Lake Ladoga belongs to the basin of which sea. Lake Ladoga: facts. Why it is necessary to visit Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga (has the second name Ladoga, previously referred to as Nevo) is considered the largest freshwater reservoir in Russia. Ladoga is only slightly inferior in popularity to Lake Baikal, known all over the world. Hundreds of tourists come to its coast every year to enjoy the wonderful views and capture the beauty of this place.
In this article, you will learn the main features of this reservoir - where it is located, what characteristics it has, what surrounds the lake, what flora and fauna there is, what it is like in winter and summer.
Lake Ladoga belongs to two territories - the eastern and northern shores are located in the Republic of Karelia, and the southern and western shores please residents Leningrad region... The lake belongs to the basins of the Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea.
Specifications
Lake area
If we take the total area of Ladoga, then we get an impressive figure - 17 870 km², and if we also take into account the islands, then we get 18 320 km². The volume of water in the lake is 838 km³. The maximum recorded width is 125 kilometers, and the total coastal length is as much as 1,570 kilometers.
The height above sea level is small - only 4.8 meters, but the depth is dozens more. It is impossible to accurately measure the depth throughout the lake, it is uneven - in the northern part the range in numbers is from 70 to 220 meters, in the southern part - from 19 to 70 meters. But we managed to measure the greatest depth, in Lake Ladoga it is 230 meters.
Water temperature
Like the entire Leningrad region, Lake Ladoga is in a cold and rainy haze all year round. The average water temperature in warm periods of the year is about +19. In autumn it drops to +10 degrees, and in winter frosts it drops to -3 degrees. In August, if the year turned out to be successful, on the surface of the lake you can catch a temperature of +24 degrees, but closer to the bottom it will be only +17 degrees. At a depth of more than 200 meters, the water temperature is almost always equal to +3, +4.
The nature of Ladoga
The northern and eastern coast (Karelia) belongs to the middle taiga zone, and part of the lake in the Leningrad region belongs to the southern taiga subzone. The northern subzone is characterized by the appearance of mosses and shrubs (mainly bilberries, blueberries), an abundance of spruce forests; dark coniferous forests are inherent in the southern part, linden and maple are sometimes found, but the moss cover is less developed.
In Ladoga, scientists have more than 110 species of aquatic plants. There are more than 76 subspecies of blue-green algae alone, and there are also green algae and diatoms. Together with the violent underwater world planktonic animals also found shelter. The lake is home to cladocera copepods, rotifers, daphnia, cyclops, water mites, a wide variety of worms, molluscs and other crustaceans.
The waters of Ladoga are rich not only in mites and single-celled organisms, more than 50 species of fish are found here. For example, Ladoga slingshot, trout, whitefish, salmon, bream, smelt, rudd, pike perch, catfish, syrt, asp, palia, roach, perch, pike, sturgeon, silver bream, burbot and many others. The richest area of the lake in seafood is the shallow southern zone, where the depth is only 20 meters. But in the northern deep-water area, the catch will be less diverse.
In addition to fish, this reservoir can show tourists more than 200 species of birds. The most attractive place for birds to live is the southern zone, however, many birds can be seen in Karelia as well. On the territory of Lake Ladoga there are: gulls, river ducks, geese, swans, cranes and sandpipers, eagle owls, toadstools, short-eared owls, osprey, fawn, herbalists, golden plovers and even a white-tailed eagle.
Lake Ladoga has become a habitat for the world's only pinniped, the Ladoga ringed seal (a special subspecies of the ringed seal). In total, there are about 4,000 of them in the world, so these animals are listed in the Red Book and are strictly protected by law.
Cities
The following cities are located on the shores of the lake itself: Priozersk, Novaya Ladoga, Sortavala, Shlisselburg, Pitkyaranta and Lakhdenpohja. The largest of them are Priozersk and Novaya Ladoga, although the number of people there does not exceed 50 thousand.
Larger cities are located near Lake Ladoga, for example, St. Petersburg. From the northern capital of Russia, you can get to Lake Ladoga in various ways, ranging from public transport(electric trains, buses, trains, ferries) and ending with the movement by car. At the same time, the travel time will be no more than three hours, and if you use a car and plot the correct route on the map, you can manage it in one and a half.
From the northern part, the closest city to Ladoga is Petrozavodsk. It can also be reached from there by car or public transport. However, the road will take a little more than 4 hours.
