Baikal and the rivers around it. Rivers flowing from Lake Baikal. The only river flowing from Lake Baikal. River flowing out of a lake

Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com Yuri Samoilov / flickr.com Vera & Jean-Christophe / flickr.com Délirante bestiole / flickr.com Vladislav Bezrukov / flickr.com fennU2 / flickr.com -5m / flickr.com Vladislav Bezrukov / flickr.com Voyages Lambert / flickr.com Vera & Jean-Christophe / flickr.com Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com Kyle Taylor / flickr.com Nerpa on Lake Baikal (Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com) Thomas Depenbusch / flickr.com Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com Kyle Taylor / flickr.com Sergey Gabdurakhmanov/ flickr.com seseg_h / flickr.com Richard Thomas / flickr.com Daniel Beilinson / flickr.com NASA's Earth Observatory / flickr.com Clay Gilliland / flickr.com Aleksandr Zykov / flickr.com Aleksandr Zykov / flickr.com Aleksandr Zykov / flickr.com

This is the deepest lake in the world, its greatest depth reaches 1642 meters. It is also the world's largest natural reservoir fresh water. The lake basin is of tectonic origin and is a rift.

Lake Baikal is one of the most interesting natural attractions in Russia. Since 1996 it has been an object World Heritage UNESCO.

The size of this reservoir is truly impressive. The length of the lake from southwest to northeast is 620 km, and its width varies from 24 to 80 km. The area of ​​the reservoir is 31,722 square meters. km, and its length coastline– 2100 km.

Baikal is the deepest lake in the world with a greatest depth of 1642 meters. Wherein average depth This unique reservoir reaches 744 meters. The volume of water is 23,615 cubic meters. km, which is approximately 19% of the total volume of fresh lake water in the world. The water surface is located at absolute levels of 456-457 m.

More than 300 different watercourses flow into Lake Baikal, the largest of which are the Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Turka, etc. The only river flowing from the lake is the Angara.

There are 27 islands on Lake Baikal, the largest of which is Olkhon. Its area is 729 square meters. km. The length of this island is more than 70 km, and the width is up to 15 km.

The water level in Baikal is subject to fluctuations. The difference between the highest and lowest annual levels usually does not exceed 23 centimeters. However, these seemingly small fluctuations lead to an increase or decrease in the volume of lake water by approximately 3 cubic kilometers. The level of Lake Baikal depends mainly on the amount of precipitation falling in its catchment area.

Baikal climate

During the cold period, it is always a little warmer near the lake, and during the warm period, it is cooler than in the surrounding area. In this respect, the Baikal climate is similar to the sea.

Mirror Baikal (Yuri Samoilov / flickr.com)

As in the case of the sea, such climate features are associated with the fact that in the summer a gigantic volume of lake water accumulates a huge amount of heat, and then, in autumn and winter, releases this heat back. This is how the softening effect of the lake manifests itself on sharply continental climate Eastern Siberia, characterized by strong contrast.

The warming effect of the lake extends approximately 50 km from its shores. In the cold season, the temperature on the coast of Lake Baikal can be 8-10 degrees higher than far from the lake, and in the warm season it can be just as much lower than the temperatures of the surrounding area. Typically, this difference is about 5 degrees. Baikal smoothes out not only annual, but also daily temperature fluctuations.

To a large extent, the climate of Baikal is determined by its inland location, as well as the altitude of the lake above sea level.

Average annual temperature and precipitation

Average annual temperature varies from 0.7 degrees below zero (in the south) to 3.6 degrees below zero (in the north). The tallest average temperature recorded in Peschanaya Bay in the west of the reservoir. It is 0.4 degrees above zero, which makes this bay the most warm place throughout Eastern Siberia.

The maximum amount of precipitation is characterized by the mountain slopes of the eastern and south-eastern coasts of Lake Baikal (1000 - 1200 mm), and the minimum - the western shore of the lake, Olkhon Island and the lower reaches of the Selenga (less than 200 mm).

Ice on Baikal

Baikal is under ice for about five months of the year. The timing of ice cover varies from the last week of October (shallow-water bays) to the beginning of January (deep-water areas).

Winter evening on Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia (Thomas Depenbusch / flickr.com)

Spring ice drift begins at the end of April, and the lake is completely free of ice only in the first half of June.

The ice thickness by the end of winter is about one meter, in the bays - up to two meters. The ice of Lake Baikal is interesting because during particularly severe frosts it breaks into separate ice fields with cracks. The width of such cracks reaches 2-3 m, and their length is many kilometers.

The cracking of the ice cover is accompanied by loud, booming sounds. In addition, the Baikal ice is famous for its amazing transparency.

