Big Vasyugan swamp interesting facts. Vasyugan swamp, one of the hundred natural wonders of Russia

Western Siberia is a vast region bounded on the west by the steep ledges of the Ural Range, and on the east by the slopes of the Central Siberian Plateau. From north to south, it extends from the coast of the Kara Sea to the Turgai Tableland and Altai inclusive. Orographically, it is divided into two sharply different parts: the vast West Siberian Lowland, covering about 85% of its territory, and the Altai mountain country occupying a relatively small southeast corner.

The West Siberian Lowland is one of the greatest lowlands the globe. It is a vast, heavily swampy plain, with absolute heights of 80-120 m, slightly inclined to the north. The Ob River, crossing the entire lowland in the direction from south to north - from Novosibirsk to the mouth (for about 3000 km) - has a drop of only 94 m, or an average of a little more than 3 cm per 1 km. The appearance of the plain is explained geological history The West Siberian Lowland, which until the end of the Tertiary period was the bottom of the sea, as a result of which it turned out to be filled and leveled by a thick layer of marine sediments. The parent crystalline rocks were deeply buried under the later deposits; they rise close to the surface only along the periphery of the lowland.

The West Siberian lowland is characterized by high swampiness, where swamps occupy up to 70% of its surface. Here are the famous Vasyugan swamps(53 thousand km 2). The formation of swamps in this area is associated with stagnation and poor conditions for the flow of surface water. characteristic feature The West Siberian Lowland is characterized by a weak swampiness of the river valleys, which stand out on the map as relatively dry stripes among the heavily swampy interfluve spaces. This seemingly unusual phenomenon explained by the history of the formation of relief and river valleys Western Siberia, which was relatively recently (in the geological sense) the bottom of the sea. After the departure of the sea, the surface of the plain was subjected to intensive swamping, and with a subsequent decrease in the base of erosion, the river valleys had a draining effect only on a narrow adjacent strip.

The swamps of Western Siberia are a colossal reservoir of water. The average swampiness of the plain is about 30%, in the swampy zone it is 50%, and in some areas (Surgut Polesye, Vasyuganye, Kondinskaya lowland) it reaches 70-80%. A combination of many factors contributes to the widespread development of swamp formation, the main of which are the flatness of the territory and its tectonic regime with a steady tendency to sink in the northern and central regions, poor drainage of the territory, excessive moisture, prolonged spring-summer floods on rivers, combined with the formation of backwater for tributaries. with an increase in the level of the Ob, Irtysh and Yenisei, the presence of permafrost.

According to the peat fund, the total area of peat bogs in Western Siberia is 400 thousand km 2, and taking into account all other types of waterlogging, from 780 thousand to 1 million km 2. The total peat reserves are estimated at 90 billion tons in the air-dry state. It is known that bog peat contains 94% water.

The division of swamps into low-lying, high-moor, and transitional swamps by no means exhausts their infinite diversity.

Therefore, there are more fractional classifications. By different features swamps are divided into a number of types. good example can serve as the richest "collection" of swamps West Siberian Plain. Bolotologists believe that in its open spaces you can see almost all types of swamps that are found in the northern hemisphere.

Let's look at the Siberian swamps from a height and, as it were, make an air trip over them. It will begin from the Far North, from the shores of the Kara Sea, and will end over the steppes of the Baraba lowland.

The West Siberian Plain resembles a trapezium in its outlines: its wide base looks to the south, narrow - to the north. It consists of two flat bowl-shaped depressions, between which the Siberian Uvals are spread in the latitudinal direction - low elevations up to 175-200 m in height. As a natural physical-geographic region, Western Siberia has very clear boundaries. In the west - the slopes of the Ural Mountains, in the north - the Kara Sea, in the east - the Yenisei valley and the cliffs of the Central Siberian Plateau. In the south, natural boundaries are less pronounced. The edge of the plain, gradually rising, passes into the Turgai plateau and the Kazakh hills.

This region is very rich in large and small rivers, but its most characteristic feature is the abundance of swamps.

