Lake Baikal - legends, natural phenomena, anomalies, interesting facts. Lake Baikal report

Lake Baikal - what is it like?

Map of Lake Baikal

In outline, Baikal resembles a narrow crescent, so easy to remember that even those who are not particularly good at geography can easily find it on a map of Russia. Stretching from southwest to northeast for as much as 636 kilometers, Baikal seems to squeeze between mountain ranges, and its water surface is located at an altitude of more than 450 meters above sea level, which gives every reason to consider it mountain lake. The Baikal and Primorsky ranges adjoin it from the west, and the Ulan-Burgasy, Khamar-Daban and Barguzin massifs from the east and southeast. And this entire natural landscape is so harmonious that it’s hard to imagine one without the other.

Even Oleg Kirillovich Gusev (1930-2012), candidate of biological sciences, professional game specialist, editor-in-chief of Russia’s oldest magazine “Hunting and Hunting Management” and author of several books about the problems of preserving the unique nature of this lake, wrote: “Baikal gives us great joy and great pleasure." And he added: “It amazes with its monumental style and the beautiful, eternal and powerful that lies in its very nature,” emphasizing that the more you get closer to it, the more tempting it becomes, and the clearer you understand that Baikal is unique and enchantingly inimitable. Anyone who visits here at least once can be convinced of the veracity of these words.

Lake depth

The depth of the lake is truly impressive - 1637 meters. In this indicator, Baikal surpasses such largest reservoirs as Tanganyika (1470 m), Caspian Sea (1025 m), San Martin (836 m), Nyasa (706 m), Issyk-Kul (702 m) and Great Slave Lake (614 m). m). The rest of the deepest lakes in the world, twenty-two in total, have a depth of less than 600 meters. A climatic conditions on Baikal, as they say, matches its unique features: here the sun mercilessly scorches and cold winds blow, then storms rage and the quietest weather sets in, conducive to a beach holiday.

Features and mysteries of Baikal

Length coastline The Siberian “crescent” is 2100 km long and contains 27 islands, the largest of which is Olkhon. The lake is located in a kind of basin, which, as mentioned above, is surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills. This gives reason to assume that the shoreline of the reservoir is the same throughout. In fact, only the West Coast Baikal. The relief of the east is more flat: in some places Mountain peaks are located 10 kilometers or more from the coast.

Lake Baikal water

Clear water of Lake Baikal

23,615.39 km³ - this fantastic figure measures the reserves of Baikal water. According to this indicator, the lake is second only to the Caspian Sea. Considering that in the latter it is salty, it is Baikal that occupies the first place in the world ranking in terms of fresh water reserves, that is, suitable for drinking. In addition, it is extremely transparent, and all thanks to a very small amount of suspended and dissolved minerals, not to mention organic impurities - there are generally negligible amounts of them. At a depth of 35-40 meters, you can even distinguish individual stones, especially in spring, when the water turns blue. It is also distinguished by its huge reserves of oxygen. It is not for nothing that Baikal, for its combination of such unique properties and qualities, is called the national treasure of Russia.

The water in Baikal is very clean. Previously, you could drink it straight from the lake and not even boil it. But now crowds of tourists have flocked to Baikal, who still pollute this area, so now, before drinking Baikal water, you should ask local residents, in what place this can be done.

Ice of Baikal

The freeze-up period on the lake lasts on average from early January to early May. During this period it freezes almost completely. The only exception is a small 15-20 km section located at the source of the Angara. At the end of winter, the thickness of the ice can reach 1 meter, and in the bays it is even more – one and a half to two meters. During severe frosts, huge cracks form on the ice, which are called “stagnant cracks.” They are so impressive that they can reach from 10 to 30 km in length. The width, however, is small: only 2-3 m. Such “cracks” literally tear the ice blanket into separate fields. If it were not for the cracks, the formation of which is accompanied by a loud sound, like a cannon shot, then the lake fish would die en masse from lack of oxygen.

The ice of Lake Baikal also has a number of other features that are unique to it, and truly mysterious, which scientists have never been able to explain. Back in the middle of the last century, specialists from the local limnological station discovered the so-called “hills” - hollow ice hills in the shape of a cone, reaching a height of 5-6 meters. Being “open” in the direction opposite to the shore, they even somewhat resemble tents. Sometimes there are “single hills”, that is, located separately from each other. In some cases, they are grouped, forming “mountain ranges” in miniature.

Ice of Lake Baikal

Dark rings on the lake

Another mystery is the dark rings, the diameter of which is 5-7 km (and the width of the lake itself is 80 km). They have nothing in common with the “Saturn belt”, although they were also discovered through space photography. Satellite photographs of amazing formations, taken back in 2009 in different parts of Lake Baikal, went around the entire Internet. Scientists have been scratching their heads for a long time: what could it be? And they came to the conclusion that the rings arise due to the rise of deep waters and an increase in the temperature of the upper layer in the center of the ring structure. And as a result, a clockwise flow occurs, reaching maximum speeds in certain zones. As a result, vertical water exchange increases, provoking the destruction of the ice cover at an accelerated rate.

Bottom of Baikal

It is impossible not to say about the bottom of the amazing reservoir. It also differs from others, and above all in that it has a very pronounced relief - there are even underwater mountain ranges. The three main basins of the lake - northern, southern and middle, separated by the Academic and Selenginsky ridges - are distinguished by a pronounced bed. The first ridge (its maximum height above the bottom is 1848 meters) is especially expressive: it stretches for as much as 100 km from Olkhon Island to the Ushkany Islands.

Bottom of Lake Baikal

Earthquakes

Another feature of these places is high seismic activity. Oscillations of the earth's crust occur regularly here, but the strength of most earthquakes does not exceed one or two points. But there have been powerful ones in the past. For example, in 1862, when a ten-point “shake” led to the sinking of an entire section of land in the northern part of the Selenga delta, one of the many tributaries of Lake Baikal. Its area was 200 km, about 1,500 people lived on this territory. Later, a bay was formed here, which is called Proval. Strong earthquakes also occurred in 1903, 1950, 1957 and 1959. The epicenter of the latter, magnitude 9, was at the bottom of the lake in the area of the rural settlement of Sukhaya. The tremors were then also felt in Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude - about 5-6 points. In our time, the region shook in 2008 and 2010: the strength of the tremors was 9 and 6.1 points, respectively.

