What is Baikal. Where are the deepest places of Baikal. Video: The underwater world of Lake Baikal

Olkhon Island on Lake Baikal (Jason Rogers / flickr.com) Olkhon Island, Baikal (Jason Rogers / flickr.com) Olkhon Island (Jason Rogers / flickr.com) Jason Rogers / flickr.com Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com Martin Lopatka / flickr .com Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com Lake Baikal (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com) Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com Khoboy Cape, Olkhon (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com) Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com White sturgeon (Heaven Ice Day / flickr.com) Heaven Ice Day / flickr.com LA638 / flickr.com

There are many places on earth that are striking in their beauty and uniqueness. Lake Baikal is one of these. This richest reservoir has embodied all the ideas of primordiality. It can be calm when it is calm on its surface, or it can be ferocious and brutal when a storm breaks out.

Asking the question of what attracts the attention of Baikal, it is quite simple to answer it. Peculiarities geographic characteristics a giant reservoir beckon tourists thousands of kilometers away.

The surface of Lake Baikal (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com)

The greatest depth of Lake Baikal is impressive. The maximum depth point of the lake is 1642 meters from the water surface.

This indicator brings Baikal to a leading position among the lakes on the planet. Walking after Russian Baikal African Tanganyika is in a significant gap. The difference between the maximum depths of these majestic bodies of water is about 160 meters.

The average depth over the entire area of ​​the lake deserves attention. Most of Baikal is about 730 meters deep. As for the area of ​​this reservoir, here, for understanding, we can cite as an example the area of ​​Belgium or Denmark. Equating the size of the lake to the territory of one of these countries, one can only imagine its limitless expanses.

Olkhon Island (Jason Rogers / flickr.com)

The reason for the incredible depth and length of Lake Baikal is the countless number of rivers and streams flowing into it. There are more than 300 of them: large and small streams and deep powerful river streams. Despite the fact that only Angara takes its source at the lake.

It should be noted that Lake Baikal is considered the world's largest natural reservoir of pure fresh water... Its volumes exceed even the famous American Great Lakes. If we add up the volumes of Michigan, Erie, Huron, Ontario and Lake Superior, then their sum will still not reach equality with the capacity of Lake Baikal, which is over 23,600 cubic kilometers.

The immense depth, imposing expanses of the reservoir, the length and width of the mirror-like surface are the reason why residents often call Baikal the sea. Located in the southeast of Eurasia, the mighty lake is famous for storms and tides (similar to sea ones).

Why is the lake called Baikal?

The history of the name of the lake is associated with several legends known to the local people. According to the first version, translated from Turkic it means “rich lake”, and in the original language it sounds like Bai-Kul.

Khoboy Cape, Olkhon (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com)

The second variant of the origin of the name, according to the conjecture of historians, is associated with the Mongols - in their language, the reservoir was called Baigal (rich fire) or Baigal dalai (big sea). There is a third version of the name, according to which the neighboring Chinese called the lake "the northern sea". In Chinese it sounds like Bei Hai.

Lake Baikal is one of the oldest reservoirs on the earth's surface. This orographic unit went through a rather complicated and long process of formation in the earth's crust.

More than 25 million years ago, the reservoir began its formation, which continues to this day. Recent geological studies prove that Baikal can rightfully be considered the rudiment of another ocean, which, of course, will not appear in the near future, but scientists look at the fact that this will happen almost unambiguously.

The shores of the lake are expanding significantly every year, the water space is increasing before our eyes, therefore, in the place of the lake in a few million years, according to the researchers, there will be an ocean.

Lake exploration

A unique distinguishing feature of the Baikal waters is their amazing transparency. At a depth of up to forty meters, you can easily see every pebble on the bottom.

Olkhon Island, Baikal (Jason Rogers / flickr.com)

This is explained by simple chemical laws. The fact is that almost all rivers flowing into Lake Baikal pass through crystals of difficult-to-dissolve rocks.

Hence the low level of mineralization of Lake Baikal. It is about 100 milligrams per liter of lake water.

Due to the maximum depth of Lake Baikal and high coastline, which exceeds the ocean surface by 450 meters, the bottom of the reservoir is rightfully considered the most deep hollow not only on this continent, but also among other continents.

Due to the fact that scientists have found out the exact location of the maximum depth of the lake, a dive was made to this point several years ago.

