Baikal is a freshwater lake in the south Eastern Siberia, it stretched from 53 to 56° N. and from 104 to 109°30’E. Its length is 636 km, and its coastline is 2100 km. The width of the lake varies from 25 to 79 km. The total area of ​​the lake (mirror area) is 31,500 sq. km.

Baikal is the deepest lake in the world (1620 m). It contains the largest reserves of fresh water on earth - 23 thousand cubic km, which is 1/10 of the world's fresh water reserves. A complete change of such a huge amount of water in Baikal takes place over the course of 332 years.

This is one of the oldest lakes, its age is 15 - 20 million years.

336 rivers flow into the lake, including the Selenga, Barguzin, and Verkhnyaya Angara, and only one river flows out, the Angara. There are 27 islands on Lake Baikal, the largest of which is Olkhon. The lake freezes in January and opens in May.

Baikal lies in a deep tectonic depression and is surrounded by taiga-covered mountain ranges; The area around the lake has a complex, deeply dissected topography. Near Baikal, the mountain range noticeably expands. Mountain ranges here stretch parallel to one another in the direction from northwest to southeast and are separated by basin-like depressions, along the bottom of which rivers flow and lakes are located in places. The height of most ridges of Transbaikalia rarely exceeds 1300 - 1800, but the highest ridges reach higher values. For example, hr. Khamar-Daban (peak Sokhor) - 2,304 m, and Barguzinsky ridge. about 3000 m.

Tectonic movements continue here today. This is evidenced by frequent earthquakes in the area of ​​the basin, the release of hot springs and, finally, the subsidence of significant sections of the coast.

The waters of Baikal are blue-green in color and are exceptionally clean and transparent, often even greater than in the ocean: you can clearly see stones and thickets of greenish algae lying at a depth of 10-15 m, and a white disk lowered into the water is visible at a depth of 40 m.
Baikal lies in the temperate climate zone.

Geography of Lake Baikal.

Lake Baikal is located in the south of Eastern Siberia. In the shape of a nascent crescent, Baikal stretches from southwest to northeast between 55°47′ and 51°28′ northern latitude and 103°43′ and 109°58′ east longitude. The length of the lake is 636 km, the greatest width in the central part is 81 km, the minimum width opposite the Selenga delta is 27 km. Baikal is located at an altitude of 455 m above sea level. The length of the coastline is about 2000 km. The area of ​​the water surface, determined at the water line of 454 m above sea level, is 31,470 square kilometers. The maximum depth of the lake is 1637 m, the average depth is 730 m. 336 permanent rivers and streams flow into Baikal, while half of the volume of water entering the lake is brought by the Selenga. Flows from Baikal the only river- Angara. However, the question of the number of rivers flowing into Baikal is quite controversial; most likely there are fewer than 336. There is no doubt that Baikal is the deepest lake in the world; the closest contender for this title, the African Lake Tanganyika, lags behind by as much as 200 meters. There are 22 islands on Lake Baikal, although, as mentioned above, there is no unanimity on this issue. The largest island is Olkhon.

Age of Lake Baikal.

Usually in the literature the age of the lake is given as 20-25 million years. In fact, the question of the age of Lake Baikal should be considered open, since the application various methods age determinations give values ​​from 20-30 million to several tens of thousands of years. Apparently, the first assessment is closer to the truth - Baikal is indeed a very ancient lake.
It is believed that Baikal arose as a result of tectonic forces. Tectonic processes are still ongoing, which is manifested in increased seismicity in the Baikal region. If we assume that Baikal is actually several tens of millions of years old, then it is the oldest lake on Earth.

Origin of name.

Numerous studies have been devoted to the problem of the origin of the word “Baikal”. Scientific research, which indicates a lack of clarity on this issue. There are about a dozen possible explanations for the origin of the name. Among them, the most probable version is the origin of the name of the lake from the Turkic-speaking Bai-Kul - rich lake. Of the other versions, two more can be noted: from the Mongolian Baigal - rich fire and Baigal Dalai - large lake. The peoples who lived on the shores of the lake called Baikal in their own way. Evenks, for example, - Lamu, Buryats - Baigal-Nuur, even the Chinese had a name for Baikal - Beihai - North Sea.

