Ladoga lake. Flora and fauna. Wonderful places in Russia - Ladoga. Where is Lake Ladoga located?

Karelia is a wonderful land of forests and lakes. An inexhaustible stream of tourists and fishermen travel to Karelian reservoirs. Largest lake Europe with clean waters, Ladoga, attracts numerous tourists and fishing enthusiasts. However, its complex terrain, coastline indented by skerries, and autumn storms can be very dangerous for an unprepared traveler. The depth map clearly demonstrates impressive indicators, where dangerous areas and bottom changes are marked.

About the largest freshwater body of Europe

Lake Ladoga was formed as a result of the movement of glaciers. Its water surface has an area of about 18 thousand square kilometers. The northern part of the lake is distinguished by many rocky islands separated by countless channels. The most famous is the height of the rocks, which can reach 70 meters. The coastline is diverse - picturesque fjords and skerries in the north, smooth lines sandy beaches eastern part, swampy southern shores with shoals and banks, densely forested western shore with scatterings of boulders. Amazing shapes and unusual outlines will be remembered by everyone who visits Ladoga.

The Ladoga pit contains an impressive volume of water - 908 cubic kilometers. The depth map amazes with its solid numbers. The secrets hidden in its majestic abysses can still surprise researchers. The enormous size of the reservoir delights everyone who visits its vastness with its harsh beauty.

Depth and relief of Ladoga

The topography of the lake bottom differs throughout its water area, varying depending on the height of the surrounding shores. The formation of the reservoir bowl occurred as a result of the melting and advancement of glacial masses. The change in depth values occurs gradually from north to south. There is a natural relationship: the steeper the shores surrounding the lake, the deeper its bottom. In the northern part of the lake, as a detailed map of the depths of Lake Ladoga shows, one can observe numerous bottom irregularities with indicators of up to 230 meters. The relief of the southern part is characterized by smoothness with depth changes in the range of 20-70 meters. Most impressive figure marked north of the island of Valaam.

Map - why is it needed?

The map of the depths of Lake Ladoga allows you to see all the unevenness of the relief hidden under the water column, the complexity of which is determined by the physical and geological features of the formation of the bottom. The map also notes the frequent predominance of critical depressions and gaps in the northwestern region, treacherous shoals and reefs. Particularly dangerous are the so-called luds - small smooth rocky islands that, due to changes in water level in the lake, can become completely invisible. The map also offers the ability to search for large shallows for successful trolling. In such shallow waters, shoals of valuable commercial fish such as whitefish, whitefish, and pike perch gather.

Southern part of the lake

Geographically, the lake is located in Karelia and Leningrad region. One of the three large bays, the Volkhov Bay, juts into the southern shore of Ladoga. On the eastern shore of the bay is the mouth of the Voronezhka River. This part of the lake is very interesting place For fishing. The bottom topography is uneven and in some places has pronounced sharp elevations. The bay's soil is hard, sandy, with rocky ridges and muddy areas. The range of depth indicators ranges from 1 meter in the coastal zone to 20 meters away from the shore, as the depth map of Lake Ladoga shows. Voronovo is a settlement on the shore of the bay, from which you can get to St. Petersburg.

Northern part of the lake

The northwestern shore of the lake is interesting for various types tourist holiday. The unique landscapes of this area of Ladoga differ from neighboring territories. The bays, deeply cut by skerries and fjords, especially attract vacationers on kayaks and small boats. In this part of the reservoir, sharp changes in the bottom from depressions to shallows are especially noticeable, which allows you to see the map of the depths of Lake Ladoga. Sortavala, the most Big City Northern Ladoga region, is part tourist route to the island of Valaam. The best assistant in moving around the labyrinth of skerries will be an experienced guide or map.

Numerous beliefs and legends shroud the history of ancient Ladoga. Mysterious phenomena, the beauty of white nights, picturesque shores and exciting fishing attract travelers and fishing connoisseurs. Do not be deluded by the apparent beauty of treacherous Ladoga - it can be very dangerous for inexperienced tourists. Thick fogs, which are not uncommon in these places, and strong storms, which amaze with their surprise and power, pose a serious threat. A map of the depths of Lake Ladoga marks treacherous gaps and shallows. To enjoy the surrounding beauty, it is better to use the services of experienced guides.

Vegetable and animal world

Lake Ladoga is full of life. However, harsh Ladoga does not pamper its inhabitants. Great depth, low water temperature, a small amount of dissolved nutrient salts, as well as coarse bottom sediments inhibit the development of flowering aquatic plants - macrophytes. But the real scourge for them is the dynamism of the water mass. Frequent and strong waves often do not allow macrophytes to colonize the shallow coastal zone.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the most diverse vegetation is found in the northern - skerry - region of Ladoga, where the intricately indented shores are protected from storms by a scattering of countless islands and reefs.

Menacing waves rush with furious force onto the rocky shores of these islands facing open Ladoga. Here macrophytes do not grow, and in the water only long green tufts of filamentous algae, ulothrix, attached to the rocks, sway, but deeper, in the skerries, where the destructive force of the waves weakens, the first flowering plants appear in the water.

The pioneers of overgrowth are reed, bogwort, and marsh horsetail. At some distance from the shore, single clumps of water buttercup and pierced-leaved pondweed can be seen. But plants rarely grow alone. To make it easier to endure unfavorable conditions, they form groups built according to certain laws, consisting of several types of macrophytes.

On the leeward side of the islands, among the chaotic piles of stones and fragments of rocks, small patches of aquatic plants loom with bright emerald reflections. And a little further a narrow, but denser strip of reeds ran into the depths of the bay. It is as if a patterned border is framed by white flowers of water buttercup, sitting on thin branched stems, strewn with leaves cut into thin slices.

And in the reed thickets, oblong, slightly reddish leaves with an inflorescence of pink flowers float on the surface of the water. This is an amphibious buckwheat. Here, spikelets of various types of pondweeds peek out of the water, and the plants themselves are immersed in water.

But we find the real abundance and diversity of aquatic plants in the upper reaches of the bays of the skerry part of Ladoga, which protrude deeply into the mainland. Sloping shores, shallows, silty soils rich in mineral nutrition and, finally, protection from waves - what could be better for the growth of macrophytes! Here you can find sedge thickets, in which you can count several dozen species of moisture-loving plants, and communities of marsh horsetail, which enter the water to a depth of 2 meters.

