Fauna of the East Siberian Sea. East-Siberian Sea

It is called the most severe among all the northern seas, located at a large distance from warm waters Atlantic Ocean. The East Siberian Sea, washing the northern coast of Russia in the East, with all its shallow water, literally freezes.

The sea, marginal to the Arctic Ocean, is located along the northern shores Eastern Siberia between the New Siberian Islands and Wrangel Island, conditionally administrative shores belong to Yakutia and Chukotka autonomous region. Most of it is outlined by conditional lines, and only from the side adjacent to Russia, nature has created its own borders. total area The sea is quite large: 944,600 sq. km, provided that you cannot call it deep (the average is 54 m).

The borders are considered to be at the points of intersection of the meridian with the islands of Kotelny, Wrangel and capes Anisy, Blossom, Yakan and Svyatoy Nos. There are practically no islands here, the entire coastline is deeply cut into the land or protrudes from the sea and forms large bends, small meanders lead to the mouths of the rivers.

As for the nature of the coastline, the eastern one is not at all like the western one. So, in the area of ​​the New Siberian Islands and the mouth of the Kolyma, there is a tundra dotted with swamps, the relief is quite gentle and low, but closer to the island of Ayon, the coast takes on a mountainous landscape. Almost low mounds approach the banks of the water, in some places abruptly breaking off.

The underwater relief is flat and uniform throughout the territory. Only in some areas there is a depth of up to 25 m. Experts call them the remains of ancient river valleys.

Often this sea is called an important site trade route through which goods are transported to the northern regions of Eastern Siberia. Works here major port Pevek, he carries out transit movements from the West to the East of the country.

(Sea trade and transport port of Pevek)

The East Siberian Sea can hardly be called a fishing hub in Russia. For the most part, sea animals are harvested here in the waters adjacent to land. locals European smelt, capelin, cod and herring are caught here. Near the mouths of the rivers, valuable whitefish, sturgeon and salmon are caught. However, this type of activity does not make a serious economic contribution to the development of the country and the region.

Already from the name it is clear that this sea is located at north coast. borders East Siberian Sea predominantly conditional lines are, and only in some parts it is limited by land. From the west, the boundary of the sea runs along the Kotelny and further along the eastern boundary. The northern boundary coincides with the edge of the continental shelf. From the east, the boundary of the sea runs along the meridian of 1800 east longitude to, after - along the north west coast this island to Cape Blossom and Cape Yakan, located on the mainland. From the southern part it is limited by the coastline of the mainland (from Cape Yakan to Cape Svyatoy Nos).

The waters of this sea communicate well with the waters of the Arctic Ocean, therefore the East Siberian Sea belongs to the type of continental marginal seas. Within the boundaries outlined, the area of ​​this sea is 913 thousand km2. The volume of water is approximately equal to 49 thousand km 3. The average depth of the sea is 54 m, the maximum depth is 915 m.

There are very few islands in the waters of the East Siberian Sea. Coastline The sea has big curves. Thus, in some places the sea pushes the boundaries of the land inland, and in some places the land protrudes into the sea. There are also areas with almost flat coastline. Small meanders are formed mainly in the mouths of rivers. western and eastern coasts of the East Siberian Sea is very different. The coast, which washes the sea from to the mouth of the Kolyma, is quite monotonous. Here the sea is bordered by wetland areas. These places are characterized by low and gently sloping shores. The coast, located east of Kalyma, has a more diverse landscape, mostly mountains prevail here. As far as the island of Aion, the sea is bordered by small hills, which sometimes have steep slopes. In the area of ​​the Chaun Bay there are low but steep banks.

The underwater relief of the space that the East Siberian Sea occupies represents. This plain has a slight slope from the southwest to the northeast. The bottom of the sea is predominantly flat, without significant depressions and elevations. Most of the water expanses of the East Siberian Sea have a depth of up to 20 - 25 m. The deepest are located at the bottom of the sea in the northeastern part of the mouths of the Indigira and Kolyma rivers. There is an assumption that these trenches used to be areas of river valleys. But later these rivers were flooded with the sea. The western part of the sea is characterized by a shallow depth; this area is called the Novosibirsk Shoal. In the northeast, the seas are quite deep places. But even here the depth does not exceed 100 m.

East-Siberian Sea

The East Siberian Sea is located in high latitudes, not far from permanent ice. The sea also borders on a wide part of the mainland. In connection with this location of the East Siberian Sea, distinguishing feature: the sea is under the influence of the Atlantic and. Cyclones formed above sometimes enter the western part of the sea. The eastern regions of the sea turn out to be available for Pacific origin. Thus, the climate of the East Siberian Sea can be characterized as polar maritime, which is greatly influenced by the continent. The peculiarity of the continental climate is significantly manifested in winter and summer. In transitional seasons, they do not significantly affect, since during these periods the processes are unstable.

IN winter time has a great influence on the climate of the East Siberian Sea Siberian maximum. This causes the predominance of southwestern and southern ones, the speed of which reaches 6 - 7 m / s. These winds move from the continent and therefore contribute to the spread of cold air. The average temperature in January is about – 28 – 30°С. In winter, the weather is mostly clear. Only sometimes cyclones break the settled calm weather for several days. Atlantic cyclones, which prevail in the western part of the sea, contribute to increased wind and increase. Pacific cyclones, which prevail in the southeastern part of the sea, bring strong winds and cloudy weather. On the coasts with a mountainous landscape, the Pacific cyclone contributes to the formation of a strong wind - foehn. As a result of this storm wind, the temperature rises, while the air becomes less.

In summer, they form over the sea, and over land - lowered. In this regard, the winds blow mainly from the north. At the beginning of the warm season, the winds are not yet gaining sufficient strength, but by the middle of summer their average speed is 6-7 m/s. By the end of summer, the western part of the sea turns into zones of strong storms. At this time, this section becomes the most dangerous along the entire route of the Northern sea ​​route. Very often the wind speed reaches 10 - 15 m/s. Such strong winds are not observed in the southeastern part of the sea. The wind speed here can only increase in connection with the hair dryers. The constant winds of the north and northeast directions contribute to the maintenance of low air temperatures. In the northern part of the sea, the average July temperature is about 0 - +1°C, in coastal areas the temperature is slightly higher than +2 - 3°C. The influence of ice affects the decrease in the temperature of the northern part of the sea. In the southern part of the sea, proximity to a warm mainland contributes to an increase in temperature. For the East Siberian Sea in summer time cloudy is typical. Very often there are light rains, and occasionally even sleet.