According to the conditions of occurrence, development, quality and quantity of peat deposits, vegetation and other features, they differ greatly from each other. These differences are closely related to the natural latitudinal zonality and reveal a fairly clear pattern.

... Among the boundless green silence of the swamps, you feel like a grain of sand in the ocean. There is a feeling of abandonment, isolation from everything earthly. As if all ties with the familiar world are torn. Somewhere in the distance - the horizon line, and around - swamps, swamps without end and edges, riddled with rivers, interspersed with lakes, in some places with islands of forest vegetation.

The swamps are very beautiful. Like a huge motley carpet, juicy, golden red with green and brown spots. It is not uncommon and a gradual, smooth transition to dark brown tones. Against this background are interspersed countless blue lakes and lakes of the most bizarre shape, sometimes large, whose area reaches tens and even hundreds of square kilometers, sometimes just a few meters. The blue of lakes with pairs of white swans and flocks of ducks, hummocks covered with cranberries in such abundance that their surface seems red, amber fields of ripe cloudberries, dew drops sparkling with diamonds on sundew cilia ... For a swamp explorer, there are no more attractive and more beautiful landscapes on earth.

So, let's start the journey on the plane tested by the AN-2, from which everything is perfectly visible. Below us is a zone of arctic swamps. To the north of the Arctic Circle, swampy expanses of the tundra stretch for many kilometers. From the height of our flight, areas similar to giant polygons are clearly visible. honeycombs. As if an unknown land surveyor, for some unknown reason, drew the land into plots - polygons of almost regular shape. This peculiar type of polygonal swamps is very characteristic of the tundra. The sizes of "honeycombs" are different - from five to twenty meters in diameter. In winter, snow is blown away from the surface of the swamps by the wind, and during severe frosts they are covered with deep cracks up to 80 cm deep. They are bordered by convex rollers with a layer of peat, formed during uneven freezing, thawing of permafrost and swelling of the soil. Rolls impede runoff, and much of the landfill is permanently waterlogged. The accumulation of peat in such swamps is small, but it is truly of great importance: peat is abundantly covered with lichens (the famous reindeer moss - fodder base reindeer herding), as well as shrubs and mosses.

On the coast of the Kara Sea, there are also coastal marshes, flooded sea water with driving winds. Occasionally, along the river valleys, islands of stunted larch forest and willow. The strong swamping of the tundra can be explained by three main reasons: the already mentioned location of the frozen layer close to the surface, which prevents the penetration of water into the depths, the flatness of the territory, and the fact that the number precipitation here exceeds evaporation.

To the south of the polygonal swamps, a zone of flat-hilly swamps begins. The mosaic landscape is composed of low (no more than two meters) mounds, separated by flooded depressions - hollows. The area of some elevations can reach several tens and even hundreds of meters. Permafrost forms a continuous shell here. The tops of the hills are covered with lichen, the slopes are covered with mosses. There are few flowering plants, they are oppressed and stunted. In hollows there is a carpet of hypnum or sphagnum mosses.

In the north of Western Siberia, frozen peatlands extend approximately to the 64th parallel. South, between 64 and 62 degrees northern latitude, permafrost occupies only certain areas. This is mainly a zone of large-hilly swamps. The hillocks also alternate with hollows, but the sizes of both are much larger: the hillocks are up to eight meters high. Similar to the ancient Scythian mounds, whitish-gray from the lichens covering them, they create a unique original landscape. Both types of swamps often coexist. Large-hilly usually gravitate towards river valleys, old channels, and flat-hilly are located on watersheds. It is difficult to draw a clear line between them.

Hollows are covered with moistened sedge communities or, again, moss cover. Sometimes the vegetation is poorly developed, and bare peat is visible. During the summer, the peat thaws to the bottom and then the swamps become completely impassable. It is difficult to get through only where there are bumps or small elevations among the hollows.

