Seas washing Siberia. All about sharks. East Siberian Sea in Russia

Due to the harsh climate, life has developed in the East Siberian Sea. Only the most persistent representatives of flora and fauna live here, which have adapted to low temperatures. In its waters, there are the same microscopic algae and organisms that are found in the neighboring Laptev Sea. Mostly diatoms are found, from time to time red and brown algae appear in the coastal region of the western part of the sea. Compared to neighboring seas, there are few bottom dwellers here. After all, not every species can survive in the condition low temperatures. Therefore, there are only some types of crustaceans, valvular, echinoderm and intestinal mollusks.

Among mammals East Siberian Sea: seals, beluga whales, cetaceans and walruses. Along with all the coastal zones of the northern seas, walruses are harvested on its territory, but only for the needs local population. Indeed, since 1956, walruses have been under state protection. Also living on the islands polar bear, which is a semi-marine mammal. For the sake of food, smaller predators come to the shores of the East Siberian Sea, we are talking about sea otters and arctic foxes.

There is no information that sharks live in the waters of this sea. Perhaps here you can meet a polar shark - an inhabitant of the Arctic waters. Such a six-meter shark almost never comes to the sea surface. It feeds on the smallest organisms, animal remains and small fish. The polar shark is lazy, like many other arctic giants, so do not expect an attack on active animals. Scientists say that the bathers of this harsh sea may not be afraid of the teeth of man-eating sharks. Therefore, travelers can often be found here.

The East Siberian Sea belongs to the Arctic Ocean. Limited from the west New Siberian Islands, and from the east by Wrangel Island. This reservoir is the least studied in comparison with other northern seas. These places are characterized by a cold climate with poor flora and fauna and low salinity. sea ​​water.

Sea currents are slow, tides reach no more than 25 cm. In summer, frequent fogs are observed, the ice stays almost all year round, it retreats only in August-September. sea ​​coast It was settled thousands of years ago by the Chukchi and Yukagirs, and then by the Evenks and Evens. These peoples were engaged in hunting, fishing and reindeer herding. Later, the Yakuts appeared, and then the Russians.

East Siberian Sea on the map

Geography

The area of ​​the water surface of the East Siberian Sea is 942 thousand square meters. km. The volume of water reaches 60.7 thousand cubic meters. km. Average depth is 45 meters, and the maximum is 155 meters. The length of the coastline is 3016 km. The western boundary of the reservoir passes through the New Siberian Islands. The northernmost of these is Henrietta Island, part of the De Long Islands group.

The eastern border passes through Wrangel Island and the Long Strait. North of the northern point Wrangel to Henrietta, Jeannette Island and further to the northern point of Kotelny Island. The southern border runs along the coast of the mainland from Cape Svyatoi Nos in the west to Cape Yakan in the east. The reservoir connects with the Laptev Sea through the Sannikov, Eterikan and Dmitry Laptev straits. And communication with the Chukchi Sea is carried out through the Long Strait.

Rivers and bays

The most important rivers flowing into the reservoir are the Indigirka with a length of 1726 km, the Kolyma with a length of 2129 km, the Chaun with a length of 205 km, the Pegtymel with a length of 345 km, the Bolshaya Chukochya with a length of 758 km, and the Alazeya with a length of 1590 km.

On the coast there are bays such as Chaunskaya Bay, Omulyakhskaya Bay, Goose Bay, Khromskaya Bay, Kolyma Bay. All these bays run deep into the land. There is also the Kolyma Bay, bounded from the north by the Bear Islands: Krestovsky, Pushkareva, Leontiev, Lysova, Andreeva and Chetyrekhstolbovoy.

The river flow is small and amounts to 250 cubic meters. km per year. Of these, the Kolyma River gives 132 cubic meters. km of water. Indigirka discharges 59 cubic meters into the East Siberian Sea. km of water. 90% of the total runoff occurs during the summer period. Fresh water is concentrated near the shore due to a weak current and does not significantly affect the hydrology of the reservoir. But there is water exchange with neighboring seas and the Arctic Ocean.

The surface temperature of the water decreases from south to north. In winter, in river deltas, it is -0.2 and -0.6 degrees Celsius. And in the northern part of the sea it drops to -1.8 degrees Celsius. In summer, in the bays, the water warms up to 7-8 degrees Celsius, and in ice-free sea areas it is 2-3 degrees Celsius.