Wind

A characteristic feature of the Baikal climate is its winds, each of which has its own name. The most powerful wind of Lake Baikal is the sarma, whose speed reaches 40 m/s, and sometimes up to 60 m/s. This is a strong squally wind blowing in the central part of the lake, from the valley of the Sarma River. Other winds of Baikal: Barguzin, Verkhovik, Mountain, Kultuk and Shelonnik.

Another one interesting feature local climate - a very large number of clear days a year, the number of which is even greater than on Black Sea coast Caucasus.

Nature of Baikal: flora and fauna

The Baikal flora is very diverse and rich, it includes more than 1000 plant species. The slopes of the mountains located along the shores of the lake are usually covered with taiga.

Baikal cow, Siberia, Russia (Daniel Beilinson / flickr.com)

In the local forests they are found in abundance Siberian cedar and larch. Birch, poplar, aspen, currant trees, etc. grow along the rivers. As for aquatic plants, then there are approximately 210 species of algae. The fauna of Baikal is represented by more than 2,600 species and subspecies, more than a thousand of which are endemic. The 27 species of fish that live in the lake do not live in any other body of water in the world.

There are many species of fish in Baikal. The most unusual thing is the viviparous fish golomyanka, which is endemic to Lake Baikal. Main commercial fish– Baikal omul. More than 80% of the biomass of all zooplankton is made up of another endemic species - the epishura crustacean. This crustacean purifies water, playing the role of a filter, and also serves as an important part of the diet of the Baikal omul and other organisms.

Nerpa on Baikal (Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com)

Another famous endemic of the lake is Baikal seal, which is the only freshwater seal in the world. The largest rookeries of this most interesting animal are located on the Ushkany Islands, in the central part of Lake Baikal.

There is still debate among scientists about how the Baikal seal entered the lake, which is so far from the oceans. It is assumed that it penetrated into Baikal from the Arctic Ocean along the Yenisei and Angara during ice age. Of the animals that live in the Baikal forests, we can note brown bear, wolverine, musk deer, wapiti, elk, fox, squirrel, etc.

Baikal is home to 236 species of birds, of which 29 species are waterfowl. Ducks and seagulls are found here in large numbers. You can also see geese, screaming swans, gray heron, black-throated loon, golden eagle, etc.

Ecology

The unique nature of Baikal is distinguished by its fragility. All living organisms here react very sensitively to the slightest changes in conditions environment. The process of decomposition of pollutants in the lake proceeds very slowly. The ever-increasing anthropogenic load cannot but affect this fragile ecosystem.

Boat on Baikal (-5m / flickr.com)

Of the enterprises located directly on the shores of the reservoir, the most famous is the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill, founded back in the 1960s.

Bottom runoff from the Baikal pulp and paper mill spreads along the underwater slope of the Baikal depression. The area of ​​the pollution spot covers about 299 square meters. km. Due to the bottom runoff from the pulp and paper mill, the bottom ecosystems of Lake Baikal are degraded, and emissions from this enterprise into the atmosphere negatively affect the adjacent taiga.

Despite many protests by environmentalists and activists, the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill continued to produce pulp until the end of 2013. Now the plant has ceased operations, however, it will take many more years to eliminate its waste and restore the environment.

The pollution of this unique reservoir did not end with the closure of the pulp and paper mill. A major source of pollution of the lake is its most important tributary - the Selenga River, in the basin of which there are such big cities, like Ulaanbaatar and Ulan-Ude, as well as numerous industrial enterprises Mongolia and Buryatia.

Partial pollutants come even from the territory Trans-Baikal Territory, from settlements located along the tributaries of the Selenga. Most of the treatment facilities in small settlements in Buryatia are not fully capable of handling wastewater treatment.

Poachers cause serious damage to the flora and fauna of the reservoir.

Tourism

Lake Baikal is one of the most popular tourist sites in Russia, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The starting points of most trips to the very deep lake in the world are Irkutsk (southwestern part of the reservoir), Ulan-Ude (east of the lake) and Severobaikalsk (northern tip). From these cities it is most convenient to start your route directly to the lake.

Old motorcycle against the backdrop of Lake Baikal (Vladislav Bezrukov / flickr.com)

South of Irkutsk, at the mouth of the Angara, is the village of Listvyanka, which is the most popular resort on Lake Baikal. There is a developed tourist infrastructure here, in addition, numerous excursions are organized from here. The cities of Slyudyanka and Baikalsk are also located on the southwestern coast of the reservoir. On the eastern coast there is the recreational zone Baikal Harbor.

Another well-known center of attraction for tourists is Olkhon Island, characterized by a variety of natural landscapes. You can get to Olkhon by ferry from the village of Sakhyurta; The largest settlement on the island is the village of Khuzhir, where there is a fairly developed tourist infrastructure.

