The Laptev Sea: description and characteristics, islands and a map, flowing rivers. Laptev Sea Extreme points of the Laptev Sea

This sea is limited by natural boundaries and imaginary lines. Marine waters are well connected with. This sea has the status of continental marginal seas.

There are about several dozen islands in the waters of the Laptev Sea. Most of them are located in the western zone of the sea. Here the islands are located both in small groups and separately. Here are following groups skeletons: Komsomolskaya Pravda, Vilkitsky and Thaddeus. Among the single skeletons, the largest are: Starokadomsky, Maly Taimyr, Bolshoy Begichev, Peschany, Stolbovoy and Belkovsky. A large number of small islands are located in river deltas.

The coastline of the sea is quite uneven, there is a large number of bays, coves, and capes. The eastern shores of the islands of Severnaya Zemlya and the Taimyr Peninsula are heavily indented. To the east of it there are large bays: Khatanga, Anabar, Olenek and Yansky. There are also bays (Kozhevnikova, Nordvik, Tiksi), bays (Vankina and Buor-Khaya) and peninsulas (Khara-Tumus, Nordvik). The shores that the Laptev Sea washes have different. Some coasts have low mountains, some are lowlands.

The Laptev Sea is located in the zone of the shelf, the continental slope and occupies a small area of ​​the ocean floor. In connection with this arrangement, it is, which ends abruptly in the north. On this plain there are several hills and cans. There is a small trough opposite the mouth. A narrow and rather long trough extends from Stolbovoy Island to the north. Another gutter is located near the Oleneksky Bay. In the east of the Laptev Sea there are two banks Semenovskaya and Vasilievskaya.

Most of the sea is shallow. The shallowest part is located in the south of the sea. Half of the sea has a depth of up to 50 m. When moving north, the depth of the sea increases. First, slight changes in depth occur (from 50 m to 100 m), and then the depth increases sharply from 2000 m or more.

The climatic conditions of the Laptev Sea are quite severe compared to other seas. This is due to the location of the sea near, remoteness from the waters and the neighboring location of the mainland. The climatic conditions of the sea are close to continental. Although there are features of the sea. On the Laptev Sea, such a continental climate feature is traced as a strong change in air temperature during the year. But under the influence of the sea, this fluctuation is not as pronounced as on land.

At different times of the year, different centers influence the climate of the sea. In the cold period, the high area dominates the sea. In autumn, winds of alternating rule are replaced by southerly ones, and their strength increases to stormy ones.

In winter, three zones can be distinguished at sea, which have slightly different climatic conditions. The southeastern part of the sea is dominated by the Siberian. In the north, the influence of the Polar Maximum is felt. West Side is periodically affected by the Icelandic Low. The Siberian anticyclone has the greatest impact on the expanses of the Laptev Sea. Thus, southerly and southwesterly winds blow predominantly in winter, the speed of which is about 8 m/s. At the end of winter, their strength weakens, and calms are observed. During this period, a strong cooling is noticeable. in January it drops to -26 - 29°C. In general, the weather in winter is cloudless and calm. Sometimes formed south of the sea, contribute to the emergence of powerful northern ones. These storms continue for several days, after which they stop.

During the warm period, the region high pressure is replaced by a hollow low. Spring winds do not have a constant direction. Along with the south winds, there are also north ones. Such winds are usually gusty and weak. The air temperature is constantly increasing. But the weather is still quite cold. IN summer time northern winds prevail, the speed of which does not exceed 3–4 m/s. Powerful winds are not typical for summer. At this time, it rises and reaches its highest point in August +1-5°С. In closed spaces, the air temperature can be much higher. For example, in Tiksi Bay, a temperature of +32.5°C was recorded. In summer, cyclones very often prevail, while it becomes cloudy and rainy.

Fishing and hunting for sea animals is poorly developed, mainly sea fishing is carried out near the mouths of rivers. The Laptev Sea is of economic importance, as transportation is carried out here. In the dispatch and delivery of goods great importance has the port of Tisky.

The coastal waters of the Laptev Sea contain a large concentration of phenol, which comes with the waters. Great content phenol in river and coastal waters is due to the huge number of sunken trees. The most polluted are the waters of the Neelova Bay. The water expanses of Tiksi and Buor-Khaya bays are polluted. The ecological state of Bulunkan Bay is marked as catastrophic. The content of a large number of toxic substances in coastal waters is due to the discharge of untreated Tiksi water. The sea also contains a large amount of oil products in areas of developed shipping.