It is located within the Olkhon Island. A modern deep-sea instrument sank to the bottom for more than 1 hour. For some time, scientists filmed and took samples for a detailed study of the bottom composition of the water and the rocks present.

During this experiment, the researchers were able to discover new microorganisms and identify the source of oil pollution in Lake Baikal.

Lake Baikal is located on the territory of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region. Exactly this deep lake in the world, it is also the largest natural reservoir of fresh water.

general description

Lake Baikal area - 31,722 square kilometers, maximum depth- 1642 meters, average - 744. The transparency of the water can reach 40 meters. Volume - 23.6 thousand cubic kilometers. Lake Baikal is 636 kilometers long and 79.5 kilometers wide. The coastline is two thousand kilometers long.

The catchment area is 570 thousand square kilometers. The only river, the Angara, flows out, the largest of the flowing rivers - the Selenga, Barguzin, Upper Angara. The total number of tributaries is not known exactly, figures are given up to 1,120 rivers and streams, but most of them are not permanent streams.

The water surface of Lake Baikal is located at an altitude of 456 above sea level, and the lowest point (in the place where the maximum depth is) is 1187 meters below sea level.

History of the origin and development of the lake

The age of Lake Baikal is not exactly known, scientists say about the interval from 25 to 35 million years. By the way, this makes Baikal unique in its own way, since the vast majority of lakes do not exist for such a long time. In 2009, it was suggested that the age of the lake is 150 thousand years, and the age of the coastline in its present form is about 8 thousand years. This version has found indirect confirmation.

However, accurate information about the origin of the lake (such as the history Lake Ladoga) No. In addition, the process of transformation of Baikal continues to this day - earthquakes occur here.

It is known that already two thousand years before our era, tribes lived on the lands near Lake Baikal, who were the ancestors of the Evenks. The first Russian to visit the lake was the Cossack Kurbat Ivanov, and Russian settlements on the shores began to appear at the end of the 17th century.

Lake water

There are very few minerals in the water of Lake Baikal, a lot of oxygen and very little organic impurities. The exceptional purity of the water is possible due to the crustacean Epishura, which consumes organic matter. It makes up about 90% of the biomass of the lake, and it is because of its activity that the water in Baikal is very clean, and its transparency in some places reaches 40 meters.

The water is cold, the maximum temperature for the entire observation period is +23 degrees Celsius. In some places, even in summer, the water temperature of the surface layers may not exceed +9 +10 degrees. In the deepest layers, the temperature is around +4 degrees.

Due to the purity and transparency of the water, the ice in Lake Baikal is very transparent. The lake freezes in early January, breaks open from ice in early May. By the end of winter, the thickness of the ice usually reaches one meter, in some places it can reach up to 2 meters.

The ice of Lake Baikal is very beautiful, in addition, it has certain properties and regularly throws riddles to scientists. For example, only on this lake were ice tents discovered, which are cones of ice, the height of which can reach six meters. Their origin has not yet been clearly explained.

It is also worth noting the "back gaps", which are formed in approximately the same places every year. They can be up to three meters wide and up to 30 kilometers long. Ice cracks with very loud noises, and thanks to them the fish does not suffer from a lack of oxygen.

Climate

Of course, a body of water with such a huge water mass and area cannot but influence the climate, which is quite serious. So, in the vicinity of Lake Baikal, winter comes on average two weeks later than in other areas in the neighborhood. Winters are generally milder here, however, and summers are usually cooler.

The surroundings of the lake are rich sunny days, here their total duration is even longer than Black Sea resorts... There are rarely more than 40 days without sun in a year.

Baikal winds have their own names. Some of them are the most famous:

• Barguzin - eastern and strong wind;
• Kultuk is the name of the southwest wind;
• Verkhovik - the longitudinal wind, which usually blows in sunny weather, has north-east direction;
• Sarma - this wind is the most powerful and blows in the middle part of the lake.

The average annual temperature in the lake area has been steadily increasing in recent years. So, in 2014, an unusually warm summer was noted, then the average temperature exceeded the average value for a long time by 2 degrees, and a record temperature of +34 degrees Celsius was also recorded.

