Lake Baikal - legends, natural phenomena, anomalies, interesting facts. Lake Baikal - mysterious, mysterious, great

The younger generation had a chance to write a comprehensive work “What is Lake Baikal famous for?” The 4th grade of high school left not so much information in our memory. This is the most in the world, - people over forty will say. But this is not the only indicator that brings Lake Baikal into the category of champions. Well, let's update our information about this gem of Russia. It is not for nothing that the lake is called the sacred sea! It is rightfully considered a unique creation of Mother Nature, the pride and national treasure of Russia.

As a natural site, Baikal was included in 1996, at the twentieth session of UNESCO, in the World Heritage List of Humanity (number 754). What is the uniqueness of this lake? We will talk about this in our article.

Where is Lake Baikal located and what is famous for (briefly)

This natural unique attraction is located almost in the center of Asia. On the map of our country, the lake is located in Eastern Siberia, in its southernmost part. Administratively, it serves as the border between the Buryat Republic and the Irkutsk region of the Russian Federation. Baikal is so big that it can be seen even from space. It stretches like a blue crescent from the southwest to the northeast. Therefore, the local population often calls Baikal not a lake, but a sea. “Baigal dalai” is how the Buryats respectfully call it. The coordinates near the lake are: 53°13′ north latitude and 107°45′ east longitude.

What is Lake Baikal famous for? Let's look at its different parameters.

Depth

Let's start with common truths. Baikal is not only the deepest lake on the planet, but also the most impressive continental depression. This title was confirmed by scientific research conducted in 1983. The deepest place in the lake - 1642 meters from the surface of the water surface - has the coordinates of 53°14′59″ north latitude and 108°05′11″ east longitude. Thus, the lowest point of Baikal lies 1187 meters below sea level. And the lake has a height of 455 meters above the oceans.

The average depth of Baikal is also impressive: seven hundred and forty-four meters. Only two lakes in the world have an indicator of a kilometer between the water surface and the bottom. These are (1025 m) and Tanganyika (1470 m). The deepest - that's what Lake Baikal is famous for.

In English, in Google, a certain East is among the top three record holders. This lake was found in Antarctica. It has a depth of more than 1200 meters, and another four kilometers of ice rises above the water surface. Thus, we can say that the distance between the surface of the earth and the bottom of the East is more than five thousand meters. But this body of water is not a lake in the usual sense of the word. Rather, it is an underground (subglacial) reservoir of water.

Dimensions

The area of ​​this reservoir is 31,722 square kilometers. That is, the size of the lake is quite comparable with such European countries as Switzerland, Belgium or the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The length of Lake Baikal is six hundred and twenty kilometers, and the width varies between 24-79 km. At the same time, the coastline stretched for two thousand one hundred kilometers. And that's not counting the islands!

Dimensions - this is what Lake Baikal is famous for, although this indicator does not make it the largest on the planet. But the reservoir takes an honorable eighth place among the giants. Ahead are the Caspian (which is also a lake, although salty), the Upper in America, Victoria, Huron, Michigan, the Aral Sea and Tanganyika.

honorable age

Baikal is a lake of tectonic origin. This explains its record depth. But when did the tectonic fault occur? This question is still considered open among scientists. Traditionally, the age of Baikal is determined at 20-25 million years. This number seems fantastic. After all, lakes “live” on average about ten, in extreme cases, fifteen thousand years. Then alluvial deposits, silty sediments accumulate and change everything turns into a swamp, and it, after centuries, into a meadow. But Siberians are famous for their centenarians. And what Lake Baikal is famous for is its venerable age.

It should be said that the Siberian giant is also unique in other respects - hydrological. Baikal feeds about three hundred rivers, and only one flows out of it - the Angara. And one more uniqueness: seismic activity during a tectonic fault. From time to time, earthquakes occur at the bottom of the lake. In fact, the sensors record about two thousand of them annually. But sometimes there are large earthquakes. So, in 1959, from the shock, the bottom of the lake sank fifteen meters.

The Kudara earthquake of 1862 was the most memorable for the local residents, when a huge piece of land (200 sq. km) with six villages, in which one thousand three hundred people lived, went under water. This place in the delta is now called Proval Bay.

Unique fresh water tank

Despite the fact that the pearl of Siberia occupies only the eighth place in the world in terms of size, in terms of the volume of water it reaches the record. What is Lake Baikal famous for in this regard? Most of the water is in the Caspian. But it's salty in there. Thus, Baikal can be called the undisputed leader. It contains 23,615.39 cubic kilometers of water. This is about twenty percent of the total reserve of all lakes on the planet. To demonstrate the significance of this figure, let's imagine that we managed to block all three hundred rivers flowing into Baikal. But even then it would take Angara three hundred and eighty-seven years to drain the lake.

Unique fauna and flora

It is also strange that, despite the enormous depth of Baikal, there is benthic vegetation in the lake. This is due to seismic activity under the tectonic depression. Magma heats the bottom layers and enriches them with oxygen. Such warm water rises, and cold water sinks. Half of the 2600 species of animals and plants inhabiting the water area are endemic. Biologists are most surprised by the only mammal of the lake that lives 4 thousand kilometers from its marine counterparts and has adapted well to fresh water.