The Evenki name Lamu - Sea was used for several years by the first Russian explorers in the 17th century, then they switched to the Buryat Baigal, slightly softening the letter “g” by phonetic replacement. Quite often Baikal is called the sea, simply out of respect, for its violent temper, because the distant opposite shore is often hidden somewhere in the haze... At the same time, a distinction is made between the Small Sea and the Big Sea. The Small Sea is what is located between the northern coast of Olkhon and the mainland, the rest is the Big Sea.

Baikal water.

Baikal water is unique and amazing, like Baikal itself. It is unusually transparent, clean and saturated with oxygen. In not so ancient times, it was considered healing, and diseases were treated with its help. In spring, the transparency of Baikal water, measured using a Secchi disk (a white disk with a diameter of 30 cm), is 40 m (for comparison, in the Sargasso Sea, which is considered the standard of transparency, this value is 65 m). Later, when massive algae blooms begin, the transparency of the water decreases, but in calm weather the bottom can be seen from a boat at a fairly decent depth. Such high transparency is explained by the fact that Baikal water, thanks to the activity of living organisms living in it, is very weakly mineralized and close to distilled. The volume of water in Baikal is about 23 thousand cubic kilometers, which is 20% of the world's fresh water reserves.

Climate.

The climate in Eastern Siberia is sharply continental, but the huge mass of water contained in Baikal and its mountainous surroundings create an extraordinary microclimate. Baikal works as a large thermal stabilizer - in winter it is warmer on Baikal, and in summer it is a little cooler than, for example, in Irkutsk, which is located 60 km from the lake. The temperature difference is usually about 10 degrees. A significant contribution to this effect is made by forests growing almost along the entire coast of Lake Baikal.

The influence of Baikal is not limited to regulation temperature regime. Due to the fact that evaporation cold water from the surface of the lake is very insignificant; clouds cannot form over Baikal. Besides, air masses, bringing clouds from land, when they pass the coastal mountains, they heat up, and the clouds dissipate. As a result most the sky is clear over Baikal. The numbers also speak to this: the number of hours of sunshine in the area of ​​Olkhon Island is 2277 hours (for comparison, on the Riga seaside 1839, in Abastumani (Caucasus) 1994). You shouldn’t think that the sun always shines over the lake - if you’re unlucky, you can run into one or even two weeks of disgusting rainy weather even in the sunniest place of Lake Baikal - on Olkhon, but this happens extremely rarely.

The average annual water temperature on the surface of the lake is +4°C. Near the coast in summer the temperature reaches +16-17°C, in shallow bays up to +22-23°C.

Wind and waves.

The wind almost always blows on Lake Baikal. More than thirty local names of winds are known. This does not mean at all that there is such a quantity on Baikal different winds, it’s just that many of them have several names. The peculiarity of the Baikal winds is that they almost always blow along the coast and there are not as many shelters from them as we would like.

Prevailing winds: north-west, often called mountain, north-east (Barguzin and Verkhovik, also known as Angara), south-west (kultuk), south-east (shelonnik). Maximum speed wind recorded on Lake Baikal is 40 m/s. In the literature there are also higher values ​​- up to 60 m/s, but there is no reliable evidence for this.

Where there is wind, there are, as you know, waves. Let me immediately note that the opposite is not true - a wave can occur even with complete calm. Waves on Baikal can reach a height of 4 meters. Sometimes values ​​of 5 and even 6 meters are given, but this is most likely an estimate “by eye”, which has a very large error, usually towards overestimation. The height of 4 meters was obtained using instrumental measurements in the open sea. The excitement is strongest in autumn and spring. In summer, strong waves on Lake Baikal are rare, and calm often occurs.

Lake Baikal is one of the most popular tourist destinations in . Every year tens of thousands of tourists come here from various parts, not only the Russian Federation, but all over the world. The region is rich in attractions, flora, fauna and mysteries. Many people are connected with Lake Baikal Interesting Facts, and it is also included in the list of Wonders of Russia.