Earthquakes

The area of ​​Lake Baikal is called the Baikal rift zone, which is a territory with high seismic activity. The vast majority of earthquakes are very weak, their strength does not exceed two points (that is, they are practically not felt). But there are also strong ones. One of the strongest happened in 1862 and his strength was 10 points (on a 12 point scale). Then an area of ​​200 square kilometers went under the water. Also, strong earthquakes (more than 5 points) were recorded in 1903, 1950, 1957, 1959, 2008, 2010.

Every year seismologists record from 3 to 7-8 thousand earthquakes in the area of ​​Lake Baikal, their centers are usually located at a depth of 12 to 20 kilometers. The points occur mostly in the central part of the lake and on the eastern shore.

According to the history of observations, quite strong earthquakes in the Lake Baikal region occur every 2 years (with a magnitude of 6-7), every 10 years there are shocks with a magnitude of 8, every 75 years with a magnitude of 9. Earthquakes of magnitude 10 or more occur on average once every 175 years. The last such was in 1905, it was called the Bolnai earthquake. Then the strength of the magnitude was estimated at 8.3 points, and the intensity of tremors at the epicenter at 11 points.

Flora and fauna

Lake Baikal is home to 2,600 species and subspecies of aquatic animals. In addition, about half are found only here, that is, they are endemic. The abundance of living organisms can be explained by the high oxygen content in the water. Among the most valuable fish are grayling, whitefish, Baikal sturgeon and perch, taimen, pike.

In the area of ​​Lake Baikal, there are 236 bird species, of which 29 are waterfowl. The most common animals are bears, foxes, wolverines, wolves, sables, ermines, wild boars and others. Generally, animal world The Baikal region is very diverse.

The flora is also very diverse. The forests are mostly coniferous - spruce, cedar, pine, larch and alder, but there are other species as well. In general, it is simply impossible to briefly describe the flora and fauna of Lake Baikal, read other articles on our website.

• Lake Baikal animals;
• Fish of Lake Baikal.

Ecology

Since Lake Baikal is a unique natural object, there is even a separate Federal Law "On the Protection of Lake Baikal", which was adopted in 1999. Nevertheless, anthropogenic impact has a significant negative impact on the ecology of the lake. In particular, the pulp and paper mill is worth noting, which is one of the most famous sources of pollution, but not the most important.

The main factor that negatively affects the ecology of Lake Baikal is the Selenga River. It is the largest tributary, and its runoff exceeds the runoff of all other rivers and streams combined. In its course, the Selenga River is polluted on the territory of Buryatia, Trans-Baikal Territory(through tributaries), Mongolia.

Unfortunately, poaching is also a very significant problem. The main objects of poaching are the Baikal seal and omul. In total, poachers catch about half of all the fish caught in Lake Baikal.

In general, Lake Baikal has certain ecological problems however, on this moment they can be considered not too significant (considering the volume of the lake). However, it is extremely important not to allow an increase in the pollution of the lake; this unique natural object needs to be protected.

Tourism

Lake Baikal is a popular tourist destination. Tourists come here not only from Russia, but also from other countries of the world. As a rule, they get through Irkutsk, Severobaikalsk or Ulan-Ude. The most popular place on the lake itself is Listvyanka village, from where begins a large number of excursions and cruises on the lake.

The most visited places on Lake Baikal are Barguzinsky Bay, Chivyrkuisky Bay, Posolsky Bor Bay and others. On the shores of the lake there is a developed tourist infrastructure - many tourist centers, a large number of different options for excursions and cruises.

There are also many interesting places and natural attractions, the most famous are:

• Cape Ludar;
• Circum-Baikal Railway;
• Chersky Peak;
• Peschanaya Bay;
• Ushkany Islands;
• Rock Shaman-stone.

Video about Lake Baikal

Location

south of Eastern Siberia

Height num

23 615.390 km³

Coastline length

Deepest

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

Inflows and runoff

Water properties

Islands and peninsulas

Seismic activity

The origin of the lake

Flora and fauna

Settling the coast of the lake

Limnological research

Deep water drilling

Neutrino telescope

"Paysis" on Baikal

"Worlds" on Baikal

Ecology

Pulp and paper mill

Eastern oil pipeline

sights

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 ice-bound, the freezing 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. Locals and many in Russia traditionally call Baikal the sea.

