Why is Lake Baikal called the pearl of Siberia? Characteristics of Lake Baikal. Why Baikal is called the pearl of Siberia

Among the virgin, fascinating nature of Southern Siberia, Lake Baikal spreads its mirror-clear waters. The ancient mountain ranges cut it like a precious diamond.

Lake Baikal is a real pearl among the stunningly diverse nature of the Russian Federation. Lake Baikal deservedly has the status of the deepest lake in the world - its depth reaches 1620 m. This is one of the oldest lakes on the planet that has survived to this day - it was formed more than 25 million years ago.

Origin of the lake

Baikal is a lake of tectonic origin; it was formed in connection with faults on the border of the Siberian platform. The fact that Baikal has survived to this day is an amazing phenomenon, because the average period of existence of Ice Age lakes is no more than 10 million years.

The waters of Baikal are unusually clear, even at a depth of 30m you can see pebbles on the surface of the bottom. In summer, the water has an azure-bluish color, and in spring and autumn it acquires an emerald-greenish hue. The lake is home to more than 1,800 species of flora and fauna, most of which are endemic (species that live in a limited range).

Baikal is a source of fresh water

More than 300 rivers flow into Baikal, including the Upper Angara, Barguzin, and Selenga. The only river flowing from Lake Baikal is the Angara, a tributary of the Yenisei. Baikal is also a gigantic source of fresh water - more than 23,615 km³, which is 20% of the world's total fresh water reserves. Due to the fact that Baikal is located at an altitude of 456 m above sea level and is surrounded by a mountain ensemble, the water and air acquire healing properties and are amazingly clean.

For a long time, the Caspian Sea, a closed lake, competed with Baikal for the right to be called the deepest lake in the world. However, the water in the Caspian Sea is salty. And the palm deservedly remains with Baikal. Baikal is also included in the list of the most unique ecosystems in the world. Due to the harsh Siberian climate, Baikal freezes in winter, and closer to May the ice cover gradually disappears. In winter, the thickness of the ice cover reaches 80 cm, which allows not only people, but also vehicles to move safely across it.

Problems of Lake Baikal

Unfortunately, both in the past and in the future there are greedy people who, with manic persistence, want to create an unnatural union of Baikal with the industrial complex. The shores of Lake Baikal are increasingly becoming a site for the construction of industrial facilities. The protected areas of Lake Baikal are thus incredibly poisoned by industrial waste.

Today this is the main global problem of the region. Also, irreparable harm to the aquatic world is caused by poachers who destroy such rare species of fish as the Baikal seal, the viviparous golomyanka fish, and Baikal gobies. Baikal is the real pride of every Russian person.

After all, there are very few ecosystems on the planet that, like Baikal, amaze with their majesty, mystery, breadth and unsurpassed beauty. It’s not for nothing that the inhabitants of Siberia call Baikal a sea - any body of water on the planet can envy its power.

Subject:“Baikal is the pearl of Siberia.”

Goals:

• acquaintance with the historical and cultural heritage of the native land;
• development of presentation skills of the developed project;
• developing the ability to work in a team.
• fostering respect for nature;
• fostering respect for the national traditions of different nationalities;

Equipment: photographs of Lake Baikal, representatives of the flora and fauna of the Baikal region; samples of minerals mined in Siberia; musical accompaniment (A. Plyaskin “Melody of Baikal”, a collection of ethnic music and songs of the peoples of the Baikal region).

Preliminary work: prepare a pebble stone 5-8 cm long, coated with matte white gouache on top.

Students sit in a semicircle; in the center of the semicircle there is an exhibition table for exhibits: minerals, souvenirs, postcards and books on the topic.

DURING THE CLASSES

Teacher: Hello, dear guys!
You know that people celebrate different holidays at different times. Some of them are international and celebrated all over the world. This is New Year, Christmas, March 8, etc. There are holidays that are celebrated only in our country - Russian Flag Day, Peace and Labor Day, Family Day. Recently passed the Day of the Elderly. But there are holidays that are celebrated only by residents of a particular region, the so-called local holidays. There is such a holiday in Siberia. Siberians have been celebrating it recently. And I would like you to know about it too. So, every last Thursday of August is celebrated as BAIKAL DAY. Lake Baikal is called the Pearl of Siberia. And indeed it is. Baikal is a unique creation of nature, one and only of its kind. It is hardly possible to find a person who has not heard that there is a miracle lake in Siberia. And therefore, representatives of different states at the general meeting of UNESCO on December 5, 1996 decided to include Baikal on the World Natural Heritage List. The lake and surrounding areas have become reserve of planetary significance, that is, of exceptional value for all people on Earth. And today, together with the guys from our class, we will tell you why Baikal is called a superlative lake, that is, the most, the most, the most. We ask you to listen carefully because there will be a quiz at the end of our talk. It includes questions that you will hear answered during the lesson. Listen carefully and respect the work of your classmates (they tried very hard).

