Which basin does Lake Ladoga belong to? Ladoga lake. Fish living in the waters of the lake

Ladoga lake- one of the largest fresh water bodies in Europe. In our article we want to talk about where the nature and climate are on its coast. It has sufficient interesting characteristics. The nature here is particularly beautiful.

Lake location

Where is Lake Ladoga located? It is partially located in Karelia (eastern and northern coast) and in Leningrad region(southern, southeast, west). On its banks there are cities such as Novaya Ladoga, Priozersk, Shlisselburg, Sortavala, Lakhdenpokhya, Pitkyaranta.

Lake Ladoga on the map is located both in the Leningrad region and in Karelia. It's big enough. In addition, there are also islands on it. The area of Lake Ladoga is 17.9 square kilometers, excluding island areas. It extends from north to south for two hundred and nineteen kilometers. Its widest point is one hundred thirty-eight kilometers. Agree, the dimensions are impressive. Using these parameters, you can estimate the area of Lake Ladoga.

The depth of the reservoir in the northern region ranges from seventy to two hundred and thirty meters, and in the southern part from twenty to seventy meters. As you can see, the depth of Lake Ladoga is very heterogeneous, and is most important in the northern part of the reservoir. And the volume of water mass is nine hundred and eight cubic meters.

Rivers of Lake Ladoga and islands

Thirty-five rivers flow into the reservoir. But only one originates from it - the Neva. On the southern coast of the lake there are three large bays: Volkhovskaya, Svirskaya and Shlisselburgskaya Bay.

The most large river, flowing into Ladoga, is the Svir. She brings the waters of Lake Onega into it. Rivers such as Avloga, Morye, Burnaya, Airajoki, Vidlitsa, Obzhanka, Syas, Olonka and others also flow into the reservoir.

It must be said that in Lake Ladoga the water level is not constant. It constantly fluctuates, and this is clearly visible from the white stripes on the rocks that go under the water.

The islands of Lake Ladoga are quite numerous. There are about 660 of them. Their total area is four hundred thirty-five square kilometers. It must be said that more than five hundred islands are located in the northern part of the reservoir. This is the Skerries region.

Largest islands:

Riekkalansari - 55.3 km. sq.
Mantsinsaari - 39.4 km. sq.
Kilpola - 32.1 km. sq.
Tulolansari - 30.3 km. sq.
Vaalaam - 27.8 km. sq.

The most famous on the lake are the Valaam Islands. They are an archipelago of fifty islands with total area about thirty-six square kilometers. They became famous thanks to Valaam Monastery, located on the main island, and the Nativity of the Mother of God Monastery on Konevets Island.

History of the lake

Lake Ladoga is located in a basin that has glacial tectonic origin. Three hundred to four hundred million years ago the entire territory of the lake and its basin was covered by the sea.

The modern relief was formed as a result of glacier activity. The main factor was the change in sea level and the rise of land. After the glacier retreated, the Baltic freshwater glacial lake was formed. Later, the waters of this reservoir went to the territory of modern Switzerland. And there the Ioldian Sea was formed.

Nine and a half thousand years ago, Ancil Lake appeared due to the rise of land. On the Karelian Isthmus it was connected through a strait with Lake Ladoga. And eight and a half thousand years ago, ongoing tectonic processes opened the Danish straits, and the Littorina Sea was formed. This, in turn, led to the emergence of the Karelian Isthmus and, in fact, the formation of Lake Ladoga. Over the past two and a half thousand years, the relief in these places has hardly changed.

The northern part of the lake is located on the southern part - on the East European Platform. It is at the junction of these surfaces that the greatest depth of Lake Ladoga is observed.

Climatic conditions

Lake Ladoga has a temperate climate, sort of a transitional form from temperate maritime to temperate continental. Such climatic conditions are explained very simply. Geographical position Lake Ladoga and the atmospheric circulation of this region determined such a climate.

It must be said that in these places there are not many sunny days a year. This means that the amount of solar heat reaching the earth is not so great. Therefore, moisture evaporates extremely slowly. In 12 months there can be only sixty-two sunny days here. For most of the year, this region is dominated by days with cloudy, cloudy weather and diffuse lighting.

It is better to plan a vacation on Lake Ladoga between the twenty-fifth of May and the seventeenth of July, then you can watch the white nights here. These days the sun does not go below the horizon, morning and evening twilight merge into a single whole. In general, white nights last about fifty days.

It should be noted that Lake Ladoga itself also influences the local climate, smoothing out extreme characteristics. Throughout the year, southwestern and western winds dominate here. Quiet and windless weather is extremely rare. Sometimes the winds are stormy.

Breezes are observed along the entire coast summer days and nights. They start around nine in the morning and last until eight in the evening. Breezes penetrate fifteen kilometers inland. Fogs are observed here most often in spring, autumn and summer.