The Laptev Sea is located on the continental plate of the Eurasian continent. Its borders are the Kara Sea, the basin of the Arctic Ocean and the East Siberian Sea. It owes its name to the Laptev brothers, who devoted their lives to exploring the North. Its other names - Nordenskiöld and Siberian - are less relevant. The area of ​​the sea is 672,000 sq. km., depths up to 50 meters predominate everywhere. Only a fifth of the bottom is submerged by more than 1000 meters. The maximum depth was recorded in the Nansen Basin and is equal to 3385 m. The bottom of the sea is silty in deep places and sandy-silty in shallower ones.

Due to the huge number of rivers flowing into the Nordenskiöld, the surface of the sea has a low concentration of salt. Most of the water the Laptev Sea receives from Khatanga and Lena - the main arteries of Siberia. The sea temperature is rarely above zero. This is one of the harshest places on the planet.

But life did not disregard this part of our planet. Despite the fact that the surface of the sea is almost always covered with ice and despite the small amount of sunlight, vegetation can be found on the coast. The flora here is represented by various diatoms and other microscopic algae. Planktonic microorganisms can also be found.

The coastline is heavily indented. The steep banks are dotted with birds that come here to raise their offspring. Gulls, guillemots, guillemots and many other birds hatch their chicks here. Bird eggs attract small predators such as arctic foxes, who are not averse to indulging in the delicacy. attract larger animals such as polar bear. Along the mainland along the coast there are also stars, mollusks and other small inhabitants of the deep sea.

There are about 40 species of fish in the Laptev Sea - these are cod, omul, and many others. Mining is not possible due to the ice crust on the surface. Sport fishing is also poorly developed due to the remoteness of the sea from residential areas.

Mammals here are represented by walruses, minke whales, seals and beluga whales. Their extraction is also absolutely undeveloped for the reasons described above. Nothing is known about the existence of sharks in the waters of the Laptev Sea. But it can be assumed that such conditions are quite suitable for polar shark. In warmer times, from neighboring seas, it can get here

Recently, a large number of projects related to offshore and gas began to appear. This is due to the low depths over most of the area of ​​the entire sea. A good study of the bottom in seismic terms provides excellent prerequisites for conclusions about the high content of oil and gas. Shallow depths allow drilling not from special offshore platforms, but from man-made islands.

Currently, the oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft are planning to drill the first wells in the Laptev Sea. Each, in turn, will have to bring foreign partners to the shelf. It remains only to wait for the moment when the development of the Laptev Sea will nevertheless begin.

Laptev sea- marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean. The surface area of ​​the sea is 662,000 km². It is located between the northern coast of Siberia in the south, the Taimyr Peninsula, the Severnaya Zemlya Islands in the west and the New Siberian Islands in the east. Historical names: Tatar, Lena (on the maps of the XVI-XVII centuries), Siberian, Arctic (XVIII-XIX centuries). In 1883, the polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen named the sea after the Nordenskjöld. This name remained with him until 1935. In 1913, at the suggestion of the oceanographer Yu.M. Officially, it was fixed only by the decision of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR of June 27, 1935. In the language of the indigenous people, the Yakuts, the name sounds like Laptevtar.

The coast is heavily indented. Large bays: Khatanga, Oleneksky, Faddey, Yansky, Anabarsky, Maria Pronchishcheva Bay, Buor-Khaya. There are several dozens of islands in the western part of the sea and river deltas. Frequent storms and currents due to the melting of ice lead to their strong erosion, for example, the Semyonovsky and Vasilyevsky Islands, discovered in 1815, have already disappeared. The most significant groups of islands: Severnaya Zemlya, Komsomolskaya Pravda and Thaddeus. The largest single islands: Bolshoy Begichev (1764 km²), Belkovsky (500 km²), Maly Taimyr (250 km²), Stolbovoy (170 km²), Starokadomsky Island (110 km²), and Sandy (17 km²). The islands of Komsomolskaya Pravda are located in the southwestern part of the sea. Rivers flow into the sea: Khatanga, Anabar, Olenyok, Lena, Yana. Some rivers form large deltas.