As the mounds grow, the winter winds blow them more and more violently; the peaks are completely freed from snow and even resistant northern plants die on them. Exposed patches of peat under the influence of frosty weathering are covered with cracks, which give shelter to the oppressed, but stubbornly surviving arctic shrubs, dwarf birch, crowberry, wild rosemary, marsh myrtle. They live much better on the leeward slopes of hillocks. At the foot, they even form dense thickets, which are often dominated by dwarf birch.

They tried to dig up mounds in the swamps: it was interesting to find out what was inside. Under a layer of peat, which serves as an excellent insulator, permafrost is well preserved, and in it, as in a shell, lies a core of sand and loam, also reliably soldered by ice like cement and penetrated by numerous ice layers.

A variety of assumptions have been made about the origin of the hillocks. As a result, uneven freezing of the soil began to be considered the main reason. It leads to swelling of the soil, then the work of water and wind joins. As a result, such a peculiar relief gradually arises.

We are moving further south. Behind the Siberian ridges are convex raised bogs. There are a huge number of them. In fact, they occupy about half of the entire plain. The northern taiga is dominated by the so-called sphagnum lake-ridge-hollow bogs. This is really a natural combination of ridges, hollows and lakes. The plants on them are typically oligotrophic, adapted to life on extremely poor soils. nutrients. The accumulation of peat is quite intensive, its deposits reach a thickness of 2 meters.

As you move to the southern taiga among the swamps, there are fewer and fewer lakes, until they disappear altogether. Bogs become ridge-hollow, often alternating with pine-shrub-sphagnum. Nature has created here optimal conditions for the accumulation of peat. Its average thickness is 3-4 m, and in some massifs peat occurs to a depth of 10-12 m.

Here we are in the south of the West Siberian Plain. The southern taiga is gradually giving way to small-leaved, aspen-birch forests. The shape of the swamps is also changing. Most of them are flat, low-lying, with an abundance of sedges and green mosses. Raised pine-shrub-sphagnum bogs occur in the form of islets. Woody vegetation also occupies low ridges stretching over the surface of the bog. Herbaceous vegetation is quite diverse. Sedges, watch, cinquefoil, poisonous milestone, green mosses cover the surface of the swamp with a lush green carpet.

There are also swamps on the southernmost edge of Western Siberia, although this is a kind of paradox - a zone of insufficient moisture begins here. Of course, the nature of the swamps is different, they are often grassy - with a predominance of reeds or sedges. Wide swampy strips stretch along river valleys, occupy interfluves, to the south they capture lake basins, oxbow lakes and other depressions where close groundwater creates constant local waterlogging. upper layers soil.

Grassy swamps (they are often called zayishchimi) sometimes stretch without interruption for tens of kilometers. The wind shakes the grass, and green waves roll over the surface of the swamp. In general, this is called the Baraba steppe, although over a quarter of its territory is occupied by swamps. Loans are spread widely between the Ishim and Tobol rivers, especially in their middle reaches. Swampy grassy spaces surround wide ring lakes descend into lowlands and old riverbeds. There is also the formation of peat. The deposits reach 1.5 meters in thickness.

The vegetation of the borrowings is peculiar. Their natives are reed, reed grass, reed, various sedges. They belong to salt-tolerant plants. Reed growing along the edges and even outside the swamps, in the zone of variable moisture, serves as a geobotanical indicator of mixed chloride-sulphate salinization. In general, there are a lot of salts in the soils of Baraba, especially in non-marshy areas, where there are favorable conditions for capillary rise to the surface of saline soils. ground water. Salt spots are common in such places. Some dirt roads in the Baraba steppe turn completely white from salt and in summer they make a strange impression: they seem to be covered with non-melting snow.

Another curious feature: often small areas of raised bogs, the so-called ryams, are interspersed in the loans. Their vegetation does not tolerate salinity at all and can only exist if it is completely isolated from the rest of the swamp due to the solid layer of peat underlying the rows. The convex surface of the ryams with asymmetrical slopes usually rises above the grass cover of the site. Pine trees grow on them, sphagnum and marsh shrubs are common at their roots. The area of ryams ranges from 4-5 to several hundred hectares. How do ryams appear among the saline soils of the West Siberian forest-steppe? The answer is pretty simple. In the forest steppe strong winds snow cover with open spaces is blown away, the peat deposit freezes, salts are redistributed. A layer is formed on top fresh ice. This process is repeated many times, and with intense freezing, desalination of individual, most watered central sections of the marshes occurs. Then sphagnum mosses and other plants of raised bogs settle on them. The ages of the rims are different. They arose during the entire Holocene (post-glacial time), and are formed now.