During the children’s performance, photo slides corresponding to the theme of the story are shown on the screen through a projector; the music sounds quietly. accompaniment of "Melodies of Baikal" ( Appendix 6)

Vania: Among all the beauties and riches of Siberia, Lake Baikal occupies a special place. Coastal residents speak of it as if it were alive - with respect and reverence. Siberians call it “the sea”. And it is no coincidence that the old song begins: “Glorious sea, sacred Baikal.”

Kate: There are many legends about the origin of the name of Lake Baikal. Here is one of them (Russian legend):
Russians have long heard that in the middle of Siberia there is a huge lake that boils day and night. But no one knew what it was called. Merchants and Cossacks set off for the sea-lake. The Shaman-stone blocked their way - they couldn’t get around it either to the right or to the left. So the merchants and the Cossacks stopped and began to live not far from the lake, but they could not get to the shore. Luckily for them, an unknown man approached them and led them to the sea. He brought him out and said: “Bai-gal.” And to the Russians’ question he answered: “In our opinion, this means a fiery place, there used to be fire here, then the earth fell in and there became a sea. Since then we’ve called him Bai-gol.” The Russians liked the name. Since then the Holy Sea has been called Baikal.

Kostya: Lake Baikal is a unique body of water. It holds a fifth of the world's fresh water reserves. Baikal water alone would be enough for 40 years for the inhabitants of the entire Earth. Working together, all the world's rivers would take a whole year to fill Baikal.

Kate: Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. The greatest depth is 1637 meters. The lake itself lies in the Baikal depression - a stone bowl surrounded on all sides by mountains. The layer of sediment at the bottom of the lake is about 7 kilometers. If they are removed, then the depth of Baikal will become like that of the ocean.

Dima: Baikal is one of the oldest lakes on the planet. Its age is approximately 25-30 million years. Other lakes only live 10-15 million years. And then they fill with sediment and dry out. Scientists believe that Baikal is an emerging ocean. Its banks diverge at a rate of 2 centimeters per year.

Sasha: The amazing transparency and purity of Baikal water has long become a legend. In the spring, after the lake is freed from ice, the transparency of the water reaches 40 meters, you can see individual stones and various objects. Baikal drinking water is valued all over the world for its purity and unique properties.

Vita: Lake Baikal is home to more than 2,000 species of plants and animals, most of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Such a large number of living organisms is explained by the high oxygen content in Baikal water.

Vania: Fish in Baikal include omul, grayling, whitefish, sturgeon, burbot, taimen, pike and others. Baikal omul caviar was released into Lakes Ladoga and Onega and exported to Czechoslovakia, Mongolia and England. To increase the number of omul on the Bolshaya Rechka River, a fish breeding workshop has been created.

Kate: On Lake Baikal, according to ornithologists (scientists who study birds), there are 236 species of birds, of which 29 are waterfowl. For example, herring gulls live on the rocky islands of Lake Baikal, and the bald eagle is one of the most beautiful feathered predators.

Kostya: Along the shores of the lake there are Barguzin sable, squirrel, ermine, bear, elk and other animals. The seal, the Baikal seal, also lives here. The seal is distributed throughout Lake Baikal, but there are especially many of them in the northern and middle parts. Now there are about 80,000 animals on Lake Baikal.

Kate: The origin of the Baikal seal has not yet been clarified. Perhaps it entered the lake through large, interconnected lakes and rivers from the Arctic Ocean. There are especially many seals on the Ushkany Islands.

Dima: The seal eats about a ton of fish per year. In search of food, it dives to a depth of up to two hundred meters and remains under water for 20-25 minutes. The maximum swimming speed is 20 – 25 kilometers per hour. The life expectancy of the Baikal seal is 56 years.
Sasha: 336 rivers and streams flow into Lake Baikal, and one flows out - the Angara. Angara got its name because of the crevice that gives water flow out of the lake (in Buryat and Evenki the word “anga” means “mouth”, “mouth”). The source of the Angara River is the widest and largest in the world. The width of the source is 863 meters.

Vita: In the middle of the source, a Shaman stone up to one and a half meters high above the water is visible. This stone is an outcropping of underwater granite rock. Opposite the Shaman Stone there is an observation deck. In spring, due to the low water level, it protrudes more and is better visible from the shore.

Vania: In ancient times, local residents endowed the Shaman Stone with miraculous powers. Particularly important shamanic rituals took place here, oaths were taken and prayers were said. This is evidenced by the bottom strewn with coins around the Shaman Stone.

Kate: The shaman stone is mentioned in many legends and traditions. Here is one of them - the legend of the Angara.

The beautiful daughter Angara grew up near gray Baikal. He hid her from prying eyes in his waters. And he decided to find her a groom closer to her, so as not to send her to distant lands. He chose Baikal as his neighbor's groom - the rich and noble Irkut, but Angara did not like Irkut. From the stories of the seagull, Angara learned about the mighty hero Yenisei. Contrary to her father’s will, she decided to run away to the Yenisei at night. Baikal woke up, but it was late. In a rage, he threw a huge cliff after Angara to detain the fugitive. But the Angara was able to cut through the coastal rocks with its chest. Where the Angara escaped from the clutches of Lake Baikal, the Shaman-stone, thrown by the father after the beauty, still stands.