Lake shoreline

The coastline of Ladoga is more than a thousand kilometers long. The northern shores are heavily rugged rocks, forming many peninsulas and narrow bays, as well as small islands separated by straits.

The southern coastline is low. It is less rugged and is often flooded. The coastline is entirely covered with rocky reefs, banks, and shoals. The Volkhovskaya, Svirskaya and Shlisselburgskaya bays are the largest bays of Lake Ladoga.

The eastern shores are very little indented. There are two bays here: Uksunlahti and Lunkulanlahti. It is in this part that there are wide, beautiful sand beaches.

The western shore of the reservoir is even less indented. It was completely overgrown with dense mixed forests and shrubs, which came close to the water. The shore is strewn with scatterings of boulders. Stone ridges sometimes extend from the cape far into the depths of the lake, thereby forming dangerous shoals.

Relief of the lake bottom

As we noted earlier, the topography of the lake bottom is heterogeneous and has a clear increase in depth from south to north. We can say that the average depth of the reservoir is about fifty meters, and the greatest is two hundred and thirty-three meters (towards the north of the island of Valaam). Lake Ladoga in the northern part has a very uneven bottom. It is completely dotted with depressions. And in the southern region the bottom is smoother and more even. Lake Ladoga is in eighth place most deep lakes Russia.

The transparency of lake water varies along different shores. Its lowest indicators are observed in the Volkhov Bay, and the highest in westward from the Valaam Islands.

During a strong storm, the water in the lake, as they say, boils and seethes, it is completely covered with foam.

Only the central part of the reservoir can be covered with ice and only in a very severe winter. A long cold period leads to a strong cooling of the water, for this reason the water in the lake remains cold even in summer. It only has time to warm up in the thin upper layer and narrow coastal strip. The maximum temperature of surface waters is in August, when it is twenty-four degrees. The water in the lake is fresh and, in principle, quite clean, except in those areas where there is runoff pollution from industrial waste.

Economic importance of the lake

The location of Lake Ladoga has determined its serious economic importance for the country. The fact is that the lake is navigable, which is important for the region. It is considered one of the parts of the waterway that is part of the Volga-Baltic Route, as well as the White Sea-Baltic Canal.

The most navigable is the southern part of Ladoga from the Neva to the Svir. Since the reservoir is quite large, there are often storms, especially in the fall. During such periods, all shipping is stopped for the safety of passenger ships.

Since the founding of St. Petersburg, the lake became part of a single water transport system northern Russia. For safe navigation along south coast The Staraya Ladoga Canal was built. As soon as it was not enough, the Novoladozhsky Canal, one hundred and sixty-nine kilometers long, was also laid.

The Staraya Ladoga Canal is now almost completely dry and overgrown. And the second canal is still navigable. Up to eight million tons of cargo are transported across the lake every year. Petroleum products, chemical raw materials, building materials, and timber are transported to the Baltic from the Volga. In addition, tens of thousands of passengers are transported across Ladoga every year.

From Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities there are cruises (tourist) to the islands of Konevets and Valaam. Vessels enter and pass through the central waters of the lake, where the shores are not visible. And in strong winds you can feel significant rolling.

Regular passenger transportation in Ladoga no. However, tourist ships sail twice a day to certain destinations during navigation periods.

Fish living in the waters of the lake

The fish of Lake Ladoga is of industrial importance. Ten species are caught, among which the most popular are vendace, smelt, and ripus. There are quite a lot of pike perch and whitefish in the lake.

Holidays on Ladoga

Despite the fact that the water in Lake Ladoga remains cold even in summer, it attracts a large number of vacationers. As we said earlier, there are wonderful sandy beaches. Particularly popular among tourists northern islands. Most best period for kayaking on the lake - June and July. A little closer to autumn, storms begin, during which the water is rough, like in the sea.

Here on the lake there is Nizhnesvirsky nature reserve. It is located on the right bank of the Conservation Area - a wetland of international importance. They are interesting because they are nesting places for aquatic and migratory birds. There are 256 registered in this territory different types birds.

The island of Valaam is of particular interest to tourists. It is completely covered with coniferous forest. There is an ancient one on the island monastery, which was founded in the ninth to eleventh centuries.

Vacationers also like to visit Konevsky Island, which has a monastery. The island received this name from the Horse-Stone boulder located here. Until the end of the nineteenth century, this stone was a place of sacrifice. The main attraction is the Church of the Nativity Holy Mother of God, located on the territory of the monastery.

Historical excursion

The Novgorodians had a military and merchant fleet on Lake Ladoga for several centuries in a row. Geographical information also reached Western cartographers in those days. Lake Ladoga appeared on the map of the Moscow state back in 1544. It was made by the German scientist Sebastian Munster.