The main properties of Baikal water can be briefly described as follows: it contains very few dissolved and suspended minerals, negligible organic impurities, and a lot of oxygen.

The water in Baikal is cold. The temperature of the surface layers, even in summer, does not exceed +8…+9 °C, in some bays - +15 °C. The temperature of the deep layers is about +4 °C. Only in the summer of 1986 did the surface water temperature in the northern part of Lake Baikal rise to a record 22-23 degrees.

The water in the lake is so transparent that individual stones and various objects can be seen at a depth of 40 m. At this time, Baikal water is blue. In summer and autumn, when a mass of plant and animal organisms develop in sun-warmed water, its transparency decreases to 8-10 m, and the color becomes blue-green and green. The purest and most transparent water of Baikal contains so few mineral salts (96.7 mg/l) that it can be used instead of distilled water.

Ice

The average freeze-up period is January 9 - May 4. Baikal freezes entirely, except for a small, 15-20 km long section located at the source. The shipping period for passenger and cargo ships is usually from June to September; Research vessels begin navigation after the lake is cleared of ice and complete it with the freezing of Lake Baikal, that is, from May to January.

By the end of winter, the thickness of the ice on Lake Baikal reaches 1 m, and in the bays - 1.5-2 m. In severe frost, cracks, locally called “stanova cracks,” tear the ice into separate fields. The length of such cracks is 10-30 km, and the width is 2-3 m. Breaks occur annually in approximately the same areas of the lake. They are accompanied by a loud crash, reminiscent of thunder or cannon shots. To a person standing on the ice, it seems that the ice cover is bursting just under his feet and he is about to fall into the abyss. Thanks to cracks in the ice, the fish on the lake do not die from lack of oxygen. Baikal ice, in addition, is very transparent, and the sun's rays penetrate through it, so planktonic algae that produce oxygen rapidly develop in the water. Along the shores of Lake Baikal you can see ice grottoes and splashes in winter.

Baikal ice presents scientists with many mysteries. Thus, in the 1930s, specialists from the Baikal Limnological Station discovered unusual forms of ice cover, characteristic only of Lake Baikal. For example, “hills” are cone-shaped ice hills up to 6 m high, hollow inside. Appearance they resemble ice tents, “open” in the direction opposite to the shore. The hills can be located separately, and sometimes form miniature “mountain ranges”. There are also several other types of ice on Baikal: "", "Kolobovnik", "Osenets".

In addition, in the spring of 2009, satellite images of different areas of Lake Baikal were distributed on the Internet, in which dark rings were discovered. According to scientists, these rings arise due to the rise of deep waters and an increase in the temperature of the surface layer of water in the central part of the ring structure. As a result of this process, an anticyclonic (clockwise) current is formed. In the area where the current reaches maximum speeds, vertical water exchange increases, which leads to accelerated destruction of the ice cover.

Bottom relief

The bottom of Lake Baikal has a pronounced relief. Along the entire coast of Lake Baikal in most or to a lesser extent coastal shallow waters (shelves) and underwater slopes are developed; the bed of the three main basins of the lake is expressed; there are underwater banks and even underwater ridges.

The Baikal basin is divided into three basins: Southern, Middle and Northern, separated from each other by two ridges - Academic and Selenginsky.

The most expressive is the Akademichesky ridge, which stretches from the island to the Ushkany Islands (which are its highest part). Its length is about 100 km, maximum height above the bottom of Baikal is 1,848 m. The thickness of bottom sediments in Baikal reaches about 6 thousand m, and as established by gravimetric surveys, some of the lakes in Baikal are flooded highest mountains on Earth, at an altitude of more than 7,000 m.

Islands and peninsulas

Seismic activity

The Baikal region (the so-called Baikal Rift Zone) is an area with high seismicity: earthquakes regularly occur here, most of which are one or two points on the MSK-64 intensity scale. However, strong ones also happen; Thus, in 1862, during the ten-magnitude Kudarin earthquake in the northern part of the Selenga delta, a land area of ​​200 km² with six uluses, in which 1,300 people lived, went under water, and a gulf of failure was formed. Strong earthquakes were also noted in 1950 (Mondinskoye), 1957 (Muyskoye), 1959 (Middle Baikal). The epicenter of the Central Baikal earthquake was at the bottom of Lake Baikal in the area of ​​the village of Sukhaya (south-eastern Coast). Its strength reached 9 points. In Ulan-Ude, the strength of the main shock reached 5-6 points, cracks and minor destruction were observed in buildings and structures. The last strong earthquakes on Baikal occurred in August 2008 (9 points) and February 2010 (6.1 points).

