Abstract

This article considers the ecological situation, which has developed around a unique natural object - Lake Baikal. There are studied physical and geographical characteristics of this lake, because it is one of the greatest lakes in the world and the largest freshwater lake in Russia. Lake Baikal is 1.7 times larger the Lake Ladoga, the largest lake in Europe. Baikal is the largest fresh water lake in the world. Its volume is 23 600 cubic kilometers, which is about 20% of the planets’ fresh lake water - much more than in all the freshwater lakes of the world. There are described the most large-scale tributaries, which fill the lake, as well as the only river, flowing from it. There are studied basin areas of this valuable lake, which are under protection. There are four main periods identified by analyzing the dynamics of wastewater performances.

Highlights

  • Lake Baikal and its catchment basin belong to the unique geological systems of the world

  • Within the boundaries of the Baikal Natural Territory (BNT), 5 preserves, 3 national parks, 23 reserves, 128 nature monuments, 1 botanical garden, medical and health areas and resorts represent the network of specially protected natural areas (SPA)

  • The lake is surrounded by mountain-taiga landscapes and specially protected natural areas, mostly preserved in the natural state and representing additional value

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Summary

Introduction

Lake Baikal (fig.1) and its catchment basin belong to the unique geological systems of the world. The lake has a unique reserve of fresh water (23 615 cubic kilometers) and quality (20% of world reserves). The height of the mountains above it, the depth of the lake and the thickness of the loose sediments lining its bottom determine the depth of the depression The layer of these lake sediments in some places reaches 6000 meters, and their volume is twice the volume of the lake and reaches 46,000 cubic kilometers. Recent investigations have shown that at depths from 250 to 1200 meters the transparency of Baikal water is not less than in the Sargasso Sea. The catchment basin of Lake Baikal covers an area of 541 thousand square kilometers (without the area of the Baikal water area - 31.5 thousand square kilometers). The entire lake basin is a peculiar and very fragile natural geosystem, the basis of which is the lake system with its natural formation process of the purest waters of drinking quality [1, 4]

The water basin of Lake Baikal
Protected natural territories in the basin of Lake Baikal
Sewage waters and polluting surface substances
Findings
Conclusions

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