seafaring

The coast of the Laptev Sea has long been inhabited by aboriginal tribes of northern Siberia, such as the Yukagirs and Chuvans. The traditional occupations of these tribes were fishing, hunting, nomadic reindeer herding, and hunting for wild deer. Starting from the 2nd century, the gradual assimilation of the Yukaghirs by Evens and Evenks began, and from the 9th century by much more numerous Yakuts, and later by Koryaks and Chukchis. Russians began to explore the coast of the Laptev Sea and nearby islands around the 17th century, rafting down the Siberian rivers. In 1629, the Siberian Cossacks descended the Lena to the mouth. In 1633, Ivan Perfiriev's detachment set off from Zhigansk down the Lena, then half of the detachment led by Ivan Rebrov reached the mouth of the Olenyok River, and Perfiriev himself went to Yana. By 1638, the Khatanga River was discovered and industrialists from the Lena climbed it, dragged along inland waters Taimyr to Pyasina and hunted on the banks of the Yenisei. In 1735, Lieutenant Vasily Pronchishchev sailed from the Lena to the mouth of the Anabar and to the eastern coast of Taimyr on the Yakutsk dubelt boat. After the death of Pronchishchev from scurvy in 1736, his work on Yakutsk was continued by Khariton Laptev, whose cousin Dmitry Laptev in 1739 sailed on the Irkutsk boat from the mouth of the Lena to the east to the mouth of the Khroma River, which flows into the East Siberian Sea. The strait between two seas bears the name of Dmitry Laptev. And the Siberian Sea itself is named after the Laptevs, since they were the first to map its shores.

Navigation in the Laptev Sea became possible thanks to the work (1821-1823) of Lieutenant Peter Anzhu, who described the coast of the mainland and all the New Siberian Islands, which he traveled on sleds in search of the never-found Sannikov Land. Anjou conducted the first research prevailing winds the Laptev Sea, its mobile and pack ice. He made measurements of the depths, moving either on the water in a boat, or on the ice in a sled.

The first who managed to sail across the entire Laptev Sea from Cape Chelyuskin in the west to Cape Svyatoy Nos in the east was the Swedish Baron Adolf Eric Nordenskiöld. On August 19, 1875, his sailing-steam vessel "Vega", accompanied by the steamer "Lena", anchored at Cape Chelyuskin, on August 27 reached the mouth of the Lena, where the "Lena" went to Yakutsk. On August 30, Vega was in the Dmitry Laptev Strait off the coast of Bolshoi Lyakhovsky Island. In 1893, the Norwegian research schooner "Fram" by Fridtjof Nansen passed almost the entire Laptev Sea, which was frozen into ice near the New Siberian Islands, from where its drift to the north began.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Russian expeditions crossed the sea several times on the icebreaking ships Taimyr and Vaigach. Since 1932, the Northern Sea Route has been running through the Laptev Sea, regular flights since 1935. Here, the shortest navigation period on the entire Northern Sea Route is only in August and September. The base port is Tiksi, there are also ports at the mouths of the rivers - Khatanga, Ust-Olenyok, Nizhneyansk.

Bottom relief

The Laptev Sea is located in the zone of the shelf, the continental slope and occupies a small area of ​​the ocean floor. In connection with this arrangement, the bottom topography is a plain, which abruptly breaks off in the north. Depths up to 50 m prevail, the greatest depth is 3385 meters, the average depth is 540 meters. In shallow areas, the bottom is covered with sand and silt mixed with pebbles and boulders. Near the banks, river precipitation accumulates at a high rate, up to 20-25 centimeters per year. At great depths, the bottom is covered with silt.

Climate and hydrological regime

The climate of the Laptev Sea is arctic continental and, due to its remoteness from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, is one of the most severe among the Arctic seas. Polar night and polar day last about 3 months a year in the south and 5 months in the north. Most cold month January. average temperature in January to -31°C and -34°C, and the minimum is -50°C. In July, the temperature rises to 0 °C +5 °C, however, it can reach +22-24 °C on the coast in August. Strong winds, blizzards and snowstorms are common in winter period. Snow falls even in summer and alternates with fogs.