Geography

Geographical location and size of the basin

Baikal is located in the center of Asia, in Russia, on the border of the 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 the area of ​​the water surface, 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 hydrographic work by the expedition of the GUNiO of the USSR Ministry of Defense at the point with coordinates 53 ° 14? 59 ′ s. sh. 108 ° 05′11 ′ east d. / 53.249722 ° N sh. 108.086389 ° E which makes it the deepest lake on planet Earth.

The maximum depth was charted in 1992. and was 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 of the lake's water area (the depth values ​​were obtained as a result of recalculating acoustic sounding data combined with additional bathymetric information , including echolocation and seismic profiling, one of the authors of the discovery of the maximum depth - L.G. Kolotilo, was a participant in this project).

Considering that water surface the lake is located at an altitude of 455.5 m above sea level, then the lower point of the basin lies 1 186.5 m below sea level, which makes the Baikal bowl also the deepest continental depression.

Average depth of the lake 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 - 23615.390 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 the 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 Lake Baikal than in all the five Great Lakes combined and 25 times more than in Lake Ladoga.

Inflows and runoff

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

Water properties

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

The temperature of the surface layers of water in Lake 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, the Baikal water is blue. In summer and autumn, when a mass of plant and animal organisms develops in the water heated by the sun, its transparency decreases to 8 × 10 m and the color becomes blue-green and green. The purest and clear water Baikal contains so little mineral salts (100 mg / l) that it can be used instead of distilled one.

Ice

By the end of winter, the ice thickness on Lake Baikal reaches 1 m, and in the bays - 1.5-2 m. In severe frost, the cracks, which are locally called “back cracks,” break 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. It seems to a person standing on the ice that the ice cover is bursting just under his feet and he will now fall into the abyss. Thanks to cracks in the ice, 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, therefore planktonic algae, which release oxygen, develop rapidly in the water. Along the shores of Lake Baikal, one can observe ice grottos and splashes in winter.

Baikal ice presents scientists with many mysteries. Thus, in the 1930s, specialists from the Baikal Limnological Station discovered unusual forms of ice cover, characteristic only of Baikal. For example, "hills" are cone-shaped ice hills up to 6 meters high, hollow inside. Outwardly, they resemble ice tents, "open" to the opposite side from the coast. Hills can be located separately, and sometimes form miniature "mountain ranges". Also on Lake Baikal there is another type of ice called "sokuy".

In addition, in the spring of 2009, satellite images of different parts of Lake Baikal, where dark rings were discovered, were distributed on the Internet. According to scientists, these rings arise due to the rise of deep waters and an increase in the temperature of the surface water layer 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 its maximum speeds, the vertical water exchange increases, which leads to the 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. Wherein West Coast- rocky and steep, relief east coast- more gentle (in some places the mountains recede from the coast for tens of kilometers).

Seismic activity

The Baikal region (the so-called Baikal rift zone) belongs to territories with high seismicity: earthquakes regularly occur here, the strength of most of which is one or two points on the MSK-64 intensity scale. However, strong ones also happen, so in 1862, during the ten-point Kudara earthquake in the northern part of the Selenga delta, a land area of ​​200 km² with 6 uluses, in which 1,300 people lived, was submerged, and Proval Bay was formed. Strong earthquakes were also noted in 1903 (Baikal), 1950 (Mondinskoe), 1957 (Muiskoe), 1959 (Srednebaikalskoe). The epicenter of the Middle Baikal earthquake was located at the bottom of Lake Baikal in the area of ​​the Sukhaya village (southeastern coast). His strength reached 9 points. In Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk, the force 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. The winters are milder here and the summers are cooler. The onset of spring on Lake Baikal is delayed by 10-15 days compared to the adjacent areas, and autumn is often quite long.

The Baikal region is distinguished by a large total duration of sunshine. For example, in the village of Bolshoye Goloustnoye, it reaches 2,524 hours and is a record for Russia. There are only 37 days without sun per year in the same settlement, and 48 on Olkhon Island.

Special features climates are caused by the Baikal winds, which have their own names - barguzin, sarma, verhovik, kultuk.

The origin of the lake

The origin of Lake Baikal still causes scientific controversy. Scientists traditionally determine the age of the lake at 25–35 million years. This fact also makes Baikal unique. natural site, since most lakes, especially of glacial origin, live on average 10-15 thousand years, and then they are filled with silty sediments and swamp.