East-Siberian Sea

In autumn, the influence of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans is weakened, which affects the decrease. Thus, the East Siberian Sea is characterized by a cold summer; unstable windy weather in the western and eastern regions of the sea in the summer-autumn period and calm in the central territories.

A small amount enters the East Siberian Sea river waters. During the year, the volume is approximately 250 km3. (the largest river flowing into this sea) brings about 132 km 3 per year. One more Indigirka gives 59 km3. The rest of the rivers flowing into the East Siberian Sea are small, so they discharge a small amount of water. The largest number fresh water enters southern part seas. The maximum flow occurs in the summer. Due to the small amount fresh water does not enter far into the sea, but mainly spreads near the mouths of rivers. Due to the fact that the East Siberian Sea has big sizes, river runoff does not have a significant effect on it.

The waters of the East Siberian Sea are relatively clean. Only in the bay of Pevek, slight water pollution has been noted, but recently the ecological situation has been improving here. The waters of the Chaun Bay are slightly polluted with hydrocarbons.

East-Siberian Sea- marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean, located between the New Siberian Islands and Wrangel Island. Surface area 913,600 km². Already from the name it is clear that this sea is located off the northern coast of Eastern Siberia. The borders of the East Siberian Sea are mainly conditional lines, and only in some parts it is limited by land. The waters of this sea communicate well with the waters of the Arctic Ocean, therefore the East Siberian Sea belongs to the type of continental marginal seas. There are very few islands in the waters of the East Siberian Sea. The coastline of the sea has large bends.

seafaring

In the first half of the 17th century, the Cossacks who mastered Kolyma and Indigirka went downstream, went out to sea and went to Taimyr, where they reached the Yenisei, on the banks of which they hunted, by drag. First exploratory voyage historical era made by the Yakut Cossack Mikhailo Stadukhin in 1644. In June 1648, Stadukhin's assistant Semyon Dezhnev traveled the entire eastern part of the sea from the mouth of the Kolyma and further through the Long Strait and the Bering Strait to the Gulf of Anadyr, where he founded the city of Anadyr. Thus, in 1648 the possibility of through navigation along the entire coast of the East Siberian Sea was shown.

The mainland shores of the sea and islands were described in the first half of the 18th century by the Great Northern Expedition. All these discoveries were made not on ships, but on sleds. In 1823, from the Chukchi, Wrangel heard a story about a large island in the north (not yet discovered Wrangel Island), where storms sometimes carried fishing boats. Wrangel Island was discovered in 1849 by the British frigate Herald, approaching it from the Chukchi Sea. West Coast The islands were discovered in 1867 by the American whaler Thomas Long on the schooner "Nile", whose ship passed between the mainland and the island through the strait, which is now called Long's Strait. In September 1875, the East Siberian Sea was crossed on the sail-steam vessel "Vega" by Baron Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, the first navigator who managed to pass the Northern Sea Route along the entire coast of Asia. Next, the De Long Islands were discovered. In 1913, the icebreaking ships Taimyr and Vaigach discovered the island, which was named after Vilkitsky, an assistant to the head of the expedition. The last discovery was made by the next expedition of "Taimyr" and "Vaigach" on August 27, 1914, when Lieutenant Zhokhov, the watchman of the "Vaigach", noticed an island with coordinates 76 ° 10 "N 153 ° E, which received the name Zhokhov Island. After 1932 , when the icebreaker "Sibiryakov" passed the Northern Sea Route in one navigation, regular voyages of ships are made to the East Siberian Sea.

Bottom relief

The sea lies on the shelf. The underwater relief of the space occupied by the East Siberian Sea is a plain. This plain has a slight slope from the southwest to the northeast. The bottom of the sea is predominantly flat, without significant depressions and elevations. Most of the water expanses of the East Siberian Sea have a depth of up to 20 - 25 m. The deepest gutters are located on the sea bottom in the northeastern part of the mouths of the Indigirka and Kolyma rivers. There is an assumption that these trenches used to be areas of river valleys. But later these rivers were flooded with the sea. In the northeast of the sea there are quite deep places. Max Depth- 915 meters.

Climate and hydrological regime

The climate of the East Siberian Sea has a distinctive feature: the sea is influenced by the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The average temperature in January is approximately - 28 - 30 0 C. In winter, the weather is mostly clear. Only sometimes cyclones break the settled calm weather for several days. Atlantic cyclones, which prevail in the western part of the sea, contribute to increased wind and temperature rise. Pacific cyclones, which dominate the southeastern part of the sea, bring strong winds, snowstorms and cloudy weather. The average July temperature is about 0 + 4 0 C. The decrease in the temperature of the northern part of the sea is affected by the influence of Arctic ice. In the southern part of the sea, proximity to a warm mainland contributes to an increase in temperature. Cloudy weather is typical for the East Siberian Sea in summer. Very often there are light rains, and occasionally even sleet.

Sea water temperatures are low, in the north they are close to −1.8°C both in winter and summer. To the south in summer the temperature rises in the upper layers to 5°C. The salinity of the sea is different in the western and eastern parts seas. River runoff leads to a decrease in salinity to 10-15‰, and in the mouths of large rivers to almost zero. With depth, salinity rises to 32‰. Almost the whole year the sea is covered with ice. In the eastern part of the sea, even in summer, floating multi-year ice.

Flora and fauna

vegetable and animal world The East Siberian Sea is poor due to severe ice conditions. But in the areas adjacent to the mouths of the rivers, there are omul, whitefish, grayling, polar smelt, navaga, polar cod and flounder, salmon - char and nelma. From mammals there are walrus, seals, polar bear; birds - guillemots, gulls, cormorants.

Economic importance

The coastal zone is characterized as an area with weak economic activity. The fishing industry has local meaning. The Northern Sea Route passes through the East Siberian Sea; the main port of Pevek (Chaun Bay). The East Siberian Sea is a promising oil and gas region, the development of which is difficult due to harsh natural conditions.

Ecology

The waters of the East Siberian Sea are relatively clean. Only in the bay of Pevek, slight water pollution has been noted, but recently the ecological situation has been improving here. The waters of the Chaun Bay are slightly polluted with petroleum hydrocarbons.