Kostya: These are the interesting facts, stories and legends we told you. And this is only a small part of what can be told. May you now develop an interest in the history of our region, and may you be able to find interesting information yourself. And perhaps you can tell us too. Thank you for your attention!

Teacher: The story about Baikal will be incomplete if we do not mention the peoples living on this sacred land, their traditions and rich cultural heritage.
So, for a long time, the peoples living near Lake Baikal believed in spirits - guardians of the area. Ancient people could not answer the questions of why day and night come, the sun shines, the wind blows, and it rains. And therefore they believed that every natural phenomenon has its own deity or spirit, soul. To communicate with them, a special person was chosen among the people - a shaman. Not everyone could become a shaman. As a rule, the ability to communicate with higher powers was passed on from generation to generation. The chosen one underwent a special rite of passage and took an oath in which he promised help to all those in need. The shaman had miraculous powers. People came to him for healing from illness, for advice, and for blessings in business. They performed their rituals (these are special dances and chants to the sound of a tambourine) in the open air - either on the top of a mountain, or on the shore of a lake or river, near a spring, rock or tree. The shaman in his songs asked the spirits of these places to help him.
The most important among the spirits was the Great Spirit of Baikal - Burhan. He could reward royally, or he could punish the offender. Not a single fisherman dared to go out into the stormy sea. After all, this meant that the Spirit of Baikal was angry. In addition to the Great Spirit, the coast is inhabited by spirits of various places: healing springs, ancient trees, especially beautiful rocks. They are called – ezhins. In the places where the Ezhins live, a pyramid of stones is built. The Buryats call such places obo. You cannot pass by obo without honoring Ezhin, otherwise there will be no luck. Various things and coins are left here. The value of the thing does not matter, the main thing is the offering itself. You can contact Ezhin with a request by making your gift in advance. Very often in such sacred places you can see narrow strips of fabric on tree branches. By tying a ribbon, a person turned to the spirit with a request, making a wish. It was believed that when the wind sways the ribbons, wishes fly into the sky and come true there.
All these legends and folk tales speak of how carefully and with deep respect the local residents treated their land, their small homeland and, of course, Lake Baikal.

And now, guys, we start our quiz. This quiz includes 3 different tasks. Options and answers are suggested in the following materials. ( Annex 1 ). I wish everyone good luck!

Students are divided into 4 teams; For each correct answer you receive 1 point.(Appendix 2 , Appendix 3 , Appendix 4 ).

(For the master class, blanks and markers are required; a simplified drawing of a seal is applied to the stone in five movements)

Teacher: It turned out to be a wonderful Baikal souvenir that you can give as a souvenir to your friends. Now let's continue our story.
The protected areas of Baikal and the Baikal region consist of three reserves (Barguzinsky, Baikalsky, Baikal-Lensky), as well as two state national parks (Pribaikalsky and Transbaikalsky).
- Guys, what is a reserve? (Children's versions)
- Right. A reserve is an area under special state protection in order to preserve rare species of plants and animals, as well as unique natural monuments. Therefore, there are special rules of behavior on the territory of the Pribaikalsky Park. And when you relax on Lake Baikal, remember them.

Children are given instructions on how to behave in nature reserves.(Appendix 5 )

– Guys, let’s follow these rules, and then we will all together help Baikal stay clean and preserve the habitat for different animals and plants.
– Until new interesting meetings!

“The glorious sea is sacred Baikal” - this is how it is sung in a Russian folk song, because Lake Baikal has played an invaluable role in the life of indigenous peoples since time immemorial, and is now the most important natural and recreational wealth of Russia.

Baikal has earned the reputation of the greatest lake in the world, the size of which allows it to be compared with the sea. Possessing unique natural resources, diverse and amazingly beautiful coastal landscapes, Baikal attracts millions of tourists and travelers, whose dreams never fade away with the hope of seeing with their own eyes one of the most famous lakes on the planet.

Geographical location of Lake Baikal

Baikal, located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, is administratively located in two constituent entities of the Russian Federation - the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia. Having an unusual but very picturesque crescent shape, the lake has an incredibly impressive view from space. But it is impossible to see its unusual outlines from the shore due to its enormous size - from southwest to northeast, Baikal stretches for 636 kilometers, and its coastline stretches for 2000 kilometers. The width of Lake Baikal, located at an altitude of 455 meters above sea level, ranges from 27 to 81 kilometers. There are almost three dozen small and large islands on Baikal, the largest and most famous of which is Olkhon, and the smallest is Svyatoy Nos Island.

Hydrological features of Lake Baikal

Baikal is a complex hydrological system that exists in close connection with other water bodies - almost three hundred rivers and small streams flow into the lake. The Selenga River makes the maximum contribution to the water supply of Lake Baikal, delivering more than half of all water to the lake. The only river flowing from Lake Baikal is the Angara.

The water in the lake is characterized by a number of amazing properties: it is very clean, since the concentration of dissolved minerals and suspended matter in it is very low, and the amount of organic impurities is negligible. At the same time, Baikal water is very well saturated with oxygen, which provides favorable conditions for healthy life and development of aquatic inhabitants.