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

There is no doubt only that the lake is located in a rift depression and is similar in structure, for example, to the Dead Sea basin. Some researchers explain the formation of Baikal by its location in the zone of a transform fault, others suggest the presence of a mantle plume under Baikal, and still 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 to the surface (Quaternary period).

Flora and fauna

According to the data of the Limnological Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Baikal is inhabited by 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. Such an abundance of living organisms is explained by the high oxygen content in the entire thickness of the Baikal water.

Epishura crustacean - endemic to Lake Baikal - makes up to 80% of the lake's zooplankton biomass and is the most important link in the food chain of the reservoir. It acts as a filter: it passes water through itself, purifying it.

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

The history of the settlement and study of Baikal

Settling the coast of the lake

The words local residents recorded in the 1930s, until the XII-XIII 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 in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The first Russian discoverer of Baikal was the Cossack Kurbat Ivanov.

The origin of the toponym "Baikal"

The origin of the lake's name has not been precisely established. Below are the most common versions of the origin of the toponym "Baikal":

• Bai-Kul (Turkic) - a rich lake
• Baigaal-Dalai (Mong.) - rich fire
• Bay Hai (whale) - North Sea

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

Outstanding explorers, travelers and writers of Baikal

See related articles:

Limnological research

The scientific direction dealing with the study of lakes is called limnology. In the Irkutsk academic town there is a limnological institute that studies Baikal. The study of Baikal is also carried out by independent scientific organizations, such as the Baikal Research Center (ANO).

Deep water drilling

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

Neutrino telescope

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

"Paysis" on Baikal

The first dives of manned submersibles on Lake Baikal were made in 1977, when the bottom of the lake was explored on a Canadian-made Pysis deep-sea submersible. The depth of 1,410 meters was reached in Listvenichny Bay. In 1991, Paysis sank from the eastern side of Olkhon to a depth of 1,637 meters.

"Worlds" on Baikal

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

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

Ecology

Pulp and paper mill

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 have a negative effect on the taiga around the BPPM, there is a dry top and drying out of the forest. In September 2008, a closed water circulation system was introduced at the plant, designed to reduce the discharge of rinsing 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 shut down.

Eastern oil pipeline

The company "Transneft" is constructing the oil pipeline "Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean"Taking place in the Baikal region. It was originally planned that the pipeline route would pass in the immediate vicinity of the lake shore, and then, in the event of an oil spill, Baikal would be under the threat of an environmental disaster. Numerous protests by environmentalists and simply not indifferent people, including a protest rally of many thousands that took place in Irkutsk on March 18, 2006, and mainly by 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 outside the catchment area of ​​Lake Baikal so that its line runs no closer than 350-400 km from the lake.

Baikal - the territory of the World Natural Heritage

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

Resumption of the pulp and paper mill activity

By order of the Government Russian Federation dated January 13, 2010, the ban on “the production of cellulose, paper, cardboard and products from them without the use of drainless water systems for production needs” was lifted without any restrictions on the timing, volume or concentration of substances. It also radically changes two more points related to storage, burial and incineration of hazardous waste on the shores of Lake Baikal, included in the World Natural Heritage List.

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, to plan your route from there in more detail. Driving 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 shore of Lake Baikal near the source of the Angara, there is a settlement Listvyanka, one of the most popular places tourism on Baikal. You can get here from the regional center by bus or boat in just over an hour.

The Great Baikal Trail, a system of ecological trails and one of the most beautiful ways for tourists to see unique nature and enjoy the 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 coast, the Barguzinsky Bay is especially popular, where the construction of a tourist and recreational zone continues. In the village of Maksimikha, you can take a tour with a visit to the Holy Nose Peninsula (peninsula). Equestrian and hiking... To the south are the villages of Enkhaluk and Sukhaya. In these villages, private persons organized the reception of guests, including in yurts. Thirty kilometers south of the mouth of the Selenga River, there is a bay, where two tourist camps - Kultushnaya and Baikalsky Priboi - have settled. Several tourist centers provide tourist services there. Almost in the very north of the lake there is the Khakusy resort.

sights

On Lake Baikal and around it, there are many natural and cultural monuments, as well as historical and archaeological sites. Some of them are listed below.

• 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 Lake Baikal from various sources.

