The volume of Baikal in cubic kilometers. Lake Baikal on the plain or in the mountains. Baikal waters: features and currents
A story about Lake Baikal for children on the subject the world 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 Eastern Siberia. The lake is located on the territory of the Republic of Buryatia, as well as 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 reserves. fresh water 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. A clean water 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 List of objects world heritage UNESCO. 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.
Lake Baikal is one of the most beautiful and scenic spots not only in the Asian part of our country, but all over the planet. This ancient lake(its age is approximately 25-35 million years), lying in a rift basin, is located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia. It is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth, 22% of all fresh water is concentrated here. the clearest water worldwide and 85% of Russia. The volume of water is 23 thousand km 3 (these are the five Great Lakes in the United States taken together). In addition to the value of huge fresh water reserves, which due to its low mineralization (100 g/l) can be safely equated with distilled water, it should also be noted that Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and since 1996 has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Geographical position
Lake Baikal, which has the shape of a crescent elongated from southwest to northeast, is located almost in the very center of the Eurasian continent, in Central Asia, in the southern part of Eastern Siberia. ancient rift basin glacial origin, in which the lake basin is located, lies in the Baikal mountain region, surrounded by high peaks mountain ranges and hills overgrown with dense forests (border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia in the Russian Federation).
Characteristics of Lake Baikal
The area of the lake is 31.7 thousand km 2, this is the seventh place in the world after the Caspian Sea-lake, lakes Victoria, Taganika, Huron, Michigan, Upper or the area of the countries of Belgium or the Netherlands. The lake is 636 km long, it is widest in the center (81 km), narrowest - near the delta of the Serenga River (27 km).
Average depth lakes 744.4 m above the maximum depths of many lakes in the world, its maximum depth, measured by Soviet scientists Kolotilo and Sulimov in 1983, was 1640 m, which made Baikal the deepest lake in the world.
The lake lies in a glacial rift basin, surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills. Length coastline- 2 thousand km, the western coast is rocky and steep, the eastern one is more gentle, the mountains are located tens of kilometers from the coast. The water area of the lake has six bays (Barguzinsky, Chivyrkuisky, Proval, Posolsky, Cherkalov, Mukhor), two dozen bays (Listvennaya, Peschanaya, Aya, many closed shallow bays, which are called sory. From the lake follows the only river- Angara, more than 336 rivers and rivulets flow in, of the large ones one can name the Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Snezhnaya, Kichera, etc.
Temperature regime of water
Water, due to its low mineralization, is distinguished by amazing purity, transparency (can be seen to a depth of 40 meters), oxygen saturation. In spring, the water is especially transparent and has a rich blue-blue color; in summer, as a result of the development of organic matter, the transparency decreases and the waters acquire a blue-green tint. The average annual temperature of the water surface is about +4°С, in summer the water is +16, +17°С, in the sors it reaches +22,+23°С.
Baikal is almost completely covered with ice (1-2 meters) from January to May (with the exception of a small area 15-20 km at the source of the Angara). One of amazing riddles lake Baikal is the appearance in winter period huge dark rings on the ice, which are visible only from a height. Presumably, they are formed as a result of the release of methane from the depths of the lake, and this contributes to the formation of huge steams with a diameter of hundreds of meters with a very thin layer of ice.
Winds on Baikal
The distinguishing features of Baikal's climate are its winds, they blow almost always, their maximum speed wind - 40 m/s. There are more than 30 names of the winds blowing there: the wind of the northwestern direction is mountainous, the northeastern wind is barguzin, verkhovik), the southeastern wind is shelonnik, the southwestern wind is kultuk, the sarma is the wind blowing in the center of Baikal. They blow mainly along the coast, on which there are practically no places to hide from such a piercing and strong wind.
Nature of Lake Baikal
The flora and fauna of the lake is diverse and unique. Oxygenated water allows you to live here a large number living organisms, more than 2600 species and subspecies of aquatic inhabitants live here, most of of which are endemic. More than 58 species of fish live in the water column, such as omul, grayling, whitefish, taimen, Baikal sturgeon, lenok, golomyanka (a unique fish consisting of 30% fat).