Western Siberia is an extensive storehouse of minerals. In addition to peat, coal deposits are known, iron ores, but the main value lies in the reserves of oil and gas. This region is rich in forests, fish, fur-bearing animals, mushrooms, and berries. For the successful economic development of such a swampy region, it is necessary to know as much as possible about the swamps, to fully restore the history of their formation and the dynamics of development at the present time.

With the help of modern research methods, it is not so difficult to travel back thousands of years in order to find out in detail how and when swamps arose.

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Vasyugan swamps are located in the center of the Siberian Federal District (SFD), between the Ob and Irtysh rivers. This is the largest swampy place in Russia and the world. Most of This unique natural zone is located on the territory of the Tomsk region, capturing also the Novosibirsk, Omsk regions and the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. The area of this swamp is the largest in the world and is about 53-55 thousand square meters. km, which exceeds the size of such European countries like Switzerland, Denmark or Estonia.

The size of the swamp in length is approximately 570 by 320 km, it is truly huge, you can see it on the map. According to scientists, the swamping of this area began about 10,000 years ago and continues to this day - over the past 500 years, the swamp has increased 4 times. Local legends speak of the ancient Vasyugan Sea-Lake, but geologists say that the Great Vasyugan Swamp did not occur by overgrowing ancient lakes, but as a result of the advance of swamps on land under the influence of humid climate and favorable conditions.

Initially, on the site of the current single swamp massif, there were 19 separate plots with a total area of 45,000 square meters. km, but gradually the quagmire swallowed up the surroundings, like the onset of desert sands. Today, this region is still a classic example of active, "aggressive" swamp formation: the interesting fact is that the swamps continue to grow, increasing on average by 800 hectares per year. There are more than 800 thousand lakes here, many rivers and streams originate, and the moisture evaporated from the surface maintains the climate balance and is carried even to the territory Eastern Siberia and Kazakhstan.

The climate in the area of the Vasyugan swamp is continental and humid. The average temperature in January is -20 °C, in July +17 °C. Snow cover 40–80 cm high lies from October to April on average 175 days a year. Wetlands are the last refuge for many rare and endangered species of animals and birds driven from habitats transformed by humans, and the basis for maintaining the traditional nature management of small peoples, in particular, the indigenous inhabitants of Western Siberia. Among plants, swamps and lakes, various medicinal herbs are of the main value, as well as berries that are found in abundance in swamps: cranberries, cloudberries, blueberries, etc.

Wetlands contain huge reserves of peat and counteract the greenhouse effect by sequestering carbon. Explored peat reserves are more than 1 billion tons, the average depth is 2.4 m, the maximum depth is 10 m.
Vasyugan swamps are home to numerous local fauna, including rare ones. From rare species animals in the swamps live: reindeer, golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, osprey, gray shrike, peregrine falcon. Squirrels, elks, sables, wood grouses, white partridges, hazel grouses, black grouses are present in significant quantities, mink, otter, wolverine are in smaller quantities. The flora also includes rare and endangered plant species and plant communities.

Now animal and vegetable world swamps is under threat due to the development of the territory during the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas fields. The falling second stages of launch vehicles launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome, which pollute the territory with heptyl residues, also pose an environmental hazard.

The Vasyugan swamps consider the most different insects, animals, fish, birds. During the migration period, waterfowl and waders stop to rest on them. According to the Institute of Animal Ecology and Systematics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, up to 60% of the total number of ducks fly in the period of spring migration with a diffuse front through swamp systems, and only 40% - along the valleys of large rivers.