And at greater depths, plants with leaves floating on the surface of the water dominate. The shiny brownish leaves of a regular oval shape leave a great impression. This is a floating pondweed. Leaves like arrowheads sway next to him. For this similarity, the plant itself received the name arrow leaf. A little further on the water stretched bright green cords of leaves of the hedgehog, so named because of the appearance of its fruits, reminiscent of a bristling hedgehog. There are also small islands of large leathery green leaves of the egg capsule, among which its flowers turn yellow.

Behind the strip of plants with floating leaves, which in most Ladoga bays is narrow and may be completely absent, submerged plants begin. Pierced-leaved and multi-leaved pondweeds are more common here. On silty soils, groups of uruti and hornwort - plants with heavily dissected leaves - develop well. At the bottom there are dense tufts of the well-known Elodea canadiana, or water plague, which is familiar to us from the home aquarium - a native of North America. It is believed that Elodea owes its appearance in Europe to aquarists. In 1836, it was brought to Ireland, from where its victorious march through the waters of Europe began.

This picture of coastal overgrowth can be observed while slowly sailing along the shore in a boat. But in order to imagine the degree of overgrowth of the reservoir as a whole, especially such a huge one as Lake Ladoga, aerial reconnaissance is carried out. Aerial observations of aquatic vegetation on Ladoga showed that a narrow green border of reed thickets 5-10 meters wide stretches along the shores of numerous islands and the mainland.

Adjacent to it is an even narrower strip. Only at the tops of bays deeply cut into the land do diverse groups of macrophytes develop. The width of the overgrowth strip in these places reaches 70-100 meters. The total area of aquatic vegetation in the northern part of Ladoga is about 1,500 hectares.

There is almost complete absence of aquatic vegetation along the eastern and western shores of the lake. From the plane you can see how the waves wash the sand of the huge beaches of the east coast and crash on the boulders of the west coast. And only behind the ridges of stones at the mouth of the Vuoksa (Burnaya) River, flowing in from the west, as well as in the strait between the island of Mantsinsari and east coast Ladoga and in the Uksunlahti Bay dense islands of reed thickets have strengthened.

In the shallow southern bays, Ladoga receives two large tributaries - the Svir and the Volkhov. Rivers bring nutrients to the lake for living organisms. Here in the lips there are the largest communities of aquatic plants, occupying over 8,000 hectares. Branching, cord-like stems of lushly developed pierced-leaved pondweed are visible in the water. Closer to the shore, thickets of pondweed give way to a green carpet with patterns of various shades. The grayish tint belonging to the sedge prevails near the island of Ptinov. Along everything south coast Dark green islands of reeds stand out, interspersed with fairly large tracts of light green reed thickets.

Reed is the most widespread plant in the world. It is very unpretentious and can grow in various environmental conditions - in standing and flowing reservoirs up to 2.5 meters deep, on land, in places with high level groundwater, on various soils, preferring, however, silty ones. Reed has a variety of uses on the farm. Its stems are used in the pulp and paper industry to make paper and cardboard. In the early stages of the growing season, reed serves as food for domestic animals. Chemical analyzes showed that young shoots contain 16 percent carbohydrates, and they contain even more vitamin C than lemons. However, the exploitation of reed reserves on Ladoga is unprofitable, since their total area is slightly more than 100 square kilometers, and they are too scattered along the entire coast.

But higher aquatic plants, of which there are a total of 120 species, are not limited to vegetable world Lake Ladoga. The water in it is saturated with tiny organisms, the so-called plankton. The diversity and abundance of single-celled diatoms enclosed in shells with an amazingly thin lace pattern amazes. Here a few Asterionella cells formed an asterisk.

Right next to it there is a patterned necklace - this is a colony of the diatom melosira, a little further away you can see circles of stephanodiscus dotted with specks. It is difficult to describe all the diversity of these smallest creations of nature. After all, in the plankton of Ladoga alone, 154 species of diatoms, 126 species of green and 76 species of blue-green are known, not to mention representatives of other, more rarely found types of algae.

The phytoplankton of Ladoga is dominated by cosmopolitan algae, widespread in lakes of all latitudes. They are joined by a significant number of boreal species - inhabitants of water bodies in the temperate zone of the Earth and northern alpine algae living in northern and high-mountain cold water bodies. The combination of these groups of algae allows us to characterize the algae flora of Lake Ladoga as cold-loving.

The last of the groups of plant organisms living in the lake are microbes, which are destroyers of organic matter created by planktonic algae and higher aquatic plants (with the exception of a small group of microbes capable of synthesizing organic matter chemically). Latest research showed that the waters of Ladoga are poor in bacteria.

For comparison, let’s take the crystal clear water of artesian wells as a standard. Here, in one cubic centimeter you can count up to 15 thousand bacterial cells. The deep Ladoga waters contain only 60-70 thousand microorganisms, and in the surface layer - from 180 to 300 thousand. Only near river mouths and in places where industrial wastewater is discharged, the number of bacteria is increased.

What explains the low number of bacteria in Ladoga? Low water temperature prevents intensive growth of bacteria. The consequence of the small number of microorganisms, which are the main “cleaners,” is the weak ability of Ladoga waters to self-purify. This means that we must very carefully protect Ladoga from pollution by industrial and domestic wastewater.

As a result of many years of research, 378 species and varieties of planktonic animals were identified in Lake Ladoga. More than half of the species are represented by extremely peculiar and very small organisms - rotifers. A quarter of the total number of species is made up of protozoa, and 23 percent falls jointly on Cladocera and Copepods.

Zooplankton, like all other living beings, is distributed unevenly across the waters of Lake Ladoga. For example, severe ruggedness coastline in the skerry area of Ladoga it creates a system of bays and coves isolated from the main reach, in which forms of zooplankton characteristic of small reservoirs develop. These include the well-known species of Daphnia and Cyclops.

A large group of aquatic invertebrate animals lives at the bottom of the lake and is collectively called benthos. 385 species of them were found in Ladoga. Some of these organisms live in the mud, cutting through it with channels of their passages, others are attached to stones and boulders, but greatest variety The population of thickets of aquatic plants differs.

