Baikal volume. How deep is Lake Baikal? Maximum and average depth of Baikal. Rest on Baikal

Baikal has an elongated crescent shape. Its extreme points lie between 51°29" (Murino station) and 55°46" (the mouth of the Kichera River) north latitude and between 103°44" (Kultuk station) and 109°51" (Dagar Bay) east longitude.

The shortest line passing through the area of ​​the lake and connecting the most remote points of its shores, i.e. the length of the lake, equal to 636 km, the largest width of Baikal, equal to 79.4 km, is located between Ust-Barguzin and Onguren; the smallest, different 25 km, is located opposite the delta of the river. Selengi.

The area from which present time rivers collect water and bring it to Baikal, or its so-called catchment area is 557,000 square meters. km *) . It is distributed in relation to the area of ​​the lake itself very unevenly (see the map of the basin). All along West Bank the border of this area passes just a few kilometers from the lake shore. It is limited almost everywhere by the watershed of the mountains visible from the lake.

*) According to Yu.M. Shokalsky, the basin of Lake Baikal reaches 582,570 sq. km. - Approx. ed.

The basin of the Lena River approaches this watershed along the entire length of northern Baikal, and the Lena itself originates 7 km from the shore of Lake Baikal near Cape Pokoiniki. The catchment area of ​​Baikal to the south and southwest of the lake towards the Selenga River basin is most widespread. The basin of this river, equal to 464,940 sq. km, is 83.4% of the total catchment area of ​​Lake Baikal. The next largest basin is the Barguzin River, whose basin is 20,025 sq. km and is 3.5% of the total catchment area of ​​Lake Baikal. The share of all other tributaries of Baikal accounts for a catchment area of ​​72,035 sq. km, equal to 13.1% of the total catchment area of ​​the lake.

Lake Baikal itself is located in a narrow basin, bordered by mountain ranges, spurs of the Sayan, cut in a number of places by relatively narrow valleys, along which its tributaries flow into the lake.

In the south, along its eastern shores, snow-covered peaks of the Khamar-Daban ridge stretch almost all year round with the highest heights up to 2000 m above sea level. This is exactly the chain of mountains that is visible to anyone passing along the shores of Lake Baikal along railway. These mountains are especially clearly visible on the stretch between st. Baikal and st. Kultuk. The Pribaikalsky Range adjoins the western shores of southern Baikal. Its height almost along its entire length from Kultuk to the Small Sea does not exceed 1300-1200 m above sea level, but these mountains stand on the very shore of Lake Baikal.

Starting from the Small Sea and up to the northernmost tip of the western shores of Lake Baikal, the Baikal mountain range stretches, gradually rising to the north from Cape Rytoy to Cape Kotelnikovsky. In this section, Mount Karpinsky reaches greatest height at 2176 m, Mount Blue - 2168 m, etc. Almost the entire length of the peaks of the Baikal Range is covered with snow that does not melt even in the middle of summer, and in many places traces of glaciers that descended from them until recently are visible.

This ridge is crossed by a series of deeply incised valleys along which mountain streams stretch. In terms of their picturesqueness, the eastern shores of the northern part of the lake are one of the most wonderful places on Baikal. To the eastern shores, starting from the Chivyrkuisky Bay and to the northernmost tip of the lake, another ridge approaches - the Barguzinsky, reaching a considerable height - up to 2700 m. This ridge, however, is located at some distance from the shores, and relatively low foothills adjoin directly to the latter, in some places forming picturesque cliffs, and on the predominant part of the coast, gently descending to the waters of the lake.

The interval of the eastern shore of the lake between the Selenga and the Barguzin Bay is bordered by the Ulan-Burgasy ridge, which has a height of 1400-1500 m near Baikal.

The most pronounced bend coastline Lake Baikal is the Holy Nose peninsula, located between the two largest bays on Baikal - Barguzinsky and Chivyrkuisky.

This peninsula in the form of a massive block of stone, reaching a height of 1684 m, rises above Baikal, falling to the water with steep rocky cliffs. However, towards the mainland, it falls more gently and then passes into a narrow and swampy isthmus, merging with a vast lowland adjacent to the river valley. Barguzin. There is no doubt that until recently the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula was an island, and the waters of the Chivyrkuisky and Barguzinsky bays formed one vast strait, subsequently filled with drifts from the river. Barguzin.

Baikal has 19 permanent islands, the largest of them is Olkhon. It has a length of 71.7 km and an area of ​​729.4 sq. km. Olkhon Island, - separated from the continent by a strait less than a kilometer wide, called "Olkhon Gates", elongated in a northeasterly direction, is a mountain range, with the highest point - Mount Izhimey, reaching a height of 1300 m and abruptly breaking off to the east shore. The northern part of the island is wooded, while the southern part is completely devoid of tree vegetation and is covered with meadows with traces of steppe vegetation that was once, apparently, widespread here.

The shores of Olkhon facing the Small Sea are subjected to very strong destruction by the surf. Interesting both in its position and in its picturesqueness is the group of the Ushkany Islands, located opposite the Svyatoy Nos peninsula in the middle part of the lake. This group consists of four islands, of which Big Ushkany Island has an area of ​​9.41 sq. km, and the remaining three islands (Thin, Round and Long) do not exceed half a square kilometer. The large Ushkany Island reaches a height of 150 m, while the small ones are only a few meters above the average water level of Lake Baikal. All of them are rocky, with banks composed mainly of limestone and covered with dense forest. These islands are greatly destroyed and, as it were, cut off by the surf.

The time is not far off when the small Ushkany Islands will disappear under the surface of the waters of Lake Baikal.

The remaining islands on Baikal are all located near its shores, four of them are in the Chivyrkuisky Bay (Bol. and Small. Kyltygey, Elena and Baklany), six in the Small Sea (Khubyn, Zamugoy, Toinik, Ugungoy, Kharansa, Izokhoy, etc.) and the rest - in close proximity to the shores of other parts of Baikal, such as Listvenichny, Boguchansky, Baklany (near Peschanaya Bay), etc.

All islands have a total area of ​​742.22 sq. km, and most of them are large capes, separated from the continent under the influence of the destructive force of the surf. In addition, there are also several low sandy islands on Baikal, which in high water are completely hidden under water and protrude above the surface only when the water is low. Such are the islands elongated in the form of narrow strips that separate Proval Bay from Baikal (Chayachi Islands, Sakhalin), such are the islands that separate Angara Sor from open Baikal - the so-called Yarki. The islands separating the Istoksky Sor from the open Baikal belong to the same type.

The bays and inlets, which are so important for the anchorage of small vessels, are a relatively rare phenomenon on Baikal, moreover, they are very unevenly distributed along the coast.