Already from the name it is clear that this sea is located off the northern coast of Eastern Siberia. The borders of the East Siberian Sea are mainly conditional lines, and only in some parts it is limited by land. From the west, the boundary of the sea runs along Kotelny Island and further along the eastern boundary of the Laptev Sea. The northern boundary coincides with the edge of the continental shelf. From the east, the boundary of the sea runs along the meridian of 1800 east longitude to Wrangel Island, then along the northwestern coast of this island to Cape Blossom and Cape Yakan, located on the mainland. From the southern part, the East Siberian Sea is limited by the coastline of the mainland (from Cape Yakan to Cape Svyatoy Nos).

The waters of this sea communicate well with the waters of the Arctic Ocean, therefore the East Siberian Sea belongs to the type of continental marginal seas. Within the boundaries outlined, the area of ​​this sea is 913 thousand km2. The volume of water is approximately equal to 49 thousand km3. The average depth of the sea is 54 m, the maximum depth is 915 m.

There are very few islands in the waters of the East Siberian Sea. The coastline of the sea has large bends. Thus, in some places the sea pushes the boundaries of the land inland, and in some places the land protrudes into the sea. There are also areas with almost flat coastline. Small meanders are formed mainly in the mouths of rivers. The relief of the western and eastern coasts of the East Siberian Sea is very different. The coast, which washes the sea from the New Siberian Islands to the mouth of the Kolyma, has a fairly monotonous landscape. Here the sea borders on areas of swampy tundra. These places are characterized by low and gently sloping shores. The coast, located east of Kalyma, has a more diverse landscape, mostly mountains prevail here. As far as the island of Aion, the sea is bordered by small hills, which sometimes have steep slopes. In the area of ​​the Chaun Bay there are low but steep banks.

The underwater relief of the space occupied by the East Siberian Sea is a plain. This plain has a slight slope from the southwest to the northeast. The bottom of the sea is predominantly flat, without significant depressions and elevations. Most of the water expanses of the East Siberian Sea have a depth of up to 20 - 25 m. The deepest trenches are located on the sea bottom in the northeastern part of the mouths of the Indigira and Kolyma rivers. There is an assumption that these trenches used to be areas of river valleys. But later these rivers were flooded with the sea. The western part of the sea is characterized by a shallow depth; this area is called the Novosibirsk Shoal. In the northeast of the sea there are quite deep places. But even here the depth does not exceed 100 m.

East-Siberian Sea

The East Siberian Sea is located in high latitudes, not far from the permanent ice of the Arctic Ocean. The sea also borders on a wide part of the mainland. In connection with this location, the climate of the East Siberian Sea has a distinctive feature: the sea is influenced by the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Cyclones formed over the Atlantic Sea sometimes enter the western part of the sea. The eastern regions of the sea are accessible to cyclones of Pacific origin. Thus, the climate of the East Siberian Sea can be characterized as polar maritime, which is greatly influenced by the continent. The peculiarity of the continental climate is significantly manifested in winter and summer. During the transitional seasons, they do not significantly affect, since during these periods the atmospheric processes are unstable.

In winter, the Siberian maximum has a great influence on the climate of the East Siberian Sea. This causes the predominance of southwestern and southern winds, the speed of which reaches 6 - 7 m/s. These winds move from the continent and therefore contribute to the spread of cold air. The average temperature in January is approximately - 28 - 300C. In winter, the weather is mostly clear. Only sometimes cyclones break the settled calm weather for several days. Atlantic cyclones, which prevail in the western part of the sea, contribute to increased wind and temperature rise. Pacific cyclones, which dominate the southeastern part of the sea, bring strong winds, snowstorms and cloudy weather. On the coasts with a mountainous landscape, the Pacific cyclone contributes to the formation of a strong wind - foehn. As a result of this storm wind, the temperature rises, while the humidity of the air becomes less.

In summer, high pressure zones form over the sea, and low pressure zones over land. In this regard, the winds blow mainly from the north. At the beginning of the warm season, the winds are not yet gaining sufficient strength, but by the middle of summer their average speed is 6-7 m/s. By the end of summer, the western part of the sea turns into zones of strong storms. At this time, this section becomes the most dangerous along the entire route of the Northern Sea Route. Very often the wind speed reaches 10 - 15 m/s. Such strong winds are not observed in the southeastern part of the sea. The wind speed here can only increase in connection with the hair dryers. Constant winds of northern and northeastern directions contribute to the preservation of low air temperatures. In the northern part of the sea, the average July temperature is about 0 - +10C, in coastal areas the temperature is slightly higher than +2 - 30C. The decrease in temperature in the northern part of the sea is affected by the influence of Arctic ice. In the southern part of the sea, proximity to a warm mainland contributes to an increase in temperature. Cloudy weather is typical for the East Siberian Sea in summer. Very often there are light rains, and occasionally even sleet.

East-Siberian Sea

In autumn, the influence of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans is weakened, which affects the decrease in air temperature. Thus, the East Siberian Sea is characterized by a cold summer; unstable windy weather in the western and eastern regions of the sea in the summer-autumn period and calm in the central territories.

A small amount of river water enters the East Siberian Sea. During the year, the volume of continental runoff is approximately 250 km3. Kolyma (the largest river flowing into this sea) brings about 132 km3 per year. Another large river Indigirka gives 59 km3. The rest of the rivers flowing into the East Siberian Sea are small, so they discharge a small amount of water. The largest amount of fresh water enters the southern part of the sea. The maximum flow occurs in the summer. Due to the small amount, fresh water does not enter far into the sea, but mainly spreads near the mouths of rivers. Due to the fact that the East Siberian Sea is large, river runoff does not have a significant impact on it.

The waters of the East Siberian Sea are relatively clean. Only in the bay of Pevek, slight water pollution has been noted, but recently the ecological situation has been improving here. The waters of the Chaun Bay are slightly polluted with petroleum hydrocarbons.