The coast is covered with more than 2000 species of plants, about 2000 species of birds nest here, a unique marine mammal- Baikal seal, in the mountainous part of the Baikal region - the smallest deer in the world - musk deer.
(Olkhon - largest island Lake Baikal)
The northeastern coast of the lake is part of the protected area of the Barguzin State Natural biosphere reserve Since 1996, Baikal has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Settlements and cities
Large cities located a few dozen kilometers from the lake are Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude (130 km east of the lake) and Severobaikalsk (in the northern part of the lake coast). From Irkutsk (70 km from Baikal), the closest to the oldest Baikal settlement at the headwaters of the Angara - Listvyanka, it is over three hundred years old. Here is well developed tourism infrastructure and there is the Lake Museum dedicated to the history of Baikal, its flora and fauna. Also in the village there is a nerpinarium, where they show an exciting water show with the participation of Baikal seals and the legendary Shaman-stone, a reserved rock at the source of the Angara, ancient shamanic rites were held here in ancient times.
Climate and seasons
(Clear water of Lake Baikal in summer)
Eastern Siberia lies in a temperate sharply continental climate zone However, the huge masses of water contained in Lake Baikal have a special effect on the climate of the coast and due to this, unusual microclimate conditions are formed with warm mild winters and cool summers. The water masses of the lake act as a huge natural stabilizer and make winters warmer and summers cooler than, for example, in the same Irkutsk, located at a short distance from the lake (70 km). The air temperature in summer can reach up to +35°C.
(Transparent ice on Lake Baikal in winter)
In winter, the waters of Lake Baikal are bound by incredibly transparent and smooth ice. The temperature above the surface of the lake in the middle of winter is about -21°С, and on the coasts it is 5-10 degrees higher, on average -10°С - 17°С. Due to low evaporation cold water from the surface of the lake, clouds are very rarely formed here, so the area of Lake Baikal is characterized by a high total duration of sunshine, cloudy and cloudy days are infrequent.
In the south of Eastern Siberia, where the Irkutsk region borders on Buryatia, there is one of the seven wonders of the world - the largest and deepest fresh water body in the world - Lake Baikal. locals used to call it the sea, because the opposite shore is often out of sight. This is the largest fresh water reservoir on the planet with an area of more than 31 thousand km², which would completely fit the Netherlands and Belgium, and the maximum depth of Baikal is 1642 m.
Lake-record holder
The crescent-shaped reservoir has a record length of 620 km, and a width of different places fluctuates between 24-79 km. The lake lies in a basin with tectonic origin, so its relief bottom is very deep - 1176 m below the level of the World Ocean, and the water surface rises 456 m above it. The average depth is 745 m. The bottom is extremely picturesque - various banks, in other words, ancient shallows, terraces, caves, reefs and canyons, plumes, ridges and plains. It consists of great variety natural materials including limestone and marble.
Above is the depth of Lake Baikal, according to this indicator, it is in first place on the planet. The African Tanganyika (1470 m) ranks second, and the Caspian (1025 m) closes the top three. The depth of other reservoirs is less than 1000 m. Baikal is a reservoir of fresh water, it is 20% of the world's reserves and 90% of Russia's. The tonnage of its mass is greater than in the entire system of the five Great Lakes of the United States - Huron, Michigan, Erie, Ontario and Superior. But the largest lake in Europe is still considered not Baikal (it is in 7th place in the world ranking), but Ladoga, which occupies 17,100 km². Some people are trying to compare the famous fresh water bodies in Russia and are wondering which lake is deeper - Baikal or Ladoga, although there is nothing to think about, since the average depth of Ladoga is only 50 m.
An interesting fact: Baikal takes in 336 large and small rivers, and releases only one from its embrace - the beautiful Angara.
In winter, the lake freezes to a depth of about a meter, and many tourists come to admire an exceptional sight - a transparent ice “floor”, under which blue and green water pierced by the sun splashes. The upper layers of ice are transformed into intricate shapes and blocks, carved by winds, currents and weather.
