taking part in a cruise on a boat or yacht. This way you can visit the wild shores of Lake Baikal. Known group excursion routes. They are notable for the fact that vacationers can visit the most unusual corners of the Baikal region.
If a tourist wants to use his vacation to restore physical health, he can resort to the services of hot springs in the north of the lake. Active travelers They will enthusiastically embrace walking and horseback treks, as well as exciting rafting along mountain rivers. Lovers winter holiday can organize walks on the Baikal ice skating rink, snowmobiling or dog sledding. For fans of alpine skiing, the tourist base “Mount Sobolinaya” is active from December to May.
Holidays on Lake Baikal as a savage
On Baikal? And how? Rest as a savage is the most freedom-loving. For those who love adventure, Lake Baikal is a real find! The most suitable place for such a pastime is Peschanaya Bay. Only here a real tourist feels an absolute separation from civilization - there is no communication, no roads.
Only private yachts and the motor ship "Barguzin" go here, departing from the Irkutsk pier. Small houses or tents are provided for vacationers to stay. This island has pristine nature. It is so alluring that it literally bewitches tourists, forcing them to return here again and again.
At the service of savage travelers - tourist center who can offer interesting excursions. Where to relax on Lake Baikal as a savage? The magnificent island of Olkhon is ready to welcome a wanderer! It can charm every person with the harmony of its forests and steppes. Olkhon is an unforgettable fishing experience and a lot of positive emotions.
Mysterious rock
This island is interesting as a place of shamans. There are opinions that the grave of Genghis Khan is located there. Some local residents still worship spirits today. Old-timers can tell travelers a lot about the mysterious Shaman Rock.
It is the highlight of Lake Baikal. Researchers of this area claim that in ancient times the Buryats brought a huge number of sacrifices to the rock. There are many legends on this topic. One of them says that Ezhin, the owner of the island, lives on the Shaman Rock cape. Until now, local residents treat this place with due respect.
Among the tourists there are a few brave souls who are ready to approach Shaman Mountain. According to legends, this place is endowed with special energy powers. The photographs leave as a souvenir for travelers the drawings of shamanic drums carved into the rock by ancient people. Unfortunately, these images have been partially destroyed due to the intervention of the human hand in an attempt to extract the marble.
Sights of Irkutsk
In those places where Lake Baikal is located, the city of Irkutsk is the most unknown and underrated in the world of tourists. Many Russians have vague ideas about this holiday destination. What a pity!
Foreign tourists explore the sights of Irkutsk with undisguised interest. After all, this is a treasure trove of natural and man-made works. Architecture connoisseurs enjoy visiting the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross.
After all, its structure is unique: the temple fences and crosses are made according to the old pattern of blacksmith work. Another famous attraction of Irkutsk is the Taltsy architectural and ethnographic museum. It is located under open air and stores real masterpieces of architecture!
Tourists who come here can witness Orthodox holidays: in winter - Christmas and Maslenitsa, in summer - Trinity. IN winter time year, residents of Irkutsk build snow towns, ride with ice slides on cow skins! Agree that this forgotten vacation can bring real pleasure to every traveler.
After such festivities, you can enjoy hot dishes of original Russian cuisine: hot pancakes, meat goulash, Siberian dumplings! Along with this, everyone can taste Japanese and Chinese dishes in cafes, bars and restaurants at reasonable prices.
Extreme holiday
So, you have arrived to Baikal! Where is the place that will give the traveler drive? What else will captivate this famous territory for a vacationer? Baikal is capable of providing the traveler with an extreme type of recreation that can cause him a special surge of emotions and adrenaline. This is especially facilitated by dynamic rafting along the mountain rivers of Lake Baikal. Such water travel is notable for the fact that after such a trip the tourist is no longer indifferent to this type of recreation.
Worth seeing at least once wildlife Siberian taiga, rafting down a stormy river with a group of comrades. Memories of the euphoria of such a hike will accompany you for many years. So, let's remember that mountain rivers originate in the upper reaches of the mountain. River layers of water from there rush down to the plateaus and plains. Due to sudden changes in altitude, the flow speed of mountain rivers ranges from 25 to 30 kilometers per hour. The number of obstacles encountered in the path of the current (rocks, waterfalls) determines the category of difficulty of water rafting.