The largest bays, Chivyrkuisky and Barguzinsky, which we have already mentioned above, are formed by the Svyatoy Nos peninsula protruding from the lake. Almost a bay is the so-called Small Sea, separated from open Baikal by Olkhon Island and Proval Bay, to the north of the Selenga Delta.

Peschanaya and Babushka bays on the western shore of southern Baikal are famous for their picturesqueness. Further, a peculiar group of bays, or rather lagoons, bearing the name “sors” on Baikal, are separated from open lake narrow sandy spits of its former bays. Such are the Posolsky and Istoksky sors, separated from Baikal by narrow strips of land washed by the action of the surf, such is the Angarsky sor in the very north and Rangatui in the depths of the Chivyrkuisky Bay. All of them are separated from Baikal by narrow strips of sediment, in the form sandbars, in high water sometimes completely hiding under the surface of the lake.

Except for these large bays, almost separated from Baikal by its sediments, all other bends of its coast depend to a large extent on the direction of the Baikal coastline, since the sinuosity of its coast depends on whether the coast is directed along or across the dominant direction of the mountain ranges. that make up the coast.

Those sections of the Baikal coast that are directed across the main direction of the mountain ranges that limit its basin are characterized by significant indentation, such as, for example, the Olkhon Gates or South coast Barguzinsky Bay. Those sections of the coast, which in their direction coincide with the direction of the mountain ranges that limit the Baikal basin in this area, are characterized, on the contrary, by exceptional straightness, disturbed only by secondary accumulations of coastal sediments or the eroding effect of the surf. This is the entire section of the western shore of Lake Baikal from the mouth of the river. Sarma to Cape Kotelnikovsky, such is the area that limits the Svyatoy Nos peninsula from the west, and many others.

In many areas, the shore of Lake Baikal is completely straight for many kilometers, and almost sheer cliffs, many meters high, break into the water very often. Particularly characteristic in this regard is the section between Sosnovka and the entrance to the Chivyrkuisky Bay on the eastern shore of middle Baikal or the section from Onguren to Cape Kocherikovsky on the western shore of middle Baikal.

According to the distribution of depths or the topography of the bottom, Baikal can be divided into three main deep depressions. The first of them - southern, occupies the entire southern Baikal to the confluence of the river. Selenga. The greatest depth of this depression is 1473 m, while the average depth is 810 m. The depression of southern Baikal is characterized by an exceptionally steep bottom slope near the western and southwestern shores and a relatively gentle slope near the opposite slopes.

Lacustrine deposits at the bottom of the southern depression did not completely smooth out the features of the original relief, at the bottom of which there are a number of hollows and irregularities adjoining the Transbaikal coast and elongated into northeast direction. These underwater ridges are especially pronounced in the part of the depression adjacent to the delta of the river. Selenga, and hide under its deposits. One of these ridges stands out so much that it forms in the middle of the width of Baikal on the line between the village. Goloustny and s. Posolsky shallow water, where depths of 94 m have been discovered, and the depths in this shallow water have not yet been sufficiently explored and it cannot be vouched for that even smaller depths will not be found there. This shallow water is, in all probability, a remnant of what has been noted here on old maps Stolbovoy Island, partly destroyed by the waters of Baikal, partly submerged under its surface.

On the bridge separating the southern deep basin of Baikal from its middle basin, the depth does not exceed 428 m, and this bridge basically reflects the structure of the bedrock. This view is supported by the presence of a longitudinal ridge stretching in front of the Selenga delta, extending far both in the southwestern and northeastern directions and known by the locals as "manes". In its part adjacent to the Selenga, this lintel is gradually and significantly modified by the offsets of the Selenga.

To the east of the ridge directed to the northeast, approximately opposite the channel of the Selenga delta, called Kolpinnaya, there is a deepening of the bottom, reaching 400 m and locally called the "deep". A legend is connected with this abyss that in this place in the bottom of Baikal there is a hole through which Baikal connects either with Lake Kosogol or with the North Polar Sea. The emergence of this legend was facilitated by the fact that in the region of the depression there is a local whirlpool, which is well observed on quiet days, when all objects floating on the surface receive rotational motion. This whirlpool, which gives the impression that water is drawn into the hole below, is caused by the meeting of currents in two directions, which mix the surface layers of water to a depth of about 25 m.

The middle deep basin of Baikal occupies the entire space between the barrier against the Selenga and the line connecting the northern tip of Olkhon Island through the Ushkany Islands with Cape Valukan on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal. In this depression are the greatest depths of Baikal, reaching 1741 m. This depth is located at a distance of 10 km from Cape Ukhan on Olkhon. The average depth of the basin reaches 803 m. The area occupied by depths over 1500 m, which are not found in the other two deep basins of Baikal, is 2098 sq. km. km. The bottom has a particularly steep drop near the eastern shores of Olkhon Island, as well as to the east of the Ushkany Islands, where in some areas of the bottom the slope angle reaches over 80 °.

The bottom sections adjacent to the eastern coast of the depression are more gentle, and depths of 100 m in some places are here several kilometers from the coast.

The Barguzinsky Bay, which is part of the middle basin, has a very complex bottom topography. It is divided into two depressions by an underwater ridge. In the part of the bay adjacent to the southern head of the Svyatoi Nos peninsula, depths of more than 1300 m enter, which go far into its northern part. The relief of the bottom of the entire eastern part of the bay is influenced by the drifts of the river. Barguzin, which covered the bedrock topography with a thick layer of sediments.

The depression of middle Baikal is separated from the northern depression by an underwater ridge, open station in 1932 and named Academic.

This ridge, on which the depths do not exceed 400 m, stretches from the northern tip of Olkhon Island to the Ushkany Islands and further, less pronounced, to the north to Cape Valukan. Thus, the Ushkany Islands themselves are only protruding above the surface northern part Academic Ridge. This ridge has slopes that descend very steeply to the southeast towards the depression of middle Baikal, and gently to the northwest towards northern basin, i.e. retains the same features as the profiles of Olkhon Island and Bolshoi Ushkany Island.

The northern deep basin of Baikal occupies the entire space located north of the Akademichesky Range and includes the Small Sea. This depression has the greatest depth of only 988 m, average depth its 564 m. The northern depression is characterized by an exceptional evenness of the bottom topography with a gradual increase in depth from the southern end of the Small Sea to the Kotelnikovsky Cape area. In the northern depression near the western shores, the bottom slopes more steeply into the depths than near the eastern shores, where there are significant shallow waters.

Most of the surface of the bottom of Lake Baikal at depths of more than 100 m is covered with thick deposits of silt, which mainly consists of countless shells, dead and fallen to the bottom of algae that lived in the upper layers of water. Only in a few places, like the Akademichesky Ridge, does the bottom of Baikal consist of bedrock, there are also areas of the bottom where rounded boulders and pebbles can be found at great depths, obviously, these are flooded channels of ancient rivers that are not covered with silt deposits due to the bottom currents there.