Origin of Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal still hides the secret of its origin. Researchers often argue about its age, coming to the conclusion that it is at least 25-35 million years old. The indicator is impressive, especially considering that the life cycle of most lakes, primarily those of glacial origin, does not exceed 10-15 thousand years. After this period, they either become swamped or filled with silty sediments. Nothing like this has happened and is not happening with Baikal. And, according to scientists, it is unlikely to happen in the future. The lack of signs of aging is explained by the fact that the lake is... an emerging ocean. The hypothesis did not arise out of the blue: as it turned out, its banks move away from each other by 2 cm every year.

Flora and fauna

An interesting fact: the purity of Baikal water - by the way, very cold (the temperature of the surface layers even in the warm season does not exceed + 8-9 ° C on average) - is maintained by the microscopic crustacean epishura, one of the most famous local endemics. During its life, this 1.5-mm crustacean consumes organic matter (algae), passing water through its small body. The role of epishura in the lake’s ecosystem can hardly be overestimated: it forms 90 percent or more of its biomass, serving in turn as food for the Baikal omul and predatory invertebrates. Oligochaetes or oligochaete worms, 84.5 percent of which are endemic, also play a significant role in the self-purification processes of Baikal.

Of the 2,600 species and subspecies of the local fauna, more than half of the aquatic animals are endemic, that is, living exclusively in this lake. Other fish include grayling, Baikal sturgeon, whitefish, taimen, pike, burbot and others. Of particular interest is the golomyanka, which from a human point of view “suffers” from obesity: its body contains about 30% fat. She loves to eat so much that in search of food every day she makes a “journey” from the depths to shallow water, which surprises researchers a lot. This underwater resident is also unique in that it is a viviparous fish. Distant “neighbors” of golomyankas include freshwater sponges that grow at great depths. Their presence here is an exclusive phenomenon: they are not found in any other lake.

If the biosphere of the lake is imagined in the form of a pyramid, then it will be crowned by the Baikal seal or seal, which is the only mammal in this reservoir. Almost all the time he lives in water. The only exception is autumn, when seals lie en masse on rocky shores, forming a kind of “settlement”. The coast and islands are also inhabited by many other inhabitants of Lake Baikal, for example, seagulls, goldeneyes, razorbills, mergansers, white-tailed eagles and other birds. Characteristic of these places is the phenomenon of brown bears coming onto the shores in large numbers. And in the mountainous Baikal taiga you can find musk deer - the smallest deer on Earth.

Sights of Baikal

Lake Baikal is so majestic that it is often called the Siberian Sea. In 1996 it was included in the UNESCO list of sites World Heritage. But not only due to the unique ecosystem that requires careful treatment - there are also many historical and architectural attractions concentrated here, not to mention natural and cultural monuments.

One of them is a protected rock called the Shaman Stone, located near the lake, at the source of the Angara. It can be seen in the middle of the river, between capes Rogatka and Ustyansky. If you focus on the line ferry crossing“Port Baikal”, then the rock will be 800 meters lower. Since ancient times, the Shaman Stone was endowed by the inhabitants of the Angara region with unusual powers; they prayed near it and performed various shamanic rituals.

Between the mainland and the Holy Nose Peninsula is located perhaps the most famous bay on Lake Baikal - Chivyrkuisky. Its area is approximately 300 km², it is the second largest on the lake, and is also shallow (depth about 10 m). Thanks to the latter circumstance, the water in the bay warms up well, on average up to +24 degrees. On southwest coast such settlements as Kurbulik, Katun and Monakhovo are located. The main wealth of the bay is its fish resources. Here you can find pike, perch, and sorog, the weight of which can reach tens of kilograms. However, fishing on an industrial scale is prohibited - only amateur fishing. Chivyrkuisky Bay is also famous for its thermal spring, one of the hottest: the temperature of the water used to treat diseases of the musculoskeletal system ranges from 38.5-45.5 °C. The source is located in Zmeinaya Bay, on the western side.

On the north-eastern coast of Lake Baikal there is a tract belonging to the natural-geographical region of Podlemorye. It is called Frolikha and includes the river of the same name, which flows into the Baikal Bay of Frolikha and flows out of the lake of the same name. In the river valley - its bed, by the way, is crossed by the famous a tourist route 95 km long - the Frolikhinsky reserve is located. Together with the Transbaikal National Park and the Barguzinsky Nature Reserve, it is subordinate to the federal budgetary government agency"Reserved Podlemorye".

Other attractions:

Northern Baikal is the last area on the great lake, the nature of which, due to its remoteness and lack of highways retains its originality,
Barguzin Bay is the largest and deepest on Lake Baikal,
Ushkany Islands are a small archipelago with rocky shores in the Barguzin region of Buryatia,
Peschanaya Bay, known for its unique picturesqueness,
Cape Ryty - extreme northern point coast, where there are extensive pastures, and one of the most anomalous places,
Cape Ludar, located near the old village of Zabaikalskoye,
Chersky peak - from its slopes the Slyudanka and Bezymyannaya rivers begin, flowing into Baikal,
The Circum-Baikal Railway, which has historical significance.

Holidays on Baikal

It is along the Circum-Baikal railway in the 80s of the 20th century, the Bureau of International Youth Tourism “Sputnik” (Irkutsk) developed the first ecological tour. Since that time, ecotourism on Lake Baikal has been actively developing, despite the fact that tourism infrastructure It is not well developed here and there are some transport difficulties. There are also problems associated with environmental pollution from emissions from the Baikal pulp and paper mill. But all of them are to some extent compensated for by activities to create and equip excursion trails, regularly carried out by tourism organizations in the region.

The most favorable time for relaxing on the lake is from May to October. You can swim in July and August, since these months are the hottest - the air warms up to +30° C, the shallow waters - up to +25° C. A vacation on Lake Baikal will satisfy the needs of even the most demanding tourists. Beach holiday, bicycle and car excursions, hiking along the coast, rafting on catamarans and kayaks, quad biking and even helicopter excursions - this is not a complete list of what travel agencies offer their clients. Climbing coastal cliffs and descending into caves are popular.