The first category includes calm water, the sixth includes obstacles with waterfalls and rapids reaching up to 15 meters. Tourists can conquer such mountain rivers on rafts. This is the most popular vessel for this extreme look rest. It looks like an inflatable boat. Its bottom contains holes to drain water that gets inside the boat.
A raft differs from ordinary inflatable boats in that its design is reinforced with a durable shell, special fastenings for travelers’ legs and double-layer cylinders. The raft is used when passing water obstacles of 1-5 difficulty categories.
To get more intense emotions when passing river rapids, tourists use a catamaran. These are two inflatable cylinders made of very durable material, which are connected by an aluminum partition. A catamaran on the water is well stable and gives a stronger sensation than a raft.
To control a catamaran, more precise actions are required. It usually accommodates 2-4 people. With such a device it is possible to pass water obstacles from 1 to 6 categories of difficulty.
If you are wondering where to visit Lake Baikal, then you should take a hike to the top of Mount Munku - Sardyk. Such a trip can become unforgettable, since this place is considered the most high point Eastern Siberia. Tourists who reach the snow-white peak will enjoy stunning views of the lakes frozen under the ice. At this moment it will seem simply incredible! The best time to enjoy such beauty is April and May.
Tourists who have been to Lake Baikal more than once note that, most likely, this trip will change a beginner. The mystery of this Siberian place can touch the subtle strings of a person’s soul, awakening in him a sense of novelty and harmony.
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 represents the most important natural boundary of Siberia. In this area, the boundaries of various floristic and faunal habitats converge, creating biogeocenoses that have no analogues.
Baikal is one of the greatest lakes on the planet, a “superlative” lake: the deepest (1637 m) and the oldest (about 25 million years old), containing the most large number 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 reserve of fresh water in terms of volume (23.6 thousand cubic km) and quality (20% of the world). The Baikal depression is the central link of the Baikal rift zone, which arose and is developing simultaneously with the world rift system. A number of factors suggest that the lake is an emerging 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 ( total area catchment area of 557 thousand sq. km, of which 332 are on the territory of Russia) is a unique 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 is the greatest lake on the planet
Baikal is one of the greatest lakes on the globe, the largest freshwater lake in Russia. Its length is 636 kilometers, its water surface area is 31,500 square kilometers. Baikal is 1.7 times larger than Lake Ladoga, the largest in Europe. Among the freshwater lakes of the world, it ranks sixth. There are two more than him 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 - 702. On Earth, only 8 lakes have a depth exceeding 500 meters (L. Rossolimo).
Tanganyika is a fresh body of 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 large - 730 meters. It exceeds the maximum depths of many very deep lakes. This is what determines the water reserves in Lake Baikal.
Baikal is the largest freshwater lake on Earth 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 the fresh lakes in the world. The volume of the latter is estimated at 123 thousand cubic kilometers of water. Baikal has more water than all five Great American 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 approximately 40 years (G.N. Galaziy, 1984).
Geological features of the structure of Lake Baikal
The most remarkable feature of Baikal is its antiquity. Considering the deep relict endemism of the lake’s fauna, most researchers estimate 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 fill with sediment, become covered with rafts and sooner or later turn into swamps and then dry up. Research in recent years has allowed geophysicists to hypothesize that Baikal, on the contrary, is an emerging 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 to similar anomalies in the Mid-Atlantic Rift region. The lake has many 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 sliding of the shores, large magnitudes of 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 the medium-high mountain ranges Primorsky and Baikalsky on the western side, Barguzinsky (with a maximum height of 2840 m) and Khamar-Daban on the eastern and southeastern sides. 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 sediment 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 not difficult to calculate that the depth of the crystalline bed of Baikal reaches 8 - 9 kilometers.
The deepest point of Baikal's bedrock lies approximately 7,000 meters below 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, Baikal produces about 60 cubic kilometers of excellent and unique quality water, which in some cases can be used instead of distilled water. The rare purity of the water is ensured by the vital activity of its unique flora and fauna. The main properties of Baikal water are characterized as follows: it contains very few dissolved and suspended minerals, negligible organic impurities, and a lot 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 lake water is 96.7 milligrams per liter.
