mouth of the Lena River begins at 150 km from the coast of the Laptev Sea, after it, bypassing the island pillar, is divided into a plurality of flow (more than 150).They run up a huge fan of the area of 45 500 km2, forming a classical river delta.
We begin the description of the river from the beginning - from its source.This characteristic parameters will be taken from the information officially documented Water Registry of Russia.
Source of the river
Negedeen small lake, according to data from the State Registry of water, is the source of the Lena River.It is 7 km from Lake Baikal, the west side of the foot of a nameless mountain Baikal ridge with a mark 2023 m. The coordinates of the source determine the value: the northern latitude of 53 degrees 56 minutes east longitude 108 degrees 5 minutes.Administratively, this area Kachugsky District of the Irkutsk Region.It begins the great Siberian river with a small stream that can go five years kid.There channel Lena subject peremerzaniyu and drying.But after pouring into it the first tributaries, it becomes a constant flow.
origins and estuary
Lena is located in Eastern Siberia.The river flows through the Irkutsk Region and Yakutia, taking inflows from Trans-Baikal, Buryatia, Krasnoyarsk and Khabarovsk.
Zero value marked the height of the mouth of the river.Lena has a length of 4294 km - this distance is registered in the public register of surface water bodies in Russia.The total drop of 1650 meters - the difference watermarks between the source (1650 m) and the mouth (0 m).Averaged slope is 0.38 m / km.Theoretically, this means that with every kilometer in the direction of flow of the river the earth's surface is reduced by an average of 38 cm. In fact, the slope channel and the rate of flow in the upper reaches of the river are much greater than the value of the hydrological characteristics of the mouth of the Lena River.These characteristics depend on the terrain.
Upper
in different geographical conditions are the source and the mouth of the river.Lena begins in the mountainous system Predbajkalja, then crosses Patom Highlands overlooks the Prilenskoye plateau and descends in the Central Yakut Plain.Therefore watercourse conditionally divided into three roughly equal parts.The first of them - the upper reaches of the Lena River, from the beginning to the confluence of the river Vitim.The length is 1580 km.Mark mouth Vitim - 176 m, therefore the average slope of the upper part of the Lena 0.93 m / km.The river bed in the upper winding rapids, takes place in the mountains of the valley of a constrained.When approaching the Vitim becomes wide (up to 2 km) and deep (up to 12 m), sometimes broken into islands sleeves.The river valley is asymmetrical with a strong floodplain terraces and extends outwards in places up to 30 km.Shallow left bank - a Central Siberian Plateau.The right bank is steep and high - margin Patom Highlands.The slopes on both sides are covered with taiga, sometimes replaced by meadows.
average for
This part of the Lena River in 1415 km length is limited to the mouths of major tributaries, from its confluence with the Vitim (elevation 176 m) to the Aldan (elevation 72 m).The slope averages 0,074 m / km.Vitim Lena after becoming a full-flowing river.After confluence at 2089 km from the mouth of the River Lena Olekma valley narrows.Rocky shores, they are composed of limestone.It Lena Pillars - otvesny they have fancy shapes.In Pokrovskii Lena sees the plain, the valley widens to 20 km or more, floodplain encompasses a bandwidth of up to 15 km.Slows the flow - 1.5 m / s to 0.5 m / s.
Downstream
From the mouth of the Aldan and the Laptev Sea extends to the lower Lena.The length of this part of the river - 1,300 kilometers.With the confluence of powerful tributaries (Aldan and Vilyuya) Lena becomes a river giant.The width of its single-arm channel to a depth of 20 m reaches up to 10 km, and there, where the island formation, up to 25 km.The river majestic - it slows down because of the slight slope, constituting the bottom of the river 0.05 m / km or less.
mouth of the Lena River
Photos from space show the beauty and scale of the largest river delta of the Northern Hemisphere.His area it surpasses the famous mouth of the Nile at the 20 th. Km2.The peak of the delta is the pillar of the island, 150 km from the coast.The bed of the Lena River is divided into one hundred and fifty channel.The largest of them are three: Olenek (limiting delta to the west), Bykovskaya (eastern) and Trofimovskaya (medium), for which the dumping at sea of 70% of annual runoff.Shipping is carried out by Bykovskaya channel, on which the sea port of Tiksi.
Since 1986, the mouth of the Lena acquired the status of Biosphere Reserve Russia - Ust-Lensky.This unique habitat tundra, presented dozens of species of Red plants, mammals, 32 species.Where mass nesting waterfowl returning here every year for reproduction and molting.Ichthyofauna diverse and rich.
Hydrology
Lena catchment area - 2.49 million km2.The annual volume of runoff in different years ranges from 490 to 540 km3.The average annual expenditure on gauging stations at the mouth of the Lena River ranged from 15.5 to 17.8 thousand. M3 / s.
Power River give precipitation, distributed in the volume about equally between snow melt and rain.The share of groundwater recharge accounts for less than 2%, due to permafrost.
to the river is characterized by a high spring tide, passing several large flood in the summer and autumn-winter low water with reduced water flow in the lower reaches up to 370 m3 / s.
Lena Ice mode is different from other rivers by a thick layer of ice strong, emerging in a long and cold winter with little snow.In the upper reaches of the period without ice covering the river lasts up to six months in the lowlands - a month or two less.Freeze-up occurs in the upper end of October, and in the lower reaches - the end of September.Reveals the ice begin from the upper to the middle of May, and in June - at the mouth of the Lena River.In excess of meters above low tide level reaches values of between 8 and 18, causing flooding of low areas and emergencies in the settlements along the river.
Unique landscapes
primitive beauty and wealth of nature as at the source and at the mouth of the Lena River, impressive.But especially look fabulous coast in the National Nature Park "Lena Pillars", is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Lena Pillars start at 180 km from Yakutsk upstream and extend for many kilometers along the right bank and places on the left bank.
Geological and topographical phenomena are steep limestone cliffs up to 200 m. Fantastic outlines pillars resulted in awe of ancient man, admire them, and modern tourists.Another miracle is the purest and lightest mountain flowing sand-tukulans.At the mouth of the influx of Deering Yuryakh found prehistoric man.In the park discovered the fossils of ancient life: the remains of a mammoth, buffalo and rhinos.
interesting legends heard from local residents and the mouth of the Lena River.The underground city with streets and eternal lights, according to the locals, is located near the sea.It is necessary only to find it a secret entrance.Also they say that the island pillar in the delta apex in the Great Patriotic War German submarine pestered.