Climatic features of Lake Baikal

Baikal is located in a zone of sharply continental climate, however, thanks to its own microclimate, caused by a combination of mountainous terrain, dense vegetation and temperature-modifying water factors, the weather on the shores of Baikal is much more comfortable than in other regions of Eastern Siberia. In the winter months, when Siberia is bound by severe frosts, Baikal is much warmer, and in the summer there is no such intense heat and drought. In Irkutsk, which is only 60 kilometers away from the lake, the temperature difference at any time of the year is about 10 degrees - more in winter, and less in summer.

In the warm season, the water off the coast of Lake Baikal warms up to +17...+23 degrees, and sometimes higher, which makes it suitable for swimming. In shallow water areas there are beaches and recreation areas that attract travelers and romantic tourists who dream of spending their holidays surrounded by excellent natural landscapes.

The beach season on Lake Baikal starts in mid-June and lasts two months, but the rest of the time tourists have something to do in these parts - fishing, hiking, picnics, eco-tourism and local history expeditions can become an exciting and memorable adventure.

The unsuitable periods of the year for traveling to Baikal are early spring (approximately until mid-May) and late autumn (from mid-October), since at this time there are prolonged cold rains, strong winds blow, and the roads become unsuitable for travel.

Fauna and flora of Lake Baikal

A distinctive feature of the Baikal flora and fauna is endemicity - almost 65% of all animals and plants of Baikal are found only here, thereby constituting a unique ecosystem that requires careful protection.

During its existence, which spans more than 25 million years, Baikal has become the center of origin and habitat for many groups of invertebrates, fish, mammals and other living creatures. Today, scientists count over 2,600 species of animals living in the aquatic and coastal environments of Lake Baikal.

The lake is home to Baikal sturgeon, grayling, pike, omul, whitefish, viviparous fish golomyanka, lenok, ide, davatchan, taimen, burbot, sculpin and other fish, as well as freshwater sponges and mollusks, barnacles and other zooplankton.

The shores of Lake Baikal are an excellent habitat for birds, of which there are 236 species. The most common of them are cormorants, gulls, ducks, swans, geese, waders, eagles, golden eagles, herons and others.

The most widely represented representatives of the animal kingdom on Lake Baikal are the brown bear, freshwater seal - the Baikal seal, sable, reindeer, wapiti, roe deer, musk deer, elk, wild boar, wolverine, lynx, wolf, various rodents, as well as several species of snakes.

Beaches and natural attractions of Baikal

The main tourist center of Lake Baikal is Olkhon Island - this is the only island where people live. Olkhon, whose dimensions are 15 by 75 kilometers, has not only beach areas and tourist centers, but even its own lakes, as well as amazingly beautiful rocks, sand dunes, hills, forests and steppe landscapes. The island's tourist routes cover such natural attractions as Cape Khoboy, Mount Zhima, the coastal areas of Sagan-Khushun and Cape Shaman, and the Hunter's Cave.

Also of great interest to travelers are the Munok thermal springs (the second name is the Talaya springs) in the original village of Ulkan, the legendary Maloye More, the picturesque 50-meter Ukovsky waterfall, the Shaman-stone rock, the “Singing Sands” on the western shore, Bystrinsky waterfalls, Mica lakes , Lake Nuku-Nur, as well as Peschanaya Bay, which has firmly secured the title of “Siberian Riviera”.

In the southern part of the island there are many boarding houses, sanatoriums and tourist recreation centers, where tourists come who want to improve their health, enjoy the unsurpassed beauty and charm of the local nature, and also see the wonderful sights of Lake Baikal.

Cultural sights of Baikal

Among the tourist sites of historical and cultural orientation, Baikal can offer its guests no less interesting places than the attractions that make up its natural potential. Of greatest interest to travelers are the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker located in the village of Listvyanka, the interesting Baikal Seal Garden, the open-air ethnographic museum “Taltsy”, the Kurykan Wall, the Arshansky Datsan, the Irkutsk Architectural and Ethnographic Museum, and the “Buryat Village”.

On the territory of Russia, on the border between the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia, and the hills, there is a beautiful, amazing and mysterious world created by nature itself, Lake Baikal - the pearl of Siberia.

Surrounded by majestic mountains, the water surface is spread over 636 km in the form of a blue giant crescent. The width of the lake ranges from a minimum of 27 km to a maximum of 81 km. The surface area of ​​Baikal is approximately equal to the area of ​​Belgium or Denmark. This is the deepest of all lakes in the world, its maximum depth is 1642 m. Its volume is larger than the volume of the Baltic Sea.

Why Baikal is called the pearl of Siberia

Baikal stores one fifth of all fresh water reserves on the planet. The waters of more than 300 rivers and streams flow into this lake, and only takes its source from Baikal - Angara.

Baikal is rightfully considered the only lake in the world from which you can drink water without pre-treatment. Once water enters a lake, it remains there for hundreds of years. The weak mineralization of the tributaries, the vital activity of the lake’s flora and fauna, and the low temperature ensure exceptional purity of the water and its high oxygen saturation. There are no other open reservoirs with water of this quality left in the world. In spring, the waters of Lake Baikal are so clear that you can see the bottom of the lake at a depth of 40 meters.