As for the shallow depths of Baikal, many consist of vast areas, especially those adjacent to river deltas, of sand or sand mixed with silt. Even closer to the coast, the bottom is covered mainly with stones and more or less large pebbles. Only in a few areas the bottom to the very shores is composed of sand. Such areas are of great importance, as they are convenient for seine fishing.

Not always, however, Baikal had those character traits bottom topography and the form of its outlines that it currently possesses. There is reason to assert the opposite, namely, that Baikal in its present form was formed, from a geological point of view, relatively recently - at the end of the Tertiary or even at the beginning of the so-called Quaternary time. By this time, according to modern views of geologists, the formation of great depths of Baikal, as well as the formation of those mountain ranges that border the lake, belongs. There is little information about what the reservoir that was on the site of Baikal before that time was.

Apparently, it was a complex system of lakes, interconnected by straits and occupying a larger area than modern Baikal. There is reason to believe that this multi-lake area extended to Transbaikalia, Mongolia, and possibly Manchuria and Northern China.

Thus, Baikal in its current state is, to a certain extent, a remnant of water bodies that once occupied a vast area and repeatedly underwent significant changes. How this could affect the composition of the fauna and flora of Baikal, we will consider below, in the corresponding chapter.

During the ice age, when powerful glaciers covered some parts of Siberia large spaces, there was no continuous glaciation in the Baikal region, and glaciers descended to the shores of Baikal only in some places. Heaps of stones and sand, brought by glaciers and called moraines, in northern Baikal in many places descend from the adjacent mountains to Baikal itself, but it can be argued that this ice has never completely covered the surface of Baikal.

The moraines left after the ice age had a significant impact on the formation of the shores of Northern Baikal. Some capes in the north of Baikal are made of moraine materials, such as, for example, Cape Bolsodey. On the eastern shore of Northern Baikal, where many capes are also made of moraine material, they were subjected to severe destruction by the surf. Smaller boulders and loose material were washed away by the waves, and large boulders, preserved in the area as dangerous pitfalls for navigation, are the remains of moraines that were in these places and indicate their much greater distribution in the past than is the case now.

Geologists have made different assumptions about how the Baikal basin with its vast depths was formed in its modern form.

During the eighteenth and first half of the nineteenth centuries, geologists believed that Baikal was a deep sinkhole in the earth's crust, resulting from major disaster that took place in this area of ​​the mainland. I.D. Chersky significantly changed these ideas. He considered Baikal not a failure, but a very ancient reservoir, preserved from the time of the Silurian Sea and gradually deepened due to the slow and smooth bowing of the earth's crust.

Later acad. V.A. Obruchev returned to the old ideas about the failure and explains the formation of the modern depths of Baikal by subsidence of the bottom of the graben, which this lake is. This subsidence occurred simultaneously with the uplift, which formed mountain country on the coast of Lake Baikal, and apparently continues to this day.

There are other geologists who also associate the formation of Baikal with the arched uplift of the Baikal region and subsidence - the collapse of the central part of this arch, but the time of this uplift, in their opinion, refers to the second half of the Quaternary period, i.e. to the time of the existence of primitive man.

Finally, according to the latest views of E.V. Pavlovsky, the Baikal depressions and the ridges separating them are the so-called synclines and anticlines, complicated by faults and developed gradually over many geological epochs, against the background of a general arched uplift of the Stanovoi ridge.

Finally, according to the views of N.V. Dumitrashko, Baikal is a complex system of three basins. The southern one arose during the Upper Jurassic, the middle one - in the Tertiary time, the northern one - at the border of the Tertiary and Quaternary time. The hollows and the ridges surrounding them are blocks into which the Baikal region was divided during the last epochs of mountain building. The slumped boulders turned into depressions, the rising ones turned into ridges. We have a range of evidence that the formation Baikal basin continues to this day, and that the bottom of the basin at the same time continues to sink, and its edges in the form of limiting, Baikal depressions of mountain ranges rise.

Signs of the lowering of the coast, villages. Ust-Barguzin in 1932. Photo by G.Yu. Vereshchagin

The subsidence of the shores of Baikal is especially pronounced in places where the basin continues beyond its shores, such as, for example, to the west of the area between Kultuk and Slyudyanka, in the Barguzin Bay, in the area between the Kichera and Upper Angara rivers, as well as on the far protruding basins of Baikal, the delta of the river. Selenga. In all these places, not only the features of the coastline are observed, indicating the gradual sinking of the coast under the level of the lake, but there are also historical facts confirming this. So the village of Ust-Barguzin has already changed its place twice, moving away from the shore of Lake Baikal, as the waters of the lake flood the place of its former location. This village is in a semi-flooded state at the present time. A similar phenomenon is observed in the village located at the mouth of the river. Kichery (Nizhnangarsk), where once was the center of the entire district, and now only a small number of houses remain. In the Selenga delta, the lowering of the terrain is expressed in the gradual swamping of the delta's meadows and the transformation into a swamp of once-dry mowings and even fields.

But the most significant is the lowering of part of the coast in the area of ​​the river. Selenga in December 1861, which led to the formation of Proval Bay. Then the northern part of the river delta disappeared under the waters of Lake Baikal. Selenga, the so-called Tsagan steppe with all the Buryat uluses, hayfields and other lands, with total area about 190 sq. km. This was preceded by an earthquake, while a strong vertical impact was felt, from which the soil on the steppe swelled with mounds and sand, clay and water were thrown out of the wide cracks formed. The steppe was flooded with water, which spouted fountains, more than two meters high. And the next day, the water of Baikal flooded the entire descended space to the Bortogoi steppe. According to eyewitnesses, the water came from the lake like a wall. In place of the steppe, Proval Bay is currently spreading with depths of up to three meters.

The secondary redistribution of sediments along the shores leads to a number of changes in the nature of the Baikal coastline, of which we will only point out the most important ones. Thus, the accumulation of these sediments in bays and other bends of the coast leads to their gradual straightening and the formation of shallow, gently descending to the water's edge coasts, composed of sand or small pebbles, which are usually good non-aqueous tones.

The movement of sediment along the coast leads to other phenomena: for example, islands located near the coast are gradually attached to the coast by forming a bridge made of sediment connecting them to the coast. The largest of these bridges on Baikal connects, as already noted, the former rocky island of Svyatoy Nos with the continent, turning it into a peninsula. Typical dams made of sediments are observed on some capes of the Small Sea, such as Kurminsky, which was also once an island and only secondarily, by sediments, is attached to the coast. In the same way, some capes in the Chivyrkuisky Bay are attached to the coast, for example, Cape Monakhov, Cape Katun, etc.