And in 1600, a drawing of Rus' was drawn up by Fyodor Godunov. The lake was depicted on it with fairly high accuracy. In the middle of the eighteenth century, a map was made not only of Lake Ladoga itself, but also of an artificial canal.

Novaya Ladoga

Novaya Ladoga is one of the towns on the shore of Ladoga. It is located on the left side of the Volkhov River in the place where it flows into the lake. The city was founded in 1704 by Emperor Peter the Great himself. A large number of historical architectural monuments have been preserved here, which may be of interest to guests and tourists.

Shlisselburg

The city is located on the shore of Ladoga. It was founded by the Prince of Novgorod in 1323, who founded a wooden fortress on the island of Oreshek. It was later captured by the Swedes, who renamed it Noteburg. And in 1702 the fortress was recaptured by Peter the Great. It was he who gave it its current name. The city also has its own attractions: the Staraya Ladoga Canal, the Oreshek fortress, the monument to Peter the Great, the Annunciation Cathedral, St. Nicholas Church.

Priozersk

A Karelian settlement lived on this site already in the twelfth century. And in 1310, the Novgorodians built a capital fortress at the mouth, called Korela. Later it was conquered by the Swedes. But in 1710 it again passed to the Russian Empire.

Lake Ladoga and its surroundings - enough interesting places for tourists. Here you can not only admire the beauty of nature, take boat trips, visit the islands, but also see historical monuments, preserved to this day.

Lake Ladoga is the largest freshwater lake Europe - located in the north-west of Russia, in harsh region with majestic nature and rich history. It was here that Russian statehood was born and the first Russian cities appeared.

The history of the lake, unique and rich nature - all this makes Lake Ladoga the most valuable object culture and a beautiful corner of Russia.

Origin of the lake

The lake was formed by the melting of a glacier, and this process lasted several thousand years. Several times the giant lake either merged with the waters of the ancient ocean, or again found itself surrounded by the firmament. Finally, about three thousand years ago, the pond, crowded by its banks, broke through to the Baltic Sea by the Neva River.

The gradual formation of the lake was reflected in the unique bottom topography: if in the northern part of the lake the depth reaches 230 m, then in the “shallow” southern part it is 20-70 m. The difference in landscape is also explained by the fact that the reservoir belongs to different natural areas. The Karelian (northern) coast lies on the Baltic crystalline shield, it is steep and rocky. South coast, located in the Leningrad region, consists of sedimentary rocks. The coast gently goes under water, forming sandbanks and beaches.

Lake Ladoga on the map looks like the footprint of some giant beast. The length of the reservoir from north to south is 219 km, and from west to east – 138 km. The huge area of the lake is over 18,000 square meters. km – holds about 900 cubic meters. km of water. More than 40 rivers and streams fill it with their waters, and only one - the deep Neva - flows out. Some rivers connect Lake Ladoga with other lakes - Onega, Ilmen, Saimaa.

There are many islands on the lake - more than 660. In the north of the lake are the famous Ladoga skerries - a magnificent necklace of a series of rocky islands separated by narrow straits. Main Diamond this stunning unique beauty natural phenomenon– the holy island of Valaam with the famous Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery.

History of the lake

Lake Ladoga occupies a special place in the history of our country. The name of the reservoir comes from the name of the ancient Russian city of Ladoga, but there is another version: on the contrary, the city is named after the lake. Until the 13th century, the lake was called “Great Lake Nevo.” In Finnish, the word “nevo” means “swamp”, “quagmire”.

Fateful events reflected in culture and history are associated with Lake Ladoga:

the famous route from the Varangians to the Greeks passed through Ladoga;
in the 14th century, Oreshek, the oldest Russian fortress, was built at the sources of the Neva;
at the end of the 14th century, the largest Orthodox monasteries were built on the islands - Valaam and Konevsky, famous for their missionary activities;
Novgorodians kept a navy here;
battles of the Northern War of 1701-1721 took place on the lake and its shores;
The road of life during the Second World War.

Since 1721, the coast of Lake Ladoga became completely Russian. Even then, Peter I appreciated the harsh nature of the lake, its treachery: complete calm in a few tens of minutes can give way to a real storm, and the waves rise to a height of 4-5 meters. Such inconstancy of the lake forced the Russian emperor to say the famous words that only the one who walked on Ladoga can be considered a real sailor.

The road of life

In the history of the lake there are tragic pages that evoke tears of joy and grief at the same time - this is a heroic chronicle of the salvation of hundreds of thousands of human lives from besieged Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War.

The road of life across Lake Ladoga connected the dying city with the country and saved it from death. Between September 1941 and March 1944, 1,600 thousand tons of various cargo were transported across the water and ice of the lake and more than 1,300 thousand people were evacuated.