Climate and seasons of Lake Ladoga
It is no secret for avid tourists that Ladoga looks extremely inhospitable during the autumn and winter months. Even in Karelia, where all around there are picturesque rocks and wildflowers wading among thick grass, Lake Ladoga is inhospitable.
In cold periods, an arctic anticyclone operates on the lake, which carries strong gusts of wind, a storm, prolonged rains and freezing temperatures. In October, the storm season begins, it becomes damp and wet, and frequent fog appears on the lake. The only outlet for lovers of autumn holidays is September, this month Ladoga is more or less ready to share its beauty - heavy rains do not come often, the water surface is calm and clean, the air retains a piece of summer.
In summer, the reservoir graciously welcomes guests with a southern anticyclone, delighting with picturesque places and clear water. Only seasoned people will be able to swim here, but everyone will be able to enjoy the beauty. The average air temperature in July and August exceeds +20 degrees, so tourists will certainly be able to capture the sun glare playing on the surface of Ladoga.
In the European part of Russia, in the Republic of Karelia and the Leningrad region.
The ancient name of the lake is Lake Nebo (Nestorov Chronicle of the 12th century), and in the old Scandinavian sagas and agreements with Hanseatic cities, the lake is called Aldoga. The modern name of the lake appeared at the beginning of the 13th century, there are several versions of its origin, but none of them has been unambiguously confirmed.
Ladoga is the largest freshwater lake in Europe, the largest lake in Karelia and the Leningrad region and the third lake in Russia (after the Caspian Sea and Baikal) in terms of water surface area. The area of Lake Ladoga with islands is 18.3 thousand km 2, the water surface is 17.9 thousand km 2, the volume is 838 km 3, the length is 219 km, the maximum width is 125 km, the length of the coastline is 1570 km, maximum depth 230 m in the northern part of the basin between the Valaam and Western archipelagos of the islands, the height of the water surface above sea level is 5.1 m. Lake Ladoga was formed about 10 thousand years ago, after filling the melting edge of the glacial shield. Its northern shores are composed of crystalline rocks, high and highly dissected; the peninsulas continue in chains of islands, forming a skerry type of coast. To the south, the coast becomes low and flat, bordered by narrow beaches with boulders, in small bays overgrown with near-water vegetation. The southern part of the coast consists of three large shallow bays: the Svirskaya Bay and the Volkhovskaya Bay, into which the largest tributaries flow, and the Petrokrepost Bay with the source of the Neva. There are more than 660 islands in Lake Ladoga, the largest are Riekkalansari (55 km 2), Mantinsari (39 km 2), Kilpole (32 km 2), Tulolansari (30 km 2) and Valaam (28 km 2). Lake Ladoga is the main body of water in the European system of great lakes, which includes lakes Saima (Finland), Onega and Ilmen. The waters of this system flow down the Neva into the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. The catchment area of Lake Ladoga is 282.7 thousand km 2, including the catchment areas of these three lakes and many more small ones, with a small own drainage basin equal to 48.3 thousand km 2 (17%).
Every year, Lake Ladoga receives an average of 83 km 3 of water, 70% of which is lake water masses flowing along the river. Svir from Lake Onega, along the river. Vuokse from the lake. Saimaa and along the river. Volkhov from the lake. Ilmen. The runoff of each of them is regulated by hydroelectric power plants and amounts to about 20 km 3 / year. Another 16% is the inflow of 16 small rivers and 14% is atmospheric precipitation. 9% of the water of the expenditure part of the water balance evaporates, the rest of the water is the runoff of the river. Not you. The water exchange time is about 10 years. The average range of intra-annual changes in the water level in Lake Ladoga is 69 cm (from 21 in the low-water 1940 to 126 cm in the high-water 1962).