The advancing coastal shaft near the mouth of the river. Yaksakan (east coast of northern Baikal). Photo by L.N. Tyulina

The movement of sediments along the coast also leads to the lacing of its bays from the lake. It is this process that caused the formation of its so-called sors on Baikal. Once it was just the bends of the coast - bays. Away from these bays along the coast, under the influence of the prevailing direction of the surf, the movement of sediments, which, having reached the bay, was deposited on its bottom in a direction that is a continuation of the general direction of the coast in this area. Thus, narrow, striped sandy islands arose, with which the sors are gradually separated from Baikal. In some cases, such bridges have already led to the almost complete separation of bays from the lake, such as, for example, Posolsky sor. In other cases, this process is not completed, such as, for example, the Istoksky sor, or it is just beginning, which takes place in Proval Bay.

In the cases prevailing on Lake Baikal, coastal sediments are weakly accumulated near its shores, and as a result, the shores themselves are exposed to the destructive action of the surf. Some parts of the coast are literally gnawed away by the surf. Up to a height of 5 meters or more, the rocks are destroyed, representing cliffs with an uneven, porous surface, and in many places niches and caves are carved into the rocks by the surf.

The destruction is especially strong on the shore of the island facing the Small Sea. Olkhon and, in particular, on the capes of this coast, as well as on the capes of the Olkhon Gate Strait.

The surf can also lead to the complete destruction of the islands, as if cutting them near the water's edge. It is in this state, very close to complete destruction, that the Small Ushkany Islands are located, of which the long island is currently only a few meters wide.

Completely cut off by the surf of Lake Baikal, apparently, is the island of Stolbovoy, which was once in the middle of Lake Baikal between Goloustnoye and Posolsky and marked on old maps, and now its trace has been preserved only in the form of a shoal in this place.

The surf leads to the separation of capes from the continent and their transformation into islands. This is observed in the Small Sea, where the islands of Kharansa and Edor arose in this way.

Enormous waves, causing a strong surf, as well as the roughness of the lake, in which this excitement is repeated very often, cause an exceptionally strong influence of the surf on the shores and leads both to their destruction and to the movement of sediments and the formation of shore sections washed by the lake. Baikal is a classic place for studying the work of the lake on its shores, which is far from being appreciated in this regard to the proper degree.

Lake Baikal is located in Russia. It truly is a wonder of the world. In terms of area (31.5 thousand km2), it ranks seventh among other lakes the globe. The length of Baikal is 636 km, maximum width- 79 km, minimum - 25 km. The total length of the coastline reaches 1995 km.

In terms of depth, Baikal has no equal among all freshwater lakes in the world. The greatest depth of Tanganyika is 1435 m, Issyk-Kul - 702 m, and Baikal - 1637 m. This deepest point is located off the coast of the largest of the Baikal islands, which is called Olkhon. The average depth of Lake Baikal is 1620 m. This figure is 396 m more than that of the second deepest lake Tanganyika (1223 m).

According to scientists, the average life expectancy of lakes is from 25 to 30 thousand years. Gradually they are filled with mud, algae grow thicker in them, an increasing layer of sediments raises the bottom closer to the surface, and, in the end, the shallow lake is overgrown with water-loving herbs and turns into a swamp. However, contrary to all laws, Lake Baikal is in no hurry to grow old. Scientists, having calculated the annual amount of precipitation falling here, predict a long life for Baikal.

Its depression was formed as a result of earthquakes about 25 million years ago. The second oldest lake - Tanganyika, which is located in Africa, is only 2 million years old.

View of Lake Baikal

The first explorer who left the "Drawing of Baikal and the falling rivers to Baikal", as well as information about fish and fur-bearing animals of the coastal taiga, was the explorer Kurbat Ivanov. In 1643, at the head of a group of Cossacks and industrial people, he reached the western shores of the lake and explored the island of Olkhon.

At the end of July 1662, returning from exile to Dauria, Baikal swam across the archpriest Avvakum, who wrote: “When they landed on the shore, a windy storm arose, and the waves found a place on the shore. Near it are high mountains, stone cliffs and so high that I have traveled more than twenty thousand miles, but I have never seen such ones anywhere. There are a lot of birds, geese, swans - they float on the sea like snow. The fish in it are sturgeon and taimen, sterlet, omul, whitefish and many other genera. The water is fresh, and seals and hares are unusually large.”

In the 18th century, long-term expeditions were engaged in the exploration of Siberia and Kamchatka. At the same time, scientists became interested in Baikal. Omul, golomyanka, seal and other animal species have been described. Over time, instrumental surveys of the area were made on Baikal, and several hydrometeorological stations were organized. Scientists began to conduct regular observations of the water level, magnetic surveys and gravitational measurements. In 1918, a permanent research base-station was established on the lake, which was later transformed into the Limnological Institute. The main research center on Baikal is currently the Baikal Ecological Museum.

Baikal has the cleanest air, there is never exhausting heat, although sunny days more per year than Black Sea resorts. The lake is also famous for its beautiful, unique water, the volume of which in Baikal is 25 thousand km3, i.e. almost the same as in all five Great Lakes of Canada. This amount corresponds to approximately 20% of all surface fresh water in the world.

Baikal water is the highest quality in the world; it, without fear, you can drink without boiling. It is pure, tasty and transparent. Local restaurants even serve it as a specialty.

Since the crystalline rocks of the bottom and shores are hardly soluble, the water of streams and rivers flowing into Baikal is not saturated with salts. In addition, organic remains quickly dissolve in the Baikal water, so it is very rare to find animal skeletons in the lake. Thus, the main properties of Baikal water can be briefly described as follows: it contains very few dissolved and suspended mineral substances, negligible organic impurities and a lot of oxygen.

Baikal water is called living water for a reason. From the surface to the bottom, the lake is home to a wide variety of life forms. In other deep lakes of the world, the lower layers are dead because they are poisoned by hydrogen sulfide and other gases. In Baikal, on the contrary, the entire water column is permeated with oxygen. Water is constantly mixed by horizontal sea currents that run around the lake-sea and around each of its three basins, as well as vertical ascending and descending currents.

Modern scientists have discovered that, despite the enormous pressure that is created on the Baikal bottom, thermal springs beat there.

Moreover, a small transparent fish calmly sinks to the bottom of the lake, more than half consisting of fat - golomyanka. This is the only representative of viviparous fish from among those that live in the Siberian regions, as well as in the middle lane. It is known that all deep-seated fish have special bladders that save them from strong water pressure. Surprisingly, the golomyanka does not have such a bubble.

Baikal has the ability not only to store, but also to reproduce water. The lake throws ashore fragments of oars, boats, logs.