Fishing

Fishing should be mentioned separately. Many amateurs fish from the rocks adjacent to the lake. The most passionate fishermen prefer to settle in specialized bases, of which there are many here, and which differ in different levels of comfort. They go fishing on rented vessels. The most popular places for fishing on Lake Baikal are the already mentioned Chivyrkuisky Bay, Mukhor Bay, shallow bays of the Small Sea and, of course, the rivers flowing into it. The largest of them (besides Selenga) are Upper Angara, Snezhnaya, Barguzin, Kichera, Turka, Buguldeika and Goloustnaya. And only one river flows out of the lake - the Angara.

Fishing on Baikal

Fishing, only ice fishing, also finds its fans in the winter season, which here lasts from late December to mid-May. Fans of the “second Russian hunt” are helped by professional instructors: without them, it is difficult for inexperienced fishermen to make the right hole in the unusually transparent ice. They willingly share secrets on how to organize comfortable stay in conditions of 40-degree frosts, which are not uncommon for Lake Baikal. And those who don’t want to test their health in extreme cold, go underwater fishing in March and April. At this time, the ice is still strong, and the air temperature begins to reach positive levels.

Winter sports

Among the winter activities, tourists are also offered dog sledding (routes vary in complexity and length), snowmobiling ( excursion programs are also different and depend on the level of preparedness of the skiers), skiing alpine skiing, sleds and snowboards (you can rent ski equipment at numerous rental shops on the coast). In winter, as well as in summer, helicopter excursions are held in high esteem among vacationers, giving an unforgettable experience for a lifetime.

Children and youth tourism

Children's tourism is also quite developed on Lake Baikal, involving holidays in summer camps. We will immediately please parents: your children will not be bored here. Staying in a children's institution involves a rich excursion and creative program, including the holding of sanatorium and health-improving events at specialized bases. One of the most convenient places On Lake Baikal, Mandarkhan Bay is ideal for families with small children. It’s as if it was specially created by nature for this very purpose: it’s very shallow, and in the summer the water here is perhaps the warmest and children don’t risk catching a cold.

Young people are not left behind either. For her, interregional public organization The “Great Baikal Trail”, created in 2003, implements various international programs taking into account the specifics and needs of people under 30. For example, arrangement and reconstruction ecological trails, conducting educational lectures on the topic of nature conservation. Schoolchildren are also actively involved as listeners of the latter.

Video: The underwater world of Lake Baikal

Hotels and recreation centers on Lake Baikal

Many tourists come to relax on Lake Baikal, as they say, as savages, traveling in their own cars. They choose a place they like on the coast and stop there, spending the night in tents. There are very few campsites on the lake specially equipped for car travelers. Having planned to stay at such a site, you should take into account that in this place there may not be wood for a fire and basic amenities (for example, a toilet). Therefore, think in advance about how you will “survive”.

Those who prefer to travel in comfort, even minimal, will be spared such experiences. At their service are many hotels, recreation centers and guest houses scattered along the entire coast of Baikal. Moreover, every tourist will be able to find the most suitable accommodation option for him - taking into account, of course, individual preferences and financial capabilities. We are forced to upset the bohemian public: five-star hotels with the highest level there is no service here. She, like “mere mortals,” will have to be content with ordinary rooms with all amenities. Another note: some recreation centers accept vacationers only in the summer.

Tourists traveling independently run the risk of running into unscrupulous intermediaries when booking a hotel room or recreation center. To prevent this from happening, reserve a hotel room only through proven and reliable services, which will not only save you from scammers, but will also allow you to rent a room at the lowest cost, without unnecessary markups. We recommend Booking.com, one of the first and most popular online hotel booking systems.

How to get there

You can get to Baikal in various ways. The starting point is usually nearby big cities: Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Severobaikalsk. Tourists first come to one of these settlements and already there plan their trip in detail. further route. The trip on the section of the Trans-Siberian Railway between Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk is especially memorable: the lake stretches right outside the train windows and you can admire its magical panorama for hours.

One of the most popular places The village of Listvyanka, located at the source of the Angara, is considered to be one of the most popular tourism destinations on the Siberian Sea, 65 km from Irkutsk. You can get here from the regional center by bus or boat, the journey time is just over an hour. All routes start in Irkutsk water transport, plying not only along Lake Baikal, but also on the Angara.

You can find entire volumes of information about Baikal, both on the Internet and in various magazines and book publications. The lake is not deprived of attention from tourists, researchers and politicians. From year to year, stunning scientific discoveries are associated with Baikal; expeditions are constantly being equipped for thorough research. I decided to devote this topic to the most interesting facts and events related to Lake Baikal. I'll try to save you from boring geographical terms, only the most interesting things will be here. Most of the photos in the topic are clickable (open by clicking)

– one of the oldest lakes on the planet and the deepest lake in the world. Baikal is one of the ten largest lakes in the world. Its average depth is about 730 meters, the maximum is 1637 meters. In 1996, Baikal was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List

Scientists disagree about the origin of Lake Baikal, as well as about its age. 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

There is also a version about the relative youth of Baikal, put forward by Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Alexander 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 Lake Baikal allows scientists to assume that the modern shoreline of the lake is only 8 thousand years old, and the deep-sea part is 150 thousand years old.

Baikal contains about 19% of the world's fresh water. There is more water in Baikal than in all five Great Lakes combined and 25 times more than, for example, in Lake Ladoga

The water in the lake is so clear that individual stones and various objects can be seen at a depth of 40 m. The purest and most transparent water of Lake Baikal contains so few mineral salts (100 mg/l) that it can be used instead of distilled water.

Baikal is home to 2,630 species and varieties of plants and animals, 2/3 of which are endemic, that is, they live only in this body of water. This abundance of living organisms is explained by the high oxygen content in the entire thickness of Baikal water

Photo of Baikal from space

The most interesting fish in Baikal is the viviparous golomyanka fish, whose body contains up to 30% fat. She surprises biologists with her daily feeding migrations from the depths to shallow waters

The second, after the golomyanka, is the miracle of Baikal, to which it owes its exceptional purity, the crustacean epishura (there are about 300 species). Baikal epishura is a copepod, 1 mm long, a representative of plankton, found throughout the entire depth (it is not found in bays where the water warms up). Baikal would not be Baikal without this copepod, barely noticeable to the eye, amazingly efficient and numerous, managing to filter all Baikal water ten times or even more in a year

A typical marine mammal lives here - the seal, or Baikal seal.