Lake Baikal: description, photos and videos

Lake Baikal has a truly impressive size. It covers an area of ​​more than 30 thousand square meters. The depth of Lake Baikal is 1620 meters, making it the deepest lake in the world. By the way, the maximum in Abkhazia is only 130 meters. The average depth of Lake Baikal is 744 meters. Depending on the season and weather, the transparency of the lake water can be 40 meters.

It is 636 kilometers long and almost 80 kilometers wide. The entire coastline is 2 thousand kilometers long. Many people are interested in the question how many rivers flow into Lake Baikal? Despite its impressive size, it feeds only one river – the Angara.

Photo of Lake Baikal

Exact time of appearance Lake Baikal unknown. According to some estimates, it is approximately 30-35 million years old. At the same time, the bottom of Lake Baikal is constantly in the process of transformation, due to earthquakes. The first Russian settlements here date back to the end of the 17th century.

The water of Lake Baikal is its main advantage. It contains huge volumes of oxygen and a very minimal percentage of organics and minerals. In the warm season, the water can reach a temperature of 23 degrees, as on, but the average values ​​in summer period are kept within 9 degrees, which is comparable to.

Photo of Lake Baikal in winter

Baikal ice is also highly transparent. It freezes in January and opens at the end of spring. The average thickness of the ice cover is 1 meter, but in harsh winters it can reach 2 meters. A body of water with a large amount of water significantly affects the climate. For example, winter comes here with a 2-week delay and is significantly milder than in neighboring regions. Summer, on the contrary, is cooler. Baikal is also rich in sunny days. In total, according to this indicator, the region can give a head start to many resorts by .

Over 2 thousand different species of animals live in the waters of Lake Baikal, including those that are found exclusively here. In oxygen-rich water they are found valuable species fish - pike, taimen, sturgeon, grayling, etc. The flora is also diverse. The local forests contain pines, cedars, spruces and many other species. In 1999, a law on Lake Baikal was developed, and in 1996 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Where is Lake Baikal located?

Lake Baikal has an oblong shape from the southwest to the northeast. On the map it looks like a crescent or a “comma”, and some see a smile in it. Where is Lake Baikal located? It is located almost in the center of the Eurasian continent, in the southern region of Eastern Siberia, in Central Asia.

• Latitude - 53°01’12″
• Longitude - 108°41’03″

Lake Baikal on the map

The basin of the lake is located in an ancient depression of glacial origin. It, in turn, was formed in the Baikal mountain region, surrounded by impenetrable forests and mountain ranges.

How to get to Lake Baikal?

In ancient times, getting to Baikal, covered with marshy swamps, forests and mountains, was not an easy task. Now, thanks to progress, this is not difficult. How to get to Lake Baikal? You can get here in three ways:

• by plane;
• by rail;
• by personal transport.

The last option is most suitable for those living in Siberia, although there are travelers arriving by car from the western and Far Eastern regions of Russia. The closest cities to Lake Baikal with airports are Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk. They are located on opposite sides, so you have to choose which side of the lake to look at.

Ulan-Ude Airport receives flights from the capital every day. Flight time is 5 hours. Since the fall of 2017, Pobeda Airlines has been flying here. Thanks to this, ticket prices have dropped significantly. From Ulan-Ude to the lake – 80 kilometers. You can get to the lake by minibus, car or train. In the first case, transport goes to the village of Gremyachinsk, located on the eastern coast, and by rail you can get to south coast. Approximate travel time is 2 hours.

Irkutsk Airport also receives flights from many major cities. There is public transport from the regional center to the lake, and in the summer there is public transport to Olkhon Island. water communication. Trains also run to Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude. Travel time – 4 days. The ticket price is slightly less than by plane. When traveling to western part lake you can get off at Slyudanka station. Russian Railways has a dynamic pricing system; by purchasing a ticket in advance, you can save a significant part of your budget.