Climate

The water mass of Lake Baikal influences the climate of the coastal area. It is milder here and the summers are cooler. The onset of spring on Lake Baikal is delayed by 10-15 days compared to the surrounding areas, and autumn is often quite long.

The Baikal region is characterized by a long total duration of sunshine. For example, in the village of Bolshoye Goloustnoye it reaches 2,524 hours, which is more than Black Sea resorts, and is a record for Russia. Days without sunshine this year locality there are only 37, and on the island - 48.

The special features of the climate are determined by the climate, which have their own names - sarma, verkhovik, kultuk.

Origin of the lake

The origin of Baikal is still a matter of scientific debate. Scientists traditionally estimate the age of the lake at 25-35 million years. This fact also makes Baikal unique natural object, since most lakes, especially those of glacial origin, live on average 10-15 thousand years, and then fill with silty sediments and become swampy.

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

What is certain is that the lake is located in a rift basin and is similar in structure, for example, to the Dead Sea basin. Some researchers explain the formation of Baikal by its location in the transform fault zone, others suggest the presence of a mantle plume under Baikal, and others explain the formation of the depression by passive rifting as a result of the collision of the Eurasian plate and the Hindustan. Be that as it may, the transformation of Baikal continues to this day - earthquakes constantly occur in the vicinity of the lake. There are suggestions that the subsidence of the depression is associated with the formation of vacuum centers due to the outpouring of basalts onto the surface (Quaternary period).

Flora and fauna

Origin of the toponym “Baikal”

The origin of the name of the lake is not precisely established. Below are the most common versions of the origin of the toponym “Baikal”:

Baigal(Yakut) - large deep water; Sea

Bai-Kul(Turk.) - rich lake

Baigaal Dalai(Mong.) - rich fire

Bay-Hai(Chinese) - northern sea.

The first used the Evenki name “Lamu” (sea). From the second half of the 17th century, Russians switched to the name adopted by the Buryats (pronounced “Bayghel”). At the same time, they adapted it to their language, replacing the “g” characteristic of the Buryats with the “k”, which is more familiar to the Russian language, as a result of which the modern name was finally formed.

Limnological studies

The scientific field that studies lakes is called limnology. In there, studying Baikal. Independent scientific organizations, such as the Baikal Research Center (ANO), are also studying Baikal.

Deep sea drilling

In the 1990s, an international project for deep-sea drilling of Lake Baikal was carried out jointly by Russian, American and Japanese scientists. The drilling was carried out in winter, from a research vessel frozen in ice. Drilling made it possible to study the section of sedimentary strata at the bottom of the lake and detail its history. Drilling results are especially valuable for reconstruction climate change on the territory of Eurasia.

Neutrino telescope

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

"Paysis" on Baikal

The first dives of manned vehicles on Lake Baikal were made in 1977, when the bottom of the lake was explored on the Canadian-made Paisis deep-sea vehicle. In Larch Bay, a depth of 1410 m was reached. In 1991, "Pysis" on the eastern side sank to a depth of 1637 m.

"Worlds" on Baikal

In the summer of 2008, the Foundation for Assistance to the Conservation of Lake Baikal conducted a research expedition "". 52 dives of the deep-sea manned vehicles "Mir" were carried out to the bottom of Lake Baikal.

Scientists delivered to the P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences samples of water, soil and microorganisms raised from the bottom of Lake Baikal.

Eastern oil pipeline

The Transneft company is constructing the Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean", taking place in the Baikal region. Initially, it was planned that the pipeline route would pass in close proximity to the shore of the lake, and then in the event of an oil spill, Baikal would be under the threat of an environmental disaster. Numerous protests took place, including a protest meeting of many thousands held in Irkutsk on March 18, 2006. On April 26, 2006, during a meeting with Siberian governors in Tomsk, V.V. Putin announced the need to revise the project in order to build an oil pipeline no closer than 40 kilometers from the northern coast of Baikal. As a result, Transneft abandoned the original plan and moved the route of the oil pipeline outside the Baikal catchment area so that its thread would run no closer than 350-400 km from the lake.

Baikal is a World Natural Heritage Site.

In 1996, Baikal was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Attractions

On and around Lake Baikal there are many natural and cultural monuments, as well as historical and archaeological sites. Below are just a few of them.

1. Rock
2. Cape Burkhan on the island
3. Chersky Peak - 2,090 m above sea level.

Myths and legends about Baikal

There is a legend that Father Baikal had 336 son rivers and one daughter, the Angara, all of them flowed into her father in order to replenish his waters, but his daughter fell in love with the Yenisei River and began to carry her father’s waters to her beloved. In response to this, Father Baikal threw a huge piece of rock at his daughter and cursed her. This rock, called the Shaman Stone, is located at the source of the Angara and is considered its beginning.