Baikal's water reserves would be enough for 40 years for the inhabitants of the entire Earth, and at the same time 46 x 1015 people could quench their thirst

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 meters high, hollow inside. In appearance, they resemble ice tents, “open” in the direction opposite to the shore. Hills can be located separately, and sometimes form miniature “mountain ranges”

Satellite images clearly show dark rings with a diameter of 5-7 km on the ice of Lake Baikal. The origin of the rings is unknown. Scientists believe that rings on the ice of the lake may have appeared many times already, but it was impossible to see them due to their enormous size. Now using latest technologies this has become possible, and scientists will begin to study this phenomenon. Such rings were first discovered in 1999, then in 2003, 2005. As you can see, rings do not form every year. The rings are also not located in the same place. Scientists were especially interested in the reason for the shift of the rings in 2008 to the southwest, compared to 1999, 2003 and 2005. In April 2009, such rings were discovered again, and again in a different place than last year. Scientists suggest that the rings are formed due to the release of natural gas from the bottom of Lake Baikal. However, the exact causes and mechanisms of formation dark rings on the ice of Baikal have not yet been studied and no one knows their exact nature

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, the NT-200+ neutrino telescope with an increased effective volume is being created, the construction of which is expected to be completed no earlier than 2017

The first dives of manned vehicles on 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 1,410 meters was reached. In 1991, "Pysis" on the eastern side of Olkhon sank to a depth of 1,637 meters.

In the summer of 2008, the Foundation for Assistance to the Conservation of Lake Baikal conducted a research expedition “Worlds” on Baikal. 52 dives of the deep-sea manned vehicles “Mir” were carried out to the bottom of Lake Baikal. Scientists delivered water samples to the Scientific Research Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences named after P. P. Shirshov. soil and microorganisms raised from the bottom of Lake Baikal

In 1966, production began at the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM), as a result of which the adjacent bottom areas of the lake began to degrade. Dust and gas emissions negatively affect the taiga around the BPPM, and the forest becomes dry and dry. In September 2008, the plant introduced a closed water circulation system designed to reduce the discharge of wash water. According to the source, the system turned out to be inoperative and less than a month after its launch, the plant had to be stopped

There are many legends associated with. The most fascinating of them is connected with the Angara River:
In the old days, mighty Baikal was cheerful and kind. He deeply loved his only daughter Angara. There was no more beautiful woman on earth. During the day it is light - brighter than the sky, at night it is dark - darker than a cloud. And no matter who drove past the Angara, everyone admired it, everyone praised it. Even migratory birds: geese, swans, cranes descended low, but the Angaras rarely landed on the water. They said: “Is it possible to blacken something light?”

Old man Baikal took care of his daughter more than his heart. One day, when Baikal fell asleep, Angara rushed to run to the young man Yenisei. The father woke up and splashed his waves angrily. A fierce storm arose, the mountains began to weep, forests fell, the sky turned black with grief, animals scattered in fear all over the earth, fish dived to the very bottom, birds flew away to the sun. Only the wind howled and the heroic sea raged. The mighty Baikal hit the gray mountain, broke off a rock from it and threw it after the fleeing daughter. The rock fell right on the beauty's throat. The blue-eyed Angara begged, gasping and sobbing, and began to ask:

“Father, I’m dying of thirst, forgive me and give me at least one drop of water.”

Baikal shouted angrily:

- I can only give you my tears!

For thousands of years, the Angara has been flowing into the Yenisei like tear-water, and gray, lonely Baikal has become gloomy and scary. The rock that Baikal threw after his daughter was called the Shaman Stone. Rich sacrifices were made there to Baikal. People said: “Baikal will be angry, it will tear off the Shaman’s stone, the water will gush and flood the whole earth.” Currently, the river is blocked by a dam, so only the top of the shaman stone is visible from the water

There is a legend among the people about the creation of Lake Baikal: “The Lord looked: the earth came out unkindly... as if she would not take offense at him! And, so as not to hold a grudge, he took and waved for her not some kind of bedding for her feet, but the very measure of his bounties, with which measured how much to be from him. The measure fell and turned into Baikal."

Lake Baikal is one of the most amazing natural attractions in Russia. Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, its area is almost 32 km 2, and the largest deep point is 1642 m. The length of the lake coastline is 2 km. It is so large and deep that many call it the Baikal Sea for its parameters. This freshwater lake It is distinguished by a huge diversity of flora and fauna, and most of the representatives are endemic. that is, they are found exclusively in the vicinity of Lake Baikal.

In addition to its unique size and deep water, Baikal, together with its basin, amazing beauty a place with mesmerizing blue waters. No wonder he comes here every year great amount tourists, because the topography of the lake and its waters are very beautiful at any time of the year.

Geography of Baikal

Baikal is located in the territory Russian Federation within Irkutsk in the heart of Asia. The lake originates in the southwest and stretches to the southeast for 600 km, forming a crescent. At its narrowest places, the width of Lake Baikal is 24 km, and its widest part is 79 km. In terms of area, Baikal is the 7th largest lake in the world. Geographically, Baikal is located in a basin surrounded by reliefs of mountain ranges and rocky cliffs. The depth of its waters at certain points reaches almost 1.7 km. In terms of depth, Baikal ranks first and is the most deep lake on the planet. Its average depth is 744 m. Lake Baikal is freshwater and its volume is approximately 123 thousand m 3, which is 19% of the world's freshwater reserves. Baikal is connected to many rivers and streams and its basin forms 500 springs.

The water in the lake is extremely clean, simply transparent. This is due to the composition of the water: minimal content of minerals, lack of salts and organic substances. Due to the great depth of the lake, the water in it is cold and even in summer its temperature does not exceed +20 °C. The permeability of water is low, so at depth the temperature is +3 °C. The transparency of Lake Baikal is amazing, so even at a depth of several tens of meters the bottom is clearly visible. In the deeper layers, the water becomes green, so from a distance the lake appears emerald.