The cleanliness and health of Lake Baikal are protected by its inhabitants themselves. The crustacean epishura lives in the lake. Although he himself has a small size, no more than 2 mm in length, but its share in the total mass of zooplankton is 96%. Billions of such crustaceans, continuously passing water through themselves, cleanse it of dirt. Golomyanka also plays an important role in maintaining the cleanliness of the lake. She is the most numerous in the lake. Its total weight is about 150 thousand tons, i.e. 67% of the total number of Baikal fish. Golomyankas never gather in flocks, do not hide in algae. At any time of the day, they move throughout the lake: from the surface to the very bottom. During its endless movement, the fish seems to mix the lake water, due to which the latter is continuously saturated with oxygen. Golomyanka never forms spawning shoals, which makes it impossible to catch it commercially. Therefore, the number of this fish in the lake always remains at a constant level. The fish is also interesting because it has an absolutely transparent body that melts in the sun like ice. Previously, the Buryats rendered fat from golomyanka, which they used in everyday life and as a healing agent.

Anyone who comes to the shore of the lake is struck by its extraordinary transparency. With the naked eye, you can see everything that happens at a depth of 30–40 m. Modern instruments show that the water is clear even at a depth of 100 meters.

Siberians call Baikal water love water. It fascinates, it seems unreal, fabulous. Sailing along the shore in a boat, you just want to reach out with your hand to the gem you like, but, putting your hand into the water, you suddenly realize that this is an optical illusion, and the stone lies at the very bottom of the lake.

Even more admirable are the color metamorphoses that take place on the surface of the water. Due to its transparency, it reflects the slightest changes in the weather, the solstice, incoming clouds, haze coming from the taiga. Also affect its color seasonal changes: snow, delicate greenery of summer and multicolored autumn. The color scheme varies from white-blue, silver-gray to piercing blue or slate-black with white splashes of waves. Artists say that neither with a brush nor with a pencil they manage to capture Baikal as it is.

From time immemorial, Baikal has been called the "sacred sea". For the first time, the Buryat name "Baigal" appeared in the chronicle "Altan Tobchi" by Mergen Gegen, which dates back to 1765, in the part devoted to the genealogy of Genghis Khan. There are many legends, legends and fairy tales about Baikal. So, Buryat myths say that Buryat and Swan swam in the Baikal waters, the Eagle soared over the sacred sea, and on its banks the bull Bukha-noyon roared and the Wolf quenched his thirst. All these animals are considered to be the ancient ancestors of the Buryats.

It is interesting that there are only one of all the main geographical elements on Baikal: one big Island- Olkhon, one archipelago - Ushkany Islands, one large peninsula - Svyatoy Nos, one big bay- Chivyrkuisky, one strait - the Small Sea, one large tributary - the Selenga River, which carries as much water to Baikal as all the other rivers flowing into the lake, and there are more than three hundred of them. Also, only one river flows out of Baikal - the Angara, which ultimately flows into the Yenisei.

According to the Buryat legend, the gray-haired Baikal had many sons-rivers: Barguzin, Anga, Sarma and others, and only one daughter, beloved by Angara. When the time came to marry her off, suitors hurried to the possessions of Baikal. A fast Irkut galloped on a horse, a calm handsome man Alyat sailed. But none of them pleased the young maiden. One night, Angara ran away from her father's possessions to the mighty batyr Yenisei. Upon learning of this, Baikal became angry and, tearing coastal cliff, threw after the runaway to block her path. But Angara bypassed the barrier and met with the groom.

Almost the westernmost point of the lake is Cape Shaman - one of the monuments of Baikal nature. It can be taken as a symbolic beginning of Baikal.

There are a lot of picturesque bays and capes on Baikal. One of the most beautiful and cozy corners The 2000-kilometer Baikal coast is Peschanaya Bay. It is located on the western shore of the lake, relatively close to the source of the Angara. Against the background of blue water, the soft outlines of steep banks and rocky capes look very impressive. No wonder A.P. Chekhov compared the coast of Baikal with Crimean Yalta. Cape Bolshoy Kolokolny protects Peschanaya Bay from the mighty north wind - Verkhovik, or Angara.

Not far from Peschanaya is Babushka Bay. in sunny and warm weather many tourists rest here. In autumn, already at the beginning of October, when the lake looks especially wonderful and unique, Babushka is deserted.

Rocky Islands of Baikal

To the north of Babushka Bay is Cape Arka, or Gate II. No less attractive is the island of Olkhon, although it has a severe appearance. This is a high mountainous island, which is more than 70 km long and 12 km wide. The highest point of the island is Mount Zhima, which has an altitude of about 1300 m above sea level. It is separated from the western shore of the lake by the Olkhon Gates Strait and the Small Sea. Olkhon is surrounded by many calm and small bays, which are convenient for fishing.

The name of the island comes from the Buryat word "olkhan", which means "dry" in Russian. This refers to one of the winds blowing on Lake Baikal. The winds on the lake are special. Suddenly breaking out of the narrow mountain gorges they can bring a lot of trouble. Each wind is usually called by the name of the river from whose valley it blows: barguzin, kurtuk, verkhovka, gloss, sarma, shelonik, khiuz, siver, etc.

The most insidious of them are considered the barguzin, sung in an old Buryat song, and the ferocious sarma, which rages in the Small Sea in the autumn and winter seasons, opposite the Olkhon Gates. That is why this small strait poses a considerable danger to navigation.

Escaping from the mountains from the valley of the Sarma River into the narrow space of the Small Sea, the wind reaches hurricane force, forms tornadoes and waves up to 4 m high. At the same time, the howling of the wind and the splashing of the waves become so strong that they drown out the sound of a shot.

Baikal winds blow sand from under the trees onto the coast, exposing their roots. So-called stilted trees appear, mostly pines growing along the edge of the beach. The trees take roots deeper and deeper, trying to withstand the pressure of autumn storms. As a result, bizarrely wind-bent plants appear near the shore, which rise 1.5–2 m above the beach on clumsy “props” legs.

Olkhon is the main sacred place of the lake-sea, where shamans of many clans perform tailagan. It is believed that it is on Olkhon that a shaman can enter into a mysterious relationship with the natural forces of Baikal. Through the rite of sprinkling with milk and vodka and prayer spells, you can beg for good weather, good luck in hunting and fishing. Pass tailagans on the island near the sacred places. One of them is Cape Burkhan, or Shaman, which, with its stone ridges, goes far into the Baikal waters. Folk legends say that the lord of the island and surrounding places lives in his cave.

The same sacred place among the Buryats is Mount Zhima. They say that somewhere at the foot of this mountain, an immortal bear is chained. It was through Olkhon on the ice of the lake that the Buryats moved and, thus, settled in the lands on both sides of Lake Baikal. In the epic about Geser, Baikal is referred to only as "Dalai", that is, "borderless", "great", "almighty".