The indigenous people call this grandiose reservoir the sea. There are 30 islands, many capes and bays on Baikal. Each bay and each bay is unique and attractive in its beauty.

Thanks to the gigantic volume of water in the Baikal region than in the rest of Eastern Siberia. This circumstance explains the richness of the flora and fauna of the lake. Many species of flora and fauna are not found in nature anywhere else. Baikal waters are inhabited by omul fish, one and a half meter sturgeon weighing more than 100 kg and nerpa - a freshwater seal.

On the shores of the lake live dippers - birds that dive into the water and run along the bottom, getting food. In the reserves you can see the smallest Siberian deer - the musk deer - and the mass exit of brown bears to the water after hibernation. Among the plants there is a 550-year-old cedar and larch of the same age. The uniqueness of this lake is also that cloudless weather reigns over it for most of the year.

Baikal is considered. Scientists give it 25 million years.

The diversity and magnificence of the landscapes around this huge body of water is amazing. The purest transparent water surface of turquoise color, surrounded by picturesque mountains covered with forest. Baikal is the pearl of Siberia, a true treasure of the region. This is a special world where to this day the nature of the lake has retained its pristine nature, where harmony and beauty reign.

Related materials:

Sights of Ryazan

What is Ryazan known for? Thousand-year-old Kremlin and ancient monasteries. But the main treasure does not belong to Ryazan, it only comes into contact with it. Meshchera - enchanted lake-forest...

Tula landmark

The sweetest Tula attractions are gingerbreads, viscous and fragrant. They are patterned on top, and inside there is a filling with the taste of condensed baked milk. Everyone who ends up in Tula...

Baikal Yalta - Listvyanka

In Russia, under the name Listvyanka - 6 rivers, 12 villages, one railway station and one tract. Another Listvyanka river appears only when it rains...

Lake Baikal is the pearl of Siberia.

Goals and objectives of the lesson:

Reveal the uniqueness of Lake Baikal;

Introduce the history of the discovery and study of Lake Baikal;

Deepen and expand knowledge about the natural components of Lake Baikal and their relationships;

Consider the environmental problems of Baikal and ways to solve them.

Equipment:

Physical map of Russia, southern Siberia, presentation “Baikal”.

During the classes:

Organizing time:

Studying a new topic.

(on the board are the words of L.S. Berg - “A miracle of nature in all respects.”)

A primitive kayak and an oar as ancient as the world are all you need to strengthen your body and calm your soul. You will temporarily forget about the existence of cities and villages drowning in gray darkness, about endless affairs and eternal bustle. You will return to where you came from, where you should always be - you will return to Nature. It will be around you in the form of beautiful mountains, meadows, taiga and air filled with the smells of the sea, rocks and flowers, below you - in the form of crystal clear water, above you - in the form of a bottomless blue sky, dazzling white clouds and the hot sun, yielding at night a place of crazy scattering of stars. You will see majestic cliffs in which Time itself has created amazing grottoes and caves, mysterious rock paintings - the creations of distant ancestors, cozy bays and bays. You will see Baikal, you will be able to touch it and try to understand it. To do this, I invite you on a virtual journey around Lake Baikal.

“Whoever has not seen Baikal has never been to Siberia,” say Siberians.

Guys, what do you know about Lake Baikal?

Children's answers.

We will make our trip according to this plan: (Slide)

Plan:

Geographical location of the lake.

History of discovery.

When did the Russians first appear on the lake? XVII century “The Life of Archpriest Avvakum”, Kurbat Ivanov, K. Moskvitin, I.D. Iyersky.

Geological history of origin (formation of the lake basin and the nature of its shores.

Climate.

The uniqueness of the lake water.

Organic world of the lake.

Environmental problems and ways to solve them.

- Guys, look at the map and tell me where Lake Baikal is located?

- (students’ answers)

GP of the lake and its size.

(Slide)

Yes, indeed - Lake Baikal is located in the south of Eastern Siberia, on the border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia. In the shape of a nascent crescent, Baikal stretched from southwest to northeast, (Slide) between 55 47 and 51 28 north latitude and 103 43 and 109 58 east longitude. The lake is located in a kind of hollow, surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills. At the same time, the western coast is rocky and steep, the relief of the eastern coast is flatter (in some places the mountains recede tens of kilometers from the coast). The length of the lake is 636 km, the greatest width in the central part is 81 km, the minimum width opposite the Selenga River delta is 27 km. Baikal is located at an altitude of 455 m above sea level. The length of the coastline is about 2100 km. Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. The greatest depth is 1637 m, the average depth is 730 m. The area of ​​the water surface is 31,479 square km.

History of discovery.