The relief of Lake Baikal is very ambiguous. There are three deep depressions, forming basins. The area of Baikal covers 27 islands, many of which are quite long. The geography of Baikal is amazing and original. The lake has a billion-year history of formation, as evidenced by its localization: the place where the most high mountains in the world, 7 thousand km high.

Climate

The climate of Baikal is formed on the basis of its localization. A large area of water leads to evaporation, which is why Baikal has high humidity. Since the lake is surrounded by mountain ranges, the winds here are formed directly on the lake. Baikal winds are quite strong and cold, so the maximum temperature on the lake in summer does not exceed +28 °C. High humidity also affects winter weather, so it is milder here and lasts quite a long time.

Special climatic conditions affected the vegetation of the lake. Coastal areas are characterized by an increased number of sunny days. Usually autumn begins in August and a significant cooling is felt until +20 °C, but recently the temperature in summer has risen by 0.5-1 °C, which affects the duration of sunny and warm days. The climate of the lake has little effect on the changing seasons, so the delay in seasonal changes is usually 15-20 days.

Flora and fauna

Lake Baikal is a unique ecological zone, which is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fauna and flora of the lake are amazing and are represented by various species of animals and plants found exclusively in the Baikal region. An increased oxygen content was discovered in the waters of Lake Baikal, which affected the ecosystem of the territory. The lake itself is home to more than 2.6 thousand species of animals, 50% of which are endemic, that is, found only on Lake Baikal.

One of the most amazing representatives fauna living in the waters of the lake is the Baikal epishura - crustacean plankton, thanks to which the water in the lake is so clean.

This epishura feeds on algae, which cleans the lake of pollution, and makes up 80% of all plankton representatives. The food chain of the lake is so huge that Baikal can be called a self-cleaning lake. In addition to various plankton and invertebrates, the waters of Lake Baikal are home to a large number of fish species, which are often targeted by poachers. The flora of Baikal is also diverse and amazing. More than a hundred species of algae are found here.

The coastal area, thanks to access to freshwater, is lush and very rich. More than 2 thousand plants grow around the lake, of which rare tree species are of particular importance: Siberian cedar, Daurian rhododendron and the so-called “walking” trees. Bears, moose, Barguzin sables, deer, lynxes, etc. live on the shores of Lake Baikal. The ecosystem of Baikal is unique and diverse, therefore the territory of the lake and its coastal mountain ranges belong to the environmental protection and protected zone.

Where is Lake Baikal located on the map of Russia?

It is impossible to say exactly in which city Lake Baikal is located, since its waters wash a large number of cities, towns and villages. Geographically, Lake Baikal is located in the east of Siberia, between Irkutsk and Buryatia.

There are 85 settlements along the shoreline of the lake. They border on the waters of Lake Baikal:

Nizhneangarsk;
Severobaykalsk;
Khuzhir;
Elantsy;
Babushkin;
Listvyanka;
Slyudyanka;
Baykalsk;
Vydrino.

The largest cities located near the lake are Irkutsk and Severobaikalsk. On the other side of the coast is Ulan-Ude. Where Lake Baikal is located on the map of Russia can be viewed on any physical or online map. The lake stands out very much due to its impressive parameters. Thus, it is visible even from space.

The best option for how to get to Lake Baikal is to first get to Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude, and then to one of the nearby settlements. You can get to the cities by plane, train or car. Most quick way– air travel. There are direct flights from Moscow to Irkutsk, Severobaikalsk and Ulan-Ude. You can fly to Irkutsk from Kazan, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok by direct flights. From other cities you can travel by plane to regional centers with transfers. You can fly to Ulan-Ude from Yakutsk and Khabarovsk, as well as by direct flight from Moscow. The number of flights is constantly being added, so you can find out more about possible air routes and flights on the airlines’ website. Average flight time is 5.5-6 hours. Ticket price starts from 12 thousand rubles one way.

You can get to Baikal by train . Railway stations serve almost any direction, so you can get to Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude by direct train, or with a minimum number of transfers. Duration of the trip is from 2 days. There are direct trains from Moscow to Ulan-Ude. Travel time will be 3.5 days. It takes 3 days to travel from Moscow to Irkutsk. It takes about 4 days to Severobaikalsk. The average cost of a reserved seat is 5.5 thousand rubles, and a coupe – up to 9 thousand rubles.

You can get to Baikal by car . The distance from Moscow to Irkutsk is 5 thousand km. To do this, you can take the Moscow-Vladivostok highway (M-55). It will take a long time to travel, so you should plan your possible route in advance. A trip by car allows you to see the sights of other cities along the way. You can drive your own car within Irkutsk and nearby settlements. In the vicinity of Lake Baikal you will not need a car, since the area next to the lake is rocky.

Baikal is beautiful at any time of the year. Tourism on Lake Baikal is well developed. Available activities include fishing, diving, boating. To relax on the lake in the summer, it is better to go in July, when the air temperature is at its highest and the water in the lake has time to warm up. In spring, you can come to Baikal to see how nature blossoms, everything around comes to life and appreciate the riot of colors.

In winter, you can come to see frozen Baikal, which in February is completely covered with ice, only certain areas remain unfrozen. In autumn it is worth coming to Baikal to look at the variety of colors surrounding the lake. Seasonal holidays on Lake Baikal last from May to September. At this time, boat excursions are launched on the lake and you can visit the islands of Baikal.

Sights of Baikal

Lake Baikal itself is the greatest and most beautiful natural attraction of Russia. You need to go to Baikal for Baikal. Everything is great here. Emerald water, beautiful nature, wonderful landscapes - all this makes Lake Baikal popular tourist destination. But tourists are interested in numerous attractions that are worth seeing while relaxing on Lake Baikal:

Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve . This is a protected area located on the northwestern coast of the lake. A beautiful place to visit in late autumn.
Cape Burkhan. It is also called Shaman Rock. A beautiful rocky outcrop that was used for sacrifices by local shamans.
Pribaikalsky national park . Another protected nature reserve, which is located in the west and is a spit of shore adjacent to the lake.
. Historical Museum, dedicated to the history, geography and ecosystem of the lake, where exhibits collected in the waters of Lake Baikal are presented.
Barguzinsky Bay . The largest bay, 90 km long. It is a bay with a shallow mouth of the Barguzin, a river flowing into Baikal.
Thermal spring "Dzelinda" . It is located in the north, near the village of Angoy. A very popular place among tourists.
Sable Mountain. Popular ski resort, equipped with slopes and ski paths.