The sea is characterized by low water temperature. In winter, under the ice, the water temperature ranges from −0.8°C to 1.8°C. In summer, in ice-free areas of the sea, the uppermost layer of water can warm up to 4-6°C, in bays up to 8-10°C. Salinity sea ​​water near the surface in the northwestern part of the sea in winter is 34 ‰, in the southern part - up to 20-25 ‰. Near the mouths of rivers, it is less than 10 ‰. Strong effect on salinity surface water are caused by the melting of ice and the runoff of Siberian rivers. Most of the river runoff (about 70%) falls on the Lena. Other rivers that make a significant contribution to the total runoff are Khatanga, Olenyok, Yana and Anabar. Tides are on average up to 50 centimeters high. The magnitude of the tides is significantly reduced by the ice cover. In the Khatanga Bay, due to its funnel-shaped form, the tidal wave can reach 2 meters. Due to relatively weak winds and shallow depths, the Laptev Sea is relatively calm, with waves usually within 1 meter. In July-August, waves up to 4-5 m high can be observed in the open sea, and in autumn they can reach 6 meters.

Frosty Arctic winters cause significant formation sea ​​ice, which covers the sea for almost the entire year. The development of ice is also facilitated by the shallowness of the sea and the low salinity of its surface waters. The Laptev Sea is the largest source of Arctic sea ice.

Flora and fauna

Flora and fauna are scarce due to the harsh climate. The vegetation of the sea is represented mainly by diatoms, of which there are more than 100 species. 39 species of fish have been recorded in the sea, most of which are typical of the brackish aquatic environment. The main ones are various types of graylings and whitefish, such as muksun, whitefish, and omul. Sardine, Bering Sea omul, polar smelt, navaga, arctic cod, flounder, arctic char and nelma are also common. Mammals constantly live here: walrus, sea hare, seal, harp seal, ungulate lemming, arctic fox, reindeer, wolf, ermine, polar hare and polar bear. Beluga whales make seasonal migrations to the coast.

Several dozen species of birds live here. Some of them are settled and live here permanently. These are snow bunting, sea sandpiper, snowy owl and black goose. There are also those who roam the polar regions or migrate from the south, creating large colonies on the islands and the coast of the mainland. These include the auk, common gull, ivory gull, murre, charadriiformes, and polar gull. Also found are skuas, terns, fulmar, glaucous gull, pink gull, long-tailed duck, eiders, loons and ptarmigan. In 1985, the Ust-Lena Nature Reserve was organized in the delta of the Lena River. In 1993, all the islands of the Novosibirsk archipelago were also included in its buffer zone.

Economic importance

The Laptev Sea is the only Russian sea where there is not a single inhabited island with a permanent population, excluding polar stations and military installations. Hunting and fishing are not widespread and are concentrated mainly in river deltas. Hunting for marine mammals is practiced only by indigenous people. In particular, walrus hunting is allowed only to scientific expeditions and local tribes who need it for their existence. The Northern Sea Route is the most important way to deliver goods to remote regions of Russia - the north Krasnoyarsk Territory, Yakutia and Chukotka. The Laptev Sea is the venue for various scientific research. Scientists study how water circulates, monitor the ice balance, and make hydrometeorological forecasts.

Ecology

Water pollution is relatively low and is mainly due to the operation of numerous factories and mines located on the Lena, Yana and Anabar rivers. The wastes of these enterprises contain phenols, copper and zinc and are constantly washed into the sea with the flow of river waters. Another constant source of pollution is the urban-type settlement of Tiksi. During the period of navigation, as well as in the process of oil production, its periodic spills occur. Another major source of pollution is sunken and floating decaying wood that has been exposed to the water as a result of decades of continuous rafting.

The Laptev Sea is one of the most interesting, important and useful water bodies in the country. It is adjacent to the Arctic Ocean and is characterized by a low temperature and a low degree of salinity of the water. 10 months of the year the sea is covered with ice. Specific features - poor fauna and flora, a small number of people on the coast and islands within the sea, some of which can still be found the remains of mammoths.

The name "Laptev Sea" did not appear by chance. This is the merit of travelers with the corresponding surname - the brothers Dmitry and Khariton. Previously, the reservoir bore the name of Norsheld (thanks to the filing of Fridtjof Nansen), and was also called the Tatar, Lena, Siberian and Arctic Seas.

Shores of the Laptev Sea

The Laptev Sea has an area of ​​672 thousand km² and a volume of 363 thousand km². The maximum depth of the reservoir considered in the article is over 3000 meters, the average depth is 540 meters. The shores stretch for 1300 km and form bays and bays of various sizes. The most impressive bays include Khatanga, Yansky, the bay of Maria Pronchishcheva and a number of others.