In winter, goods and people were transported on the famous “one and a half trucks” - GAZ-AA. With the melting of the ice, navigation by water began. In addition to 15 barges, metal ships took part in navigation, the construction of which was carried out in Leningrad.

The road of life passed near the front line and needed protection. It was defended by anti-aircraft artillery divisions and fighter regiments, but thin ice and bombing destroyed about a thousand trucks.

In memory of the feat of the Soviet people on the Road of Life, 7 monuments, 112 memorial pillars along the highway and railway. The most famous of the monuments is “The Broken Ring” by architect V. G. Filippov.

Why you need to visit Lake Ladoga

Ladoga is one of the many water bodies in our country, visiting which will bring great pleasure. From year to year, in any season, thousands of fishermen, pilgrims and simply vacationers flock to the shores of the lake. Each of them has their own interests, but no one is left indifferent by the stunning beauty of the water surface, quaint islands, majestic shores and, of course, the harsh character of the lake. You need to make friends with him, and then your relationship with the lake will last for many years, bringing a lot of impressions.

So why is it worth visiting the shores of a wonderful lake? Here are probably the main reasons:

. The lake is home to over 50 species of fish, the most famous of which are salmon, whitefish, Ladoga smelt, and pike perch. You can fish at any time of the year with consistently excellent results.
Rich flora and fauna. The nature of Lake Ladoga is unique and diverse: here you can find southern plant species and tundra flora; Hares, wolves, bears, moose and other species of animals live in the forests, and the Ladoga seal lives in the north of the lake.
Diving. Thanks to the fresh and clean water and its low temperature, the artifacts of bygone times lying on the bottom are perfectly preserved and are of scientific and research interest.
Curious natural phenomena: mirages, brontides (underground rumble).
Visiting holy places.
Developed tourist infrastructure.
Relax on sandy beaches.
Complete absence of mosquitoes.

Lake Ladoga - mysterious, majestic and beautiful, will always attract thousands of tourists eager to experience its harsh beauty. The wealth of waters and shores, the bizarre landscape and history of the lake stuns the imagination and fills hearts with love for Russia, its nature and culture.

In the European part of Russia, in the Republic of Karelia and the Leningrad region.

The ancient name of the lake is Lake Nevo (Nestor's Chronicle of the 12th century), and in the old Scandinavian sagas and treaties with Hanseatic cities the lake is called Aldoga. The modern name of the lake appeared at the beginning of the 13th century; there are several versions of its origin, but none of them is definitely confirmed.

Ladoga is the largest freshwater lake in Europe, the largest lake in Karelia and the Leningrad region and the 3rd lake in Russia (after the Caspian Sea and Baikal) in terms of water surface area. The area of Lake Ladoga with islands is 18.3 thousand km 2, the water surface is 17.9 thousand km 2, the volume is 838 km 3, length 219 km, maximum width 125 km, coastline length 1570 km, maximum depth 230 m in the northern part basins between the Valaam and Western archipelagos of the islands, the height of the water surface above sea level is 5.1 m. Lake Ladoga was formed about 10 thousand years ago, after the filling of the basin stretched from northwest to southeast with water from the melting edge of the ice sheet. Its northern shores are composed of crystalline rocks, high and highly dissected; The peninsulas continue with chains of islands, forming a skerry type of coast. To the south, the coast becomes low and level, bordered by narrow beaches with boulders, and in small bays overgrown with semi-aquatic vegetation. South part coast consists of three large

Every year an average of 83 km 3 of water enters Lake Ladoga, 70% of which is lake water masses flowing along the river. Sviri from Lake Onega, along the river. Vuokse from lake. Saimaa and along the river Volkhov from lake. Ilmen. The flow of each of them is regulated by hydroelectric power stations and is about 20 km 3 /year.

Another 16% comes from the influx of 16 small rivers and 14% from precipitation falling on the reservoir. 9% of the water in the discharge part of the water balance evaporates, the rest of the water is the river runoff. Not you. The water exchange time is about 10 years. The average range of intra-annual changes in water level in Lake Ladoga is 69 cm (from 21 in the low-water year 1940 to 126 cm in the high-water year 1962).