Another variation of the legend says that Baikal had only daughter- Hangar. She fell in love with Yenisei and decided to run away to him. Baikal, having learned about this, tried to block her path by throwing the Shaman-stone to the source, but Angara ran further, then Baikal sent his nephew Irkut in pursuit of her, but he took pity on Angara and turned off the path. The Angara met the Yenisei and flowed further along with it.

Songs about Baikal

Films about Baikal

In 1992, the Lennauchfilm film studio released the popular science film “Baikal Legends” (directed by cameraman V. Petrov). The film tells about the geographical and natural features of the lake, as well as the history of the peoples living on its shores.

On the world map, the Baikal “comma” is right in the center of Eurasia. Either it “smiles” at a person’s curiosity, or it means a secret, an understatement. That’s right – the special aura of these places opens up immediately and never lets go. Asia and the East are intertwined here, European civilization has intervened, but there are still more untrodden places here than inhabited ones.

Geographical location and history of the origin of the lake

When asked where Lake Baikal is located, the most common answer is - in Siberia. The lake of tectonic origin lies in a rift cavity - like, for example, the Dead Sea. On the map of Russia, a fresh body of water separates the Irkutsk region and Buryatia. The length from the north to the southwest is almost 640 km, relatively narrow in width - from 25 to 80 km.

Satellite images show the thickness of the water - the maximum depth is 1637 meters: on the map of the planet's hemispheres, there are only 6 lakes deeper than one and a half kilometers, and Baikal takes precedence.

Curious! There are many versions of the origin of the name of the lake, the advantages are in expressions that are consonant with the current pronunciation:
Beihai (Chinese) – northern sea;
Baikol (Turkic) – rich lake;
Baigal-dalai (Mongolian) – rich flame.

Road to the lake

Airports and railway stations are located in Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude. The regularity of flights and express trains is high, prices are suitable for any budget thanks to the active development of the tourism cluster. Depending on the city in which the journey begins - the coast is from 70 to 140 km, regular buses run around the clock.

Features and mysteries of Baikal

Basin

Geologists cannot determine the exact age of the reservoir. Amazing location: Baikal lies as if in a stone vessel, and this makes diagnostics difficult - there is no bottom soil for archaeologists and biologists. So 30 million years or “only” 150 thousand? No answer.

Dark rings

For many years now, the lake surface has been spontaneously covered with huge rings several kilometers in diameter. Observers notice this every spring on the satellite map. Researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences have put forward a hypothesis that this is how bottom water with gases rises. But ufologists insist on the extraterrestrial origin of this geometry.

Deep space

An unexpected location was chosen for a new super-powerful telescope at the end of the 20th century: Baikal, the bottom pillow. It turned out that it is easier for astrophysicists to pick up signals from space through water. The mystery gave rise to belief in the existence of a deep port for aliens - after winter, traces of “active” flights emerge in the famous “rings”.

Baikal Stonehenge

Bizarre man-made structures are located in a remote area of ​​the Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve. On Cape Rytom, someone in ancient times built a stone fence 333 meters long. Inside there are pyramids made of flat slabs. Eyewitnesses admit: there are no burials there, but the energy is incredible. However, it is almost impossible for neophytes to get here.

Underwater riddles

In the great depths of Lake Baikal, they are looking for secrets and treasures, scrupulously calculating coordinates: Baikal is historically associated with the Supreme Ruler Kolchak and the missing tons of gold reserves. Suddenly hidden at the bottom?.. The great director J. Cameron equipped an entire expedition to the bottom of Lake Baikal. What discoveries he made remained a secret.

Living water

Environmentalists praise the life-giving composition of the lake cocktail. Despite active industrial intervention, the purity of the lake is unique: mineralized, saturated with oxygen. Even under a meter of ice, the bottom stones are clearly visible. The recipes are known - crustaceans and sponges can do it. Using these properties in cities is a challenge.

Flora and fauna of Lake Baikal

Flora of Baikal

No other region has such a unique combination of natural and climatic zones. Along the entire perimeter of the Siberian Sea there is a wonderful variety of vegetation - from arctic to subtropical species. Hundreds of rare shrubs and conifers grow here, rhododendrons and edelweiss bloom. The favorites are:

Relic forest– living “fossils” have been preserved on Olkhon since Paleolithic times.

Oaks and hornbeams– the groves on the southeastern coast are like an oasis in the center of Siberia.

Blue spruce– an unusual decorative shade is created by the waxy “cover” of the needles; the region of origin of the species is unknown.