The famous Baikal water
Lake water was deified by the ancient tribes, they were treated with it and idolized. It has been proven that Baikal water has unique properties - it is saturated with oxygen and practically distilled, and due to the presence of various microorganisms, it is devoid of minerals. It is famous for its exceptional transparency, especially in spring, when stones lying at a depth of 40 meters are visible from the surface. But in summer, during the “blooming” period, the transparency decreases to 10. The waters of Lake Baikal are changeable: they shimmer from deep blue to rich green, these are the smallest forms of life that develop and give the reservoir new shades.
Baikal depth indicators
In 1960, researchers measured the depth near Capes Izhemei and Khara-Khushun with a cable lot and documented the most deep place Lake Baikal - 1620 m. Two decades later, in 1983, the expedition of A. Sulimanov and L. Kolotilo corrected the indicators in this area using echo sounding measurements and recorded new data - the deepest point was at a depth of 1642 m. Another 20 years later, in In 2002, an international expedition under the auspices of a joint project of Russia, Spain and Belgium worked on the creation of a modern bathymetric map of Lake Baikal and confirmed the latest measurements using acoustic sounding of the bottom.
The unique reservoir has always attracted the increased attention of scientists and researchers, who equipped more and more new expeditions in order to clarify the previous depth measurements in different parts of the reservoir. So, in 2008-2010, the Mir submersible expeditions organized about 200 dives throughout the entire water area of this fresh sea. They were attended by prominent politicians and businessmen, journalists, athletes and hydronauts from Western and of Eastern Europe and Russia.
Where are the deepest places of Baikal
Since the bottom of the reservoir is dotted with faults, the depth of the lake in different parts of the water area differs:
- at western coasts the deepest breaks in the earth's crust lie;
- in the southern part, the record depth of the depression between the mouths of the rivers Pereemnaya and Mishikhi was recorded at 1432 m;
- in the north, the deepest place is located between capes Elokhin and Pokoiniki - 890 m;
- depressions in the Small Sea - up to 259 m, their location at the Big Olkhon Gates;
- the most great depth Lake Baikal in the region of the Barguzinsky Bay reaches 1284 m, this point is located at southern shores peninsula Svyatoy Nos.
Video: an interesting film about Lake Baikal
The unique ecosystem attracts scientists, researchers from different countries. Thousands of tourists go to the deepest lake in the world to enjoy the magnificence of landscapes, landscapes that you will not find anywhere else. The boundless diversity of flora and fauna of the region, among which are mostly endemics (found only here), complements the wealth that nature has given to people.
As the famous Russian song says, Baikal is sacred. Although this is the deepest lake of tectonic origin on the planet, it is often called the sea for its unusual size. However, it is wrong, because Lake Baikal has fresh water, being the largest natural freshwater reservoir.
Description of Lake Baikal
As already noted, Lake Baikal - the deepest lake on the planet. Its lowest elevation is 1 km 642 m, which was discovered in the course of scientific research in 1983. These figures were confirmed in 2002 during the implementation of the Russian-Spanish-Belgian project to study Baikal. Taking into account that the surface of Lake Baikal is located 455.5 meters above sea level, its lowest level goes 1186.5 meters below the ocean boundary! This makes it possible to classify Baikal as one of the deepest continental depressions.
The average depth of Lake Baikal also breaks records, as it exceeds the extremely low depths of most of the deepest lakes - it is 744.4 meters. In general, Baikal tops the three lakes that go down more than 1 kilometer - along with Tanganyika (maximum depth - 1 km 470 meters) and the Caspian (1 km 25 meters). It absorbs the waters of a total of 336 large streams and rivers (only permanent sources are taken into account), while only one single water source flows out of it - the Angara River.
The fresh water reserve of Lake Baikal is about 19 percent of the global freshwater lake reserves - 23,615.39 cubic meters. It has more water than the 5 great lakes of the world, which include Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior. Baikal also has several islands (27) of various sizes. The largest of them is Olkhon towering above the smooth surface (71 km x 12 km), located almost in the very central part. Most large peninsula Lake Baikal - Svyatoy Nos.
Where is Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is located in the central zone of the Asian continent. It is located in Russia, on the border of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region. The shape resembles a giant crescent crescent, stretching for 620 kilometers from the southwest to the northeast. It varies in width from 24 km to 79 km. The surface area of Lake Baikal is (excluding the islands) 31722 sq. km. This figure is comparable to with total area several European countries - such as Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium combined. In general, Lake Baikal is located in a natural basin natural origin surrounded by hills and mountain ranges. From the west, its coast has a steep rocky relief, from the east it is gently sloping, with mountains indented from the coastal zone tens of kilometers deep into the continent.