Travel to Lake Baikal– this is a whole adventure. The lake is as much as 5 thousand kilometers away from the capital. The main part of the route runs along federal highways M-7 and M-53. During this time you will have to drive through a large number of cities and change 5 time zones. In order not to go astray, it is advisable to get a navigator or look at the location of Lake Baikal on a map of Russia.

Shamanka Rock (also Cape Burkhan, Cape Shaman, Cape Cave) - a cape in the middle part of the western coast of Olkhon Island, on Lake Baikal

According to drivers' reviews, the road to Lake Baikal is generally quite good, but there are also difficult sections.

When is the best time to visit Lake Baikal?

Lake Baikal perfect at any time of the year. There is always something to do here. The hottest months are July and August. Behind winter activities It is better to go at the end of winter and beginning of spring, when the ice is strong and transparent. The most popular season for relaxing on the lake is summer. At this time, almost all attractions are accessible, it is possible to go on hikes with tents, river rafting, or go on a cruise.

Autumn on Lake Baikal begins in the second ten days of September. This is the perfect time for a photo hunt beautiful scenery. Throughout autumn, the weather on Lake Baikal is calm and sunny. On new year holidays and Christmas on the lake there is a fabulous atmosphere. Clean air, an incredible sky dotted with hundreds of stars and a snow-white blanket can surprise anyone.

In May, Baikal nature comes to life, the first flowers and leaves appear. At the end of May you can observe freezing.

What to see in the area?

Lake Baikal is a popular tourist destination. There are many attractions in its vicinity that will take several weeks to visit. Some of the must-see places include:

1. Listvyanka village. It is located at the mouth of the Angara River and is popularly considered the capital of Baikal. In winter there is a ski resort and a sled dog center. The village has a museum with a large number of exhibits and a nerpinarium. Listvyanka is rich in elevations from which a beautiful panorama of the lake opens. There is also an observatory for observing the sun on the territory of the village.
2. Ethnographic and cultural complex "Taltsy". It is located near Irkutsk. On its territory the life of local peoples is arranged. The territory of the complex is 70 hectares. Many excursions and master classes are available for tourists.
3. Peschanaya Bay. This is one of business cards Baikal. Almost no collection of photographs about the lake is complete without it. The main attraction of the bay is the stilted trees. During the process of erosion, their roots were washed away and now, like giants, on thin legs, they rise above the coast. Near Peschana there are two bays, Vnuchka and Babushka, between which Cape Ded stretches. Also within walking distance is Balanya Rock - favorite place seagulls
4. Khuzhir. It’s not for nothing that Baikal is often associated with the sea. You can realize this only by sailing through it. The biggest island on Lake Baikal- Olkhon. Its capital is the village of Khuzhir. Tourists can see traditional dwellings and try local Buryat cuisine.

This is just a small list of what can be seen here. Lake Baikal – it's not just a vacation , but also unforgettable emotions. There are not so many words in the world to describe its beauty. There is no need to write about such sights, they need to be seen.

Baikal is one of the wonders of Russia. The depth of Lake Baikal is a record. The next African lake, Tanganyika, has a depth of 200 meters less. The reservoir is popular among tourists and researchers. Until now, the secrets of Lake Baikal have not been fully revealed and excite scientists.

Where is

Located almost in the center of Eurasia, in Western Siberia, on the border of the Irkutsk region and the Buryat Republic, Baikal has the shape of a huge crescent. In area it is equal to the Netherlands, Belgium or Denmark. Surrounded by mountains and hills, the reservoir occupies a huge pit. A very interesting question is how deep Lake Baikal is. We'll talk about this later, but now we'll describe the coastline. In the eastern part it is relatively flat, the mountains are tens of kilometers away. The western shore of the lake is mountainous.

The area where Lake Baikal is located is seismically active. Earthquakes of small magnitude occur regularly; there are also strong ones, the echoes of which are felt even in Irkutsk. Thus, in the second half of the 19th century, an earthquake with a magnitude of 10 occurred. As a result, an area of ​​land of 200 square meters was flooded. km, where 1300 people lived. Strong tremors were noted in 1959 (9 points), in 2008 (9 points) and 2010 (6 points).