You should definitely visit the village of Listvyanka, where there is a nerpinarium where three species of seal live. Listvyanka also houses museums, an observatory, and various natural attractions (caves, rocks, capes). There are many attractions on the lake, and each one deserves the attention of tourists. You should definitely visit the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula and Olkhon Island.

Lake Baikal is a valuable landmark of Russia, a beautiful holiday destination and a significant nature reserve. The lake itself is beautiful place and a popular recreation area among tourists.

Location

south Eastern Siberia

Height num

23,615.390 km³

Coastline length

Greatest depth

Average depth

Transparency

40 m, at a depth of up to 60 m

Catchment area

560 thousand km²

Flowing rivers

Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, etc.
Total 336

Flowing river

Geography

Water volume

Tributaries and drainage

Properties of water

Islands and peninsulas

Seismic activity

Origin of the lake

Flora and fauna

Settlement of the lake shore

Limnological studies

Deep sea drilling

Neutrino telescope

"Paysis" on Baikal

"Worlds" on Baikal

Ecology

Pulp and paper mill

Eastern oil pipeline

Attractions

Interesting Facts

Myths and legends about Baikal

Baikal in philately

Baikal- a lake of tectonic origin in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, the deepest lake on planet Earth, the largest natural reservoir of fresh water. For more than half of the year the lake is covered with ice, the freeze-up period is January 15 - May 1, navigation is carried out from June to September. Since 1956, the lake has become an integral part of the Irkutsk reservoir, as a result of which the water level has risen by 1.5 m.

The lake and coastal areas are distinguished by a unique diversity of flora and fauna, most of the species are endemic. Local residents and many in Russia traditionally call Baikal the sea.

Geography

Geographical location and dimensions of the basin

Baikal is located in the center of Asia, in Russia, on the border Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia. The lake stretches from north to southwest for 636 km in the form of a giant crescent. The width of Lake Baikal ranges from 25 to 80 km.

The water surface area is 31,722 km² (excluding islands), which is approximately equal to the area of countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands or Denmark. In terms of water surface area, Baikal ranks sixth among the largest lakes in the world.

The length of the coastline is 2,100 km.

Depths

Maximum lake depth- 1,642 m meters was discovered in 1983 by L. G. Kolotilo and A. I. Sulimov during the performance of hydrographic work by the expedition of the Main Directorate of National Research and Oceanography of the USSR Ministry of Defense at a point with coordinates 53 ° 14? 59′ N. w. 108°05′11′ E. d. / 53.249722° s. w. 108.086389° E. etc., making it the deepest lake on planet Earth.

The maximum depth was charted in 1992. and confirmed in 2002 as a result of a joint Belgian-Spanish-Russian project to create a new bathymetric map of Lake Baikal, when the depths were digitized at 1,312,788 points in the lake’s water area (depth values were obtained as a result of recalculation of acoustic sounding data combined with additional bathymetric information , including echolocation and seismic profiling, one of the authors of the discovery of maximum depth - L.G. Kolotilo, was a participant in this project).

If we take into account that the water surface of the lake is at an altitude of 455.5 m above sea level, then the lowest point of the basin lies 1,186.5 m below the level of the world ocean, which makes the bowl of Baikal also the deepest continental depression.

Average lake depth is also very large - 744.4 meters. It exceeds the maximum depths of many very deep lakes.

Water volume

The water reserves in Baikal are gigantic - 23,615.390 km² (about 19% of the world's fresh water reserves - all fresh lakes in the world contain 123 thousand km² of water). In terms of volume of water reserves, Baikal ranks second in the world among lakes, second only to the Caspian Sea, but the water in the Caspian Sea is salty. There is more water in Baikal than in all five Great Lakes combined and 25 times more than in Lake Ladoga.

Tributaries and drainage

336 rivers and streams flow into Baikal, but this number only takes into account constant tributaries. The largest of them are Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Turka, Snezhnaya, Sarma. One river flows out of the lake - the Angara.

Properties of water

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 temperature of the surface layers of water in Baikal in summer is +8…+9 °C, and in some bays - +15 °C. The temperature of the deep layers is about +4 °C. 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 Lake Baikal contains so few mineral salts (100 mg/l) that it can be used instead of distilled water.

Ice

By the end of winter, the thickness of the ice on 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. On the shores of Baikal you can see in winter ice grottoes and splashes.

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 meters high, hollow inside. In 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 is also another type of ice on Lake Baikal called “sokui”.

In addition, in the spring of 2009, satellite images different areas of Lake Baikal where 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 zone where the current reaches maximum speeds, vertical water exchange increases, which leads to accelerated destruction of the ice cover.

Islands and peninsulas

There are 27 islands on Baikal (Ushkany Islands, Yarki Island and others), the largest of them is Olkhon (730 km²); the largest peninsula is Svyatoy Nos.

The lake is located in a kind of hollow, surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills. At the same time, the western coast is rocky and steep, the relief east coast- more flat (in some places the mountains retreat from the coast by tens of kilometers).

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, so in 1862, during the ten-magnitude Kudarin earthquake in the northern part of the Selenga delta, a land area of 200 km² with 6 uluses, in which 1,300 people lived, went under water, and Proval Bay was formed. Strong earthquakes were also noted in 1903 (Baikal), 1950 (Mondinskoye), 1957 (Muyskoye), 1959 (Middle Baikal). The epicenter of the Central Baikal earthquake was at the bottom of Lake Baikal near the village of Sukhaya (southeast coast). Its strength reached 9 points. In Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk, the strength of the main shock reached 5-6 points, cracks and minor destruction were observed in buildings and structures.

Climate

The water mass of Lake Baikal influences the climate of the coastal area. Winters here are milder and 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 and is a record for Russia. Days without sun in the same year locality there are only 37, and on Olkhon Island - 48.

The special features of the climate are determined by the Baikal winds, which have their own names - Barguzin, Sarma, Verkhovik, Kultuk.