Main tributaries of Lake Ladoga (large and medium rivers)	Inflow	Length
Basin area (km 2)	220	83200
Svir	224	80200
Volkhov	156	68700
Vuoksa	260	7330
Sitting	70	3900
Janisjoki	87	2620

Olonka In the spring, after the southern coastal bays are cleared of ice at the end of April - the first half of May, intense heating of the coastal shallows occurs with warm air and solar radiation, as well as with the relatively warm water of the flood of small rivers. The water temperature in the southern area of the water area usually becomes above 4°C by May 15, and on the surface of the deep-sea area it is 2.5–3°C. A thermal bar () appears between warm and cold water masses. With further heating of the water, the thermobar moves to the center slowly along the northern steep slope (0.05–0.1 km/day) and faster over the southern gentle slope at a speed of 1.3–1.5 km/day. It prevents the mixing of river water masses with the main water mass itself. Therefore, the Volkhov flood waters and the Svir waters move north along, and the least mineralized Saimaa waters from the mouth of the river. Vuoksi along the western bank to the south and further to the Neva. The thermal bar disappears at the end of June - the first ten days of July near the Valaam archipelago, when the surface layer of water 20–40 m thick warms up to 10–15°C. Under the underlying temperature jump layer, water in summer from a depth of 30–40 m to the bottom heats up to only 5°C. During autumn cooling, its upper layer cools down, the temperature jump layer sinks until October, and then disappears at a temperature close to 4°C. The time of disappearance of the thermal bar is variable, because when windy weather sets in in summer, drift currents and waves mix river water masses and the main lake water mass in the upper layer, updating its chemical composition and leveling the distribution of plankton across the water area. In summer, this water mass dominates the Neva flow, and during the freeze-up period, the most mineralized Volkhov waters are added to it. With a wind of 18 m/s near the Valaam Islands, the wave height reached 5.8 m, surges on the windward sections of the coast raise the water by 0.2–0.5 m. Shallow waters freeze in October, and the edge of the ice cover gradually shifts to the deepest water central region

The mineralization of the main water mass is low (64 mg/l), the Svirskaya is even less, the Vuoksinskaya is half as much, and the Volkhovskaya is 1.5 times more. Over the last 30 years of the 20th century. The salinity of the lake waters increased by 16% due to natural causes and wastewater pollution.

The composition of the water is hydrocarbonate-sulfate-calcium, the water is transparent, due to which the development of plankton is possible to a depth of 8–12 m. In the Volkhov Bay, the transparency of polluted water is half as much. The oxygen content in Ladoga water is high, and in its surface layer there was even a supersaturation with oxygen released during the proliferation of microalgae. Self-purification of water masses is facilitated by coastal thickets of higher aquatic vegetation (more than 100 species), mainly reeds, occupying about 5% of the area of shallow waters. In total, about 600 species of aquatic plants and 400 species of aquatic animals were found in Lake Ladoga, many of which feed on phytoplankton, bacteria and other organic particles that pollute the water. The ichthyofauna is very diverse (53 species and varieties), consisting of salmon, lake trout, lake whitefish, pike perch, pike perch, vendace, etc., the total biomass is estimated at 140 kg/ha. Atlantic sturgeon and Volkhov whitefish are listed in the Red Book of Russia. The most fish-producing shallow waters to a depth of 10–15 m in the southern region, where fishing is carried out, and the least fish-producing northern skerries. There are no commercial aggregations of fish deeper than 40–50 m. Lake Ladoga serves as a source of water supply for St. Petersburg, a waterway to the White Sea-Baltic and Volga-Baltic shipping canals. In 1976–1983 The anthropogenic impact on the lake has sharply increased due to the development of industry and Agriculture

on the territory of Lake Ladoga’s own catchment area and its coast. In order to reduce pollution of lake waters in 1986, north of the mouth of the river.

Europe is famous for its beauty and attractiveness. Its nature has more than once become the property of songs and legends, fairy tales and poems, essays and stories. Among all the diversity, water spaces stand out. Lake Ladoga is a bright representative. Its main difference from other water bodies is the rich flora and fauna.

general characteristics

Lake Ladoga is called the largest in all of Europe. Its area exceeds 18 thousand square kilometers. It is interesting that 457 kilometers of water area are occupied by the islands of Lake Ladoga, which in themselves are not so large. For example, the area of the largest land areas located in the middle of the lake surface does not exceed one hectare. And in total there are more than 650 of them. Nature has placed the islands so that over 500 of them are located in the northwestern part of the lake.

Rocky Islands are different bizarre shape and unusual shapes. Their height is 60-70 meters. It is especially interesting to observe the harmonious combination of coastline and island lines. The islands are separated from each other by numerous bays that cut into land areas.

Mother Nature has been working on the artistic and aesthetic design of this corner for thousands of years. globe. Lake Ladoga is one of the oldest water bodies. In its lifetime, it has seen a lot and experienced amazing events, which can be judged by the numerous remnants and remains on its banks and bottom.

New research has made it possible to find out more accurate parameters of the water body. Lake Ladoga stretches 83 kilometers wide and 219 kilometers long. Without the island territory, it occupies a total of 17,578 square kilometers, which allows it to be called the largest European lake.

Length coastline exceeds one and a half thousand kilometers. Scientists were able to calculate the coefficient of its ruggedness. It is 2.1, which suggests the presence of multiple bays. The bowl of the lake is distinguished by its impressive capacity, which is 908 cubic kilometers.