The main tributaries of Lake Ladoga (large and medium rivers)
| Inflow | Length | Basin area (km 2) |
|---|---|---|
| Swir | 220 | 83200 |
| Volkhov | 224 | 80200 |
| Vuoksa | 156 | 68700 |
| Syas | 260 | 7330 |
| Janisjoki | 70 | 3900 |
| Olonka | 87 | 2620 |
In spring, after clearing the ice from the south coast bays at the end of April - the first half of May, the coastal shallow waters are intensively warmed up by the already warm air and solar radiation, as well as the relatively warm water of the floods of small rivers. The water temperature in the southern area of the water area usually rises above 4 ° С by May 15, and 2.5-3 ° С on the surface of the deep-water area. A thermal bar () arises between warm and cold water masses. With further heating of the water, the thermobar moves to the center slowly along the northern steep slope (0.05–0.1 km / day) and faster along the southern gentle slope at a speed of 1.3–1.5 km / day. It prevents the mixing of river water masses with the main water mass itself. Therefore, the Volkhov flood waters and Svir waters move to the north along the eastern coast, and the least mineralized Saimaa waters from the mouth of the river. Vuoksi along the western bank to the south and further to the Neva. The thermobar disappears in late June - early July near the Valaam archipelago, when the surface water layer 20–40 m thick warms up to 10–15 ° С. Under the lower layer of the temperature jump, in summer, from a depth of 30–40 m and down to the bottom, water heats up only to 5 ° C. With autumn cooling, its upper layer cools down, the temperature jump layer sinks until October, and then disappears at a temperature close to 4 ° C. The time of the disappearance of the thermobar is variable, because when the windy weather sets in in summer, drift currents and waves mix the river water masses and the main lake water in the upper layer, renewing its chemical composition and leveling the distribution of plankton over the water area. In summer, this water mass dominates in the flow of the Neva, and during the freeze-up period, the most mineralized Volkhov waters are added to it. With a wind of 18 m / s near the Valaam Islands, the wave height reached 5.8 m, surges in the windward sections of the coast raise the water by 0.2–0.5 m. Shallow waters freeze in October, and the edge of the ice cover gradually shifts to the deepest central region until mid-January, when full freeze-up sets in during frosty winters, lasting until the end of February. In winters with frequent thaws, the lake partially freezes, and 20–40% of its surface above the greatest depths remains open. In such winters, the heat storage of the main water mass is minimal, and its spring-summer heating is longer.
The mineralization of the main water mass is low (64 mg / l), the Svirskaya - even less, the Vuoksinskaya - half as much, and the Volkhovskaya - 1.5 times more. Over the past 30 years of the XX century. the mineralization of the lake's waters increased by 16% due to natural causes and pollution by sewage. The composition of the water is hydrocarbonate-sulphate-calcium, the water is transparent, due to which the development of plankton is possible to a depth of 8–12 m. In the Volkhov Bay, the transparency of the polluted water is half as much. The oxygen content in the Ladoga water is high, and in its surface layer there was even a supersaturation with oxygen released during the reproduction of microalgae. Self-purification of water masses is facilitated by coastal thickets of higher aquatic vegetation (more than 100 species), mainly reed, which occupy about 5% of the shallow water area. In total, about 600 species of aquatic plants and 400 species of aquatic animals were found in Lake Ladoga, many of which feed on phytoplankton, bacteria and other organic particles that pollute the water. Ichthyofauna is very diverse (53 species and varieties), it consists of salmon, lake trout, whitefish, char, pike perch, vendace, etc., the total biomass is estimated at 140 kg / ha. Atlantic sturgeon and Volkhov whitefish are listed in the Red Book of Russia. The most fish-producing shallow waters to a depth of 10-15 m southern region, where fishing is carried out, and the least fish-producing northern skerries. There are no commercial fish aggregations deeper than 40–50 m.
Lake Ladoga serves as a source of water supply for St. Petersburg, as a waterway to the White Sea-Baltic and Volga-Baltic shipping canals. In 1976-1983. the anthropogenic impact on the lake has sharply increased due to the development of industry and agriculture on the territory of its own drainage basin of Lake Ladoga and its coast. In order to reduce the pollution of lake waters in 1986 north of the mouth of the river. Vuoksy closed the large Priozersk Pulp and Paper Mill, after which there was a tendency to a decrease in the content of polluting organic substances and phosphorus in the water, causing water bloom - the reproduction of blue-green algae. Regular studies of the water regime, the chemical composition of water, and the ecological state of lake water masses, begun in 1957, are underway.
On the shores of Lake Ladoga are the cities of Priozersk, Novaya Ladoga, Shlisselburg in the Leningrad Region, Sortavala, Pitkyaranta, Lakhdenpohja in the Republic of Karelia.