In the first half of the 17th century, the Cossacks who mastered Kolyma and Indigirka went downstream, went out to sea and went to Taimyr, where they reached the Yenisei, on the banks of which they hunted, by drag. This is confirmed by the decree of 1638 to the Yakut governor: “Take care so that no one crosses the trade and industrial people from the Kolyma, Indigirka, Lena rivers to Pyasina and Lower Tunguska.”
The first exploratory voyage in the historical era was made by the Yakut Cossack Mikhailo Stadukhin in 1644. His detachment built a ship (koch) on the Indigirka, went down to the mouth and reached the Kolyma by sea, where Stadukhin founded the Nizhnekolymsky prison. In 1645, Stadukhin returned by sea to Lena, from where he began his campaign.

Stadukhin's assistant Semyon Dezhnev 5 in June 1648 on 7 koches passed the entire eastern part of the sea from the mouth of the Kolyma and further through the Long Strait and the Bering Strait to the Gulf of Anadyr, where he founded the city of Anadyr. Thus, in 1648 the possibility of through navigation along the entire coast of the East Siberian Sea was shown.

The mainland shores of the sea were described in the first half of the 18th century by the Great Northern Expedition. were discovered by 1811: the Big and Small Lyakhovsky Islands in 1712 by Mercury Vagin and Yakov Permyakov, the Anjou Islands later - about. Boiler house in 1773 by Ivan Lyakhov, its Faddeevsky peninsula in 1805 by Yakov Sannikov, Fr. New Siberia in 1806 by the fishermen of the merchants Syrovatsky, Bunge Land in 1811 by Sannikov. The coast from the mouth of the Kolyma to Cape Shelagsky was described in 1820 by Ferdinand Wrangel, who in 1821 mapped the Bear Islands. The Chanu Bay was described in 1822 by Wrangel's assistant Fyodor Matyushkin8, the coast from Cape Shelagsky to the Chukchi Sea - by Wrangel in 1823. All these discoveries were made not on ships, but on sleds. In 1823, Wrangel heard a story from the Chukchi about a large island in the north (), where storms sometimes carried fishing boats.

Vilkitsky Island, the death of the ship "Hoarfrost", the crew escaped

The average depth is 66 meters, the greatest is 155 meters. Most of the year the sea is covered with ice. Salinity from 5 ‰ - near the mouths of the rivers to 30 ‰ - in the north.
Rivers flow into the sea: Indigirka, Kolyma.
There are several bays on the coast of the sea: Chaunskaya Bay, Omulyakhskaya Bay, Khromskaya Bay, Kolyma Bay, Kolyma Bay.
Large, Lyakhovsky, De Long Islands. There are no islands in the center of the sea.
Fishing for walrus, seal; fishing.
The main port is Pevek, the Ambarchik bay is also used.

East Siberian Sea Bennett Island, Cross in honor of the 100th anniversary of Kolchak's expedition

The sea lies on the shelf.
In the eastern part, the depths reach up to 54 meters, in the western and central parts - 20 meters, in the north they reach up to 200 meters (this depth is taken as the isobath - the boundary of the sea). The maximum depth is 915 meters.

Almost the whole year the sea is covered with ice. In the eastern part of the sea, floating perennial ice remains even in summer. From the coast, they can be driven north by winds from the mainland.
Ice drifts in a northwesterly direction as a result of water circulation under the influence of anticyclones near the North Pole. After the weakening of the anticyclone, the area of ​​cyclonic circulation increases and multi-year ice enters the sea.

Sea water temperatures are low, in the north they are close to -1.8 °C both in winter and in summer. To the south, in summer, the temperature rises in the upper layers to 5 °C. At the edge of the ice fields, the temperature is 1-2 °C. Maximum values the water temperature reaches by the end of summer in the mouths of the rivers (up to 7 °C).
The salinity of the water is different in the western and eastern parts of the sea. In the eastern part of the sea near the surface, it is usually about 30 ppm. River runoff in the eastern part of the sea leads to a decrease in salinity to 10-15 ppm, and in the mouths of large rivers to almost zero. Near ice fields, salinity increases to 30 ppm. With depth, salinity rises to 32 ppm.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, the sea was called differently, including Kolyma, Indigirskoe.

Indigirskaya Bay, the mouth of the Indigirka East Siberian Sea

GEOGRAPHY OF THE EAST SIBERIAN SEA
The name itself indicates that the sea washes the northern shores of Eastern Siberia. It is partly limited by natural boundaries, and in many places by imaginary lines. Its western border runs from the point of intersection of the meridian of the northern tip of about. Boiler house with the edge of the continental shoal (79°N, 139°E) to the northern tip of this island (Cape Anisii), then along its western coast and further along the eastern border of the Laptev Sea. The northern boundary runs along the edge of the continental shelf from the point with coordinates 79°N. sh., 139 ° in. to the point with coordinates 76° N. latitude, 180° east and the eastern border from the point with these coordinates along the 180° meridian, then along its northwestern coast to Cape Blossom and further to Cape Yakan on the mainland. The southern border runs along the mainland coast from Cape Yakan to Cape Svyatoy Nos (the western border of the Dmitry Laptev and Sannikov Straits).

By geographic location and hydrological conditions different from the ocean with which the sea freely communicates, it belongs to the type of continental marginal seas. Within the accepted boundaries, the East Siberian Sea has the following dimensions: area 913 thousand km2, volume 49 thousand km3, average depth 54 m, maximum depth 915 m.

The sea is poor in islands. The coastline of the East Siberian Sea forms large bends, in some places going deep into the land, in some places protruding into the sea, between which there are sections with a flat coastline. Small meanders are rare and are usually confined to the mouths of rivers. By the nature of the landscapes, the western part of the coast of the East Siberian Sea differs sharply from the eastern part. In the area from to the mouth of the Kolyma, the banks are monotonous. Here the swampy tundra approaches the sea. The shores are low and gently sloping. The eastern Kolyma coast becomes mountainous, and its dull monotony ends. From the mouth of the Kolyma to about. Aion directly to the water approach low hills, abruptly breaking off in some places. The Chaun Bay is framed by low, but steep, even banks. Different in relief and structure, the coast of the sea in different areas refers to different morphological types of coasts (). The underwater relief of the shelf that forms the bed of this sea, in in general terms is a plain sloping from the southwest to the northeast. The bottom of the sea does not have significant depressions and elevations. Depths up to 20-25 m predominate. To the northeast of the mouths of the Indigirka and Kolyma, relatively deep trenches () are marked on the seabed. It is believed that these are traces of ancient river valleys, now flooded by the sea. The area of ​​shallow depths in the western part of the sea forms the Novosibirsk shoal. The greatest depths are concentrated in the northeastern part of the sea, but nowhere do they exceed 100 m. A sharp increase in depth occurs in the range from 100 to 200 m.