Salinity surface water increases from southwest to northeast. In the area of ​​river deltas in winter and spring it is 4-5 ppm. IN open waters reaches 28-30 ppm, and in the north up to 31-32 ppm. In summer, salinity decreases by 5% due to snowmelt.

The annual fluctuation in the level of the East Siberian Sea is 70 cm due to summer river flows. Winds bring storms with waves 3-5 meters high in the western part of the sea region, and in the east it is relatively calm. Storms usually last 1-2 days in summer and 3-5 days in winter.

The thickness of the ice by the end of winter reaches 2 meters and decreases from west to east. In addition, there are drifting ice floes with a thickness of 2-3 meters. The melting of ice begins in May from the delta of the Kolyma River. And completely the reservoir freezes in October-November.

Climate

The climate is arctic. In winter, southwestern and southern winds blow, carrying cold air from Siberia, so the average temperature in winter period is -30 degrees Celsius. The weather is cloudy with storms and snowstorms.

They blow in the summer northern winds, and the air temperature is 0-1 degrees Celsius in the open sea and 2-3 degrees Celsius on the coast. The sky is cloudy with frequent rain and sleet. The coast is covered with fog, it can last up to 70 days. The annual rainfall is 200 mm.

Flora and fauna are scarce, as the climate is harsh. There are a lot of plankton and crustaceans in the water. Ringed seals, bearded seals, walruses, polar bears live in coastal zones. Of the birds there are gulls, cormorants. The East Siberian Sea is frequented by bowhead and gray whales. Belugas and narwhals are found. Of the fish there are grayling, muksun, whitefish, smelt, polar cod, arctic char, saffron cod, flounder.

Shipping

Shipping is practiced to transport goods along north coast Russia in August-September. At the same time, navigation is difficult even in summer due to floating ice floes that bring wind to the shores. Fishing and hunting for marine animals is local.

The main port is Pevek with a population of about 5 thousand people. He is the most northern city Russia and is located in the Chaun Bay. Cargo turnover seaport is 190 thousand tons with a throughput capacity of 330 thousand tons. There are 3 berths with a length of 500 meters. Cargo transportation is carried out mainly between Pevek and Vladivostok.

The reservoir received its modern name in June 1935 in accordance with the decree of the Soviet government. Prior to that, it was called the Indigirsky, then the Northern, then the Kolyma, then the Siberian, then the Arctic Sea.

This sea is located in the area Arctic Ocean, where the influence is no longer felt warm waters Atlantic Ocean and has not yet reached the impact Pacific Ocean. It can be called the most severe northern sea.
Occupying an area of ​​936 thousand square kilometers, it is relatively shallow - its average depth does not reach 50 meters, and its maximum depth is 155 meters.

On the map of the Arctic Ocean, you can see the East Siberian Sea.

Depths that do not exceed the average occupy more than 70% of the sea area. From the west, it borders on the Laptev Sea, on the east - on the Chukchi Sea, on the north - on the Arctic basin of the ocean. The coastal zone of the southern part of the sea is not as indented as that of neighboring seas, only a few rivers flowing in, and bays diversify the coastline a little.

In the western part the coast is low, in the east (from the Kolyma River) it is mountainous, sometimes steep. The East Siberian Sea is rich in islands. Here are the Novosibirsk (on the border with the Laptev Sea) islands, Bear, Aion, Shalaurova. Many of these islands are made up of sand and fossil ice and are therefore subject to erosion.
Of the large rivers flowing into its waters, Kolyma, Indigirka, Alazeya should be noted.
The tides are low, but wind drifts in bays and bays can reach 2 meters in height.

The climate of the East Siberian Sea is arctic. Here, almost all year round, the air temperature is below zero, the surface of the sea is covered with drifting ice, the thickness of which can reach several meters. Only in its western part, during the warm season, a coastal strip of several tens of kilometers is formed, free from floating ice. In the east, ice covers the sea for almost the entire year.
Even if you find yourself in these parts in the summer, under the roof of some house, you involuntarily think of a warm fireplace - a saving and cozy source of heat in the most severe climatic conditions.

The bottom is formed by sandy, silty-sandy and silty deposits. In many places there are plateaus of fossil ice.