Fauna of Baikal

The water area and shores of Lake Baikal are famous for their biodiversity. Scientists are surprised - what a rich region: more than 1,500 species - ancient deep ciliates, a host of insects, fish, birds. The coastal zones, abundant in food, are favored by predators and herbivores: bears, wolverines, and deer. Have fresh sea and its legendary inhabitants:

– fur-bearing animals live in cedar trees all over east coast along the Barguzinsky ridge. Omnivorous, due to the value of fur it was on the verge of extinction, until physical map the area did not become the first nature reserve in Russia - it already has a 100-year history.

– Baikal seal, protected by the state. There are many versions, like marine mammal fell deep into the continent into a fresh lake. Some are sure that from the Arctic along the Yenisei and Angara, others believe in more exotic versions. Good-natured longhorned beetles weighing up to 170 kg stoically endure hordes of tourists.

– a fish from the whitefish family, considered a signature delicacy, weighing from 0.5 kg to 5 kg. Commercial mining is underway.

Curious! The crustaceans Epishura baikalensis, copepods of cleaners, have been working for millions of years: they have successfully coped with biopollutants. But modern chemical runoff threatens this population and the lake’s ecosystem.

Sights of Baikal

Lake Baikal on the world map is an object of attraction in itself. Pagan myths are still alive here - and every cape, bay, and rock is covered with them. The legends of the Golden Horde are revered, the Old Believer villages of the first Russian settlers and ancient Buddhist datsans stand as a source of wisdom. Hundreds of natural and historical monuments. First of all, you should look at:

Circum-Baikal Railway – built as part of the Trans-Siberian Railway; now 89 km along the coast, through tunnels and stone galleries with amazing views.

Shaman-rock on Cape Khuzhir - the ridge of the sacred mountain crashes into the water: rituals have been performed here for thousands of years, and as a sign of continuity there are 13 ritual serges, visible from afar.

Cave Dream– we didn’t exactly count how many kilometers it was in length – but it’s the deepest, with golden stalactites it’s impressive fabulous view and special musicality of sounds.

Olkhon- an island in the middle of the water, with a spruce forest of prehistoric times and the stunning beauty of the panoramas.

Taltsy– ethno-village-museum of life of the indigenous population of the Baikal region: authentic and impressive.

Lake Baikal is unique and differs from many natural reservoirs not only in depth, but also in the incredible transparency and purity of the water. The enormous depth is associated with its location - it is located in a crevice of tectonic origin. A large number of rivers and streams flow into the lake, but only one carries water out of it. What kind of river is this that flows from Baikal, what are its largest tributaries? The answers to these questions can be found by reading the article.

Before we find out which river flows from Lake Baikal, let’s imagine general information and a description of the lake itself. This unique natural reservoir is fed by a huge number of rivers. Their exact number has not yet been determined. The answer to this question is the subject of debate among many experts. At the moment, according to the official version, the number of tributaries is 336. And amazing fact is that only one river flows from Baikal. Which? Information about this is provided below in the article.

The reservoir is one of the oldest lakes on the planet and the deepest lake on Earth. In addition, it is also the largest natural reservoir of fresh water. Both the lake and the surrounding coastal area are distinguished by a unique diversity of fauna and flora. These are truly unique places that attract great attention from scientists and travelers.

Location and characteristics

Lake Baikal is located in the southern territory of Eastern Siberia. This place is the border of the Republic of Buryatia with the Irkutsk region. In its outline, Baikal resembles a narrow crescent. It extends from the southeast to 636 kilometers in a northeast direction. Baikal flows between mountain ranges, and its water surface is located at an altitude of 450 meters above sea level. Therefore, the lake can be considered mountainous. On the western side it is adjacent to the Primorsky and Baikal territories, and from the southeast and east - the Barguzinsky, Khamar-Daban and Ulan-Burgasy massifs.

The natural landscape here is surprisingly harmonious; it’s even difficult to imagine a lake without mountains. The famous Baikal has gigantic volumes of fresh water - more than 23 thousand cubic kilometers, and this accounts for approximately 19% of the world's water reserves.

If you look at this lake on the map, then due to its elongated shape, you get the feeling that it is a continuation of the Upper Angara River. It's like it's a reservoir.

Many people often confuse which rivers flow into Lake Baikal and how many there are in total. It turned out that tributaries were sometimes counted together with small streams, and sometimes without them. In addition, some small watercourses may periodically disappear due to weather conditions. It is believed that in total due to the anthropogenic factor, more than 150 streams could completely disappear.

One of the main reasons for the purity of the water in the lake is plankton. These are epishura crustaceans (microscopic creatures) that process organic matter. Their work result is comparable to the action of a distiller. Such clear water even contains very little dissolved salts.