Animals and fish of Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal, like its coastal zones, are distinguished by the presence of unique representatives of the animal and flora, since most of them are endemic, that is, they are distributed precisely on this segment of the planet and are not represented anywhere else the globe. Based on scientific information, about 2,630 species of animals and plants are found in Lake Baikal (endemic - two thirds of them). There are 27 species of fish that are not found anywhere else, which is explained by the presence of a considerable amount of oxygen in the water of Lake Baikal.
Small animals of Lake Baikal
The most famous endemic is epishura, a crustacean that forms about 80 percent of the biological mass of the local lake plankton, being the basic link in the food chain of all other inhabitants of Lake Baikal. In addition, it plays the role of a filtering "means", passing masses of water through itself and thereby making it much cleaner.
Oligochetes are oligochaetes, the next most important are endemic (84.5 percent of them). They form up to 70, and according to some data, up to 90 percent of the nutrient biomass for predatory invertebrates and Baikal fish. Oligochetes are also significant for self-purification of Lake Baikal - they are the most important component in the mineralization of organic matter and saturation of soils with oxygen (aeration).
Fish of Lake Baikal
The most unique representative of fish in Baikal is the golomyanka, a viviparous fish. Her body is 30 percent fat, and she is characterized by frequent food migration from the depths to shallow water (almost daily). In addition, Baltic sturgeon, pike, taimen, burbot, whitefish, grayling, and Baltic omul are found in abundance in the lake.
Birds of Lake Baikal
In general, about 236 species of birds are present on Lake Baikal, of which 29 species are waterfowl (they are mainly represented by ducks). Less often, but still there are whooper swans and geese living along the coastline. But most of all there are seagulls on Baikal. Their colonies occupy considerable territories in the mouths of the tributaries of the lake and on rocky solitary islands.
Often come across and black-throated loons, gray herons. And at the beginning of autumn and at the end of summer, over 30 varieties of waders walk along the Baikal shores, which stop at Lake Baikal during the migration period. In particular, there are many birds in shallow bays and in deltas of rivers flowing into a reservoir. However, the cult representative of Lake Baikal is an eagle. In the Baikal region you can find about 7 species of this powerful and unique bird: sea eagle (long-tailed and white-tailed), pygmy eagle, greater spotted eagle, steppe eagle, imperial eagle and golden eagle.
Animals of Lake Baikal
Among these representatives of the animal world, sables, which live in the Baikal forests, and seals, which have become endemic during evolution, are especially distinguished. Nerpa is a Baikal seal. It is believed that its ancestors were arctic seals, which in ancient times came here along the Yenisei and Lena rivers. Today it is the top of the trophic pyramid of the Baikal ecosystem.
Secrets of Lake Baikal
Due to its origin, deep water and the uniqueness of the animal world, Lake Baikal is considered one of the most mysterious on the planet. Riddles and mysteries are reflected mainly in the properties of water, the topography of the bottom and some other features associated with them. Yes, fresh water. large lake Baikal itself attracts the attention of scientists from all over the world, since it contains a lot of oxygen and very few organic impurities, suspended and dissolved mineral particles. Thereby Baikal water equal to distilled. It is so transparent that boulders and various objects are freely visible at a depth of 40 meters.
The change in the color of the water in Lake Baikal is shrouded in mystery - from intense blue to deep green. Scientists attribute this mainly to seasonality and the development of microorganisms. With excellent visibility of the bottom, when Baikal is clear, it has a blue tint. Green appears simultaneously with the arrival of summer and the emergence of a mass of animal and plant organisms that begin active development.
Another secret of Lake Baikal is the highest speed of sound propagation in water on the entire planet, which is why for lake baikal a special, separate formula was derived that is not applicable to the propagation of sound in any other body of water. In addition, Baikal is always cold: even in summer, the temperature in the upper layers of water does not exceed plus 9 degrees, and at a depth of plus 4 degrees. The only exceptions are its individual bays, temperature regime which in summer reaches plus 15 degrees.