Lake depth

The average depth of Lake Ladoga is 51 meters. However, if we talk about the largest, the figure already grows to 230 meters. The depth map of Lake Ladoga also shows impressive indicators. It usually marks the areas that are considered the deepest.

The bottom topography is heterogeneous. Therefore, it is not surprising that the depth of Lake Ladoga varies throughout its entire water area. For example, in the southern part the bottom is flat and smooth. This helps reduce the depth. The decrease is observed from north to south. In the northern part, the depth reaches 10-100 meters, and in the southern part this value is an order of magnitude lower and varies in the range from 3 to 7 meters. The bottom is distinguished by rocky spits and shallows, and you can even find clusters of boulders.

Bottom relief

In general, such differences in depth are explained by the peculiarities of the geological structure of the bottom. Which, in turn, is due to its impressive length. The geological structure also leaves its mark on the lake basin and its appearance. Interestingly, the bottom topography seems to resemble islands. He copies them exactly. Thus, at the bottom of the lake you can observe mountains and plains, depressions and potholes, hills and slopes.

Depressions up to 100 meters deep most often predominate. There are more than 500 of them in the northwestern part of the lake. Interestingly, such formations are concentrated in groups. And they, in turn, create a kind of labyrinth of bays. This phenomenon is called skerry. The depth map of Lake Ladoga allows you to verify this.

The slope of the lake has an average of 0.0105, and the angle averages 0.35 degrees. This value is close northern shore is already equal to 1.52 degrees, and for the eastern one - 0.03. This is also considered a fairly important indicator.

Animal world

In a country like Russia, Lake Ladoga plays a huge role. It is called the supplier of drinking water for Northern capital state - St. Petersburg. However, in addition to this, Ladoga is inhabited by great amount a wide variety of animals. The main place among them, of course, is occupied by fish.

Today, more than 58 varieties and species of fish are known to exist in the waves of Lake Ladoga. It is interesting that there are also those who are “guests” in Ladoga. These include conger eel, Baltic salmon and sturgeon. They only occasionally swim into the waters of the lake. Their permanent habitat is the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic.

Unfortunately, due to massive fishing, not all of its former inhabitants remain in Ladoga today. Sometimes representatives of the fish kingdom disappear for no apparent reason. For example, sterlet. It no longer occurs in Ladoga waters, and researchers have never discovered the reason for this.

New species

But new inhabitants appeared in the lake. They are represented by peled and carp. The latter appeared in Ladoga relatively recently - in 1952-1953. The reason for this was that it was bred in the nearby Lake Ilmen. The fate of the peled was similar. It “wandered” to Ladoga from the Karelian Isthmus, where they began actively breeding it in the late 50s of the last century.

In addition, in the waters you can also find such fish as palia, salmon, pike perch, whitefish, bream, trout, ripus and vendace. They are distinguished by their value in the field of industry. These species are called commercial. There are also less valuable inhabitants of the lake. Among them are roach, smelt, pike, ruffe, blue bream, bleak and silver bream. They are considered no less tasty, but their use in food is represented in smaller volumes.

It is probably impossible to really name all the fish that are found in the waters of Lake Ladoga. There are so many inhabitants there that work to discover and study them continues to this day.

On the verge of extinction

Some fish of Lake Ladoga are now on the verge of extinction. Among them there are those that are considered valuable in the industrial field. The clearest example is salmon. In Ladoga there are individuals whose weight exceeds 10 kilograms. They are real giants. Interestingly, the fish go to spawn in late spring and summer. The young live there for no more than a couple of years, and then return to the lake.

The rivers are now clogged with lumber, making it difficult for salmon to spawn. In this regard, it was decided to suspend mass fishing. The corresponding law was passed back in 1960.

Another valuable fish is palia. She lives in the northern part of the lake. In winter it can be found at a depth of more than 70 meters, and in the warm months it rises to 20-30. Reproduction occurs in mid-autumn.

Whitefish also live in Ladoga. Now there are seven varieties of them in the lake. Four of them, namely lake Ladoga, Ludog, black and Valaam, are considered exclusively riverine, and the other three - Svir, Vuoksa and Volkhov - can live both in the lake and in the river. On average, during the breeding season, each individual lays about nine thousand eggs in October and November.

Just recently, people were massively engaged in catching whitefish, but now this species is on the verge of extinction. A peculiar reason for this can be called the construction of the Volkhov hydroelectric power station dam. Pisces were unable to overcome such an obstacle, and the measures people took to achieve this did not save the situation.

Rivers of Lake Ladoga

Now let's talk about waterways.

The rivers of Lake Ladoga are very numerous. This allows us to talk about its wide drainage basin. Its area exceeds 250 thousand square kilometers. Not every lake can boast such figures.