Among the tributaries, the largest are the following rivers: Selenga, Barguzin, Turka and Snezhnaya. But among them there are quite big river, which brings some confusion with its name, is the Upper Angara. It is often confused with the Angara, and therefore the latter is classified as a tributary. Some small rivers (tributaries) of Baikal have quite funny names: Naked, Cheryomukhovaya, Kotochik (flows into Turku) and Durnya (flows into Kotochik). There are more than a thousand similar streams and rivulets. In this regard, it is problematic to count all the reservoirs throughout the lake basin that carry their clean waters to Baikal. And, as noted above, there are almost no rivers flowing from Baikal.

Selenga

This is the largest river flowing into the lake. It flows through the territories (mostly flat) of two states: it begins in Mongolia and ends its path in Russia. It is the Selenga that brings into the lake almost 1/2 of all the water entering Baikal.

It owes its abundance of water to the following tributaries:

• Temnik;
• Jide;
• Chikoyu;
• Orongoyu;
• Ude and others.

Cities such as Ulan-Ude (the capital of Buryatia) and Sukhbaatar (Mongolia) are located on this river.

Upper Angara

Often this water artery (as noted above) is confused with the Angara River, flowing from Lake Baikal. IN upper reaches it has a difficult character: fast, mountainous, rapids. Even when it reaches the plain, its bed does not stop winding. Periodically breaking up into numerous channels, it unites again. Closer to Lake Baikal, the Upper Angara becomes calmer and quieter. Near the northern part of the lake it turns into a bay with shallow depth, and its name is Angarsky Sor.

Most of Baikal-Amur Mainline runs along the Upper Angara. The river is navigable, but only in the lower reaches. Major tributaries:

• Churo;
• Koteru;
• Angarakan;
• Yanchui.

Angara

Flows out of Lake Baikal. This is a great and powerful waterway. It is the only source of the lake, is the largest of the right tributaries of the Yenisei, flows through the territories of the Krasnoyarsk Territory of Russia and Irkutsk region. Translated, the word “anga” from Buryat means “gaping”, “open”, “revealed”, and also “gorge”, “ravine”, “cleft”. IN historical sources The Angara River was first mentioned in the 13th century with the name Ankara-Muren. Previously, the lower course (after the confluence of the Ilim) was called the Upper Tunguska.

The Angara basin has an area of ​​almost 1,040 thousand square meters. km, and without the Baikal basin - 468,000 sq. km. The river begins from the lake with a wide stream (1100 m) and first goes north. Several reservoirs were built here:

• Irkutsk;
• Bratskoe (with the famous Bratsk hydroelectric power station);
• Ust-Ilimskoe.

The river then heads west towards Krasnoyarsk region and not far from Lesosibirsk it flows into the Yenisei River. After the connection of two rivers in a single water stream, the clear water of the Angara flows on the right, and the muddy Yenisei on the left. Only beyond Lesosibirsk do the Yenisei and Baikal waters mix. The Yenisei carries all this powerful water mass to the North. The river flowing from Baikal is clean and beautiful, with clear water. Its length is 1779 km. This is a very attractive object for recreational fishing, because its waters are home to more than 30 species of fish.

Conclusion

The waters of the Angara, rushing from the heights of Lake Baikal, run away in a powerful stream. At its source there is a Shaman-stone (rock). According to one legend, Father Baikal threw this stone after his runaway daughter. The reason for this act is love for the handsome hero Yenisei, while her father chose another hero named Irkut as her groom. Baikal benefits from such a powerful flow. And the streams flowing into the reservoir, making their way through the forest thickets, bring clean water, due to their location away from major highways and industries. Baikal is lucky in every way.

The drainage basin of the lake is 540,034 square meters. km (according to A.N. Afanasyev). There is still no consensus on the number of rivers flowing into Baikal. According to I.D. Chersky (1886) 336 rivers and streams flow into the lake. In 1964, the calculation of Baikal rivers using topographic maps was carried out by V.M. Boyarkin. According to his data, 544 watercourses (temporary and permanent) flow into Baikal, 324 from the eastern shore, 220 from the western shore. Rivers annually bring 60 cubic meters to Baikal. km of low mineralization water. This is explained by the fact that the area of ​​the Baikal drainage basin is composed predominantly of igneous and metamorphic rocks consisting of sparingly soluble minerals