Its transparency depends on the purity of the water. Baikal is not only extremely clean, but also the most clear lake in the world. In the spring, after being freed from ice, the transparency of its water reaches 40 meters - tens of 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.
Climatic 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 (Nizhneangarsk) 1948 hours per year, in the south of the lake (Babushkin) and in the middle part (Khuzhir) 2100 and 2277, and on the Riga seaside, located at the same latitude - an average of 1839 hours per 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 sora 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 for complete freezing. From the beginning of the destruction of the ice cover in the southern basin, which occurs in April, to the complete cleansing of the entire reservoir in May-June, it also takes about a month or more. The 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 Malomorsk coast of the lake and on the middle section of the western and eastern coasts. On average, precipitation falls here from 160 to 300 mm 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 regard, it has no equal among the fresh water bodies 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, barnacles, etc. Of more than 2630 species and varieties (1550) of animals and plants (1085) found to date in the lake, almost 2 /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, tetrasporous and chlorococcal - 99, blue-green - 90, conjugates - 48, ulotrix - 45, golden - 28, volvox - 13 species, etc. Among the animals, the most common are amphipods (gammarids) - 255 species; shell crustaceans, or ostracods, - more than 100 species, gastropods - 83, oligochaetes - more than 100, planarians - about 50, harpacticids - 56, protozoans - more than 300. The lake is home to 52 species of fish belonging to 12 families: sturgeon, Acipenseridae, (1 species - Baikal sturgeon); salmonids, Salmonidae, (5 species - davatchan, taimen, lenok, Baikal omul, Coregonus autumnalis migratorius Georgy, whitefish); grayling, Thimallidae, (1 species - Siberian grayling); pike, Esocidae, (1 species); Cyprinidae, Ciprinidae, (13 species); loaches, Cobitidae, (2 species); catfish, Sibiridae, (1 species); codfish, Gadidae, (1 species); perciformes, Percidae, (1 species); sculpin gobies, Cottidae, (7 species); Abissocottidae, (20 species); golomyanka, Comephoridae, (2 species). 29 species - very diverse in body shape, color and lifestyle of sculpin gobies, or broadheads. 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 Baikal seal, Pusa sibirica Gmel.
In Baikal there are 848 species of endemic animals - about 60% and 133 species of endemic plants - 15%. 11 families and subfamilies, 96 genera, uniting about 1000 species are completely endemic in Baikal. All this allows us to allocate the lake to the Baikal subregion of the Holarctic, equivalent in area to the enormous European-Siberian subregion.
Angara River
Angara is the “daughter of Baikal”, the only river flowing from the lake, its length is about 1860 km. Every year the Angara carries 60.9 cubic km of water from Baikal, and all its tributaries bring 58.75 cubic km per year. It is noteworthy that the Angara at the mouth, at the confluence with the Yenisei, brings 120 cubic km of water per year, and the Yenisei before the confluence of the Angara has a water flow of only about 100 cubic km. The source of the river is located at the level of Lake Baikal, i.e. at an altitude of 456 m above sea level, and the mouth is at an altitude of 76 m. The difference is 380 m, which is used by a 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 flow speed along the fairway is 1-2 m/sec.
Baikal omul
The 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 areas of rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean. The omul has adapted well to its new ecological niche, undergone significant changes and acquired the biological characteristics of the subspecies. There are four populations of omul in Baikal: Selenga, Chivyrkui, Severobaikalsk and Posolsk. The most numerous population is Selenga. It spawns mainly in Selenga and in a number of tributaries of the lake. Inhabits the southern basin of Lake Baikal and the southern part of the middle basin. The omul spawns in rivers from the end of August - beginning of September until the end of November. The number of spawning herds ranges from one and a half to two to six to eight million individuals.
The total biomass of all age groups of omul in Baikal is about 25 - 30 thousand tons. The lifespan of the 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 g. The largest specimen found in the Selenga population weighed up to 5 kg and was about 50 cm long.
Baikal seal
The Baikal seal (Pusa sibirica Gmel.) is the only representative of mammals in the lake. According to the classification, the seal belongs to the family of true seals (Phocidae), genus Pusa. Researchers believe that the Baikal seal descended 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 seals in Baikal. The maximum age 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 her life, a female can give birth to more than 20 cubs. The average weight of seals 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 fragment - Baikal seal on the ice of the lake, 5-10 sec) (Based on materials from O.K. Gusev and G.N. Galaziy)
The nature of anthropogenic impact in the lake basin. Baikal.