Russians appeared on the shores in 1643 - one of the winterers, the Pentecostal Cossack Kurbat Ivanov, went to Lake Baikal and discovered the island of Olkhon. The Russians finally gained a foothold on the shores of Lake Baikal after the founding of Irkutsk in 1661. IN XVIII century, Irkutsk became the center of Russian development of Eastern Siberia.Information about Baikal came from various sources. The frantic archpriest Avvakum was an exceptionally original personality. Not accepting the new faith, he was exiled by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (1656) to Transbaikalia, to Daury, where he stayed for 10 years. But on the way to Transbaikalia and back, Avvakum described the road, all the hardships of the journey... It was Avvakum who for the first time told in literary form about the nature of Baikal: landforms, vegetation, fish and their characteristics, about the seal, about the people living on the shores of the lake.Information about this is inrecords “The Life of Archpriest Avvakum”

I.D. Chersky contributed to the research and study of Baikal; I.G.Gmelin; L.S. Berg; P.S. Palace, V.A. Obruchev, Jacques Yves Cousteau studied the lake with the help of underwater descent vehicles.

Origin of the name of Lake Baikal.

In the distant past, the peoples inhabiting the shores of Baikal each named the lake in their own way. The origin of the name of the lake is not precisely established. I will give the most common versions of the origin of the word “Baikal”.

Bai-Kul (Turkic) - rich lake;

Baigaal - Dalai (mong) - rich fire;

Baigaal - Nuur (Brut.) - Lake Baigaal;

Bay - Hai (Chinese) - northern sea.

The first Russian explorers of Siberia used the Evenk “Lama” - sea. From the second half XVII century, Russians switched to the Buryat name “Baigaal”. At the same time, they linguistically adapted it to their language, replacing the “G” characteristic of the Buryats with the “k”, which is more familiar to the Russian language, as a result of which the modern name was finally formed.

Rock painting

On the coast of Lake Baikal, a significant number of figurative drawings (in the Buryat language “zurak”), carved on the rocks by the ancient inhabitants of this region, have been preserved.

The subjects of rock paintings are very diverse, but in general they are closely related to the economic activities and worldview of the ancient inhabitants of the region. The drawings do not belong to one nationality, and their age varies.

Ancient artists, when carving rock paintings, pierced the upper crust of the smooth surface of marble-like limestone, darkened with time, and reached a layer of rock of normal white color, untouched by time, so the contours of the images stood out noticeably with their whiteness against the general yellow or gray background of the rock.

The first information about the rock paintings of Baikal was reported by N. N. Aganitov in 1881. However, this researcher sketched only the main, more clearly visible images. Moreover, the drawings were made by him “by eye”, so there are inaccuracies in them.

In 1921, 1923, 1927, 1949 and 1956. The rock paintings of Baikal were examined by the author of the article and prints and photographs were made from them.

During the same time, new rock paintings were discovered on the Baikal shores, which were not reported in the literature.

This article describes the drawings carved on the rocks of the shore of Aya Bay and Mount Sakhyurte, located on the western side of Lake Baikal.

Geological history of the origin (formation) of the lake basin and the nature of its shores.

- Guys, do you know anything about the reasons for the exceptional deepness of Lake Baikal?

After the discovery and study of the lake, scientists still have not come to a general consensus on the origin of the Lake Baikal basin and its age.

There is no doubt that it is located in a rift basin and is similar in structure, for example, to the Dead Sea basin. Some argue that it arose as a result of deep faults and subsequent subsidence of the earth's crust. Others believe that the Baikal depression is a consequence of the slow subsidence of the earth's crust.

Baikal is one of the oldest lakes on Earth. The formation of its basin lasts about 20-25 million years. Baikal acquired its modern shape in about 1 ml. years ago. The formation of the basin has not yet finished. Earthquakes are frequent here, and not only weak and moderate ones. Thus, as a result of a magnitude 10 earthquake in 1862 in the delta of the Selenga River, a significant area of ​​land with an area of ​​200 km was submerged under water. 2 with 6 uluses, in which 1,300 people lived, and Proval Bay, up to 10 meters deep, was formed. The lake is located in a kind of hollow, surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills. At the same time, the western coast is rocky and steep, the relief of the eastern coast is flatter (in some places the mountains recede tens of kilometers from the coast).

- Children, which lake is similar in geological origin to Lake Baikal?

Climate

- Can you name in which climate zone Lake Baikal is located?

Although they like to compare the number of hours of sunshine on Lake Baikal and somewhere on the Riga seaside in guidebooks and reference books, it should be recognized that the weather on Lake Baikal is very specific and the sun shines in a special way. This is due to the fact that Baikal, firstly, is located in a sharply continental climate zone and, secondly, at an altitude of 456 meters above sea level, i.e. Baikal is a mountain lake.

The climate of Lake Baikal and its coast has features of a marine climate and differs significantly from the climate of the surrounding area. In summer, the huge water masses of the lake warm up to a depth of 200-250 m and, like a battery, accumulate a large amount of heat. Therefore, winters on Lake Baikal are milder and summers are cooler than in the rest of the territory.

Irkutsk
+25-30°C (+77-86°F)
-20-25°C (-4-24°F)

Lake Baikal
+15-18°C (+59-64°F)
-12-15°C (+10-5°F)

Ulan-Ude
+25-30°C (+77-86°F)
-20-25°C (-4-24°F)

The sharply continental climate is characterized by harsh winters, short hot summers and a significant day-night temperature difference, which cannot even compensate for the influence of the huge water mass of Lake Baikal. A consequence of the fact that Baikal is located at an altitude of almost half a kilometer is the high intensity of solar radiation. You can burn here completely unnoticed in an hour or two, radically and irrevocably. You shouldn't forget about this.