Lake Ladoga is a lake in Karelia (northern and eastern shores) and the Leningrad region (western, southern and southeastern shores), the largest freshwater lake in Europe. Belongs to the Atlantic Ocean Baltic Sea basin. The area of the lake without islands is from 17.6 thousand km 2 (with islands 18.1 thousand km 2); the volume of the water mass - 908 km 3; length from south to north - 219 km, maximum width - 138 km. The depth varies unevenly: in the northern part it ranges from 70 to 230 m, in the southern - from 20 to 70 m.On the shores of Lake Ladoga are the cities of Priozersk, Novaya Ladoga, Shlisselburg in the Leningrad Region, Sortavala, Pitkyaranta, Lakhdenpokhya in Karelia. 35 rivers flow into Lake Ladoga, and only one originates - the Neva. In the southern half of the lake there are three large bays: Svirskaya, Volkhovskaya and Shlisselburgskaya bays. Climate The climate over Lake Ladoga is temperate, transitional from temperate continental to temperate marine. This type of climate is explained geographic location and atmospheric circulation typical for the Leningrad region. This is due to the relatively small amount of incoming earth surface and into the atmosphere of the sun's heat. Due to the small amount of solar heat, moisture evaporates slowly. There are on average 62 sunny days per year. Therefore, for most of the year, days with cloudy, cloudy weather, diffused lighting prevail. The length of the day varies from 5 hours 51 minutes at the winter solstice to 18 hours 50 minutes at the summer solstice. Above the lake, the so-called "white nights" are observed, which come on May 25-26, when the sun drops below the horizon by no more than 9 °, and the evening twilight practically merges with the morning twilight. White nights end on July 16-17. In total, the duration of the white nights is more than 50 days. The amplitude of the monthly average sums of direct solar radiation on a horizontal surface with a clear sky is from 25 MJ / m2 in December to 686 MJ / m2 in June. Cloudiness reduces on average per year the arrival of total solar radiation by 21%, and direct solar radiation by 60%. The average annual total radiation is 3156 MJ / m 2. The number of hours of sunshine is 1628 per year.
Noticeable impact on climatic conditions the lake itself renders. This is characterized by the smoothing out of the extreme values of climatic characteristics, as a result of which the continental air masses, passing over the surface of the lake, acquire the character of sea air masses. The average air temperature in the area of Lake Ladoga is +3.2 ° C. The average temperature of the coldest month (February) is 8.8 ° C, the warmest (July) +16.3 ° C. Average annual precipitation is 475 mm. The smallest monthly amount of precipitation falls in February - March (24 mm), the highest - in September (58 mm). During the year, westerly and southwesterly winds prevail in most of Lake Ladoga. The average monthly wind speed in the open part of the lake and on most islands from October to January is February 6-9 m / s, in other months 4-7 m / s. On the coast, the average monthly wind speed varies from 3 to 5 m / s. Calms are rare. In October, on Lake Ladoga, storm winds are often observed at a speed of more than 20 m / s, maximum speed the wind reaches 34 m / s. Breezes are observed along the entire coast in summer on calm sunny days and clear nights. The lake breeze starts at about 9 am and lasts until 8 pm, its speed is 2-6 m / s; It extends 9-15 km inland. Fogs are observed most often in spring, late summer and autumn.
The bottom relief of Lake Ladoga is characterized by an increase in depth from south to north. The depth varies unevenly: in the northern part it ranges from 70 to 230 m, in the southern - from 20 to 70 m. Average depth lakes - 50 m, the largest - 233 m (north of the island of Valaam). The bottom of the northern part is uneven, riddled with depressions, while the southern part is quieter and more smooth. Lake Ladoga ranks eighth among the deepest lakes in Russia. Transparency at west coast Lake Ladoga 2-2.5 m, at the eastern coast 1-2 m, in the estuarine areas 0.3-0.9 m, and towards the center of the lake it increases to 4.5 m.The lowest transparency was observed in the Volkhov Bay (0.5 -1 m), and the largest is to the west of the Valaam Islands (8-9 m in summer, over 10 m in winter). There are constant waves on the lake. During strong storms, the water "boils" in it, and the waves are almost entirely covered with foam. In the water regime, surge phenomena are characteristic (fluctuations in the water level by 50-70 cm annually, up to a maximum of 3 m), seiches (up to 3-4 m), wave heights during storms up to 6 m.The lake freezes in December (coastal part) - February (central part), opened in April - May. central part covered with solid ice only in very severe winters. Due to the long and strong winter cooling, the water in the lake is very cold even in summer; it warms up only in the thin upper layer and in the coastal strip. The temperature regime differs in the central deep-water part of the lake and on the coast. The water temperature at the surface in August is up to 24 ° C in the south, 18-20 ° C in the center, at the bottom about 4 ° C, in winter under ice 0-2 ° C. The water is fresh and clean (except for areas contaminated with industrial wastewater), minerals and salts are dissolved in negligible amounts. Water belongs to the hydrocarbonate class (low content of calcium and magnesium salts, slightly more nickel, aluminum).