It is difficult to say which fish Lake Baikal is most famous for. Maybe it's a golomlyanka. She is viviparous. Her body contains up to 30 percent fat. She also surprises scientists with her daily migrations. Schools of fish rise for food from the dark depths to shallow water. The Baikal sturgeon, omul, whitefish, and grayling also live in the lake. And the bottom is covered with freshwater sponges.

Purity and transparency of water

With such an area of ​​the water surface and the presence of industrial enterprises nearby, it would be logical to think that Lake Baikal would become polluted. It wasn't there! The water here is not only drinkable, but close to distilled. You can drink it without fear. And it helps the lake to cleanse itself. This endemic one and a half millimeters in size acts as a natural filter: it passes water through itself, assimilating all the dirt. As a result, the pebbles at the bottom are clearly visible. Water transparency up to forty meters is what Lake Baikal is famous for. The photo of this unique reservoir demonstrates the majestic pristine beauty of nature. It depends on us whether we save it for posterity.

Baikal is one of the most famous lakes in the world. There are legends about him. It delights and surprises travelers and tourists. In size, it is a huge sea. The area of ​​the water surface is over 31 thousand km², and the length of the coastline is 2100 km. Therefore, it is one of the seven largest lakes in the world. It is not only the size of the water surface that is striking. Very beautiful and landscapes. The lake in the shape of an elongated crescent is surrounded by rocks, wooded mountains, cliffs. There are bays of extraordinary beauty with sandy beaches. Numerous islands on the lake are impressive, especially the largest Olkhon.

What is Lake Baikal famous for? This is a wonderful lake. It does not age, it is distinguished by its horizontal, as well as impressive vertical dimensions. The composition of the water, the richness and uniqueness of the flora and fauna are surprising. You won't see this anywhere else. About 2600 species and subspecies of animals and about 600 plant species live in the lake. Of these, more than half of the animals are endemic, that is, they cannot live in other waters and will die. This also applies to most aquatic plants. Baikal is included in the World Natural Heritage List.

forever young lake

The lake is 25-35 million years old. So many ordinary lakes do not exist. They can withstand no more than 15 thousand years, and then they fill with silt and die. Baikal never gets old. There is even a hypothesis that the lake is a nascent ocean. It expands by 2 cm per year. Therefore, Baikal is unique as a lake.

The lake is located in a large depression with a relief bottom. It passes through the earth's crust and is immersed in the mantle. Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. Its depth is 1642 m. According to this parameter, it is ahead of two other lakes of outstanding size, including the Caspian Sea. In this basin there are huge volumes of fresh water. This accounts for almost 20% of the world's fresh water resources.

miraculous water

Dozens of rivers and streams flow into Baikal, and only one flows out - the Angara. The main feature of Baikal water is its purity and transparency. The amazing beauty of stones, the natural world can be seen through the huge water column. This is due to the fact that it contains few suspended solids. A pure source of water is not a river. The water is purified by some living organisms in the lake itself. Water is like distilled. It has a lot of oxygen.

On a note! The lake is cold. Even in summer, the water is cool and warms up to about +9 °C, in the lower layers - +4 °C. However, in some bays it is quite comfortable to swim, as the water temperature can reach 23 °C.

In spring, the clean water surface of the lake is especially good. It seems blue, and the transparency is the largest - up to 40 m. This is due to the fact that the inhabitants of the lake in cold water have not yet multiplied enough. By summer, the water will warm up a little, and a lot of living organisms will develop. The water will turn green, and visibility in the water column will decrease by 3-4 times.

Baikal in winter

A story about Lake Baikal for children on the subject of the world will help prepare for the lesson.

Lake Baikal short message

Lake Baikal is the most mysterious and enigmatic. Tourists have admired its beauty for many years. 336 rivers and streams flow into the lake.

Depth of Lake Baikal an average of 730 m. The maximum depth of the lake is 1642 m. Even at a depth of 40 m, the bottom is perfectly visible.

Where is Lake Baikal located?

Baikal is located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia. The lake is located on the territory of the Republic of Buryatia, as well as the Irkutsk region.

How old is Baikal? It is difficult to give an exact number. Scientists traditionally determine the age of the lake at 25-35 million years.

Why is Baikal considered a unique natural phenomenon?

The main wealth of the lake is water, which makes up 90% of all fresh water reserves in Russia and 20% of global reserves. It is clean and transparent, and its oxygen saturation is 2 times higher than its content in ordinary reservoirs.
There are two reasons for this phenomenon:

• The solubility of oxygen in water depends on its temperature. The lower the temperature, the more oxygen in the water. The water in Lake Baikal is very cold. At a depth of 100 m it is not more than 3-4 °C.
• Algae also oxygenate the water.

Baikal water is also purified due to the activity of planktonic crustaceans. The crustaceans filter and absorb algae and bacteria cells. And clean water is returned to Baikal. Sponges, mollusks and worms contribute to water purification by eating various dying organisms.