For a long time, the Buryats worship the water element, which, in their opinion, came down from heaven. Each river and lake had its own owners - the kings of the waters of Usan Khan. They were represented in the form of elders, who, together with their servants, live at the bottom of reservoirs. The main one was Usan-Lopson with his wife Usan-Daban. Some kings of the waters patronized fishing and even fishing tackle.

In total, there are about 30 indigenous rocky islands on Baikal, 15 of them are located in the Small Sea. Each island is a real miracle of nature. There are also many picturesque peninsulas on the lake. Not only their nature is unique, but also their names: Holy Nose, Kurbulik, Ayaya, Chivyrkuy, Ongokon, Shaggy Kyltygey, Katun, Shargodagan, Kultuk, Tsagan-Morin, Davshe. The smallest island of the Small Sea is called Madote.

On the east coast of the lake interesting corner is the peninsula of the Holy Nose, known for its mysterious singing sands. Such sands are found only in a few corners of the globe. On the peninsula, they form a whole beach 7–10 m wide. The sand here is fine-grained, perfectly sorted, grayish-yellow in color.

sandy beaches Baikal

The dry sand at the top of the beach emits a loud creak, like the creak of new leather shoes. If, while walking, raking the sand with your feet, the creaking intensifies and gradually turns into a jerky howl. The same sound appears when sand is raked with a hand or a stick. If you press it vertically or hit it with something from top to bottom, then instead of a creak, only a faint crunch will be heard, as when stirring dry starch. In all likelihood, the "singing" of sand occurs at certain sizes, shape, humidity, roughness and other properties of sand grains. Until the end, the mystery of the appearance of "singing sands" has not been revealed by science.

Lake Baikal not only offers travelers a view magnificent views nature, but also gives shelter to a huge number (more than 2600 species) of animals and plants. Almost all types of flora and fauna of the globe live in the lake. Among them, 50 fish species, about 600 plant species, 300 bird species and over 1200 animal species, with a truly incredible number - 960 animal species and 400 plant species - are endemic.

In terms of the number and variety of unique species, Baikal surpasses all exotic places on earth, such as the Galapagos, New Zealand and the island of Madagascar. However, if relict species survived there, the oldest animals and plants that have long been extinct in other places, then local, relatively young species of flora and fauna arose in Baikal, which appeared here over the past tens of millions of years. More than 50 species of fish are found in the lake, among which there are very common ones, such as pike and perch. But almost half are species of sculpins and other fish that are not found anywhere else. Two exclusively Baikal, unique species belonging to the genus comephorus (golomyankovye) are completely transparent and live at a depth of 503 m in complete darkness.

Most fish species live in the shallow coastal part of the lake. Only five species live at depth: omul (a relative of salmon), Baikal gobies, yellowwing, longwing and two species of golomyanka comephorus. These five species make up three-quarters of the total number of fish in the lake.

Baikal is also often called a living museum because an unusual group of organisms lives in it: amphipods, worms, mollusks, sponges, goby fish.

Among the commercial fish in the lake are grayling, whitefish, sturgeon and, of course, omul. The main food for many fish species are amphipods, which inhabit the entire water column: some of them live in water, others burrow into bottom sediments.

The most famous and very mysterious animal that lives on Lake Baikal is, of course, the Baikal seal, a pinniped mammal belonging to the family of true seals. The seal reaches a length of 1.8 m and a weight of about 70 kg. The main objects of her hunting are gobies and golomyanka. Occasionally, she manages to catch omul if the fish is weakened for some reason. This endemic species has thrived on the lake since time immemorial and currently numbers 70,000 individuals. There are especially many seals near the Ushkany Islands. The legend tells that the ancestors of the Baikal seal came to Baikal from the Arctic Ocean along underground river. Scientists also suggest that the progenitors of the seals sailed from the Arctic Ocean, but not along the underground river, but along the Yenisei and Angara, which were dammed by ice during the Ice Age. In addition, it has been irrefutably proven that both the Baikal seal and the modern ringed seal descended from a common ancestor.

The Barguzinsky Nature Reserve is located on the northeastern coast of Lake Baikal. The flora and fauna of the reserve, its mountains, taiga, lakes and rivers is rich and unique, but the Barguzin sable is considered the most valuable animal of those that live here.

The surroundings of Lake Baikal have been declared a protected area. Here is the Pribaikalsky National Park. In addition to Barguzinsky, there is another reserve - Baikalsky.

In conclusion, it is worth mentioning the assumption of scientists who have carefully studied the territory in the area of ​​Lake Baikal. Some geophysicists have suggested that Baikal is turning into an ocean. In the region of the lake, magnetic anomalies similar to those characteristic of the region of the mid-Atlantic fault were found (from the axis of this fault, the continents of Africa and South America are moving apart in both directions).

Scientists have established that tensile forces also act in the Baikal basin, due to which its banks diverge in opposite directions. Some researchers even cite data obtained by them indirectly, arguing that the rate of such a discrepancy reaches 2 cm per year. However, direct confirmation of such information has not yet been found, although it was they that served as the basis for putting forward a hypothesis about the transformation of Baikal into an ocean. On the other hand, if we assume that the expansion rate of Baikal is really such, then in 50-60 million years the width of the lake-sea will be about 1000 km, and this already looks like an ocean. Nevertheless, any scientific hypothesis requires rigorous proof.

You can find whole volumes of information about Baikal, both on the Internet and in various magazines and book editions. The lake is not deprived of attention from tourists, researchers and politicians. From year to year, stunning scientific discoveries are associated with Baikal, expeditions are constantly equipped for thorough research. I decided to dedicate this topic to the most interesting facts and events related to Lake Baikal. I will try to save you from boring geographical terms, only the most interesting will be here. Most of the photos in the topic are clickable (open on click)

- one of the oldest lakes on the planet and the deepest lake in the world. Baikal is one of the ten largest lakes in the world. Its average depth is about 730 meters, the maximum is 1637 meters. In 1996, Baikal was included in the list world heritage UNESCO

Scientists disagree about the origin of Lake Baikal, as well as about its age. Scientists traditionally determine the age of the lake at 25-35 million years. This fact also makes Baikal unique. natural object, since most lakes, especially glacial origin, live an average of 10-15 thousand years, and then they are filled with silty sediments and become swampy

There is also a version about the relative youth of Baikal, put forward by Alexander Tatarinov, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences in 2009, which received indirect confirmation during the second stage of the Worlds expedition to Baikal. In particular, the activity of mud volcanoes at the bottom of Lake Baikal allows scientists to assume that the modern coastline of the lake is only 8 thousand years old, and the deep-water part is 150 thousand years old.