Cape Shelagsky East Siberian Sea

SEA CLIMATE
Located in high latitudes, near the permanent ice of the Arctic Basin and the vast Asian continent, the East Siberian Sea is characterized by a certain climatic feature: it is located in the zone of contact between the atmospheric action of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Although rare, cyclones of Atlantic origin still penetrate into the western part of the sea, and Pacific cyclones penetrate into its eastern regions. All this characterizes the climate of the East Siberian Sea as polar maritime, but with a significant influence of the continent. Its main features are clearly seen in winter and summer, and to a lesser extent in transitional seasons, when large-scale baric fields are rearranged and atmospheric processes are unstable.

In winter, the main influence on the sea is exerted by the spur of the Siberian High, which extends to its coast, while the crest of the Polar Anticyclone is less pronounced. In this regard, southwestern and southern winds prevail over the sea at a speed of 6–7 m/s. They bring cold air from the continent with them, so average monthly temperature Air temperature in January stays around -28-30°. Winter is characterized by calm clear weather, which is disturbed on some days by cyclonic intrusions. Atlantic cyclones in the west of the sea cause increased winds and some warming, while Pacific cyclones, which have cold continental air in the rear, only increase wind speed, cloudiness and cause snowstorms in the southeastern part of the sea. In the mountainous areas of the coast, the passage of Pacific cyclones is associated with the formation of a local wind, the foehn. It usually reaches storm strength here, brings with it a slight increase in temperature and a decrease in air humidity.

In summer, the pressure over the mainland of Asia is lowered, and over the sea it is increased, so the northerly winds prevail. At the beginning of the season they are very weak, but during the summer the wind speed gradually increases, reaching an average of 6-7 m/s. By the end of summer, the western part of the East Siberian Sea becomes one of the most stormy sections of the Northern Sea Route. Often the wind blows at a speed of 10-15 m/s. southeastern part the seas are much calmer. The strengthening of the wind here is associated with hair dryers. Steady north and northeast winds cause low air temperatures. The average July temperature is only 0–+1° in the north of the sea and +2–3° in coastal areas. The decrease in temperature from south to north is explained by the cooling effect of ice and the warming effect of the mainland. Over the summer East Siberian Sea The weather is mostly cloudy with light drizzle. Sometimes it snows.

Autumn is characterized by an almost complete absence of heat returns, which is explained by the remoteness of the sea from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and, accordingly, their weak influence on atmospheric processes in this season. Relatively cold summers throughout the sea, stormy weather at the end of summer and especially in autumn in the marginal regions of the sea, and calm in its central part are the characteristic climatic features of the sea.

mouth of the Kolyma River in early summer East Siberian Sea

RIVER FLOW
In contrast to the Kara and Laptev Seas, the continental runoff into the East Siberian Sea is relatively small. It is about 250 km3/year, i.e., only 10% of the total river runoff to all Arctic seas. The largest of the rivers flowing into it (Kolyma) produces 132 km3 of water per year, the second largest river (Indigirka) discharges 59 km3 of water per year. All other rivers pour about 35 km3 of water into the sea during the same time. All river water enters the southern part of the sea, and approximately 90% of the runoff falls, as in other Arctic seas, during the summer months. The low power of the streams does not allow river water to spread far from the mouths even during the maximum runoff. In this regard, with such a vast size of the East Siberian Sea, coastal runoff does not significantly affect its general hydrological regime, but only causes some hydrological features coastal areas in the summer.

The change in water temperature with depth in winter and spring is hardly noticeable. Only near the mouths of large rivers does it decrease from −0.5° in the subglacial horizons to −1.5° near the bottom. In summer, in ice-free spaces, the water temperature drops slightly from the surface to the bottom in coastal zone in the west of the sea. In its eastern part, the surface temperature is observed in the 3–5 m layer, from where it sharply drops to 5–7 m horizons and then it gradually decreases to the bottom. In the zones of influence of coastal runoff, a uniform temperature covers a layer up to 7-10 m, between horizons of 10-15-20 m it sharply, and then gradually decreases to the bottom. The shallow, slightly warm East Siberian Sea is one of the coldest Arctic seas in our country.

Surface salinity generally increases from southwest to northeast. In winter and spring, it is 4–5‰ near the mouths of the Kolyma and Indigirka, reaches 24–26‰ near the Bear Islands, increases to 28–30‰ in the central regions of the sea, and rises to 31–32‰ at its northern margins. In summer, as a result of the inflow of river waters and the melting of ice, the surface salinity decreases to 18–22‰ in the coastal zone, 20–22‰ near the Bear Islands, and 24–26‰ in the north near the edge of melting ice (see Fig. 26, b).

Salinity increases with depth. In winter, in most of the expanses of the sea, it slightly rises from the surface to the bottom. Only in northwestern region where they penetrate ocean waters from the north, salinity increases from 23‰ in the upper layer 10–15 m thick to 30‰ near the bottom. Near the estuarine sections, the upper desalinated layer up to horizons of 10-15 m is underlain by more saline waters. From the end of spring and during the summer, a desalinated layer 20–25 m thick forms in ice-free spaces, in which the salinity increases with depth. Consequently, in shallow areas (down to depths of 20-25 m), freshening covers the entire water column. In deeper areas in the north and east of the sea, at horizons of 5-7-10 m, in some places 10-15 m, salinity increases sharply, and then gradually and slightly rises to the bottom. The horizontal and vertical distribution of salinity in the sea is largely determined by the ice conditions and continental runoff.

Temperature and mainly salinity determine the density of water. In accordance with this, in the autumn-winter season, the water is denser than in spring and summer. The density is greater in the north and east than in the west of the sea, where desalinated waters from the Laptev Sea penetrate. However, these differences are small. Generally density increases with depth. Its vertical distribution is similar to the course of salinity in the water column.

The different degree of interbedding of waters in terms of density creates unequal conditions for the development of mixing in different areas East Siberian Sea. In relatively weakly stratified and ice-free spaces, strong winds in summer mix the water up to horizons of 20–25 m. Consequently, in areas limited by a depth of 25 m, wind mixing extends to the bottom. In places of sharp stratification of waters in density, wind mixing penetrates only to horizons of 10-15 m, where it is limited by significant vertical density gradients.