Lake Baikal moderates the continental climate of these areas. Accumulating the heat received during the summer months, Baikal gives it back with the onset of winter cold.
Another inexplicable phenomenon is that the shores of the lake diverge at a rate of 1.5–2 cm per year.

Animals of Lake Baikal

More than 2600 species and subspecies of animals live in the lake, half of which live only in this reservoir. This lake is the only habitat for Baikal seals (seals).
The weight of Baikal seals can reach 130 kg and on land they become clumsy and defenseless.

In the waters of Baikal there are about 50 kinds of fish(omul, grayling, sturgeon, burbot).
Near Baikal live 200 bird species(ducks, herons, waders, representatives of the eagle family).

Problems of Baikal

In 1996, Baikal was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. But human activities and tourists cause enormous damage to the environment. As a result, the swamping of the once crystal clear Baikal reservoir has taken on rampant proportions.

Besides:

• pollute water by dumping waste from enterprises;
• The Irkutsk hydroelectric power station, built on the main source of Baikal - the Angara, causes the lake to become shallow;
• poaching leads to a decrease in the number of Baikal seals and omul, imperial eagles;
• Predatory deforestation combined with forest fires are destroying this protected area.

Lake Baikal message for grade 4 you can write using this information.

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- the greatest on our planet. It is inextricably linked with Russia and is one of its symbols. Located near the center of Asia, Lake Baikal is known far beyond this continent.

The Baikal basin was formed by tectonic processes: the lake lies in a deep depression, surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges. is the oldest lake in the world. He is about 25 million years old. During all this time, the shores of Baikal diverged at an average rate of 2 cm per year, and in the distant future, Baikal may turn into a real ocean. Baikal is the deepest lake on Earth. Its maximum depth is 1620 meters. This allows Baikal, with a relatively small surface area (31,500 km 2 .), to contain 20% of the world's fresh water reserves: 23 thousand km 3. Approximately the same amount contains all five Great Lakes of North America taken together - Superior, Michigan, Erie, Ontario and Huron. In order to fill the empty basin of Baikal, it would take the volume of water that all the rivers of the planet bring into the world ocean in 300 days. And another “Great Giant”, the Amazon River, would need to feed Baikal for four years to do this.

336 rivers flow into the lake, but the main role in the water balance of the lake is played by Selenga, contributing to the basin 50% of the annual inflow of water. At the same time, the lake gives life to only one river - Angara, on which the dam of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station was built in 1959, which raised the water level in Baikal by a meter. It is on the Angara, which is called the “daughter of Baikal”, that the largest Bratskoye reservoir on our planet with a volume of 169.3 km 3 was created. The water in Baikal is dark blue and so transparent that in June, when transparency reaches its maximum, one can observe forty-meter depths with the naked eye. It is curious that the water in the lake is fresher than the water of the rivers flowing into it, and its mineralization decreases with depth. Scientists have put forward a hypothesis about the existence of a permanent powerful superfresh source at the bottom of Lake Baikal. Until it is proven or disproven.

Water exchange of Lake Baikal

Speaking of exceptional purity, one of its inhabitants should be mentioned, thanks to which water from the lake can be safely drunk without any additional purification. This is a tiny crab epishura, which is one of the endemics of the lake (that is, it is not found anywhere except Baikal). It is this crustacean, repeatedly passing the waters of the lake through itself, and cleans them. Epishura is not the only Baikal endemic. Two thirds of the flora and fauna of the lake live only in Baikal. The most famous are the Baikal seal, the Baikal omul, the Baikal seal, some species of gobies, as well as the golomyanka viviparous fish. In total, 2.6 thousand species and varieties of plants and animals live in the lake.

Ecology of Lake Baikal

In the 20th century, the unique world of the lake faced a problem that threatened the possibility of the continued existence of nature. In the early 60s of the XX century, the construction of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (PPM) began on the southern shore of the lake. In this regard, a discussion immediately unfolded. Scientific expeditions were sent to the Baikal area, the purpose of which was to find out how the negative environmental impact of the plant's activities affects the unique nature of the lake. Newspapers actively discussed the possibility of creating "clean" technologies for pulp and paper production. The problem was reflected even in art: in 1970, director S. A. Gerasimov shot the film “ At a lake", whose heroes are looking for a compromise between the need to create a plant and the desire to preserve Baikal. Despite harsh criticism, the pulp and paper mill was built and put into operation in 1966. Its effluents, as well as the effluents of the pulp and paper mill (PPM) on the Selenga River, contain toxic phenols, chlorides, sulfates and suspended matter in large quantities.

Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill

As a result, back in 1994, in the area of ​​the Baikal pulp and paper mill, the water pollution zone extended to 10 km2, and the area of ​​the polluted bottom area was 70 km2. The Selenga River, which plays an important role in the water balance of the lake, also brings the runoff of the city of Ulan-Ude into its basin. An increased concentration of phenols was found in its waters, and the content of oil products exceeds the MPC (maximum permissible concentration) by 3–15 times. The forces of the lake are still coping with the misfortunes that have fallen, however, the resources of Baikal are not unlimited, and if nothing is done, they will run out sooner or later. Then the life of the lake, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, will be in danger, and it is possible that, after many years, our descendants, having come to the water surface