Baikal contains about 19% of world reserves fresh water. There is more water in Baikal than in all five Great Lakes taken together and 25 times more than, for example, in Lake Ladoga

The water in the lake is so transparent that individual stones and various objects can be seen at a depth of 40 m. clearest water Baikal contains so few mineral salts (100 mg/l) that it can be used instead of distilled





2,630 species and varieties of plants and animals live in Baikal, 2/3 of which are endemic, that is, they live only in this reservoir. Such an abundance of living organisms is explained by the high oxygen content in the entire thickness of the Baikal water.


Photo of Baikal from space

The most interesting in Baikal is the viviparous golomyanka fish, whose body contains up to 30% fat. She surprises biologists with daily feeding migrations from the depths to shallow water.

The second, after the golomyanka, the miracle of Baikal, to which it owes its exceptional purity, is the epishura crustacean (numbers about 300 species). The Baikal epishura is a copepod, 1 mm long, a representative of plankton, found throughout the depth (it is not found in bays where the water warms up). Baikal would not be Baikal without this copepod, barely noticeable to the eye, surprisingly efficient and numerous, managing to filter all Baikal water ten times a year, or even more

A typical marine mammal lives here - a seal, or a Baikal seal.

Baikal's water reserves would be enough for 40 years for the inhabitants of the whole Earth, and at the same time 46 x 1015 people could quench their thirst

Baikal ice presents scientists with many mysteries. So, in the 1930s, specialists from the Baikal Limnological Station discovered unusual forms of ice cover, typical only for Lake Baikal. For example, “hills” are cone-shaped ice hills up to 6 meters high, hollow inside. Appearance they resemble ice tents, "open" in the opposite direction from the coast. Hills can be located separately, and sometimes form miniature " mountain ranges»

Satellite images clearly show dark rings 5-7 km in diameter on the ice of Lake Baikal. The origin of the rings is not known. Scientists believe that the rings on the ice of the lake may have already appeared many times, but it was impossible to see them because of their huge size. Now, with the use of the latest technology, this has become possible, and scientists will begin to study this phenomenon. For the first time, such rings were discovered in 1999, then in 2003, 2005. As you can see, rings do not form every year. The rings are also not located in the same place. Scientists were particularly interested in the reason for the displacement of the rings in 2008 to the southwest, compared with 1999, 2003 and 2005. In April 2009, such rings were found again, and again in a different place than last year. Scientists suggest that the rings are formed due to the release of natural gas from the bottom of Lake Baikal. However, the exact causes and mechanisms of formation dark rings on the ice of Lake Baikal have not yet been studied and no one knows their exact nature

The Baikal region (the so-called Baikal rift zone) belongs to areas with high seismicity: earthquakes regularly occur here, the strength of most of which is one or two points on the MSK-64 intensity scale. However, strong ones also happen, so in 1862, during a ten-point Kudarinsky earthquake in the northern part of the Selenga delta, a land area of ​​​​200 km2 went under water? with 6 uluses, in which 1,300 people lived, and the Proval Bay was formed

A unique deep-sea neutrino telescope NT-200, built in 1993-1998, was created and operates on the lake, with the help of which high-energy neutrinos are detected. On its basis, the NT-200+ neutrino telescope with an increased effective volume is being created, the construction of which is expected to be completed no earlier than 2017.

The first dives of manned vehicles on Baikal were made in 1977, when the bottom of the lake was explored on deep-sea vehicle Pice made in Canada. In Listvenichny Bay, a depth of 1,410 meters was reached. In 1991, the Pisis sank to a depth of 1,637 meters from the eastern side of Olkhon.

In the summer of 2008, the Foundation for Assistance to the Preservation of Lake Baikal carried out a research expedition "Mira" on Baikal. "52 deep-sea manned submersibles" Mir "were carried out to the bottom of Lake Baikal. Scientists delivered water samples, soil and microorganisms raised from the bottom of Lake Baikal

In 1966, production began at the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM), as a result of which the adjacent bottom areas of the lake began to degrade. Dust and gas emissions have a negative impact on the taiga around the BPPM, dry tops and drying of the forest are noted. In September 2008, the plant introduced a closed water circulation system designed to reduce the discharge of wash water. According to the source, the system turned out to be inoperable and less than a month after its launch, the plant had to be stopped.

There are many legends associated with. The most fascinating of them is connected with the Angara River:
In the old days, the mighty Baikal was cheerful and kind. He deeply loved his only daughter Angara. She was not more beautiful on earth. During the day it is light - lighter than the sky, at night it is dark - darker than the clouds. And whoever rode past the Angara, everyone admired her, everyone praised her. Even migratory birds: geese, swans, cranes - descended low, but rarely landed on the water of the Angara. They said: “Is it possible to blacken light?”

Old man Baikal took care of his daughter more than his heart. Once, when Baikal fell asleep, Angara rushed to run to the young Yenisei. Father woke up, angrily splashed waves. A fierce storm arose, mountains sobbed, forests fell, the sky turned black from grief, animals fled in fear all over the earth, fish dived to the very bottom, birds flew away to the sun. Only the wind howled, and the heroic sea raged. Mighty Baikal hit the gray-haired mountain, broke off a rock from it and threw it after the fleeing daughter. The rock fell on the very throat of the beauty. The blue-eyed Angara pleaded, panting and sobbing, and began to ask:

“Father, I am dying of thirst, forgive me and give me at least one drop of water.”

Baikal shouted angrily:

“I can only give my tears!”

For thousands of years, the Angara has been flowing into the Yenisei with water-tear, and the gray-haired lonely Baikal has become gloomy and scary. The rock that Baikal threw after his daughter was called by people the Shaman stone. Rich sacrifices were made to Baikal there. People said: “Baikal will be angry, it will tear off the Shaman stone, the water will gush and flood the whole earth.” Currently, the river is blocked by a dam, so only the top of the shaman stone is visible from the water.

There is a legend among the people about the creation of Baikal "The Lord looked: the unkind land came out ... no matter how she became offended by him! And, so as not to hold a grudge, he took and waved her not some kind of foot mat, but the very measure of his generosity, which he measured how much to be from him. The measure fell and turned into Baikal.

- the deepest lake. Depth of Baikal about 1700 meters. In the world only one lake can be compared to depth with Lake Baikal. This lake Tanganyika to East Africa. Its depth is about 1400 meters. Depth of Lake Baikal comparable to the depth of the Arctic Ocean, the average depth of which is 1220 meters.

Baikal - most big lake in Asia. Water surface area Lake Baikal over 30 thousand square kilometers.

Lake Baikal water is its main value. Lake Baikal – most large reservoir of fresh water in the world. Baikal contains approximately a fifth of the world's reserves.

The deepest bay Lake Baikal- Barguzinsky. The depth of the Barguzinsky Bay is almost 1300 meters.