Based on materials from TERKSOP of Lake Baikal and the "National Report of the USSR to the 1992 UN Conference on environment and Development" in the Lake Baikal basin there are 4 main areas of harmful anthropogenic impact on the ecosystems of the region.
1. The basin of the Selenga River in its lower reaches with 3 large industrial centers: Gusinoozerskaya State District Power Plant, Selenginsky Central Control Plant and Ulan-Ude. Ulan-Ude is the largest polluter of the Selenga, accounting for 53% of all wastewater discharged into largest river 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 came from industrial enterprises, 94 thousand tons from vehicles.
In the same year, the Selenga Central Control Plant emitted 44.1 thousand tons of pollutants into the atmosphere. The plant discharged 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. Air emissions from the Gusinoozerskaya State District Power Plant exceeded 63 thousand tons/year.
2. The southern end of the lake, where the main polluter 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 substances and 532 tons of suspended substances. The maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) of petroleum products and phenols were exceeded 3-4 times, and the maximum permissible concentrations of sulfates and chlorides were exceeded. As a result of the plant's activities, a wide area pollution, The area of bottom sediment pollution 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. The valley of the Barguzin River in the middle and lower reaches. Here, the cut-down areas of the estimated logging area are significantly exceeded; 67% of the arable land is covered by erosion processes. Unregulated use of mineral fertilizers in this agricultural area may contribute to 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 significantly increased the anthropogenic load here. Atmospheric emissions of harmful substances in Severobaykalsk amounted to 15 thousand tons in 1988. The content of petroleum products in the water near Severobaikalsk is 3-5 MPC, the coli index is 238 tons. An additional source of pollution of Lake Baikal is the bank protection work carried out in this area.
The current influence of local anthropogenic sources in the lake basin is local in 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 Thermal Power Plant.
The shores of Lake Baikal diverge by 2 centimeters annually
Features of the lake
The lake is located in a seismological zone; several hundred earthquakes occur in its vicinity every year. Mostly with an intensity of 1–2 on the MSK-64 scale. The predominant part of tremors can be detected only by highly sensitive equipment. The transformation of Lake Baikal continues to this day.
The Baikal winds give the local climate distinct features. They often whip up a storm on the lake and have memorable names: barguzin, sarma, verkhovik and kultuk. Water mass affects the atmosphere of coastal areas. Spring here comes 10–15 days later than in neighboring areas. Autumn lasts for a long time. Summers are usually cool, and winters are not very frosty.
Two large lakes and many streams create the main stream flowing into Baikal. The Selenga River, originating in Mongolia, provides most of the inflow from the southeast side. The second large influx is from the eastern bank, from the Barguzin River. The Angara is the only river flowing from Lake Baikal.
The purest waters Baikal accounts for 19% of the world's fresh water reserves
The water contains a minimal amount of mineral salts and is abundantly saturated with oxygen to the very bottom. In winter and spring it is blue and becomes most transparent. In summer and autumn it acquires a blue-green hue and is maximally heated by the sun. In warm water, many plant and animal species form, so its transparency decreases to 8–10 m.
In winter, the surface of the lake is covered with a thick layer of ice, dotted with multiple, many-kilometer-long cracks. Explosions occur with a piercing crack, similar to gun salvos or thunderclaps. They divide the ice surface into separate fields. The cracks help fish avoid dying due to lack of oxygen under the ice. The sun's rays penetrate through the transparent ice. This promotes the development of planktonic algae that produce oxygen. Baikal freezes almost completely, not counting the area at the headwaters of the Angara.
Baikal as an ecosystem
More than 3,500 species of animals and plants live in water and on land. Numerous studies often discover new species, and the list of inhabitants continues to grow. About 80% of the fauna are endemic, found exclusively in Lake Baikal and nowhere else on earth.
The banks are mountainous and covered with forests; All around there is impenetrable, hopeless game. An abundance of bears, sables, wild goats and all sorts of wild things...