If all the water contained in Lake Baikal is divided into all citizens of Russia, then each will have ~ 2,700 railroad tanks, 60 tons each.

Myths and legends about Baikal

• There is a legend that the father of Baikal had 335 rivers-sons and one daughter-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 take out the waters of her father for 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. M. Gorky, the film "By the Lake" was released.
• In 1992, the Lennauchfilm film studio released a popular science film "Baikal Legends" (director-operator V. Petrov). The film tells about the geographical and natural features of the lake, as well as the history of the peoples living on its shores.

Baikal- a lake of tectonic origin located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, on the border of the Republic of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region

Baikal itself

Lake Baikal stretches from southwest to north for 636 kilometers. The width of the lake varies from 25 to 80 km. The water surface area is 31,722 km2. sq. The length of the coastline is 2100 km. Baikal is the deepest lake on earth - its maximum depth is 1642 meters. The lake has huge reserves of fresh water - 23 615 km. cubic meters, which is 20% of all world reserves.

The area around

Lake Baikal is surrounded on all sides by hills and mountain ranges. At the same time, the western coast is steep and rocky, while the eastern coast is more gentle. 336 streams and rivers flow into the Lake. The largest tributaries are: Upper Angara, Selenga, Turka, Barguzin, Sarma, Snezhnaya. Only one river flows out of the lake - the Angara. There are 27 islands on Baikal, the largest of the islands is Olkhon, which is 71 km long and 12 wide, the largest peninsula is Svyatoy Nos

Climate

The huge water mass of Lake Baikal has a strong influence on the climate of the coastal territory. Summer is cooler here, and winter is, on the contrary, milder. Spring comes 10-15 days later than in the surrounding areas, and sometimes it is longer. climate features are caused by the Baikal winds, which even have their own names - Sarma, Barguzin, Kultuk, Verkhovik.

When to go to Baikal

Specifications

Briefly the main characteristics of Baikal

• Length - 363 km.
• Width - 79.5 km.
• Area -31,722 sq. km.
• Volume - 23615 cubic meters km.
• The average depth is 744 meters.
• The maximum depth is 1637 meters.
• There are 27 islands on Lake Baikal.
• 29 fish species are endemic

Depth

Lake Baikal is the deepest in the world - 1637 meters, the depth was established in 1983. At the same time, the average depth is also very large - 744 meters. In 2002, these data were confirmed and a depth map was compiled.

• the area of ​​Baikal is equal to the area of ​​three countries - Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands.
• Baikal is the deepest lake on earth
• The lake contains 19% of all the world's fresh water.

Many people wish to spend a vacation on the coast of Lake Baikal - here are amazing scenic spots, many different recreation centers. But how to get to this tourist oasis and how many km to Lake Baikal? It all depends on where you will be leaving from, which road and what type of transport.

How many km from Moscow to Lake Baikal

There are two main routes from the capital to Lake Baikal - through the cities of Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude. Many prefer the first option, since the second route is at least 60 km longer, and besides, planes fly less frequently to Ulan-Ude. There are three ways to get to your final destination:

• by plane;
• by train;
• by car.

Let's say you decide to go by car. From Moscow to Irkutsk you will need to cover 5030 km. It is about a hundred hours away. Seventy kilometers is how many kilometers from Irkutsk to Lake Baikal. If we are talking about the nearest locality- Listvyanka, it is 66 km. I mean, another hour's drive from Irkutsk. By the way, electric trains constantly run from this city to the coast of the lake. There is also transport from Ulan-Ude, including a taxi.

It should also be borne in mind that the length of Baikal is more than six hundred kilometers, so if you are going to get to its farthest point, add on the additional mileage.

By the way, you can get to Baikal by plane from other cities - for example, from St. Petersburg, Yekateringburg, Vladivostok and so on.

If you get by plane, then you will spend five to six hours in the air. But it should be borne in mind that by the middle of summer, ticket prices are significantly more expensive.

Baikal: length in km

As you know, this is the deepest lake in the world and one of the most ancient. According to scientists, this lake is about 25-30 million years old.

The length of Lake Baikal is 636 km. This is as much as the length of Lake Baikal from north to south. The widest part is in the central part, 81 km, the narrowest part is from 25 km. The coastline is over two thousand kilometers long. By the way, there is evidence of the length of Lake Baikal from northeast to southwest - 620 km.