The largest bay Lake Baikal- Barguzinsky. The area of ​​the bay is 725 square kilometers.

The youngest bay of Baikal- Fail Bay. Proval Bay was formed after a powerful earthquake in 1862. Part of the Selenga delta with an area of ​​about 200 square kilometers has gone under water. This earthquake also caused the formation the youngest cape of Baikal- Cape Oblom.

The largest island Lake Baikal- Olkhon. The island is located in the middle Baikal and divides lake to the Big and Small seas. The island is 71 kilometers long and 12 kilometers wide.

On Cape Kotelnikovsky is the most. Water temperature in mineral springs Cape Kotelnikovsky plus 81 degrees Celsius.

The basin of Lake Baikal – deepest mainland depression. Bottom of Lake Baikal lies below the level of the world ocean by about 1200 meters.

The largest influx Lake Baikal the Selenga river. The Selenga has a length of about 1000 kilometers. About half of all the water that enters lake, brings precisely the Selenga.

The largest peninsula Lake Baikal- Holy Nose. The peninsula measures about 50 kilometers long and about 20 kilometers wide.

Depth of Lake Baikal

Basin of Baikal consists of three rather separate parts. The middle basin is the deepest. It is here near the eastern coast of Olkhon Island depth of Lake Baikal reaches almost 1700 meters. Depth southern basin Lake Baikal approximately 1432 meters. The largest measured depth northern part Lake Baikal 890 meters. Medium lake depth also very large - more than 700 meters. The biggest depth Small Sea - near the northwestern coast of Olkhon Island. It is approximately equal to 250 meters. The smallest depth in the open Baikal- about 30 meters. Northern and middle basins Lake Baikal separates the underwater Academic Ridge. lake depth in these places about 260 meters. Between the middle and southern basins Lake Baikal the Selenga bridge is located. The smallest depth here 360 ​​meters.

Where is Baikal located?

Baikal is located in the middle of Asia in the south of Eastern Siberia between the Republic of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region Russian Federation. Close to lakes the cities of Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude are located.

Length, length, width of Baikal

Lake Baikal is a fracture in the earth's crust filled with water. water in lake carry several hundred large and small streams. Lake Baikal stretched from south to northeast: length or length of Baikal about 640 kilometers. The largest width of Baikal 80 kilometers. Small earthquakes constantly occur in the vicinity of the lake. Occasionally there are big ones. coast Baikal moving away from each other at a rate of 2 centimeters per year - Baikal is growing!

Numerous scientific studies have been devoted to the problem of the origin of the word "Baikal", which indicates a lack of clarity in this matter. There are about a dozen possible explanations for the origin of the name. Among them, the most probable is the version of the origin of the name of the lake from the Turkic-speaking Bai-Kul - a rich lake.

Of the other versions, two more can be noted: from the Mongolian Baigal - a rich fire and Baigal Dalai - a 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 - the North Sea.

The Evenk name Lamu - the 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, for the fact that the far opposite shore is often hidden somewhere in the haze... At the same time, the Small Sea and the Big Sea are distinguished. 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, pure and saturated with oxygen. In not so ancient times, it was considered healing, with its help, diseases were treated. In spring, the transparency of Baikal water, measured using the 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 a massive algae bloom begins, the transparency of the water decreases, but in calm weather, the bottom can be seen from a boat at a fairly decent depth. Such a high transparency is due to the fact that Baikal water, due to the activity of living organisms that live 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 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

The age of the lake is usually given in the literature 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 the age gives values ​​from 20-30 million to several tens of thousands of years. Apparently, the first estimate is closer to the truth - Baikal is indeed a very ancient lake. If we assume that the age of Baikal is indeed several tens of millions of years, then this is the oldest lake on Earth.

It is believed that Baikal arose as a result of the action of tectonic forces. Tectonic processes are still going on, which is manifested in the increased seismicity of 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 unusual microclimate. Baikal works like a big thermal stabilizer - in winter it is warmer in Baikal, and in summer a little cooler than, for example, in Irkutsk, located at a distance of 70 km from the lake. The temperature difference is usually around 10 degrees. A significant contribution to this effect is made by forests growing on almost the entire coast of Lake Baikal.

The influence of Lake Baikal is not limited to the regulation of the temperature regime. Due to the fact that evaporation cold water from the surface of the lake is very insignificant, clouds cannot form over Baikal. In addition, the air masses that bring clouds from the land heat up when passing the coastal mountains, and the clouds dissipate. As a result most time over Baikal the sky is clear. This is also evidenced by the numbers: the number of hours of sunshine in the region of Olkhon Island is 2277 hours (for comparison - on the Riga seashore 1839, in Abastumani (Caucasus) - 1994). One should not think that the sun always shines over the lake - if you are not lucky, you can get one or even two weeks of disgusting rainy weather even in the sunniest place of Baikal - on Olkhon, but this is extremely rare.

The average annual water temperature on the surface of the lake is +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 on Baikal blows almost always. More than thirty local names of winds are known. This does not mean at all that there are so many different winds on Baikal, just that many of them have several names. The peculiarity of the Baikal winds is that almost all of them almost always blow along the coast and there are not as many shelters from them as we would like.

Prevailing winds: northwest, often called mountain winds, northeast (barguzin and verkhovik, also known as angara), southwest (kultuk), southeast (shelonnik). Maximum wind speed, registered on Baikal, 40 m/s. Large values ​​are also found in the literature - up to 60 m/s, but there is no reliable evidence for this.

Where there is wind, there, as you know, there are waves. I note right away that the opposite is not true - the wave can be even with complete calm. Waves on Lake 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, as a rule, in the direction of overestimation. The height of 4 meters was obtained using instrumental measurements in the open sea. The excitement is strongest in autumn and spring. In the summer on Lake Baikal, strong excitement is rare, and calm often occurs.

Ichthyofauna of Baikal.

Depending on the habitat conditions, fish can be divided into several groups. Sturgeon, pike, burbot, ide, roach, dace, perch, minnow occupy coastal shallow waters and river deltas in Baikal. Fish of Siberian 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 well-known inhabitant of Baikal, inhabits only the coastal part.

The most remarkable group of Baikal fish are gobies, of which there are 25 species. Most Interest of them are golomyanka. This miracle of Baikal is not found anywhere else in the world. Golomyanka is unusually beautiful, shimmers in the light blue and pink, and if it is left in the sun it will melt, leaving only bones and a greasy stain. She is the main and most numerous inhabitant of Baikal, but rarely gets into the nets of fishermen. Her only enemy is the seal, for which she is the main food.

In order to preserve rare and endangered animals, the strictest and complete ban on hunting, the maximum preservation of the habitat, the creation of special nurseries, national parks, nature reserves and sanctuaries