The severity of the climate could not but leave an imprint on the development of life in the waters of the East Siberian Sea. Only the most resistant to low temperatures forms of fauna and flora have taken root here. However, the species composition differs little from the neighboring Laptev Sea, but the quantitative composition is somewhat poorer. All the same microscopic organisms and phytoalgae, mainly diatoms, occasionally brown and red algae are found in the coastal zone of the western part of the sea.
Bottom living creatures are also poorer than in neighboring seas. Here it is very rare to find some species of crustaceans, worms, coelenterates, echinoderms and molluscs.

Fish are represented by the indigenous inhabitants of the northern seas - European smelt, capelin, cod and herring, and some species of bottom fish. In the coastal zone at the mouths of the inflowing rivers, you can find valuable fish of the salmon, whitefish and sturgeon families, which come here from the rivers and do not move far to the north. Many islands are chosen by sea birds - bird colonies, typical of the coasts of the northern seas, are often found here.

Mammals are represented by beluga whales, seals, walruses and cetaceans, mainly minke whales. As in all coastal northern seas Eurasia, walruses are harvested in the Kara Sea, but only for the needs of the local population, since walruses have been taken under state protection since 1956. There is also a polar bear - a semi-marine mammal. On the shores, you can also meet smaller predators - arctic foxes, sea otters, who arrived for food.

There is no information about sharks living in the waters of the East Siberian Sea. It can be assumed that there is a frequenter of the Arctic waters here - a polar shark. This fish, reaching a length of 6 meters, almost never appears on the surface of the sea, preferring to stay in the middle layers of the water. According to its diet, the polar shark is a generalist. She can eat the smallest organisms, and fish trifles, and the remains of animals. It does not attack active prey, as it is itself an extremely slow predator, as, indeed, are most Arctic giants.

We can confidently say that bathers in the East Siberian Sea are not in danger of suffering from the teeth of man-eating sharks.

EAST SIBERIAN SEA, a marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean off the northeastern coast of Asia, between the New Siberian Islands and Wrangel Island. In the west it borders on the Laptev Sea, connecting with it by the straits: Dmitry Laptev, Eterikan and Sannikov, in the east - with the Chukchi Sea, which is connected to the Long Strait. northern border runs along the edge of the continental shelf, approximately along the 200 m isobath (79 ° north latitude). The area is 913 thousand km 2, the volume is 49 thousand km 3. The greatest depth is 915 m.

The coastline is relatively indented. Bays: Chaun Bay, Kolyma Bay, Omulyakhskaya and Khromskaya Bays. Islands: Novosibirsk, Bear, Ayon and Shalaurova. Some islands are entirely composed of fossil ice and sand and are subject to intense destruction. Fall into the sea major rivers: Kolyma, Alazeya, Indigirka, Chroma. The coast of the western part of the sea (up to the Kolyma River) is low-lying and is composed of permafrost alluvial-marine deposits of the Quaternary age, including lenses of fossil ice. The eastern coast (from the Kolyma River to the Long Strait) is mountainous, steep in places, composed of bedrock; denudation type of shores is developed here.

relief and geological structure bottom. The East Siberian Sea is located mainly within the shelf, 72% of its bottom area has depths of up to 50 m. The shelf is located within the North American lithospheric plate. The underwater relief of the shelf, which forms the bed of the sea, is a plain, slightly inclined from the southwest to the northeast. The bottom of the western part of the sea is a flat shallow plain, here is the Novosibirsk shoal. In the southern part, shallow trenches are noted - traces of ancient river valleys of pre-glacial and glacial times. The greatest depths are in the northeastern part. The sea floor is composed of folded complexes (Mesozoic in the south and possibly older in the north), dissected by Late Mesozoic rift structures and overlain by a thin cover of Cenozoic sediments. Modern bottom sediments consist mainly of sandy silt containing crushed boulders and pebbles brought by ice.

Climate. The climate of the East Siberian Sea is arctic. In winter, under the influence of the Siberian High, cold southwestern and southern winds prevail over the sea. Average air temperatures in February are from -28 to -30 °С (minimum -50 °С); in July in the southern part from 3 to 7 °С, in the northern part - from 0 to 2 °С. IN summer time the weather over the East Siberian Sea is predominantly cloudy with light drizzling rain, sometimes sleet; northerly winds prevail. In autumn, on the coast, the speed of northwestern and northeastern winds increases to 20-25 m/s; at a distance from the coast, the force of storm winds reaches 40-45 m/s, and foehns contribute to the strengthening of the wind. 100-200 mm of precipitation falls annually.