Four-fifths of the total number of species of bottom organisms is confined to a narrow shallow-water zone, and in the vast deep-water and cold-water zone only 57 species of organisms live, but this number includes relict crustaceans - animals that inhabited the ancient lake that preceded Ladoga during the period of its connection with Baltic Sea. Now they have found favorable conditions for their existence here.

At the bottom of Lake Ladoga, elements of fauna are united, different in origin, species and geographical distribution. The first place in the benthofauna belongs to insect larvae, which account for more than half of all species of benthic animals - 202 species. Next come worms - 66 species, water mites, or hydrocarines, mollusks, crustaceans, etc.

Bottom animals play a very important role in the reservoir, being the main food for most fish. If you map the places of greatest development of benthos, and then mark accumulations of valuable species of commercial fish on the same map, it turns out that these areas coincide.

On Ladoga, together with its canals and the lower reaches of the flowing rivers, 58 species and varieties of fish are known, including 5 species introduced by humans. These include temporary newcomers, which include river lamprey, Baltic sturgeon, Baltic salmon and eel; overcoming the fast current of the Neva, they occasionally enter Lake Ladoga and its tributaries.

There is even information that the Baltic sturgeon, before the construction of the dams, passed through the entire Svir to the southern part of Onega. Sturgeon breed in the Ladoga rivers, then descend into the lake and can live here without going to sea. For these reasons, Baikal and Lena sturgeon were introduced into Ladoga to restore and replenish sturgeon stocks.

There are fish in Ladoga that are unique to it. These are the Ladoga lamprey, the Ladoga ripus, several breeds of whitefish, the Ladoga smelt, and the relict four-horned goby. But, of course, the bulk are made up of fish that live in many freshwater bodies. We will only talk about widespread, commercially important or otherwise remarkable fish.

Perhaps the most valuable fish of Ladoga are salmon, of which 7 species are known. In addition to sea salmon entering the lake, lake salmon and lake trout, or taimen, are common throughout Ladoga. These beautiful, strong fish are very similar to each other, but they still have differences. Outwardly, they are expressed in the fact that numerous black spots are visible on the salmon’s body, which are especially numerous near the pectoral fins.

Unlike salmon, trout have a lighter color and fewer dark spots on the head and body. Both trout and salmon can weigh up to 8 kilograms, but most fish weighing 2.5 kilograms are caught. These fish go to rivers to spawn. Not so long ago they could rise into almost all the rivers of the Ladoga region, but now dams have been built on most of them. In addition, some rivers are polluted by wastewater from pulp and paper mills and timber rafting, and salmon and taimen do not enter them. The largest number of lake salmon go to the Burnaya, Vidlitsa, and Svir rivers to spawn. Due to the sharp decline in stocks of this fish, salmon fishing has been prohibited since 1960.

Many tributaries of Lake Ladoga are inhabited by small-sized but beautifully colored brook trout.

In Lake Ladoga there are two more species of fish, whose general appearance resembles salmon. These are the common and yamnaya paliya, reaching a weight of 5-7 kilograms. The common palia is distinguished by its dark color and light spots on the sides. Pit palia is lighter in color and is therefore also called gray palia. Unlike the ordinary one, Yamnaya Palia prefers great depths. Palia are lake fish and, as a rule, do not enter rivers.

In winter, they live in deep layers of water, and after the lake is opened, they go to the underwater shallows, where they hunt for smelt. As the water temperature rises, the fish go deeper again. Palia breeds only in the lake, and only in its northern part.

The next representatives of the salmon family that live in the waters of Ladoga are the common, or European, vendace - one of the most important commercial fish of the lake and the Ladoga ripus, or large vendace. These are very delicate fish. Their distinguishing feature is the color of their back. The vendace has a back with a greenish shiny tint or almost black. The back of the ripus has a purple or dark blue tint.

These fish differ in size and habitat. Vendace rarely reaches a length of 20 centimeters and a weight of 90 grams, while ripus is found up to 40 centimeters long and weighs up to 1 kilogram. Vendace is distributed in large quantities in the northern half of the lake, and ripus - in the southern half, where its breeding and feeding grounds are located.

There are 7 varieties of whitefish in Ladoga - Ludoga, Lake Ladoga, Black, Valaam, Volkhov, Vuoksa and Svir. The first four species are typically lacustrine, spending their entire lives in the lake, while the Vuoksa, Volkhov and Svir whitefish are lake-river whitefish: they breed in rivers and feed in the lake.

All whitefish reach a length of 50 centimeters or more and a weight of more than 2 kilograms. The commercial importance of different varieties of whitefish varies. Lake whitefish, with the exception of Valaam, are widely hunted in various parts of the lake, while lake-river whitefish are quite rare.

Whitefish got its name due to the fact that it stays mainly on underwater rocky places called luds. Ludoga lives in both northern and southern parts lakes. In summer it often gathers near the western, southern and east coast, and in winter migrates to the north. Ludoga spawns on the southern coast of Ladoga near Ptinov Island and in Volkhov Bay. This whitefish provides the bulk of the commercial catch here. Lake Ladoga whitefish lives mainly in Petrokrepost Bay.

Black whitefish inhabit northern part lakes and is the main commercial species there. It adheres to mainland and island coasts with shallow depths.

Finally, the deepest of the whitefish is the Valaam whitefish, which lives only in the northern part of the lake at depths of up to 150 meters or more. This fish got its name in ancient times. Russian fishermen went to the Valaam archipelago, where in the fall deep-sea whitefish concentrate around the islands and between them and the northern skerries.

They caught him there until January. The fishermen returned to the mainland already on the ice. This whitefish is also known as goiter, since when pulled from the depths to the surface, due to a sharp change in pressure, the fish’s front part of the abdomen swells (crop).

The lake-river Vuoksa whitefish is distributed mainly in the northern part of Ladoga, from where it goes to spawn in the rivers of the northern and west coast. In the 18th - early 19th centuries, there was a large whitefish fishery on the Vuoksa River, but the construction of dams reduced the stocks of Vuoksa whitefish.

The same thing happened with the Volkhov and Svir whitefish; The Volkhov whitefish was especially hard hit, as the dam blocked its path to the Msta River, where it had previously spawned, putting it on the brink of extinction. Therefore, in order to restore the population of lake and river whitefish, work is being done to artificially reproduce these valuable fish, which have excellent taste, at fish hatcheries.

Taking into account the geographical features of Lake Ladoga and the valuable nutritional qualities of whitefish, the famous Baikal omul and peled were introduced into Ladoga.