History of the lake and its name

For a long time it was believed that the age of Baikal is 25-30 million years. But recent studies of the topography of the lake bottom with its mud volcanoes have shown that it is up to 150 thousand years old. In this regard, Baikal is also unique, because average age lakes of similar origin - 10-15 thousand years.

The rift depression in which Baikal is located is similar in structure to the depression Dead Sea. Its depth is the depth of Lake Baikal. Scientists have different opinions on the formation of the basin.

There are 3 versions:

1. The depression is the result of a transform fault.
2. The depression arose as a result of the action of a hot mantle flow located under the lake.
3. The depression was formed as a result of minor collisions of Hindustan and the Eurasian plate.

It is obvious that as a result of seismic activity, the topography of the bottom of Lake Baikal is changing and is still subsiding.

The origin of the name of the lake is unclear, but all four points of view reflect the greatness of the reservoir and indirectly indicate the depth of Lake Baikal: Japanese - “ great water”, Turkic - “rich lake”, Mongolian - “rich fire” and Chinese - “northern sea”. In our country, the modern name began to be used in the 17th century, it was borrowed from the Buryats (Beighel): in the Russian language the word was assimilated and the usual pronunciation was established - Baikal.

Landscape and climate features

The record depth of Lake Baikal and the vast area of ​​the watershed determine the local climate. Mild winters, but enough cool summer, long autumn and long spring - here climatic characteristics areas adjacent to the lake. Also, the weather of Baikal is influenced by local specific winds, such as Barguzin or Kultuk. Due to the current winds, Baikal is considered one of the most restless lakes in the world.

Another remarkable property of the climate is mirages, which appear up to 7 times a year and last for 5-6 hours. They arise due to the difference in air temperature on the surface of the water and the space above it. Mirages occur due to the refraction of rays. Landscape objects can be visually raised above the surface of the water so that the horizon is visible. Another type of mirages is when thousands of kilometers away natural objects optically approaching.

Waters of Baikal: features and currents

The water of the lake has been fascinating since ancient times local residents: she was idolized, she was treated. It is saturated with oxygen, close in composition to distilled water, and due to the action of microorganisms it is practically devoid of minerals. The volume of Baikal water makes up 90% of Russia's fresh water reserves and 20% of the world's. To put it into perspective, there is more water in our great lake than in the 5 largest American lakes combined.

The transparency of Baikal water is surprising: visibility reaches 40 meters. True, this figure can drop to 10 meters during the flowering period of plants. Depending on the time of year and the activity of plants and microorganisms, Baikal water changes its color from bright blue in cold weather to green in summer and autumn.

Baikal is saturated with 336 rivers and streams that constantly flow into it. Turka, Snezhnaya, Upper Angara, Sarma are the largest of them. The Angara is the only river flowing from Lake Baikal.

Depth indicators

What is the depth of Lake Baikal? It is determined by the origin and parameters of the depression in which the lake is located. Latest Research depths were carried out in 1983, they were confirmed in 2002. The lake is mesmerizing: with an average of 730 meters, the maximum depth of Baikal is 1630 meters. There are two more lakes on Earth that have a depth of more than 1000 meters: Tanganyika and the Caspian Sea. Moreover, in the latter the water is salty, not fresh. Even the average depth of Baikal is amazing - few lakes on Earth can boast a value of 730 meters.

There are currents on the surface of Lake Baikal, encircling its shores and the largest islands. In certain places ( West Coast Small Sea) the current is quite strong, so even in calm weather the ships drift. The decrease in the intensity of water movement is influenced by the depth of Lake Baikal in a given place and the distance from the coastline.

Flora and fauna

Baikal is unique for its flora and fauna: two thirds of animal representatives live exclusively here. Oxygenated water provides a favorable environment for species to reproduce. Scientists have discovered only 70% of the fauna of Lake Baikal. The basis of the lake's food chain is made up of epishura crustaceans; in addition, they perform an important function of purifying water - passing it through themselves. The Baikal fauna includes 56 species of fish. Among them, a unique species is the golomyanka. The fish is interesting because it does not lay eggs, but gives birth to live fry. The golomyanka consists of 43% fat; in search of food, it migrates from great depths to shallow ones.