Hydrological regime. The continental flow into the East Siberian Sea is relatively small and amounts to about 250 km 3 /year, of which the flow of the Kolyma is 123 km 3 /year, and the flow of Indigirka is 58.3 km 3 /year. All river runoff goes to southern part sea, 90% - in the summer. The main part of the East Siberian Sea is occupied by surface Arctic waters. In the estuarine areas, waters formed as a result of mixing river and sea water are common. In winter, near the mouths of rivers, the temperature of surface waters varies from -0.2 to -0.6 °C, and at the northern border of the sea from -1.7 to -1.8 °C. In summer, the temperature distribution of surface waters is determined by ice conditions. In bays and bays it is 7-8 °С, in ice-free areas it is 2-3 °С, and near the ice edge it is about 0 °С. The salinity of surface waters increases from southwest to northeast from 10-15‰ near river mouths to 30-32‰ at the ice edge. Most of the year the East Siberian Sea is covered with ice. In the eastern part floating ice stay off the coast even in summer. A characteristic feature of the ice is the development of fast ice, which is most widely distributed in the western shallow part of the sea, where its width reaches 600-700 km; V central regions- 250-300 km, to the east of Cape Shelagsky it occupies a narrow coastal strip of 30-40 km. By the end of summer, the thickness of the fast ice is 2 m. Behind the fast ice there are drifting ice - one-year and two-year, 2-3 m thick; drift of ice depends on the circulation of air masses. In the north, there is multi-year arctic ice. In the western part of the sea, between fast ice and drifting ice, there is a perennial polynya, along which the Northern Sea Route passes. The existence of a polynya in winter is associated with squeezing winds and tidal currents. In the eastern part, fast ice merges with drifting ice and the polynya closes. Currents form a cyclonic cycle; in the northern part, the current is directed to the west, in the southern - to the east. The tides are regular semidiurnal, the amplitude of level fluctuations is up to 25 cm.

Research history. The beginning of the development of the East Siberian Sea by Russian sailors dates back to the 17th century, when kochs were sailed along the coast between the mouths of the rivers. In 1648, S. Dezhnev and F. Popov sailed from the Kolyma River to Bering Strait and the Anadyr River. In the 18th century, the first works on the description of the coast and islands of the East Siberian Sea were made, maps were compiled. Particularly significant work was done by members of the Great Northern Expedition (1733-43). The contours of the shores were refined by the Ust-Yansk and Kolyma expeditions led by P.F. Anzhu (1822) and F.P. Wrangel (1820-24), islands in the East Siberian Sea are named after them. In the 20th century, maps were refined by K. A. Vollosovich (1909) and G. Ya. Sedov (1909), as well as during the work of a hydrographic expedition in the Arctic Ocean (1911-14). After 1932, when the Sibiryakov icebreaker passed through the Northern Sea Route in one navigation, regular flights courts.

Economic use. coastal zone characterized as an area with weak economic activity. 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. The fishing industry has local meaning. The Northern Sea Route passes through the East Siberian Sea; main port 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.

Ecological state. In general, the ecological situation in the East Siberian Sea is characterized as favorable due to the poor economic use of this area. The shallow-water shelf, which is affected by river runoff, is slightly polluted, and as a result of thermal abrasion destruction of the coast, greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane) enter the atmosphere.

Lit .: Zalogin B. S., Kosarev A. N. Sea. M., 1999.

Already from the name it is clear that this sea is located off the northern 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 before, after - along northwest coast this island to Cape Blossom and Cape Yakan, located on the mainland. Limited from the south coastline mainland (from Cape Yakan to Cape Svyatoy Nos).

Water this sea they 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, maximum depth equal to 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. 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 water expanses of the East Siberian Sea has a depth of up to 20 - 25 m. The deepest are located at the bottom of the sea in the north-eastern 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 affected by big influence 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. average temperature in January it is approximately - 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 West Side the sea turns into a zone 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. In the southeastern part of the sea, such strong winds are not observed. 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 ° С, in coastal areas the temperature is slightly higher than +2 - 3 ° С. 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. 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. Thus, the East Siberian Sea is characterized by a cold summer; unstable windy weather in western and eastern regions seas 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. (most big 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 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 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 was noted, but in Lately the environment is improving. The waters of the Chaun Bay are slightly polluted with hydrocarbons.