Probably, many have heard about the cautious and swift fish with a large dorsal fin - grayling. Grayling lives both in the lake itself, preferring its northern part, and in the tributaries of Ladoga. In the lake, grayling sticks to the rocky shores of the mainland and islands, where it can be seen rising out of the water behind a flying insect. Grayling never gathers in schools, even during the spawning period, and therefore it is caught in Ladoga in small quantities. Catching grayling is always a dream for amateur fishermen.

The main commercial fish in Lake Ladoga is smelt, which accounts for up to half of all fish caught in the reservoir. There is hardly any need to characterize smelt - it is well known to residents of the north-west of our country.

Pike are found in all coastal thickets, but their numbers are small for such a huge body of water as Lake Ladoga.

The greatest variety of species is represented by the family of carp fish, which includes roach, dace, chub, ide, rudd, minnow, asp, tench, gudgeon, bleak, silver bream, bream, white-eye, blue bream, raw fish, sabrefish, crucian carp and carp introduced into the lake. Most of these fish have no commercial value.
Bream lives mainly in the Volkhov and Svirskaya bays and Petrokrepost Bay, where it spends its entire life without making long migrations. In the north of the lake, in the bays near Priozersk, near the island of Mantsinsari and in some other shallow bays, there are schools of bream. Bream prefers well-warmed bays with silty-sandy soils, rich in benthos and with well-developed aquatic vegetation. Like bream, raw fish are found in the southern part of Ladoga; in the northern half of the lake it is almost never found.

A lucky fisherman occasionally gets hooked great traveler- eel. It breeds off the coast Central America- in the Sargasso Sea. Then its leaf-like larvae swim for three years with the waters of the warm Gulf Stream to the shores of Europe. Here the larvae develop into young eels, which usually enter rivers and lakes on spring nights. In freshwater continental reservoirs, fish live 9-12 years.

Then the eel begins to migrate to the ocean, and its appearance and blood composition change dramatically. Having entered the Baltic Sea, the eel moves along the coast to the west, then disappears into the depths Atlantic Ocean so that in a few years his descendants would again make their way into European rivers and lakes on bright spring nights.

Burbot is widespread throughout Lake Ladoga, although here it does not reach large sizes. In autumn and winter, burbot goes to shallow waters at the mouths of rivers and islands, and in summer goes to deep places. Burbot is a voracious predator. It feeds on fish and invertebrates and voraciously devours eggs, even its own.

A valuable commercial fish of Lake Ladoga is pike perch. It accounts for up to 10 percent of the total catch. Pike perch is a predatory fish, it feeds mainly on smelt, which it pursues throughout the lake, and places where smelt accumulate can serve as a sign that pike perch are also there. It is quite large on Ladoga - its average length is 50-60 centimeters, weight 3-4 kilograms, and sometimes fish up to a meter long and 10 kilograms in weight are caught.

Lake Ladoga abounds in perch. Smaller individuals stay near the shores, while larger ones live in the open areas on the luds. It can reach 40 centimeters in length and 2 kilograms in weight. In catches, perch accounts for over one tenth of the annual production of Ladoga fish.

The ruffe are found on sandy and shallow rocky shallows throughout the lake. It usually gathers in flocks. Previously, there was a ruff fishery here, especially in Petrokrepost Bay and on the shallows of northern Ladoga. Live ruff was delivered to St. Petersburg and used in great demand. Currently, ruffe mining is abandoned.

Travelers on excursions around Lake Ladoga often see seals (nerpas) peeking out of the water not far from the sides of the ship.

The seal is the only representative of mammals that permanently lives in Ladoga waters. More than 10 thousand years ago, its ancestors penetrated from the White Sea depression into the Karelian glacial sea, which later gave rise to Lake Ladoga. The animals have acclimatized to the new reservoir, and now there are quite a lot of them in Ladoga. On sunny days, the seal loves to bask in the hot rays, climbing onto coastal rocks or boulders. Rolling from side to side, it comically scratches itself with its flippers. You can often see it on a log floating on the waves.

The seal is a predator that eats fish. He often uses the “services” of fishermen, eating valuable fish from nets. During these raids, the animals often destroy fishing gear, causing harm to fishermen. In this regard, even notices appeared in the periodical press with a menacing headline: “The seal must be destroyed!”

Let's try to answer the question - is the seal really so dangerous that it needs to be fought? Unfortunately, to date, the lifestyle of this interesting animal has not been studied at all: its wintering places and breeding time, the nature and areas of distribution of the seal in the lake are unknown.

Meanwhile, if we turn to the research of the staff of the Limnological Institute of the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, who are studying the life of the closest relative of our “Ladoga resident” - the Baikal seal, it turns out that the seal is a good orderly. Animals cannot keep up with healthy fish. Sick fish swim more slowly and become prey for seals, who thus protect the fish from the epidemic.

If we knew the biology of the Ladoga seal, we could properly and rationally conduct its fishing, especially since the skins of one-year-old seal pups are very highly valued in the fur market, and the meat of hunted animals could be used by the Ladoga fur farms to fatten valuable fur-bearing animals.

The last animal worth mentioning is the dolphin, which occasionally visits from the Baltic to the Neva and Lake Ladoga.

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Lake Ladoga is located in the Republic of Karelia and the Leningrad region of the Russian Federation. It is considered one of the largest freshwater lakes in Europe. Its area is about 18 thousand square meters. kilometers. The bottom is uneven: in one place the depth can be 20 meters, and in another - 70 meters, but the maximum is 230 meters. 35 rivers flow into this water area, and only the Neva flows out. The Ladoga region is divided into Northern and Southern, Eastern and Western.

Formation of the water area

Scientists say that Lake Ladoga is of glacial-tectonic origin. On the site of its basin, approximately 300-400 million years ago, there was a sea. The change in relief was influenced by glaciers, which led to the rise of the land. When the glacier began to retreat, a glacial lake with fresh water appeared, Ancylovoe Lake appeared, which connected with Ladoga. New tectonic processes took place 8.5 thousand years ago, due to which the Karelian Isthmus was formed and the lake became isolated. Over the past 2.5 thousand years, the relief has not changed.
In the Middle Ages in Rus' the lake was called “Nevo”, and in Scandinavia – “Aldoga”. However, its real name comes from Ladoga (city). Now this is the name of not only the city, but also the river and lake. It is difficult to determine which particular object was first named Ladoga.