Finland and Karelia, located nearby, share water resources with Ladoga; rivers also carry their waves from the Novgorod, Pskov and Vologda lands. The water bodies of the Arkhangelsk and Leningrad regions make their contribution.

In total, about 45 thousand streams and rivers flow into Lake Ladoga. It is interesting that before becoming part of Ladoga, river waters accumulate in nearby lakes, including Saimaa, Onega and Ilmen. They, in turn, allow the formation of such tributaries of the main Ladoga as the Volkhova, Vuokse and Svir. In total, they bring more than 57 cubic kilometers of water into the lake per year. This represents approximately 85 percent of the total water mass that accumulates in the area we are considering. geographical object in a year.

All other tributaries are called small. There is no explanation for this, because among them there are such impressive deep rivers as Janisjoki, Syas and Tulemajoki.

It should be understood that the tributaries of the Ladoga are quite young - by the standards of rivers - in age. They are only 10-12 thousand years old. That is why most of them have not yet formed wide valleys. They flow among rocky areas and steep banks.

The Baltic crystalline shield lies in the northeastern part of the lake. That is why the deepest and loudest tributaries flow into Ladoga from that side. Very often they turn into full-flowing stormy streams, encountering rocks on their way that are quite difficult to erode.

Tributary Svir

Lake Ladoga is located in Russia, and its deepest stream is called the Svir. This river flows from the Svirskaya Bay of Lake Onega, and flows into Ladoga from the southeast.

Its length is about 224 kilometers. The river includes two large tributaries, which are named Pasha and Oyat. It is interesting that the origin of this object is still covered in secrets and mysteries.

The Svir River itself and its banks are not distinguished by the picturesqueness inherent in Ladoga. The description of Lake Ladoga tells about the amazing beauty of its shores, which Svir cannot boast of. Its coastline is covered with alder bushes and marshy plants, and there are coniferous forests. Basically, the banks of the Svir River are accumulations of stones and boulders.

In ancient times, Svir was famous for its numerous rapids. They could not be called high, but the piles of boulders presented a serious obstacle to navigation. Locals very often they rescued sailors, helping them cope with crossings. Very often, residents of coastal villages and towns themselves served as sailors, pilots and even captains. The proximity to a deep river left its mark on the character and way of life of the people.

But if we talk about the animal world, it is quite large. It is in the waters of this river that salmon spawning is often observed. In spring you can find schools of these fish heading to the mouth of the Svir. The tributaries Oyat and Pasha play the main role in spawning. Ichthyologists believe that it is these rivers that can contribute to the revival of salmon in Lake Ladoga.

When to visit

Over its centuries-old history, Lake Ladoga has been shrouded in secrets, riddles and legends. All this, of course, attracts numerous tourists. People also travel to Ladoga to admire the amazing beauty of nature and see with their own eyes one of the largest lakes in the world.

In order not to make a mistake, you should know when it is better to go and what time to give preference.

A trip here in May and June will be foggy in the truest sense of the word. At the end of May and beginning of June, thick fogs descend on Ladoga, in which it is quite easy to get lost. In such cases, it is very important to take experienced guides with you who will help you get on the right path and see all the surrounding beauty.

This time is considered quite cold for those places. In the evening, the skerries can be covered with a thin crust of ice, and the wind brings dampness. Of particular interest are the few hours after sunny weather. At such moments, the lake shines with calm and attractiveness. However, the very next moment a breeze blows in. It causes meter-long waves in the bays, although the lake off the coast continues to be peaceful.

One of the most striking advantages of this time, of course, after the attractive appearance of the coastal area, is the complete absence of mosquitoes. The extraordinary cleanliness of the lake is also called a virtue. The bottom, even at a depth of several meters, can be seen extremely clearly. It is believed that if you drink water at such a moment, happiness will not take long to arrive. The water itself is clean and tasty.

Those people who value comfort and coziness should visit Ladoga in the last two months of summer. This period is considered the best for proper rest. In this case, the air and water temperatures exceed the optimal mark, allowing you to swim in the waves of the lake and sunbathe on the shore. On the islands you can pick berries and mushrooms, which are abundant there.

For those people who travel to Ladoga with the aim of admiring local beauties, it is worth choosing the autumn months, when literally the entire coast shimmers with gold and bronze. In October, the weather worsens, accompanied by fog and storms. At such times you can meet many artists and landscape painters here. They try to capture the lush beauty of Ladoga.

Lake Ladoga in winter also presents an interesting sight. However, it is quite cold here at this time of year. But the middle of the lake does not freeze even in severe frosts due to its impressive depth.

Those people who want to visit this corner of our vast Motherland should look for Lake Ladoga on the map. Many travel companies offer entire routes. If you wish, you can choose one of the proposed ones or create your own.