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
Baikal has a large amount of valuable fish: sturgeon, burbot, pike, grayling, taimen, whitefish, omul and others. 80% of the lake's zooplankton biomass is the epishura crustacean, which is endemic. It passes through itself and filters water. The golomyanka, a viviparous fish that lives on the bottom, looks unusual and contains more than 30% fat. Biologists are surprised by its constant movements from the depths to the shallows. Freshwater sponges grow at the bottom.
According to stories local residents, until the 12th–13th centuries, the Baikal region was inhabited by the Mongol-speaking Bargut people. Then the Buryats began to actively settle on the western coast of the lake and in Transbaikalia. The Russian discoverer of Baikal was the Cossack Kurbat Ivanov. The first Russian-speaking settlements appeared at the end of the 17th – beginning of the 18th century.
Mysteries of Lake Baikal
The crystal waters of Lake Baikal are fraught with many mysteries. Often legends and stories about the lake maneuver on the verge of mysticism and real stories. Researchers have discovered a lot of meteorite debris and inexplicable linear arrangements of underwater rocks at the bottom of Lake Baikal. Some believe that the waters of the lake contain Pandora's casket and the magic crystal of Kali-Ma. Others claim that Kolchak’s gold reserves and Genghis Khan’s gold reserves are hidden here. There are witnesses who claim that a UFO route passes over the lake.
The ice cover hides many secrets, forcing scientists to draw speculative conclusions. Unique forms of ice cover, unique to Lake Baikal, were found by specialists from the Baikal Limnological Station. Among them: “juice”, “kolobovnik”, “autumn”. Ice hills are shaped like tents and have an opening with reverse side from the shore. Dark rings were discovered on satellite imagery. Scientists believe that they are formed due to the rise of deep waters and an increase in the temperature of the water surface.
There is still scientific debate about the origin of Baikal. According to one version put forward by Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences A.V. Tatarinov in 2009, after the second stage of the “Mirov” expedition, the lake is considered young. Scientists studied the activity of mud volcanoes on the bottom surface. After this, they made an assumption: the age of the deep-sea part is 150 thousand years, and the modern coastline is only 8 thousand years old. The most ancient lake on earth does not show any signs of aging, like other similar reservoirs. According to the results of recent research, some experts are inclined to conclude that Baikal can become a new ocean.
Recreation and tourism on Baikal
Favorable time for a holiday on Lake Baikal is from mid-July to mid-August. At other times, it becomes cold on the coastal area, and the conditions are more suitable for fans of extreme recreation. But even in the summer, sometimes a cyclone comes with a cold wind, sudden changes temperatures day and night. An important condition safe holiday is a detailed study of the travel route.
The most visited vacation spots are the Circum-Baikal Railway, Sandy Bay, the village of Listvyanka, the coast of the Small Sea, Sandy Bay, the western coast of Olkhon, the coast near the city of Severobaikalsk. Other places that can be reached by SUV are also popular.
Baikal, it would seem, should suppress a person with its grandeur and size - everything in it is large, everything is wide, free and mysterious - but, on the contrary, it elevates him. You experience a rare feeling of elation and spirituality on Baikal, as if in view of eternity and perfection you were touched by the secret seal of these magical concepts, and you were doused with the close breath of an omnipotent presence, and a share of the magical secret of all things entered into you. You are already, it seems, marked and highlighted by the fact that you stand on this shore, breathe this air and drink this water. Nowhere else will you have such a complete and so desired feeling of unity with nature and penetration into it: you will be intoxicated by this air, whirled and carried away over this water so quickly that you will not have time to come to your senses; you will visit such protected areas that we never dreamed of; and you will return with tenfold hope: there, ahead, is the promised life...
Valentin Grigorievich Rasputin
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 the water beauties of the planet: it is the deepest lake in the world, and one of the largest reservoirs of fresh water (by the way, there is only a few percent of fresh water on Earth 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 of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia in 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.
The length of the coastline is 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 depth parameters of the deepest 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 Lake 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 List of objects World Heritage UNESCO".
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, rather 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 and options for overcoming the journey 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;
northwestern 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 holiday destinations, 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.
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.
How natural object Baikal was included in 1996, at the twentieth session of UNESCO, on the list of World Heritage Sites (number 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 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. That's why 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 most deep 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 above water surface another four kilometers of ice rises. 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. At the same time 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 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 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 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.