Angara
Angara is one of the largest and most unique rivers eastern Siberia. The total length of the Angara is 1779 km. It flows out of Lake Baikal as a powerful stream 1.1 km wide and up to 1.8-1.9 m deep. Average consumption water at the source - 1920 cubic meters. m/sec, or about 61 cubic meters. km per year. It flows into the Yenisei 83 km above the city of Yeniseisk. The drainage area of ​​the Angara basin, including Lake Baikal, is 1,039,000 sq. km. Half of the basin's area falls on Baikal, the rest on the Angara itself. The length of the Angara within the region is 1360 km, the drainage area is 232,000 sq. km.
In the Angara basin, within the region, there are 38,195 different rivers and streams with a total length of 162,603 ​​km, which is four times the circumference of the Earth at the equator.
The Angara flows through the territory of the Irkutsk region from south to north. Its valley is well developed. In some areas it expands to 12 - 15 km, and in places where the ladders exit, it narrows to 300 - 400 m.
The Angara gets its food from Lake Baikal. The natural regulator of water flow is the Irkutsk reservoir. The Angara is fed by the waters of tributaries, the role of which increases towards the mouth.
Before the construction of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station, the level regime of the Angara was very unique. In summer, due to heavy rainfall, and in winter, due to the accumulation of bottom ice and slush in narrow places of the channel, the height of the water rise reached 9 m. In connection with the creation of the Irkutsk and Bratsk reservoirs, the level regime of the Angara changed. Levels increased during the off-season and decreased during flood periods due to the distribution of water over a large area.
A distinctive feature of the Angara is that it is located in relatively harsh climatic conditions, but freeze-up occurs later on it than on other rivers of Siberia and even the European part of Russia. This is explained by the fast flow and the influx of relatively warm deep waters from Lake Baikal.
After the construction of the Irkutsk, Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk hydroelectric power stations, the Angara below these hydroelectric power stations does not freeze, since the waters in the reservoirs heated up during the summer do not have time to cool in these areas.
The high degree of water flow in the Angara throughout the year, the constant flow rates, and the large drop give grounds to evaluate it as a river with huge reserves of hydropower resources. A cascade of hydroelectric power stations can be built on the Angara total capacity 15 million kW, which can provide 90 billion kWh of electricity, that is, as much as the Volga, Kama, Dnieper and Don combined can provide.
The Irkutsk, Bratsk, and Ust-Ilimsk hydroelectric power stations were built on the Angara. As a result of this, the Angara turned into a chain of reservoirs and a deep-water lake-river highway.
The creation of a cascade of hydroelectric power stations and reservoirs introduced fundamental changes to the hydrobiological regime of the Angara, greatly complicated the natural connection of the river with Lake Baikal, and led to a significant transformation species composition flora and fauna.
The largest left-side tributaries of the Angara are the Irkut, Kitoi, Belaya, Oka, Uda, Biryusa; The right-hand tributaries are small - Ushakovka, Kuda, Ida, Osa, Uda, Ilim.

Selenga
Selenga is the most major influx Baikal. The river begins on the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic, where it is formed from the confluence of the rivers Ider and Muren. The total length of the Selenga is 1591 km. The drainage basin area is 445,000 square meters. km, annual flow - 28.9 cubic meters. km.
The Selenga provides half of the total mass of water entering Baikal from all its tributaries. It flows into the lake through several branches along a wide swampy lowland, forming a delta extending far into Baikal.
The hydronym “Selenga” comes from the Evenk “sele” - iron. Another version of the origin of the name of the river is from the Buryat “Selenge”, which means smooth, spacious, calm.

Barguzin
Barguzin is the third tributary of Lake Baikal in terms of water content, after the Selenga and Upper Angara. It originates from the slopes of the Barguzinsky ridge. The river supplies Baikal with 7% of its total annual water supply. The Barguzin flows along the Barguzin depression. The length of the river is 480 km. Its fall from source to mouth is 1344 m. The area of ​​the river's drainage basin is 19,800 square meters. km, annual flow - 3.54 cubic meters. km.
The name of the river comes from the entonym “Barguts” - an ancient Mongol-speaking tribe close to the Buryats, who once inhabited the Barguzin Valley. “Barguty” - comes from the Buryat “barga” - wilderness, wilderness, outskirts.

Rivers Hamar - Dabana

The slopes of the ridge are cut through by deep and narrow river valleys, the density of the Khamar-Daban river network is 0.7-0.8 per 1 sq. km.
Often there are canyons with steep multi-meter walls and picturesque, bizarrely shaped rocks. The Snezhnaya, Utulik, Langutai, Selenginka, Khara-Murin, and Pereemnaya rivers have such canyons. Canyons are rightfully considered impassable, and in big water- impassable. Rivers are characterized by an abundance of rapids and waterfalls. The sections of rivers where they break through the ridge are especially beautiful. Almost all rivers of the ridge originate in the pre-goltsy and goltsy belts. Their channels are short, with a steep fall. There are many lakes on Khamar-Daban. The largest of them are: Patovoye, Tagley, Sobolinoye. There are dozens of small lakes and waterfalls in the carts and circuses.