Godwit and curlew, various birds of prey, including the peregrine falcon, nest in the marshes. It is on the Vasyugan Plain in last time saw the slender-billed curlew, which is considered to be an almost extinct species of birds. In places where swamps border forests and rivers and lakes lie, elks, minks, sables, otters are found, hazel grouses and wood grouses are found. Until the mid-80s of the last century, reindeer were found in the swamps, but today their population has practically disappeared. In the tributaries of the rivers originating from the Great Vasyugan swamp, there are about 20 species of fish. IN last years in local reservoirs, bream, pike perch, carp, and verkhovka began to be often found. Vulnerable and rare species of fish in the area are nelma, peled, lamprey, and ruff.

IN summer time swamps are practically impassable even for specialized equipment. Cargo transportation to oil fields and exploration parties is carried out in winter.

How did the swamp

According to scientists, the swamping of the area began about 10 thousand years ago. But the growth of the swamp does not stop even now. Over the past 500 years, it has increased by about 4 times. There is a legend where the ancient Vasyugan sea-lake is mentioned. However, studies have shown that this natural zone was formed not as a result of swamping of water bodies. In this case, everything happened for a different reason. The unique natural zone was formed as a result of the advance of swamps on land. This happened under the influence of favorable orographic conditions, as well as a humid climate.

Initially, there were 19 sites on the site of the swamp. Their area was approximately 45 thousand square kilometers. However, the quagmire gradually swallowed up the surrounding lands. This can be compared to the advance of the sands in the desert. It should be noted that the Vasyugan swamp is a classic example of "aggressive" and active swamp formation.

swamp climate

Vasyugan swamps, photos of which indicate their huge size, have a unique flora and fauna. The climate in this natural zone is humid and continental. In January average temperature is about 20°C below zero, and in July - 17°C above zero. The snow cover lasts about 175 days a year, and its height is from 40 to 80 centimeters. Thanks to this climate, the Great Vasyugan Swamp is a unique nature reserve, home to many endangered species of birds and animals.

Animal and plant world

Among the plants of the Vasyugan swamp, all kinds of medicinal herbs are of particular value, as well as some types of berries, including blueberries, cloudberries, cranberries and others. It is worth noting that this natural area is home to a variety of birds, fish, animals and insects. Waders and some species of waterfowl stop here for rest during the migration period.

Curlews, godwitches and birds of prey, including the peregrine falcon, build their nests in the swamp. Many of the varieties are considered rare. It was in this area that the slender-billed curlew was last seen. This species is practically extinct. In those places where swamps border forests and rivers, you can see capercaillie, hazel grouse, otters, sables, minks and elks.

Until about the mid-80s, on the Vasyugan Plain one could meet reindeer. On this moment the population of these amazing animals has practically disappeared. In the tributaries of the rivers, which originate in the swamps, there are about 20 species of fish. In local reservoirs there are verkhovka, carp, pike perch and bream.

Vasyugan swamps, where fishing and hunting are prohibited, are the habitat of such rare and vulnerable fish species as ruff, lamprey, peled, nelma.

The benefits of the Vasyugan swamp

At the moment, the Vasyugan swamp is a source of fresh water. The reserve is about 400 cubic kilometers. In addition, the area is rich in peat. Studies show that known deposits contain just over 1 billion tons of useful rock. This is about 2% of the world reserves. The average depth of peat is 2.4 meters, and the maximum depth is 10 meters.

Do not forget that the main function of swamps is to purify the atmosphere. It is for this reason that they are also called "natural filter". It is worth noting that the Vasyugan peat bog absorbs toxic substances, binds carbon, saturates the air with oxygen and prevents the formation of a greenhouse effect.

Ecology of the natural area

In the area of the Vasyugan swamp, there are no settlements at all. However, as a result of the development of civilization on natural area some factors influence. Peat extraction greatly disturbs the natural landscape of the plain. In addition, there is a problem associated with deforestation, drainage of swamps, as well as poaching. All this negatively affects the ecology of the Vasyugan Plain. Which leads to the destruction of some rare species of animals, insects and birds.