The seal is the only mammal that lives on Lake Baikal.

From flora One can note sponges, which grow at great depths and are the oldest inhabitants of Lake Baikal.

The uniqueness of the lake is recognized throughout the world. Not only the depth of Lake Baikal is taken into account, but also its unique ecosystem. Climate, geographical features the lakes attract tourists and scientists from all over the world.

- deepest lake. Depth of Baikal about 1700 meters. In the world only one lake can be compared in depth with Lake Baikal. This lake Tanganyika in East Africa. Its depth is about 1400 meters. Depth of Lake Baikal comparable to the depth of the Arctic Ocean, whose average depth is 1220 meters.

Baikal - the most big lake in Asia. Water surface area Lake Baikal more than 30 thousand square kilometers.

Lake Baikal water- its main value. Lake Baikal – the most large fresh water storage facility in the world. Baikal contains approximately one-fifth of the world's reserves.

Deepest Bay Lake Baikal- Barguzinsky. The depth of the Barguzinsky Bay is almost 1300 meters.

The largest bay Lake Baikal- Barguzinsky. The area of ​​the bay is 725 square kilometers.

The youngest bay of Baikal– Proval Bay. Proval Bay was formed after a powerful earthquake in 1862. A part of the Selenga delta with an area of ​​about 200 square kilometers went under water. This earthquake also caused the formation the youngest cape of Baikal- Cape Oblom.

The largest island Lake Baikal- Olkhon. The island is located in the middle part Baikal and divides lake to the Big and Small Seas. The length of the island is 71 kilometers, the width reaches 12 kilometers.

At Cape Kotelnikovsky there are the most. The water temperature in the mineral springs of Cape Kotelnikovsky is plus 81 degrees Celsius.

Basin of Lake Baikal – deepest continental depression. Bottom of Lake Baikal lies approximately 1200 meters below sea level.

Biggest influx Lake Baikal- Selenga River. The Selenga has a length of about 1000 kilometers. About half of all water that flows into lake, it is Selenga that brings.

The largest peninsula Lake Baikal- Holy Nose. The peninsula measures about 50 kilometers long and about 20 kilometers wide.

Depth of Lake Baikal

Baikal basin consists of three rather separate parts. The middle basin is the deepest. It is here on the eastern shore of Olkhon Island depth of Lake Baikal reaches almost 1700 meters. Depth southern basin Lake Baikal approximately 1432 meters. Largest measured depth northern part Lake Baikal 890 meters. Average lake depth is also very large - more than 700 meters. The biggest depth Small Sea - near the northwestern coast of Olkhon Island. It is approximately 250 meters. The smallest depth in the open Baikal- about 30 meters. Northern and middle basins Lake Baikal divides the underwater Academic Ridge. Lake depth in these places it is about 260 meters. Between the middle and southern basins Lake Baikal The Selenginskaya jumper is located. The smallest depth here 360 ​​meters.

Where is Baikal?

Baikal is located in the middle of Asia in the south of Eastern Siberia between the Republic of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region Russian Federation. Close to lakes The cities of Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude are located.

Length, extent, width of Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal is a fracture in the earth's crust filled with water. Water in lake carry several hundred large and small streams. Lake Baikal stretches from south to northeast: length or length of Baikal about 640 kilometers. Greatest width of Baikal 80 kilometers. Small earthquakes constantly occur in the vicinity of the lake. Large ones happen occasionally. Shores Baikal moving away from each other at a rate of 2 centimeters per year – Baikal growing!

Baikal is a lake of tectonic origin. Those. simply put, this is a huge rift in earth's crust, formed due to powerful tectonic activity. It is difficult to say exactly when this happened, it is generally accepted that the age of Baikal is 25 -30 million years. But tectonic movements here continue at the present time, as evidenced by regular earthquakes and outcrops thermal springs and subsidence of significant areas of the territory.