Autumn-winter convection in the East Siberian Sea at depths of 40–50 m, which occupy more than 72% of its total area, penetrates to the bottom. By the end of the cold season, the winter vertical circulation extends to horizons of 70–80 m, where it is limited either by the bottom or by the stable density structure of the waters.

Due to the shallow water and the absence of deep trenches extending beyond the northern limits of the East Siberian Sea, the vast majority of its spaces from the surface to the bottom are occupied by surface Arctic waters with the corresponding characteristics. Only in relatively limited estuarine areas is a kind of water formed as a result of mixing river and sea waters. It is characterized by high temperature and low salinity.

Kolyma Bay East Siberian Sea

CURRENTS AND TIDES
Constant currents on the surface of the East Siberian Sea form a weakly expressed cyclonic circulation (see Fig. 27). Along the mainland coast, a steady transfer of water from west to east is expressed. At Cape Billings, some of them are directed to the north and northwest, carried to the northern margins of the sea, where they are included in the stream going to the west. In different synoptic situations, the movement of waters also changes. In some cases, outward currents prevail, and in others, pressure currents, for example, in the area of ​​the Long Strait. Part of the water from the East Siberian Sea is carried through this strait to the Chukchi Sea. Permanent currents are often disturbed by wind currents, which are often stronger than permanent currents. The influence of tidal currents is relatively small.

Regular semidiurnal tides are observed in the East Siberian Sea. They are caused by a tidal wave that enters the sea from the north and moves towards the coast of the mainland. Its front is stretched from the north-north-west to the east-south-east in to about. Wrangel.

The tides are most clearly expressed in the northwest and in the north, where the tidal wave only enters the sea. As they move south, they weaken, since the ocean tidal wave is largely extinguished in shallow water, so in the area from Indigirka to Cape Shelagsky, tidal level fluctuations are almost not noticeable. To the west and east of this area, the tide is also small (5-7 cm). At the mouth of the Indigirka, the configuration of the shores and the relief of the bottom contribute to an increase in tides up to 20-25 cm. Changes in the level caused by meteorological reasons are much more developed on the coast of the mainland.

The annual course of the sea level is characterized by its highest position in June-July, when there is an abundant inflow of river waters. The decrease in continental runoff in August leads to a decrease in the level by 50-70 cm. As a result of the predominance of surge winds in autumn, the level rises in October. In winter, the level decreases and in March-April reaches its lowest position.

IN summer season surge phenomena are very pronounced, in which level fluctuations are often 60-70 cm. At the mouth of the Kolyma and in the Dmitry Laptev Strait, they reach maximum values ​​for the entire sea (2.5 m). Rapid and abrupt changes in level positions are one of the characteristic features coastal areas of the sea.

Hydrobase on the island of New Siberia, the coast of the East Siberian Sea

ICE CONDITION
Significant waves develop in the ice-free areas of the sea. It is strongest during stormy northwestern and southeastern winds, which have the largest accelerations over the surface of clear water. The maximum wave heights reach 5 m, usually their height is 3-4 m. Strong waves are observed mainly in late summer - early autumn (September), when the ice edge recedes to the north. West Side the sea is more stormy than the eastern one. Its central regions are relatively calm.

The East Siberian Sea is the most arctic of the seas of the Soviet Arctic. From October-November to June-July it is completely covered with ice (see Fig. 28). At this time, the flow of ice from the Central Arctic Basin to the sea prevails, in contrast to other seas of the Arctic, where outward ice drift prevails. A characteristic feature of the ice of the East Siberian Sea is the significant development of fast ice in winter. At the same time, it is most widely distributed in the western shallow part of the sea and occupies a narrow coastal strip in the east. In the west of the sea, the fast ice strip reaches 400-500 km wide, connecting with the fast ice of the Laptev Sea, in the central regions - 250-300 km, and east of Cape Shelagsky - 30-40 km. The boundary of the fast ice approximately coincides with the 25 m isobath, which runs 50 km to the north, then turns southeast, approaching the coast of the mainland at Cape Shelagsky. By the end of winter, the thickness of fast ice reaches 2 m. From west to east, the thickness of fast ice decreases. Drifting ice is located behind the fast ice. Usually this is one-year and two-year ice 2-3 m thick. In the very north of the sea, multi-year Arctic ice is found. The prevailing southerly winds in winter often carry drifting ice away from the northern edge of the fast ice. As a result, significant expanses of clear water and young ice appear, forming the Novosibirsk in the west and Zavrangel in the east stationary ice polynyas.

At the beginning of summer, after fast ice breaks up and breaks up, the ice edge changes its position under the influence of winds and currents. However, ice is always found north of the New Siberian Islands. In the western part of the sea, on the site of extensive fast ice, the Novosibirsk ice mass is formed. It consists mainly of first-year ice and usually breaks up by the end of summer. The vast majority of spaces in the east of the sea are occupied by the spur of the Ayon oceanic ice mass, which largely forms heavy multi-year ice. Its southern periphery almost adjoins the coast of the mainland throughout the year, complicating ice conditions in the sea.

In the same seasons, there is a rather high content (from 25 to 40 μg/l) of phosphates in sea ​​water. This is due to the weak development of phytoplankton under the ice cover. In spring and summer, active gas exchange with the atmosphere and intense photosynthesis lead to an increase in the relative oxygen content in water up to 105-110% saturation. Phytoplankton, which develops rapidly, especially near the ice edge, actively consumes phosphates, due to which their content in the water drops to 20 and even to 10 µg/l.

East Siberian Sea Port City Pevek

Economic use.
The hard-to-reach East Siberian Sea is mainly used for transportation as part of the Northern Sea Route, through which transit traffic passes and supplies go through the port of Pevek to the northern regions of Eastern Siberia. Estuary fishing and sea animal production in coastal waters are of importance only to local residents.

The problems of studying the East Siberian Sea are similar to the problems of studying other Arctic seas. However, here more attention is paid to the study of the ice coverage of the sea, the behavior of the Ayon ice massif (the main obstacle to navigation), sea level fluctuations and their forecasts, currents, ice drift, etc. Important tasks are operational maintenance of navigation, finding ways to extend its time , the choice of the most rational shipping routes and other scientific and applied issues, the solution of which is associated with the further economic development of the sea.