Several rivers flow into the Laptev Sea, in the deltas of which there are several dozen islands, often subject to erosion. The most famous of the rivers flowing into the reservoir is the Lena. The most important islands include Severnaya Zemlya, Bolshoi Begichev, Maly Taimyr, Belkovsky and Faddey.

The body of water is the habitat for about 40 various kinds fish, most of which prefer salt water. These are grayling and whitefish, sardine and Bering Sea omul, smelt, cod, flounder and some other fish species. Many mammals live within the Laptev Sea - walruses, ermine, polar hare, polar bear, etc.

In addition to the above, there is a bird here. Among the settled birds, the snow bunting, sandpiper, snowy owl and black goose should be distinguished. The rest - wander around the polar regions or arrive from the south side. Thus, the reservoir is excellent for fishing and hunting, although both of these activities are not particularly common.

In the 80s of the last century in the area of ​​the river. Lena formed a nature reserve. In the 90s, its buffer zone expanded significantly, due to the inclusion of the islands of the Novosibirsk archipelago into it. Now the total area of ​​the territory exceeds 14 thousand km². This is the habitat of many fish, plants, birds and mammals, including those that can be seen on the pages of the Red Book.

Cities on the Laptev Sea

(Tiksi village)

The largest settlement is considered to be the village of Tiksi, where the Arctic seaport of the same name is located. This is a place of import of food, industrial goods, building materials, equipment, fuel and export of timber, lumber. About 5 thousand people live in the village. Other significant settlements include the village of Bykovsky (519 people) and Khatanga (2645 people).

It is located between the Taimyr Peninsula and the Severnaya Zemlya Islands in the west and the New Siberian Islands in the east.

Area 662,000 sq. km.

Depths up to 50 m prevail, the greatest depth is 3385 m.

Large bays: Khatanga, Oleneksky, Faddey, Yansky, Anabarsky, Maria Pronchishcheva Bay, Buor-Khaya. There are many islands in the western part of the sea.
The islands of Komsomolskaya Pravda are located in the southwestern part of the sea.
Rivers flow into the sea: Khatanga, Anabar, Olenyok, Lena, Yana.
The main port is Tiksi.

Most of the year (October to May) Laptev sea covered with ice. Ice formation begins at the end of September and takes place simultaneously throughout the sea. In winter, in its shallow eastern part, extensive fast ice up to 2 m thick is developed. The boundary of fast ice distribution is a depth of approximately 25 m, which in this area of ​​the sea is several hundred kilometers away from the coast. The area of ​​landfast ice is approximately 30% of the area of ​​the entire sea. In the western and northwestern parts of the sea, fast ice is small, and in some winters it is completely absent. To the north of the landfast zone there are drifting ice.

The average air temperature in January is about -30°C, in the coastal part there are frosts down to -60°C. Most of the year is covered with ice; a wide fast ice is kept along the coast, the Siberian polynya extends to the north, and the Taimyr ice massif is preserved to the east of the Vilkitsky Strait. Salinity from 10 (or less) in the south to 34 ‰ in the north; tides are semidiurnal, up to 0.5 m.
IN Laptev sea tides are well expressed, everywhere having an irregular semidiurnal character. A tidal wave enters from the north from the Central Arctic Basin, damping and deforming as it moves south. The magnitude of the tide is usually small, mostly about 0.5 m. Only in the Khatanga Bay, the range of tidal level fluctuations exceeds 2 m in syzygy. Other rivers flowing into Laptev sea, the tide almost does not set. It attenuates very close to the mouths, as the tidal wave is extinguished in the deltas of these rivers.

Fauna and flora of the Laptev Sea

are typically arctic. Phytoplankton is represented by marine diatoms and freshwater diatoms. The most widespread zooplankton species here are planktonic marine ciliates, rotifers, copepods and amphipods. Benthic organisms include foraminifera, polychaetes, isopods, bryozoans, and molluscs. Fish are represented by Siberian whitefish, arctic char, omul, nelma, sturgeon, etc.

Of the mammals, there are walruses, seals and white whales, a sea hare, a seal; bird colonies on the banks; many commercial fish: char, muksun, nelma, taimen, perch, sturgeon, sterlet. Polar bears live on ice islands and large ice fields in the open sea. Colonies of sea gulls live near the coasts.