Climatic features

In the area of Lake Ladoga, a temperate and transitional climate has formed: from continental to maritime. It depends on the circulation of air masses and on the location. The amount of solar radiation here is small, so moisture evaporates slowly. The average number of days per year is 62. The weather is mostly cloudy and cloudy. Length of daylight in different time year varies from 5 hours 51 minutes. until 18:50 From the end of May to mid-July there are “white nights”, when the sun sets below the horizon at about 9°, and the evening smoothly turns into morning.

The water resources of the lake are the main climate-forming factor in the Ladoga region. The water area helps smooth out some climate indicators. Thus, air masses from the continent, passing over the surface of the lake, become sea masses. The minimum atmospheric temperature drops to -8.8 degrees Celsius, and the maximum rises to +16.3 degrees, the average is +3.2 degrees. The average annual precipitation is 475 millimeters.

Recreational wealth

Despite the fact that even in summer the water in the lake is very cold, a large number of people come here on vacation every year, so there are beaches for tourists. Many vacationers go on catamarans and kayaks.

There are 660 islands on the lake, and they are mainly concentrated in the northern part of the reservoir. Among the largest are the Western and Valaam archipelagos, and largest islands– Riekkalansari, Valaam, Mantsinsaari, Tulolansari, Kilpola. On some islands, monasteries were built (Konevei, Valaam), where the relics of saints rest and sacred relics are located. There is also a memorial “Road of Life”.

On the territory of the Ladoga basin there is the Nizhnevirsky Nature Reserve, home to various species of fauna, including rare ones. The following types of flora grow here:

blueberry;
green mosses;
elm;
maple;
Linden;
mushrooms.

Lake Ladoga (historical name Nevo) - a lake in Karelia and the Leningrad region, the largest freshwater lake in Europe.

Location Leningrad region, Karelia

Height above sea level 4 m
Length 219 km
Width 138 km
Area 18,135 sq. km.
Volume 908 km.cub.
Maximum depth 260 m
Average depth 70 m
The catchment area is 276,000 km2.
The flowing rivers are Svir, Volkhov, Vuoksa, Syas, Nazia, etc.
Flowing Neva River
On the coasts of Ladoga there are ancient low coastal ramparts with gentle slopes covered with dry forest, and between them there are wide swampy and peaty hollows. Along the very shore there are thickets of willows, gray alder, small forests on marshy soils, low-lying sedge bogs, marshy meadows with sedge and horsetail. There are often chains of dunes, some mobile, some fixed by pine forests. In coastal shallow waters there are thickets of reeds and reeds.

Rivers

The lake is fed through the Svir River from Lake Onega, and through the Volkhov River from Lake Ilmen. The rivers Vuoksa, Syas, Nazia and others also flow into it. The Neva is the only river flowing from Lake Ladoga.
The marshes and complex lake systems of the basin regulate the flow into Lake Ladoga and its water regime. Rivers, passing through intermediate lakes, leave in them a lot of suspended mineral particles they carry and reach Ladoga with noticeably clarified water. River floods spread out onto lakes.

Water balance

Approximately 85% of the incoming part of the water balance comes from the influx of river waters, 13% from atmospheric precipitation and 2% from the influx of groundwater. About 92% of the expenditure part of the balance goes to the Neva runoff, 8% to evaporation from the water surface.

On Lake Ladoga and its shores, precipitation occurs frequently: the number of days with precipitation per year reaches 200. In autumn and winter (November-February) precipitation occurs more often, in spring and summer (April-June) less often.

Islands

There are about 660 islands on Lake Ladoga with total area 435 km2, most of them are concentrated in the northern part of the lake, in the so-called skerry area, as well as within the Valaam (about 50 islands), Western archipelagos and the Mantsinsari group of islands (about 40 islands). The largest islands are Riekkalansari, Mantsinsari, Kilpola, Tulolansari, Valaam, Konevets.

The most famous on Lake Ladoga are the Valaam Islands - an archipelago of about 50 islands with an area of about 36 km?, due to their location on the main island of the archipelago Valaam Monastery. Also known is the island of Konevets, on which the monastery is also located.

Animal world

Now in Lake Ladoga and the rivers flowing into it there are 58 species and varieties of fish. Most species live in the lake permanently, and only a few of them, for example, Baltic sturgeon, Baltic salmon, Neva lamprey, conger eel, occasionally enter Ladoga from the Baltic and the Gulf of Finland. In the past, sterlet was found in Lake Ladoga, but now it is gone. Behind last years New fish appeared in the lake - carp and peled. The carp came from Lake Ilmen, where it was released in 1952-1953, and the peled came from the lakes of the Karelian Isthmus, where it has been bred since 1958.

The most valuable commercial fish in Lake Ladoga include salmon, trout, palia, whitefish, vendace, ripus, pike perch and bream. Less valuable include ruffe, perch, roach, pike, silver bream, bleak, bluefish, smelt, etc.

Local lake salmon are extremely valuable fish. Its weight reaches 10 kg. From May to September, it goes to spawn in rivers, most of all in the Svir, Burnaya, Vidlitsa and Tulema. Young salmon spend 2-3 years in rivers and then slide into the lake. Best places Salmon fisheries are located in the northern part of the lake. However, fishing since 1960 prohibited because the salmon stock is recovering very slowly. The reason for the slow resumption is a sharp deterioration in spawning conditions; the rivers are clogged with timber rafting, Vuoksa is polluted, poachers cause great damage on Burnaya, Svir is blocked by hydroelectric dams.

At the bottom of Lake Ladoga there are 385 species of invertebrates, which means that this fauna is quite diverse. Most species are in the littoral zone (about 290). Much less - in the deep-sea part (about 80).

The nature of the North-Western part of Russia is amazingly attractive. The discreet beauty of taiga landscapes is replaced by vast swamps rich in cranberries and cloudberries. Elevated areas are decorated with small-leaved forests and spruce forests. But the mirror surface of numerous lakes gives this region of Russian nature a unique charm.

Ladoga lake– the largest in Europe, the length of which is 219 km with the greatest width – 138 km. The northern and eastern parts of the reservoir belong to Karelia. The western, southeastern and southern shores of Lake Ladoga are located in the Leningrad region. Ladoga contains 908 km³ of water. Replenishment water resources occurs due to 35 flowing rivers. One river flows out of Lake Ladoga - the Neva.