The most comfortable months for summer holidays on Lake Baikal are July and August. The best summer time is from mid-July to mid-August. Winter, autumn and spring on Baikal are quite cold and uncomfortable seasons, especially the last two, which are characterized by strong, long-lasting winds.

There is wind in the summer too, sometimes quite strong. The danger, even for those on land, is represented by the strongest wind of Lake Baikal - the mountain one, it is capable of lifting poorly secured objects into the air (kayaks and boats, for example), not every tent can withstand its pressure. Sometimes the mountain even knocks down trees. In summer, the mountain air usually does not blow for more than a day, but is almost always accompanied by worsening weather.

The weather in July-August in the area of ​​Olkhon and the Small Sea is usually dry and warm, there are exceptions, but not often. Olkhon Island, according to long-term statistics, is the driest place on Lake Baikal (200 mm of precipitation per year), it has a special microclimate and many sunny days. To the north and south of the Small Sea, more rain falls on the coast (300-500 mm). The “wettest” place is the southeastern part of the Baikal coast in the area of ​​the Khamar-Daban ridge.

Temperatures at the height of summer on the coast of Lake Baikal can reach 25-30 degrees. But at the same time, there can be such a breeze from the mountains that you will want to put on a warm sweater. Coastal breezes that regularly blow from the mountain valleys in the evenings carry very cool air. In northern Baikal at the height of summer it can be quite cool at night (5-10 degrees).

The most unpleasant phenomenon on Lake Baikal, which has been happening in recent years, unfortunately, more and more often, is smoke from forest fires. In 2003, due to the burning taiga, the entire lake was in smoke. Although smoke, as a rule, does not spread across the water, it is very noticeable and significantly reduces visibility - sometimes up to several hundred meters. I would not advise anyone to go to Baikal at this time, especially to take long water trips. Only long rains can save you from this disaster.

. Lake water.

Baikal water is unique and amazing, just like Baikal itself. It is unusually transparent, pure 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 meters (for comparison, in the Sargasso Sea, which is considered the standard of transparency, this value is 65 meters).

The chemical composition of the water is close to distilled - about 100 mg/l of salts. This is about 10 times less than the amount you can taste.

There are several reasons for such purity of water:

-firstly, the shores of the lake are composed of crystalline rocks. They are difficult to wash out and produce little suspension.

Secondly, the lake is inhabited by crustaceans - “janitors” - epishura and macrohyptopus.

Thirdly, water itself is capable of purification.

About 336 rivers and streams flow into the lake. They are the main source of water supply for the lake. These are, for example, Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Turka and others. And only one river - the Angara (a tributary of the Yenisei) flows from Lake Baikal.

Baikal stores 23.6 km in its bowl 3 water, or 20% of all fresh water on Earth. If it were necessary to drain the Baikal basin using a pump equal in power to the Angara River, which has a water flow of 2000 m3 3 per second, it would take about 400 years. And to fill the Baikal basin with water would require the annual flow of all the rivers of the globe.

The water in the lake is cold all year round due to the exceptional depth of this lake. Only in early August on the quietest sunny days does it rise in bays and bays to 18-20 0 C. Despite the severe frosts that begin early in this region of Eastern Siberia, Baikal freezes only in early January, and sometimes later. The thickness of the ice cover can reach 150-200 cm.

Organic world of the lake.

- Which representatives of the fauna of the lake can you remember?

The organic world of Baikal is also unique. About 1,500 species of animals and more than 1,000 species of plants are found in the lake, most of the plants are algae. 70% of the inhabitants of the lake are endemic, i.e. organisms not found anywhere else but in Baikal. Of these, more than 300 species of crustaceans, including over 200 species of amphipods, more than 80 species of mollusks, more than 20 species of fish, one species of mammals - the Baikal seal, several species of sponges.

The lake is characterized by an extremely distinctive and original fauna. These species include the golomyanka, a viviparous fish that does not have scales or a swim bladder. Pinkish white. Translucent, composed mainly of fat. Previously, golomyanka was collected from the surface of the water (it does not sink when dead, since fat is lighter than water) and the fat was melted out of it, which was used for lighting and for medicinal purposes.

Golomyanka is a deep-sea fish, it can descend to a depth of 1000 m, but more often swims at depths of 250-500 m, and at night rises to a depth of 50-100 m. the length of the fish is 18-20 cm.

Of the fish resources of Baikal, the most valuable are grayling, whitefish, and, of course, the famous Baikal omul - a silvery fish with a barely noticeable line from the gills to the tail. In terms of taste, omul has no equal in the lake. Omul is not large in size: the length of the fish is 30-40 cm, and the weight is 2-4 kg. The sculpin goby is also endemic.

The coastal strip is inhabited by dace, Siberian roach, perch, pike, char, ide and other fish species. The largest fish in Baikal is considered to be the Baikal sturgeon. Its weight reaches 130 kg, length - about 2 m.