Origin of the lake

The origin of Lake 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 a 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 Alexander 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 Eurasia and 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

According to the Limnological Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Baikal is home to 2,630 species and varieties of plants and animals, 2/3 of which are endemic, that is, they live only in this pond. This abundance of living organisms is explained by the high oxygen content in the entire thickness of Baikal water.

The epishura crustacean, endemic to Lake Baikal, makes up up to 80% of the lake’s zooplankton biomass and is the most important link in the food chain of the reservoir. It performs the function of a filter: it passes water through itself, purifying it.

The most interesting fish in Baikal is the viviparous golomyanka fish, whose body contains up to 30% fat. It surprises biologists with its daily feeding migrations from the depths to shallow waters. Fish in Baikal include omul, grayling, whitefish, sturgeon, burbot, taimen, pike and others. Baikal is unique among lakes in that freshwater sponges grow here at great depths.

History of settlement and study of Baikal

Settlement of the lake shore

According to the words of local residents, recorded in the 1930s, until the 12th-13th centuries, the Baikal region was inhabited by the Bargut people. They were replaced from the west by the Buryats, who began to actively populate first the western coast of the lake, and then Transbaikalia. The first Russian settlements on the shores of Lake Baikal appeared at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries. The first Russian discoverer of Baikal was the Cossack Kurbat Ivanov.

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”:

Bai-Kul (Turkic) - rich lake
Baigaal-Dalai (Mongolian) - rich fire
Bei-Hai (Chinese) - northern sea

The first Russian explorers of Siberia used the Evenki name “Lama” (sea). From the second half of the 17th century, Russians switched to the name adopted by the Buryats - “Baygaal” (pronounced “Bayghel”). At the same time, they linguistically 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.

Outstanding researchers, travelers and writers of Lake Baikal

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Limnological studies

The scientific field that studies lakes is called limnology. In the Irkutsk academic town there is a limnological institute that studies Lake 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 reconstructing climate changes in Eurasia.

Neutrino telescope

"Paysis" on Baikal

"Worlds" on Baikal

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

Scientists delivered to the Research Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences named after P. P. Shirshov samples of water, soil and microorganisms raised from the bottom of Lake Baikal. The expedition was continued in 2009.

Ecology

Pulp and paper mill

Eastern oil pipeline

The Transneft company is constructing the Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean", taking place in the Baikal region. It was originally 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 threat environmental disaster. Numerous protests by environmentalists and simply concerned people, including a protest meeting of many thousands held in Irkutsk on March 18, 2006, and mainly a direct order from Russian President V.V. Putin, forced the country’s leadership and Transneft to abandon the original plan and postpone the route of the oil pipeline beyond the Baikal catchment area so that its thread runs 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.

Resumption of pulp and paper mill activities

According to the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated January 13, 2010, the ban on “the production of pulp, paper, cardboard and products made from them without the use of drainless water management systems for production needs” was eliminated without any restrictions on timing, volumes or concentrations of substances. It also radically changes two more points regarding the storage, burial and incineration of hazardous waste on the shores of Lake Baikal, which is included in the World Heritage List. natural heritage.

Organizations studying and protecting Baikal

Pribaikalsky National Park
Baikal ecological wave
Baikal Research Center (ANO)
Greenpeace Russia

Tourism

You can get to Baikal in different ways. As a rule, those wishing to visit it first go to one of the nearest major cities: Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude or Severobaikalsk, so that you can plan your route from there in more detail. Traveling along the Trans-Siberian Railway between Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude, you can spend hours admiring the views of the lake stretching right outside the train window.

70 km from Irkutsk, on the shores of Lake Baikal near the source of the Angara, is the village of Listvyanka, one of the most popular tourist destinations on Lake Baikal. You can get here from the regional center by bus or boat in just over an hour.

The Great Baikal Trail passes through various sections around the lake - a system of ecological trails and one of the most beautiful ways for tourists to see unique nature and enjoy breathtaking views and panoramas of Lake Baikal. The most popular routes run from the village of Listvyanka to Bolshiye Koty, on the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula and in most other places where tourists can reach. On the eastern shore, Barguzinsky Bay is especially popular, where construction of a tourist and recreational zone continues. In the village of Maksimikha you can take a tour with a visit to the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula (peninsula). Horseback riding and hiking tours are available. To the south are the villages of Enkhaluk and Sukhaya. In these villages, private individuals organized receptions for guests, including in yurts. Thirty kilometers south of the mouth of the Selenga River there is a bay where two tourist camps are located - Kultushnaya and Baikal Surf. Several camp sites provide tourist services there. Almost in the very north of the lake there is a resort called Khakusy.

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.

Rock Shaman-stone
Chivyrkuisky Bay and Ushkany Islands
Chersky Peak - 2,090 m above sea level
Cape Burkhan on Olkhon Island
Northern Baikal
Peschanaya Bay
Cape Ryty
Cape Ludar
Circum-Baikal Railway

Famous sayings about Baikal

Here are quotes about Baikal from various sources.

Anyone who has seen Baikal will forever remember the majestic pictures of this lake, framed by high ridges. The many faces of Baikal are presented differently to those passing by. Some remember it as quiet and calm, with the blue mirror surface of the waters; others - furiously rushing against the granite rocks with waves white with foam; still others see Baikal subdued from storms and unrest, bound by heavy ice cracking loudly from the frost... In calm weather, Baikal is completely different. In the summer there are days when there is not a single wrinkle or ripple on the water surface. Then the distant soft blue sky is reflected in it, like in a giant mirror, making the crystal clear Baikal water become even clearer and lighter.

S. G. Sargsyan

Baikal, it would seem, should suppress a person with its grandeur and size - everything in it is large, everything is wide, free and mysterious - but, on the contrary, it elevates him. You experience a rare feeling of elation and spirituality on Baikal, as if, in view of eternity and perfection, you were touched by the secret seal of these magical concepts, and you were doused with the close breath of an omnipotent presence, and a share of the magical secret of all things entered into you. You are already, it seems, marked and highlighted by the fact that you stand on this shore, breathe this air and drink this water. Nowhere else will you have such a complete and so desired feeling of unity with nature and penetration into it: you will be intoxicated by this air, whirled and carried away over this water so quickly that you will not have time to come to your senses; you will visit such protected areas that we never dreamed of; and you will return with tenfold hope: there, ahead, is the promised life...