In winter, Lake Baikal freezes completely (except for a separate zone at the source of the Angara River), ice keeps on it until the first decade of May inclusive. However, he presents a lot of mysteries to the scientific world. Specialists have discovered an unusual ice cover, which is characteristic only of Lake Baikal. These are cone-shaped ice elevations 6 meters high. Inside - empty, very reminiscent of tents. Sometimes they are located singly, and sometimes they are heaped. There are also several other types of ice cover on Baikal - autumn, kolobovnik and sokuy, each of which has a unique appearance and its own special form.
The secret is also presented recently discovered on the lake dark rings, appearing in its various parts, which is clearly visible on satellite images. Researchers attribute them to the rise of cold deep waters and an increase in the temperature of the upper layer, resulting in anticyclonic currents. The edges of the rings have a darker tone due to the extremely high speed of the swirling water exchange.
Conflict in the choir
Some time ago, our choir was reorganized and 3 victims were transferred to contralts. I disagreed with my translation, I persuaded them to leave in violas, but still, after talking with the priest (he…
Where is Baikal located? This question is asked by many tourists who are trying to refresh their school knowledge. Baikal - deepest lake in the world and the largest reservoir of fresh water.
It has no competitors in terms of depth, age, or uniqueness. surrounding nature. So where is the reservoir? And how did he come to geographical map Russia?
Where is Baikal located?
Baikal stretches on the Eurasian continent, in the center of Asia. Its reservoir covers an area of 31.72 thousand km² on the territory of two regions of the Russian Federation at once - Buryatia and the Irkutsk region.
Along the banks of the reservoir there are many settlements, including Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Angarsk and Severobaikalsk. A significant part of the coast is occupied by protected lands, which include National parks.
The lake is a large hollow in the shape of a crescent, into which 336 streams and rivers flow. The largest of them are Sarma, Selenga and Upper Angara. Only one river flows out of the reservoir - the Angara, stretching for 1779 km across the territory Krasnoyarsk Territory and Irkutsk region. 
Large and small islands are scattered all over the surface of Lake Baikal. There are 27 of them in total, and Olkhon Island with an area of 729 km², located almost in the very center, is considered the largest.
What are the dimensions of Baikal?
The total length of the lake is 620 km. The width at the narrowest point reaches 24 km, at the widest point - 79 km. With an area of over 31,000 km², Baikal ranks 7th in size in the world. The water reserves in the lake are simply huge - more than 23 thousand km³.
In percentage terms, this figure is 19% of the volume of fresh water contained in all other fresh water bodies of the world. In terms of water reserves, it is second only to the Caspian Sea, but it must be borne in mind that in last water salty.
The average depth of Baikal is quite high - over 774 meters, but in the most deep point this figure reaches 1642 meters, thanks to which it occupies a leading position in the list of the deepest lakes in the world. In addition to it, only two lakes on Earth have a depth of over a thousand kilometers - the Caspian Sea and Tanganyika.
How was Baikal formed?
The origin of the reservoir has not been reliably established. Scientists are still arguing both about the age of Baikal and about the processes of its formation. For a long time it was believed that the age of the lake is about 30 million years, due to which Baikal is called truly unique. 
The fact is that ordinary lakes exist for no more than 15 thousand years, and then silt up and turn into a swamp. This did not happen with Baikal. True, recent scientific studies have suggested that its deep-sea part appeared no earlier than 150 thousand years ago, and the coast does not have an age of more than 8 thousand years.
The reason for its appearance is also unclear. Some scientists believe that Baikal has a tectonic origin, others put forward a version of the existence of a mantle plume under it.
There is also a theory that the lake was the result of rifting occurring at the junction of the Hindustan and Eurasian plates. Tectonic processes in the reservoir continue to this day, as evidenced by regular tremors recorded in its vicinity.
How to get to Baikal?
Most tourists planning to visit Baikal get to it through Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude. Irkutsk is located 70 km from the lake and is connected with it public transport- trains, bus service, fixed-route taxis.
Some travelers prefer to travel by water along the Angara by motor ships or boats. The distance between Baikal and Ulan-Ude is about 130 km. You can also get from the Buryat city by public transport or choose a more extreme route - on rafts along the Selenga River.