The area of Lake Ladoga is 18,135 km², the length of the coastline is 1,570 km. The bottom topography is characterized by sharp changes in the north and a flatter character in the south. The depths of Lake Ladoga are very diverse: from 60–220 m in the northern part and from 15–70 in the southern part. Typically, the steeper and higher the shores, the greater the depths observed near them. The maximum depth of Lake Ladoga was recorded near the Valaam archipelago - 233 meters.

Islands of Lake Ladoga

There are about five hundred large and small islands in the waters of Lake Ladoga. The largest of them make up the Valaam archipelago. The Konevetsky Monastery, famous in the Orthodox world on Lake Ladoga, was erected on another large island– Konevets, about 600 years ago. Some islands are separated from each other by small straits - the famous skerries of Ladoga, which give this region a unique beauty.

History of Lake Ladoga - historical references, “the road of life”, finds and artifacts

Ladoga is present on one of the first geographical maps of the Moscow state, compiled in 1544 by the German cartographer Sebastian Munster.

First detailed map Lake Ladoga was compiled under the Admiralty Department in 1812.

For Russia, Ladoga was of strategic importance: in the 9th century, an important part of the waterway “from the Varangians to the Greeks” passed through its expanses. Documentary mention of the “great Lake Nevo” (as Lake Ladoga was called in the old days) was first found in the ancient Russian chronicle of 1228. The first capital before Kievan Rus was located near the confluence of the Volkhov River into Lake Ladoga.

The Novgorodians kept merchant ships and a military flotilla on Ladoga. Many pages of the Peter the Great era are closely connected with this lake. These regions are witnesses to the glorious battles on Lake Ladoga during the Northern War.

"The road of life"

During World War II, from 1941 to 1944, most of the coast of Lake Ladoga was under German-Finnish occupation. Residents of cities and villages were virtually cut off from the world. And only in the southwestern part of Ladoga there was communication with Soviet troops. This “road of life” functioned from September 1941 to March 1943. The path connected the inhabitants besieged Leningrad with the rest of the country. The “Road of Life” began from the port of Osinovets on Lake Ladoga and ended at the docks of Leningrad. In summer by water, and in winter by ice road, food, medicine and basic necessities were transported to the city under a hail of enemy shells. In total, during the existence of the “road of life”, 1.6 million tons of various cargo were transported, which allowed the residents of Leningrad to hold out until the blockade was lifted. But food was transported along this route and people were taken out. Approximately 1,400 people were evacuated this way. In the place where the “road of life” lay, 7 monuments and 102 memorial pillars were erected. All of them are included in the Green Belt of Fame.

Finds at the bottom of Lake Ladoga

The bottom of Ladoga to this day preserves numerous interesting and valuable artifacts from various eras. The ancient Vikings and soldiers of the Northern and Great Patriotic Wars left their mark. Of course, first of all, Lake Ladoga hides traces of the Second World War. A striking example of this is “Death Bay”. In this place in August 1941, an urgent evacuation of the Soviet rifle and motorized divisions took place. For two weeks, under fierce artillery and mortar fire, the ships removed fighters from the shore. The small bay was literally bombarded with shells. Until now, the entire bottom of the lake is covered with a layer of shell casings, shell fragments and iron.

The “Secrets of Sunken Ships” project has been carried out throughout Lake Ladoga for more than ten years. Participants in this project compile a register in which they enter a description of the found sunken ships and aircraft. Thanks to the fresh cold water In Ladoga, all objects are perfectly preserved at the bottom. They are of great interest to diving enthusiasts.

Lake Ladoga on the map of Russia and depth map

The historical name of Lake Ladoga is Nevo. The reservoir is located on the border of two regions. The southwestern part is located in the Leningrad region, and the northeastern part is in the Republic of Karelia. The area of the reservoir is very large, so it is conventionally divided into parts. The northern Ladoga region belongs to southern Karelia, two districts of the Leningrad region are considered southern - Volkhovsky and Kirovsky. Lake Ladoga is also divided into eastern and western Ladoga regions: the Olonets region of the Republic of Karelia and the Karelian Isthmus, respectively.

On the shores of Lake Ladoga in the Republic of Karelia there are the cities of Sortavala, Lakhdenpokhya, and Pitkyaranta. On the Leningrad region side there are also large settlements- the cities of Priozersk, Shlisselburg and Novaya Ladoga. Many small and large tributaries flow into the lake, and only one river flows out of it - the Great Neva. In the southern part of the reservoir there are three beautiful large bays. These are the Shlisselburg, Svir and Volkhov Bays.

Geographic map

Map of the depths of Lake Ladoga

The bottom topography of Lake Ladoga is heterogeneous. The depth gradually increases from south to north. In the northern part, the bottom surface is uneven, there are many depressions and underwater rocks. Depths of 100 meters or more prevail. In the north of Ladoga the largest

The depth of the lake is 230 meters. The depth of the depression opposite the Kurkijoki skerries reaches 220 meters.

In the southern part of Ladoga, the bottom topography is smoothed. There are no deep depressions or sudden changes. Depths fluctuate between 25–50 meters. But this is not particularly noticeable, because the bottom topography is flat, without rocks or holes. Closer to the center of the lake, the depth averages 50 meters.

Climate and weather on Lake Ladoga

The climate on Ladoga is humid and mild, close to the sea. Winter, although cold, passes without severe frosts, summer is cool. Ice covers the lake at the end of October and lasts until the beginning of May, and the central part of Ladoga does not freeze over every winter. The greatest thickness of ice is observed in the bays - 30–60 cm.

The average annual water temperature in Lake Ladoga is 3.5 °C. This reservoir is characterized by the spring and autumn presence of a thermal front with warmer water, gradually moving from the coastal shallow areas to the center of the lake. On a warmer south coast the water in Lake Ladoga warms up to +20 °C, although at the same time at depths the thermometer does not show a temperature above +4 °C. A thermal front is detected by the formation of a strip of foam with floating debris and flocks of seagulls that hunt small fish.