Where did the name “Baikal” come from?

Not exactly established. There are a dozen versions of the origin of the name. The most likely among them are:

From Turkic - Bai-Kul - rich lake.

From Mongolian - Baigal - rich fire and Baigal Dalai - large lake.

From Chinese - Beihai - North Sea.

How much water is there in Baikal?

About 23,000 cubic kilometers! That's more than all the five great lakes combined. North America(22,725 km3). This is 20% of the world's fresh water reserves.

How many rivers flow into Baikal?

There are 336 permanent watercourses. Of these, the largest rivers are: Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Turka, Snezhnaya, Sarma.

How many rivers flow out?

Only one river flows from Baikal - the Angara. In general, thanks to the presence of natural flow and fresh water, Baikal becomes a lake and not a sea.

What is the depth of Lake Baikal?

To date, the greatest depth has been recorded in the middle basin of Lake Baikal, not far from Olkhon Island and is 1637 m.

What winds blow on Baikal?

About thirty names of the Baikal winds are known. But this does not mean that they all exist. It's just that some of the winds have several names.

The most famous winds:

Barguzin is a northeast wind blowing in the middle part of Lake Baikal.

Kultuk- wind blowing from the southern end of the lake in a north-easterly direction.

Sarma- probably the most terrible wind on Lake Baikal. Blows from the valley of the Sarma River. The cold Arctic wind, which has passed through the coastal ridge, falls into the river valley, a kind of wind tunnel. Where it reaches hurricane force. The most terrible tragedies on Lake Baikal are associated with Sarma.

Shelonnik- air masses coming from Mongolia, rolling down from the Khamar-Daban ridge, cause a lot of problems for fishermen, because As a rule, thick fogs descend with the wind onto the southern end of the lake. In the absence of a GPS navigator, it becomes quite problematic to determine the direction to the native shore. The wind covers only the southern end of the lake.

Angara- the wind blows from the valley of the Angara River. Typically brings damp, cold weather.

Pokatuha- North-west wind at the southern end of Lake Baikal. Very strong and dangerous wind. The problem is that it arises almost suddenly, reaching terrible force.

Are there storms on Baikal?

Yes, there are some quite strong ones. During a storm, the wave often reaches 4-5 meters. There is information that waves of 6 meters were recorded. But the storm season occurs mainly in autumn months. In summer, storms occur extremely rarely and do not last long.

What kind of fish is found in Baikal?

Currently, there are 52 species of fish on Lake Baikal. Moreover, 27 species of them are endemic. The species of greatest interest to anglers are omul, grayling, lenok, pike, sorog, and perch. home commercial fish- omul. Sturgeon is also found in Baikal, but fishing for it is prohibited.

When does Baikal freeze?

It is believed that freeze-up on Lake Baikal begins at the end of December, but the lake completely freezes only in the 20th of January. Only the source of the Angara River never freezes, this is due to the fact that water is drawn into the Angara from the depths where the water temperature is above zero. Baikal is freed from ice in May.

Why is the water in Baikal fresh?

The rivers feeding Baikal carry waters of very low mineralization, because... their beds are composed of poorly soluble crystalline rocks. And rivers are the main source of food for Lake Baikal as a reservoir.

Are there mammals in Baikal?

The only representative of mammals living in Baikal is Baikal seal or as it is also called - seal. It is not precisely established how the seal got to Baikal; there is a version that it came from the Arctic Ocean along the Yenisei and Angara.

The worst tragedy on Lake Baikal.

The most terrible tragedy that occurred on Lake Baikal is considered to be the incident that occurred from October 14 to 15, 1901. The tug "Yakov", coming from Verkhneangarsk, led three vessels "Potapov", "Mogilev" and "Shipunov". In the Small Sea, not far from Cape Mare's Head, the ships were caught in a terrible storm. The towed vessels were released. The storm lasted for two days. 176 people died. The wind was so strong that it simply threw people onto the rocks. Corpses frozen to the rocks were found at an altitude of 10 fathoms.