Bear Islands East Siberian Sea

JOURNEY FROM TAIMYR TO CHUKOTKA
The idea to make a "round the world" trip along the Arctic Circle is as old as the world. Many enthusiasts set off on their journey, dreaming of closing the ring of their route, bypassing the northern cap of our planet along a conditional line, to the north of which the same Arctic begins, like a magnet attracting everyone who has ever visited its expanses. Incredible adventure waited for travelers on this heavy and dangerous path, which, as a rule, lasted more than one year. Brave people went to dog sledding, on foot or on skis, sailed on kayaks and yachts, traveled on snowmobiles and even took to the air on balloons to cross the northern part of the Atlantic, cross the Bering Strait.
Our main task was to ensure that the planned route could be covered by a single team, choosing a method of movement that would be equally suitable for the expanses of the tundra, and for the Arctic low forests, and for the drifting ice of the Arctic Ocean. Better than any other technique, the Antarctic wheeled all-terrain vehicles that we assembled in order to reach the South Pole could meet these requirements.
But before you hit the road, it was necessary to maximize their reliability. That is, practically create a new machine that would incorporate into its design all the positive experience of our all-terrain vehicles of previous models, only would have even higher technical performance and maximum reliability. On such machines, we intended to make an attempt to pass the ring route along the coast of the Arctic Ocean. I must say that the new machines are really successful. There were no serious problems with the technique, and adventures, as one might expect from the very beginning, would be enough for more than one scenario of an adventure film.
Our path, with a total length of at least 25,000 km, which was called the "Polar Ring", we divided into three stages. At the first stage of the expedition, which passed along the Russian coast from Yamal to Chukotka, over 6,000 kilometers were covered in 50 days of travel. The second was to connect the coasts of Russia with the coasts of Greenland and Canada and pass through the point of the North Pole. The third and final stage is scheduled for the summer of 2004: starting in the Canadian village of Resolute Bay, passing along the coast of Alaska and overcoming the Bering Strait, we will again finish in Chukotka.

Chaun Bay, Bolshoi Routan Island

May 11, 2002. thirty fifth day
On this day we left Tiksi. The day before, I had to spend the whole day in the car repair shops at the frontier post - they put the cars in order. Passed already most of route, but last days they got a lot. These are heavy hummocks in the area of ​​Bolshoi Begichev Island, and real sandstorms in the Olenek channel, and encounters with the first spring water. In the mouths of small rivers and streams, water accumulates under the snow, forming large ice floes, or even just lakes. And yet, we were most struck by what we met in the middle reaches of the Olenek channel on the Lena River.
The river has formed here an endless number of sandbars, spits, islands, which are the very gigantic delta of the Lena River. The coast is low. It was not always possible to understand whether we were moving on ice or on the ground. Winds constantly blow from the mainland, gaining strength in the expanses of Lena, their strength is such that snow cover does not form. Some kind of dense gray mass, tearing sand and small stones from the frozen sand dunes-sastrugi, rushes along the delta to the north, towards the Arctic Ocean. The air is filled with sand, which cuts the face, hands, knocks on clothes, hulls of all-terrain vehicles. You can't even open your eyes. Sand is stuffed into the car through the smallest cracks, forming sandy "drifts" in the most inappropriate places.
For a long time we remembered the overnight stay in the area of ​​Lake Kuogastakh-Aryta. A snow-sand storm completely deprived us of visibility. Wind - about 25 m / s. Cars simply glide in the wind, not obeying the helm, one has only to drive out onto clean ice. We barely managed to hide from the wind behind the steep bank of the cape, which goes into the channel, but this did not save us either. By morning, the cars were filled with some kind of gray-brown mixture of sand and snow. I'm terribly thirsty. Yesterday's dinner and today's breakfast are dry. It's scary even to think about water from melted snow.
Leaving Makar Island, we move along the coast of the Laptev Sea on May 16, 2002. fortieth day
We leave the island of Makar in the Janek Gulf. This island does not differ in anything special from dozens of others of the same kind in these parts, but there is one detail that turned it into an exceptionally attractive point for all radio amateurs in the world - not one of them has yet gone on the air from this island. And although it is difficult to say this - there was once a polar station and a lighthouse, but nevertheless, no one recorded the fact that it went on the air, and the IOTA international island radio program itself was born much later than the local polar station. And according to this, our radio operator Yuri Zaruba, who joined the route group in Nizhneyansk, could not hide his delight. The “radio discovery” of the island took place, and the distant English president of the IOTA radio program, having got in touch with Yuri, confirmed the decision of the special committee to assign the island special number AS-163, under which he entered all the amateur radio catalogs of the world.
There are some substitutions in our team. Vyacheslav Gosudarev had to fly from Tigsi to Moscow. There were several reasons, but one of the main ones was to save the photo archive and all the other information accumulated in the computer, which, having swallowed burning and sand, “forgot” all the passwords and did not want to continue working in any way.
In Nizhneyansk we were joined by Vitaly Zaruba from Novosibirsk, permanent radio operator of many of our expeditions. In general, Nizhneyansk today is a ready-made scenery for a horror movie. The most daring fantasies of the director who tried to draw an abandoned city can hardly compete with what happens to this city in reality. We approached him in the dead of night, with whitish twilight lighting. The first thing we saw was some old high and completely endless barbed wire fence. Gray blocks of two-story houses with black eye sockets of broken windows stretched into the depths of the city, forming gloomy streets. Fallen lampposts, broken electrical wires, mountains of snow-covered rubbish, abandoned equipment.
We stopped in search of a passage through the fence encircling the city from the west, talking to each other by internal radio. Suddenly, the excited and well-known voice of Yura Zaruba, who is on duty on our frequency, intervenes in the conversation, knowing that we are on the way to the city. With his navigational accompaniment on the radio, we slowly moved through the night Nizhneyansk. Here is Pervomaiskaya street, here central square with a huge inscription on one of the buildings - the Umka Pool, here is the boiler room, reminiscent of the 4th block of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant after the disaster ... Another 15 minutes of a confused walk around the city, and we meet with Yuri, who was waiting for us in the hostel, - this is one of the few city buildings where there is water, however, in the form of rusty boiling water flowing from all taps. Most of it is without heat and water at all. But people who are forced to survive here in the full sense of the word are surprisingly responsive. Despite the mountains of their own problems, they find an opportunity to help us with housing, and with minor car repairs, and with gas stations.
We learned there about absolutely wild, in our opinion, things. Somewhere “above” an order was given to dismantle the houses and everything that could be useful in order to make a new settlement for the indigenous population somewhere nearby. In broad daylight, trucks drove up and took out somewhere what could still be used for construction. Often, in excitement, they took over those houses in which Russians still lived, so often on the doors of the entrances one could see the inscriptions: “Do not break! We still live here!”
After the strongest blizzard, which we sat out in Nizhneyansk, it became sharply warmer. It flowed from the roofs, the snow was saturated with water, the ice crust became sour. At the exit from the city, we drove past the traditional for Soviet times "Honor Board". A rusted profile of Lenin cut out of metal, banners red with rust, torn off from the stand and emitting an ominous rattle in the wind. Above are the remains of an inscription calling for the implementation of the decisions of some congress of the CPSU. They tried not to look around, so as not to see this painful picture ...