The weather is fickle - complete calm can be replaced by a real storm in just half an hour. On Ladoga, with strong winds, waves reach a height of 4 meters, and near the island of Valaam a wave with a height of 7.5 m was recorded. Alternating groups of waves different heights, characteristic of Ladoga, gives the impression of sailing on a bumpy road, and the excitement in the southern shallow part of the lake, due to the numerous protruding banks and ridges, takes on the character of a chaotic crush. Instability weather conditions associated with a sudden invasion of cold air masses from the Arctic. The insidious nature of the excitement on Lake Ladoga caused death huge amount ships and small boats.

In 2002, they launched the expeditionary research project “Secrets of Sunken Ships”, whose experts identified more than 10 thousand objects that sank in Ladoga and the Gulf of Finland. Most of the finds at the bottom of Lake Ladoga, thanks to fresh water and low temperatures, have been preserved in surprisingly good condition and are of great interest to scientists and treasure hunters.

Unusual natural phenomena on Ladoga

Some places here have unusual natural phenomena, which gave rise to many legends of Lake Ladoga. In clear, warm weather, mirages - imaginary outlines - may suddenly appear over the water surface. remote islands, coastal buildings, floating ships.

Other unique phenomenon– brontids. A distinct hum is heard from underground on the shore or directly from the lake, accompanied by a slight vibration of the earth or the turbulence of the waters. More often this phenomenon is observed near the island. Balaam. Scientists explain it interesting phenomenon tectonic movements occurring at the bottom of the lake.

Nature of Lake Ladoga: animals, plants and fish

Many areas near Lake Ladoga have been preserved in their pristine beauty. In the picturesque faults of harsh rocks, one can see ancient history this region. Islands, rocky shoals, mountain slopes covered with pine wilds were once covered by the waters of a prehistoric sea that stretched in the north to the ocean.

Rare species of flora and fauna are found in the protected areas of Lake Ladoga. On the picturesque slopes of the reef mountains, facing south, southern plant species unusual for these latitudes grow (linear onion, sand clove). The northern areas on the shores of Lake Ladoga are favored by tundra plants: snow saxifrage and alpine saxifrage. At the foot of the mountains, representatives of broad-leaved forests feel good: Norway maple and elm (mountain elm). Numerous fir forest edges are decorated with purple aconites with their blooms in June.

On Ladoga there are animals common to the taiga zone: foxes, moose, hares, wolves, bears, etc. The gentle cliffs in the north are a rookery for a very rare species - the Ladoga seal. This marine mammal has adapted to the conditions freshwater lake. The Ladoga seal reaches 130 cm in length and 50–70 kg in weight. The skin of this animal is decorated with a pattern of pale rings (ringed is another name for seal). In February-March, they prepare burrows in snow hummocks, where the female gives birth to one 4-kilogram cub. When the lake is freed from the ice cover, flocks of seals come to the shores of the Valaam archipelago.

Fish living in the lake

The ichthyofauna of Lake Ladoga is represented by more than 50 species of fish, including whitefish and salmon. About half of the commercial catch on Ladoga comes from pike perch, whitefish and smelt. Also of commercial importance are: carp (roach, bream, ide), perch, vendace, pike, trout, ruff. Lamprey (brook and river), silver bream, and blue bream are found in these waters. The main commercial fish is pike perch, which lives on Ladoga in the shallower southern half of the lake. It often reaches 8 kg of weight here. Ladoga salmon prefers the northern depths of Ladoga, and for spawning it goes along the rivers flowing into Lake Ladoga (Burnaya, Vidlitsa, Svir). The northern regions of the lake are also inhabited by Baltic sturgeon, palia, and occasionally sterlet.

Fishing on Lake Ladoga - winter from ice and open water

You can return from Ladoga with significant catches all year round. The content of dissolved oxygen in Ladoga water is close to 100%, so the period of “dead winter” is not observed here, and this makes Lake Ladoga compare favorably with most inland reservoirs.

Winter ice fishing on Ladoga

Winter on this lake is a fishing season, but also quite dangerous. Strong winds can cause fast ice to break off. Sometimes huge fields ice in a squally wind crumbles into small ice floes within a short time.

The distances here are long, so good fishing Can't imagine without a snowmobile or car. Ladoga is completely covered with ice very rarely, and usually strong ice forms along the perimeter of the shores no further than 10–15 km. But this distance is quite enough for effective fishing. Perch and roach prefer to stay at a depth of 3–6 m in winter, and this most often requires cutting holes at a short distance from the shore. Many fishermen find pike on Ladoga in winter in shallow water overgrown with reeds, where the depth under the ice does not exceed 50 cm.

But the most interesting fishing on Ladoga in winter is catching perch with a vertical spoon. Perch here lives both small (up to 200 g) and quite decent sizes (up to 800 g). Fishermen usually use spinners with a soldered hook or spinners with jig hooks suspended on a chain.

Fishing on Lake Ladoga in open water

Trolling on Ladoga

Lake Ladoga is rich in fish. It is caught in different ways: both with a float and with a spinning rod from the shore. But the most exciting thing is trolling fishing. Most often, large pike and pike perch are caught on bait, but if you are lucky, you can also catch Ladoga salmon. If we talk about trolling, this type of fishing is not only the most sporting, but also the most effective. This is because it is possible to move a wobbler or other bait across a large area of a reservoir. You can change the depth of the bait and thereby fish at different depths. And the most important thing is that you have the opportunity to visit, in search of a worthy trophy, those parts of the lake where there is a regular bite, but there is no possibility of approaching from the shore. You can troll on Ladoga day and night.

In the north of Ladoga in Karelia, salmon are caught at various depths, from 10 to 70 meters. It depends on the area of the reservoir. The main thing is to constantly monitor the nature of the bottom and the bait, since here the depth can change from 40 to 4 meters in a matter of minutes. Fishing is also complicated by the regular need to change the depth of the wobbler, which is not required when fishing in the southern part of the lake.

When trolling for pike or pike perch, from two to twelve spinning rods are used. The more baits, the better the bite. This is explained by the fact that wobblers imitate the movement of a small flock. And this will undoubtedly arouse the interest of the predator. A trolling rod is different from a standard spinning rod. Firstly, it must have a long and strong handle. Secondly, it is desirable to have a little more throughput rings, from 12 to 14. This will help distribute the load on the rod more evenly. Thirdly, the length of the spinning rod is important. It is best to give preference to a rod with a length of 2.1 or 2.4 meters, this will be quite enough.