V. G. Rasputin

If all the water contained in Lake Baikal is divided among all Russian citizens, then each person will have ~2,700 railway tanks of 60 tons each.

Myths and legends about Baikal

There is a legend that Father Baikal had 335 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.

Movies

In 1969, the film studio named after. M. Gorky's film "By the Lake" was released.
In 1992, the Lennauchfilm film studio released the popular science film “Baikal Legends” (directed by cameraman V. Petrov). The film tells about geographical and natural features lake, as well as about the history of the peoples living on its shores.

Lake Baikal is one of the most beautiful and scenic spots not only in the Asian part of our country, but throughout the planet. This ancient lake(its age is approximately 25-35 million years), lying in a rift basin, is located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia. It is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth; 22% of all fresh, clean and clear water in the world and 85% of Russia are concentrated here. The volume of water is 23 thousand km 3 (these are the five Great Lakes in the USA combined). In addition to the value of huge reserves of fresh water, which, thanks to its low mineralization (100 g/l), can be safely equated to distilled water, it should also be noted that Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996.

Geographical position

Lake Baikal, having the shape of a crescent elongated from southwest to northeast, is located almost in the very center of the Eurasian continent, in Central Asia, in the southern part of Eastern Siberia. The ancient rift basin of glacial origin, in which the lake basin is located, lies in the Baikal mountain region, surrounded by high peaks mountain ranges and hills covered with dense forests (the border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia in the Russian Federation).

Characteristics of Lake Baikal

The area of the lake is 31.7 thousand km 2, this is the seventh largest in the world after the Caspian Sea-lake, lakes Victoria, Taganika, Huron, Michigan, Superior or the area of the countries of Belgium or the Netherlands. The length of the lake is 636 km, it is widest in the center (81 km), the narrowest is near the Serenga River delta (27 km).

The lake's average depth of 744.4 m is higher than the maximum depths of many lakes in the world; its maximum depth, measured by Soviet scientists Kolotilo and Sulimov in 1983, was 1640 m, making Baikal the deepest lake in the world.

The lake lies in a glacial rift basin, surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills. The length of the coastline is 2 thousand km, the western coast is rocky and steep, the eastern coast is flatter, the mountains are located tens of kilometers from the coast. The water area of the lake includes six bays (Barguzinsky, Chivyrkuisky, Proval, Posolsky, Cherkalov, Mukhor), two dozen bays (Listvennaya, Peschanaya, Aya, many closed shallow bays called sors. The only river flows out of the lake - the Angara, more than 336 rivers flow into and rivers, the largest ones include Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Snezhnaya, Kichera, etc.

Water temperature

The water, due to its low mineralization, is characterized by amazing purity, transparency (visible to a depth of 40 meters), and oxygen saturation. In spring, the water is especially transparent and has a rich blue-blue color; in summer, as a result of the development of organic matter, the transparency decreases and the water acquires a blue-green tint. The average annual water surface temperature is about +4°C, in summer period water can be +16, +17°C, in litter it reaches +22,+23°C.

Baikal is almost completely covered with ice (1-2 meters) from January to May (with the exception of a small area of 15-20 km at the source of the Angara). One of the amazing mysteries of Lake Baikal is the appearance in winter period huge dark rings on the ice that are only visible from above. Presumably they are formed as a result of the release of methane from the depths of the lake, which contributes to the formation of huge steam holes hundreds of meters in diameter with a very thin layer of ice.

Winds on Baikal

Distinctive features of Baikal's climate are its winds; they almost always blow, their maximum wind speed is 40 m/s. There are more than 30 names for the winds blowing there: the north-west wind is mountain, the north-east wind is Barguzin, Verkhovik), the south-east is shelonnik, the south-west is kultuk, sarma is the wind blowing in the center of Baikal. They blow mainly along the coast, where there are practically no places to hide from such a piercing and strong wind.

Nature of Lake Baikal

The flora and fauna of the lake is diverse and unique. Oxygen-saturated water allows a large number of living organisms to live here; more than 2,600 species and subspecies of aquatic inhabitants live here, most of them are endemic. More than 58 species of fish live in the water column, such as omul, grayling, whitefish, taimen, Baikal sturgeon, lenok, golomyanka (a unique fish consisting of 30% fat).

The coast is covered with more than 2,000 species of plants, about 2,000 species of birds nest here, a unique marine mammal lives here - the Baikal seal, in the mountainous part of the Baikal region - the smallest deer in the world - the musk deer.

(Olkhon - largest island Lake Baikal)

The northeastern coast of the lake is part of the protected area of the Barguzin State Natural Biosphere Reserve; since 1996, Baikal has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Settlements and cities

Large cities located several tens of kilometers from the lake are Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude (130 km east of the lake) and Severobaikalsk (in the northern part of the lake coast). From Irkutsk (70 km from Baikal), closest to the oldest Baikal village at the source of the Angara - Listvyanka, it is more than three hundred years old. The tourist infrastructure is well developed here and there is a Lake Museum dedicated to the history of Baikal, its flora and fauna. Also in the village there is a seal garden, where they show an exciting water show with the participation of Baikal seals and the legendary Shaman Stone, a protected rock at the source of the Angara, where ancient shamanic rituals were held in ancient times.

Climate and seasons

(Transparent water of Lake Baikal in summer)

Eastern Siberia lies in a temperate sharply continental climatic zone, however, the huge masses of water contained in Lake Baikal have a special effect on the climate of the coast and due to this, unusual microclimate conditions are formed with warm, mild winters and cool summer. The water masses of the lake act as a huge natural stabilizer and make winters warmer and summers cooler than, for example, in Irkutsk, located a short distance from the lake (70 km). The air temperature in summer can reach +35°C.

(Transparent ice on Lake Baikal in winter)

In winter, the waters of Lake Baikal are covered with incredibly transparent and smooth ice. The temperature above the surface of the lake in the middle of winter is about -21°C, and on the coasts it is 5-10 degrees higher, on average -10°C - 17°C. Due to slight evaporation cold water from the surface of the lake, clouds very rarely form here, so the area of Lake Baikal is characterized by a high total duration of sunshine; cloudy and cloudy days are rare.

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