Various heavy equipment, peat mining, oil spills cause severe damage to the ecosystem. Effluent from many industries often ends up in rivers. Many problems also arise because of the second stages of rockets that were launched from Baikonur. Once in the swamp, they pollute it with the remnants of heptyl, a highly toxic fuel.

Vadim Andrianov / wikipedia.org

Vasyugan swamps are one of the largest on Earth. They are located between the Ob and Irtysh rivers, on the Vasyugan plain, within the borders of the Tomsk, Novosibirsk and Omsk regions.

Vasyugan swamps are very interesting natural phenomenon, which is characterized by a variety of landscapes. In 2007 they were included in the preliminary list of UNESCO heritage sites in Russia.

Vasyugan swamps are located in places where small-leaved forests pass into the southern taiga. Their area is approximately 53,000 sq. km, which exceeds the territory of some European countries. This is approximately two percent of the total area of all peat bogs on Earth.

Vasyugan swamps were formed about ten thousand years ago and since then their territory has been constantly growing. They stretch about 570 km from west to east and more than 300 km from north to south.

Particularly rapidly swamping of the area occurs in Lately Thus, in the last five hundred years alone, the area occupied by swamps has increased by about 75%.

During the warm period of the year, the Vasyugan swamps are almost completely impassable for any equipment.

The movement of geological parties and cargo transportation to developing oil fields is carried out only in winter.

Flora and fauna of the Vasyugan swamps

The Great Vasyugan Swamp is home to many animals, some of which are rare. Of the mammals, there are elk, bear, sable, squirrel, otter, wolverine and others. Until recently, it was possible to meet reindeer, but today, most likely, its population has completely disappeared. Of the birds, there are hazel grouse, black grouse, curlews, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, etc.

Medicinal herbs and berries grow here from plants, blueberries, cloudberries and cranberries are especially numerous.

Significance of swamps

Vasyugan swamps are of great ecological importance for the entire region, and also perform a number of biospheric functions. They represent a natural reserve for various marsh landscapes and the flora and fauna living in them.

The total water reserves are approximately 400 cubic kilometers, which makes them an important reservoir of fresh water. There are numerous small lakes here. The sources of the rivers Vasyugan, Tara, Om, Parabig, Chizhapka, Ui and some others are located in the Vasyugan swamps.

The large Vasyugan swamp contains a significant amount of peat. Only its explored reserves exceed a billion tons. Peat on average lies at a depth of about 2.5 meters. Peat bogs sequester carbon, thereby reducing its content in the atmosphere and reducing the greenhouse effect. In addition, marsh vegetation produces oxygen.

Ecological problems

Although there are almost no settlements And economic activity is minimal here, man still harms a unique and rather fragile ecosystem.

Among environmental issues In the region, deforestation, peat extraction, development of oil fields, poaching, etc. can be noted. The development of local deposits is associated with a negative impact on soils of all-terrain vehicles, oil spills and other adverse factors.

A serious problem is created by the second stages of rockets falling here, which are launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. These steps pollute the area with heptyl, which has a strong toxic effect.

Until recently, almost no attempts were made to protect this unique natural landscape. Only in 2006, in the east of the Vasyugan swamps, the Vasyugansky complex reserve was created, the territory of which totals 5090 square meters. km.

In 2007 they were included in the preliminary list of heritage sites in Russia. It is understood that the nominated object will include the territory of the existing reserve. There is a question of giving at least part of the Vasyugan swamps the status of a reserve, which would practically exclude any economic activity here.

How to get there?

The Great Vasyugan Swamp is distinguished by its extreme inaccessibility. Some villages lying on the outskirts can still be reached by off-road vehicle, however, the further path will have to be overcome, most likely, only on foot.

A tracked all-terrain vehicle is possible, but its use is quite limited due to swamps. There is also an opportunity to view the swamps from the air - some Tomsk travel agencies organize helicopter tours.

Visiting the Vasyugan swamps is quite dangerous and requires some preparation and experience in moving through such places. There are numerous swamps here, a huge number of bears are found.

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