The only indigenous inhabitant of Baikal waters among mammals is the seal. She looks exactly like a seal that lives in the seas of the Arctic Ocean. The size of males reaches a length of 1.8 m and a weight of 130-150 kg; females are smaller in size; can live up to 55 years. The seal gives birth to its cubs on the shore, in a snowy lair.

The freshwater seal is a mystery to zoologists. Until now, there is no consensus among scientists on how this animal got to Baikal. Some scientists believe that the seal entered Baikal from the Arctic Ocean through the Yenisei-Angara river system during the Ice Age. Other scientists do not exclude the possibility of its penetration along the Lena, which is believed to have flowed from Lake Baikal.

The shores of Lake Baikal are occupied by taiga - cedar, pine, larch. The taiga is inhabited by musk deer, sable, fox, chipmunk, brown bear, elk and others.

In Baikal, there is a continuous process of formation of new varieties and species of organisms unique to this lake.

Problems of Baikal.

The Baikal basin is a complex natural complex in which all its natural components interact. The slightest disruption of relationships can affect the entire complex.

With the construction of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station, for example, the level of Lake Baikal rose by 1 meter. This caused turbidity in the waters, which immediately affected the plankton living in coastal areas. The decrease in the total mass of plankton caused a drop in the number of omul. The rafting of timber along the rivers flowing into Baikal had an effect. In this case, some of the logs inevitably sink. As they decompose, they pollute the lake water.

In 1966, production began at the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill, as a result of which the adjacent bottom areas of the lake began to degrade.

The waters of the lake are no longer capable of self-purification. As a result, pollution is increasing. Dioxides were found in zooplankton, Baikal fish, and eggs of birds nesting along the coast. They belong to the category of particularly dangerous, persistent pollutants. Dioxides are capable of destroying the normal activity of cells of a living organism and changing them. This is very dangerous for humans. No wonder they are called “hormones of premature aging”

Sources of dioxide pollution are:

oxidation and combustion of organic substances;

metallurgy;

chemical industry;

pulp and paper industry;

"wild" tourism.

Therefore, the Russian government is taking measures to protect and rationally use the resources of Lake Baikal. They are set out in special regulations. They provide for the establishment of a water protection zone for Lake Baikal. The state took under its protection forests, soils, rivers, as well as the lake itself. Nature reserves have been created on the shores of the Baikal islands, the oldest of which is the Barguzinsky reserve, as well as the Baikalsky, Baikal-Lensky, and Dterginsky reserves. Two national parks have also been created on its banks - Pribaikalsky and Transbaikalsky.

On December 5, 1996, at the 20th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held in the Mexican city of Merida, Baikal was included in the Natural Heritage List.

Necessary environmental measures.

Regulate logging in river basins flowing into the lake;

Prohibit logging on the slopes of ridges facing Lake Baikal;

Prohibit mole rafting of wood on rivers;

Construct treatment facilities at enterprises located on the shores of the lake and rivers flowing into the lake;

Create recreation centers with organized visits to the lake by tourists;

Raise the ecological culture of the population.

Guys, what is the significance of Lake Baikal for humans and for nature? How is it different from other lakes? And is it necessary to spend so much effort and money on protecting the lake?

Securing the topic.

I'll ask you a few questions and you try to answer them.

The numbers are written here. I ask you to decipher them within 2 minutes.

636 km. - length of Baikal

25 million years - age of Baikal

31.5 thousand km. 2 - mirror area

23 thousand km 3 - volume of water

1637 m - greatest depth

40 m - Secchi disk visible - transparency

730 m. - Wed. depth

25-80 km - smallest and greatest width

2630 km. - coastline length

70% are endemic

20% is the Earth's fresh water.

A. Tvardovsky writes:

In its shining expanse,

In depths thicker than centuries,

His habits are like the sea

And the review is in maritime dialect.

Why is Baikal often called the sea?

(due to its size)

And he himself is majestic and eternal,

In a carved granite frame,

And everything is illuminated to the bottom,

And every bit of it is dear.

Is everything “transparent to the bottom”?

What is the transparency of Lake Baikal?

(a disk with a diameter of 30 cm is hidden in the water at a depth of 40 meters).

Yu. Efremov writes:

It was not the prisoner who asked to be released,

It was not the murmuring cedar that collapsed -

The broken ice, tilting, hummocked

From the tension of the swaying depths!

What do you think this is about?

(Baikal is located in a seismic zone. Earthquakes are possible).

Clean, clean crystal bowl

It lies between steep rocks,

Our blue pearl

The legendary sea Baikal.

Why is Baikal “pure, pure”?

A.I.Ivanova:

I look to tomorrow with anxiety:

Will omul and seal live there?

So that his water does not “cellulose...”

(Baikalsky and Selenginsky pulp and paper mills)

Summary and summary of the lesson:

I want to end the lesson with the words of N. Nadezhdina from an article in the Lenskaya Pravda newspaper: “Our law states that the people themselves must protect nature - their wealth. The people are you and me, our whole country - both adults and children. And change must start with yourself.