A trip to the coast of Lake Ladoga will surely be memorable for everyone. What distinguishes this area Amazing beauty nature at any time of the year, a variety of flora and fauna, as well as the opportunity to have a great rest.

For all the great lakes, except Pskov-Chudskoye, Lake Ladoga is the last one. Therefore, its basin is very large: 258.6 thousand km2. (Ivanova and Kirillova, 1966). This basin contains about 50,000 smaller lakes, many swamps and 3,500 rivers (each more than 10 km long); total length rivers are about 45,000 km (Nezhikhovsky, 1955). 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.

The Neva does not become shallow at any time of the year, and there are no floods on it. Fluctuations in the level of the river depend mainly on the surge and surge winds. With strong winds blowing downstream of the river, the water level can drop by 1 meter; with surge winds from the side Gulf of Finland the level sometimes rises to dangerous levels, and Leningrad is subject to floods. The Neva is original not only for its full flow and its hydrological regime. Unlike normal rivers, it does not have real river terraces, nor does it have a real delta. Typically, river deltas arise as a result of the deposition at the mouth of a river of the sediment that the river carries. But in the Neva, flowing from such a huge sedimentation basin as Lake Ladoga, there is very little sediment. Consequently, the settling of silt at the mouth of the Neva could not lead to the formation of a delta in the usual way.

And the Neva delta, consisting of 101 islands and occupying an area of 83 km2, arose differently. The Baltic Sea was once larger than it is now. Shrinking in volume and retreating west from the mouth of the Neva, it dried up the coastal shallows and turned them into islands. The Neva waters rushed between the islands, and the river began to flow into the sea not in one, as before, but in several branches. This is how the “delta” turned out. It was formed approximately 2000 years ago.

As already noted, Northern part Lake Ladoga lies on the Baltic crystalline shield, the southern one - on the Russian platform. The southern border of the shield in the areas closest to Ladoga runs approximately along the line Vyborg - Priozersk - the mouth of the river. Vidlitsy - the source of the river. Sviri.

The ancient rocks that make up the Baltic Shield emerge on the surface, being covered in places by only a thin (several meters) layer of loose Quaternary sediments. Among the Archean rocks, the main place in the structure of the shield is occupied by various granites, migmatites, gneisses, and crystalline schists. Gneisses, shales, quartzites, sandstones, conglomerates, crystalline and dolomitized limestones, as well as tuffaceous and volcanic rocks form the Proterozoic sedimentary complex.

Igneous rocks of the same age include gabbro, gabbro-diabase and diabase intrusions. On the northwestern and northeastern coasts of Lake Ladoga there are numerous outcrops of migmatites, gneisses, crystalline schists, and rappakivi granites; The Valaam archipelago and the group of islands Mantsinsari and Lunkulansari are composed of olivine diabases.

To the south of the Baltic shield, Early Cambrian deposits of the Russian Platform are exposed on the surface in the area of Lake Ladoga, which, unlike the shield, was repeatedly covered by the sea in Paleozoic times. The Cambrian sequence is represented by two complexes: the Valdai, developed everywhere and consisting of variegated sandstones and thin-layered shales, and the Baltic, composed of sandstones, sands and plastic blue clays, so fine-grained and greasy that they were sometimes used instead of soap when washing clothes.

There is no Baltic complex on the Karelian Isthmus; it exists only on the southeastern coast of Ladoga. The thickness of the cover of loose Quaternary sediments in the Ladoga part of the Russian Platform reaches tens of meters.

The surface of the crystalline basement, exposed on the Baltic shield and gradually disappearing to the south and east under the Paleozoic sediments of the Russian Platform (in the Neva delta at a depth of 200 m, in the southern Ladoga region - 300-400 m), is very uneven; it is fragmented by cracks and faults into separate ledges and depressions. In such tectonic depressions, called grabens, lie the basins of Lakes Ladoga and Onega. Protrusions and depressions of the relief stretch within the Baltic Shield in a completely straight line for many kilometers from northwest to southeast or from north to south.

The straightness of relief formations and the hydrographic network itself indicates that these forms were created by tectonics, the internal forces of the Earth. And the longer these formations, the more reliable the assumption about their tectonic origin, since exogenous factors, due to their large number and variability, are not able to create rectilinear forms several kilometers long.

The difference is geological structure different parts of the Lake Ladoga basin is also reflected in the structure of the lake basin. Thus, the bottom topography of the northern part of the basin seems to repeat the topography of the adjacent land and consists of deep-water depressions alternating with shallower areas. Depths of more than 100m predominate.

In the southern part of the lake, the bottom is more even, the depths gradually decrease from 100 m in the north to 10 m or less in the south (in Petrokrepost Bay, the depths on average range from 3 to 7 meters). There are many sandy and rocky spits and shoals, as well as accumulations of boulders at the bottom (Davydova, 1968).

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