Accordingly, it is no less important to choose the right bait. Predators of Ladoga are very capricious. So you never know what they will prefer. The supply of all kinds of wobblers, silicone twisters and vibrating tails should not be small. But we can say with confidence that the most catchable baits length from 8 to 12 cm. The true skill of a fisherman does not lie in choosing a wobbler that most closely resembles a fish, but in teaching it correctly.

Fishing on Ladoga in spring

On Ladoga, however, as on other bodies of water, fish come en masse to the shore to spawn. Large roach begin to be caught when blocks of ice are still floating on the water surface. The fishermen's catch of the “first move” of roach contains specimens of 0.8-1.2 kg. Over time, there are more fish, but small things begin to dominate the catch. They catch roach with a float rod using maggots or cut worms at the edge of reed thickets at the shallowest depths. There is no point in feeding the fish - the fish is busy looking for a place to spawn and forgets about hunger. It is much more important to actively search for fish.

Following the roach, silver bream and bream go to spawn, but their size and quantity are not of particular interest for fishing. The pike feast that follows promises very interesting fishing. During this period, the spotted predator is successfully caught by casting off the southern shore of Lake Ladoga, in reed thickets. During this period, sometimes 3–6 kg specimens are caught. Pike can be caught not only near the shore in reeds, but also in open water, within 30–40 meters of coastal vegetation. Large spinners or spinners are most often used for catching pike on Lake Ladoga.

Fishing on Lake Ladoga during the white nights

Night fishing for pike perch is of greatest interest during this period. On Ladoga, trolling enthusiasts ply along rocky ridges 3–10 km from the shore. Pike perch actively moves in all layers of water, so they catch it simultaneously with several spinning rods, equipping them with wobblers with different depths. Driven wobblers for Ladoga are favorites for hunting pike perch. The most universal colors are “acid” and “blue back”. The main catch is pike perch 1.5-5 kg, but 10 kg trophies can be found.

Large pike live on the same rocky ridges, but you can catch them with larger baits (an 8-11 centimeter Shad is suitable).

Fishing on Ladoga in summer

At this time, the perch begins to hunt for grown-up fry. Fans of cast-cast fishing arm themselves with a light spinning rod and go in search of schooling perch. The easiest way to spot fattening perches is by looking for seagulls. If a school is detected, then the size of the catch can only be affected by the speed of fishing. The school may go deeper, but usually it soon appears somewhere nearby, and fishing can be resumed. Perches weighing up to 700 g are caught this way. Larger trophies can be taken by trolling.

When fishing from the shore, you can only count on catching “laces”. Larger fish prefer not to come closer to the shore than 2–5 km in summer.

Trophy pike is better caught not on ridges, where the bottom of Lake Ladoga has complex terrain, but on “runs”. Therefore, in the summer, many fishermen simply plow the expanses of Ladoga, equipping their fishing rods with large spoons or wobblers.

Autumn fishing on Ladoga

As the weather gets colder, large fish begin to move closer to the shores. At this time, you can “treasure” at 2-meter depths. And before the freeze-up they fish effectively, as in the spring, near the reeds. Good results are demonstrated by large, oscillating, ultra-light spoons or large-sized white rubber with minimal loading and a pair of tees. In reed windows, various non-hooking hooks are more suitable for catching pike.

Relaxation on the shores of Lake Ladoga

A distinctive feature of staying on Ladoga is the fairly developed tourism infrastructure. There are many bases around Ladoga offering their services. Here fishermen can find not only a place to stay for the night, but also rent a boat, some gear, get expert advice, as well as have a delicious dinner and a steam bath. In addition to fishing, here you can do organized excursions to the historical sights of Lake Ladoga, go on a cruise on Lake Ladoga or take a walking pick mushrooms and berries, ride horses or bike.

Recreation centers

The recreation center “13th Cordon” is located in the village of Salmi. Seven two-story comfortable cottages are available to vacationers (from 5,500 rubles per room). On the territory of the “13th Cordon” there are: a swimming pool, a cafe, two baths. 5-hour rental

A Grizli boat will cost 4 thousand rubles, a three-seater motor boat - 2 thousand rubles. Trolling on a boat accompanied by a ranger – 3 thousand rubles/hour.

The Mikli-Olgino farm belongs to the village of Miynala, Lakhdenpokhsky district, in close proximity to the skerries of Ladoga. On the farm there were built 2 comfortable wooden cottages (from 900 rubles per person) and a separate eight-bed house on the shore of Lake Ladoga (8 thousand rubles for the whole house). The base has a bathhouse, a summer cafe, a billiard room, a pier, and free parking. You can rent equipment, a boat, an ATV, a bicycle. Holidays on the farm will especially appeal to lovers of secluded places.

“Burnaya Ladoga” belongs to the Priozersky region, located at the mouth of the Burnaya River. Here tourists are provided with rooms in guest house(from 1 thousand rubles per person). The base has a bathhouse, a shooting range, a children's playground, and a sports ground. You can rent a rowing boat for 500 rubles/day; going to Ladoga by motor will cost 900 rubles/day or 300 rubles/hour. Many vacationers visit this base specifically to play paintball among real bunkers and pillboxes on the Mannerheim Line. In winter, exciting snowmobile safaris take place here.

How to get to Lake Ladoga

It is more convenient for Muscovites to get to Lake Ladoga through St. Petersburg. You can choose the most suitable method of transportation.

By train:

From St. Petersburg to the Ladoga Lake station, trains run from Finlyandsky station(in summer there are 8 flights). The trip will take 1 hour 20 minutes. Electric trains depart from the Baltic Station to the same station.

By car:

Route 1: we leave St. Petersburg along Kola M-18 and head towards A120, drive along A 120 to A-128.
Route 2: we leave St. Petersburg along the Ryabovskoye Highway, then continue along Borisov Griva until the turn near the village. Vaganova we leave on A-128.

Minibuses regularly go to Lake Ladoga from the Dybenko metro station.

By train:

From St. Petersburg to northern regions Lake Ladoga can be reached from Ladozhsky railway station by direct trains. Destination: Sortavala or Ilya Uuksu.

Photos of Lake Ladoga

The blue surface of the lake extending far beyond the horizon... Bizarre boulders guarding the approaches to the forest... A scattering of picturesque islands overgrown with forest... The walls of an ancient monastery approaching the water itself... Winding bays shrouded in mist. All this is majestic and unique Ladoga.

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