We connect the cars in pairs and so, insuring and helping each other, we leave for several kilometers from the coast. And soon they got used to the position of "waterfowl", gradually gaining the first experience of moving through large open spaces.
Cars keep afloat due to the displacement of six large wheels. And since there is no special mover for water, we move only due to their rotation. In the cockpit, the water reached almost to the seats. The pedals and the battery are under water, the generator on the engine is also. The main thing was to keep the engines from getting water into the air intakes.
We just left Aion Island, trying to get on stronger ice
And therefore, it was necessary to move from the cockpit to the stern, so that the engine was at least a little higher, on the go. Moreover, the headwind strove to turn the cars sideways. The picture is absolutely fantastic, worthy of the brush of any eminent marine painter. It's just a pity that it was impossible to observe this picture from the side ...
But the time has come when all the tests are left behind. We are in the large and rather well-groomed Chukchi city of Pevek. Ahead is a long flight to Moscow through all of Russia.

P.S. Our cars remained in Chukotka to work in the State. By next spring, we had to make other...
And we made them. We will use them in March 2003 and will go first to the North Pole, and then further to Greenland and Canada. I am sure that it will be no less exciting journey, preparations for which we, without noticing it ourselves, began immediately, barely having time to return home, after the end of the first stage of the Polar Ring.

a Russian-owned archipelago in the Northern Arctic Ocean between the Laptev Sea and the East Siberian Sea, administratively belongs to Yakutia. The area is 38.4 thousand km². The New Siberian Islands are part of the conservation zone of the State nature reserve"Ust-Lensky".
It consists of 3 groups of islands: the Lyakhovsky Islands, the Anjou Islands and the De Long Islands.

The first information about the islands at the beginning of the 18th century was reported by the Cossack Yakov Permyakov, who sailed from the mouth of the Lena to the Kolyma. In 1712, as part of a Cossack detachment led by Mercury Vagin, he landed on Bolshoi Lyakhovsky Island.

Geology, geography, climate
Geologically, the archipelago is dominated by permafrost and underground ice. The bedrocks that are hidden under loose Quaternary deposits and thick deposits of fossil ice are limestone, shale with intrusions of granites and granodiorites.
In coastal cliffs, the remains of fossil plants and animals (mammoths, rhinos, wild horses, etc.) thaw out of sandy-clay soil covering fossil ice, indicating that the climate in this area was milder many millennia ago. The maximum height is 426 m (Bennett Island). The islands are dominated by an arctic climate. Winter is stable, there are no thaws from November to April. Snow cover lasts 9 months.
The prevailing temperatures in January are from -28 °C to -31 °C. In July, the temperature on the coast is usually up to 3 ° C, in the central part it is several degrees warmer, frosts are possible during the entire warm period, but there are no sharp temperature fluctuations due to the proximity of the sea. Annual rainfall is low (77 mm). The greatest amount of precipitation falls in August (18 mm). The largest river is the Balyktakh.
The landscape of the islands is arctic tundra, lakes and swamps.

Flora and fauna
The surface of the islands is covered with arctic tundra vegetation (mosses, lichens), flowering plants: polar poppy, buttercups, grains, saxifrage, spoon grass). Of the animals permanently inhabit: reindeer, arctic fox, lemming, polar bear. From birds - snowy owl, white partridge. The abundance of reservoirs here attracts in the summer: ducks, geese, waders. Seagulls, loons, guillemots, and guillemots live in coastal areas. The archipelago used to be fished for arctic fox.
A polar station has been operating on Kotelny Island since 1933.

winter hut
In the pre-Soviet and Soviet periods, the following temporary settlements existed on these islands:
O. Boiler room - Ambardakh, Bhak Karga, Bunge polar station, Angu (Anzhu) camp;
O. New Siberia - Biruli, Bolshoye Zimovye;
O. Bolshoy Lyakhovsky - Small Zimovye;
O. Small Lyakhovsky - Fedorovsky (Mikhailova).

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads
Shamraev Yu. I., Shishkina L. A. Oceanology. L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1980
http://tapemark.narod.ru/
The East Siberian Sea in the book: A. D. Dobrovolsky, B. S. Zalogin. Seas of the USSR. Moscow publishing house. un-ta, 1982.
http://www.vokrugsveta.ru/vs/article/444/
M. I. Belov In the footsteps polar expeditions. Part II. On archipelagos and islands
East Siberian Sea, Great Soviet Encyclopedia
http://www.pevek.ru
Vize V. Yu. // Seas of the Soviet Arctic: Essays on the history of research. - 2nd ed. - L .: Publishing House of the Glavsevmorput, 1939. - S. 180-217. — 568 p. - (Polar Library). — 10,000 copies.
http://www.polarpost.ru/Library/Belov-Po_sledam/main-po_sledam_expediciy.html
History of the discovery and development of the Northern Sea Route: In 4 volumes / Ed. Ya. Ya. Gakkelya, A. P. Okladnikova, M. B. Chernenko. - M.-L., 1956-1969.
Belov M. I. Scientific and economic development of the Soviet North in 1933-1945. - L .: Hydrometeorological Publishing House, 1969. - T. IV. — 617 p. — 2,000 copies.
http://www.photosight.ru/
photo: E. Gusev, A. Gorchukov
http://www.photohost.ru/
http://world.lib.ru/