In Lake Ladoga, 378 species and varieties of planktonic animals were identified. More than half of the species are rotifers. A fourth of the total number of species are protozoa, and 23 percent falls together on cladocerans and copepods. The most common zooplankton species in the lake are daphnia and cyclops. A large group of aquatic invertebrates lives at the bottom of the lake. In Ladoga, 385 species were found (mainly various crustaceans). The first place in the composition of benthic fauna belongs to insect larvae, which account for more than half of all species of benthic animals - 202 species. Next come worms (66 species), water mites, or hydrocarina, molluscs, crustaceans and others. The lake is rich in freshwater fish, which go to the rivers for spawning. In Lake Ladoga, 53 species and varieties of fish live: Ladoga slingshot, salmon, trout, char, whitefish, vendace, smelt, bream, damp, blue bream, silver bream, rudd, asp, catfish, pike perch, roach, perch, pike, burbot and others ... Human impact on the reservoir reduces the number of valuable fish - salmon, trout, char, lake-river whitefish and others, and the Atlantic sturgeon and Volkhov whitefish are listed in the Red Book of Russia. The most productive areas include the shallow southern part of the lake with depths of up to 15-20 m, where the main fishing is concentrated, and the northern skerry area is the least productive. From Gulf of Finland sturgeon passes through the lake along the Neva for spawning in the Volkhov and other rivers. Along the southern and southeastern shores of Lake Ladoga, pike perch is found. Salmon inhabits the lake, which in autumn goes to rivers, where it spawns. Whitefish, Siberian sturgeon and other fish are bred in Lake Ladoga and Volkhov. In the Ladoga area, 256 bird species belonging to 17 orders are regularly found. More than 50 species of birds were recorded here during the transit flight in spring and autumn. The migration links of the Ladoga area cover the space from Iceland to India and from southern Africa to Novaya Zemlya. The most attractive territories for birds are the southern Ladoga area. Here on the migration there are grebes, swans, geese, ducks, sandpipers, gulls, terns, cranes and shepherds, as well as nesting sites of river ducks, tufted ducks, red-headed duck, gulls, terns, large and medium curlews, great gulls, herbalists, golden plovers and other sandpipers, gray crane, white-tailed eagle, osprey, red fawn, eagle owl, gray owl, short-eared owl and a number of other birds. The northern skerries are a nesting place for the gray-cheeked grebe, great and medium-sized merganser, gulls (including sea gulls and blackbirds), terns (including Arctic terns), sandpipers and many other species; during migration, there are accumulations of arctic ducks and waders. The only representative of pinnipeds, the Ladoga ringed seal, lives in Lake Ladoga. The number of seals in the lake is estimated at 4000-5000 heads (according to 2000 data). The species is listed in the Red Book.
Ladoga lake is the largest freshwater lake on the European continent. For Russia, this lake is of great industrial, ecological and historical importance. Another variant of the name is Ladoga.
If you look at the map, you can see that the shores of Lake Ladoga belong to two Russian regions: the Republic of Karelia and the Leningrad Region. That is, it is located in the European part of the country.
On the north side Ladogi the shores are high, rocky, their relief is quite indented, which explains the presence of a large number of peninsulas, bays, and small islets here. From the south of Ladoga, the lake is surrounded by low, gentle, more even shores. The largest bays are also located here: Volkhovskaya, Svirskaya, Shlisselburgskaya lips. The eastern coast is also not very rugged, there are sandy beaches. In the west, the coastline is almost flat. Mixed forests, bushes grow here, near the water on land there are many large stones, which also cover the bottom under water for a rather distant distance.
Bring their waters into Ladoga lake 35 rivers, but only one flows out. The largest river that brings water is the Svir. What river flows from Lake Ladoga? This is the famous Neva, on which the second most important city stands Russian Federation- St. Petersburg. Some rivers bring water to Ladoga from other lakes, such as Onega or Ilmen.
The lake has a large number of islands - at least five hundred. The largest islands Ladogi together they constitute the Valaam archipelago. The largest single island is Riekkalansari. Also large island is Konevets, where the famous monastery was built, as well as on Valaam.
Dimensions, length and depth of Ladoga
The depth of Lake Ladoga is uneven throughout its entire territory - it increases from south to north. The maximum depth of Lake Ladoga is 233 m. The average figure is much lower - 50 m. In the north of Lake Ladoga, its depth varies from 70 to 230 m, and in the south - from 20 to 70.
The area of Ladoga is 17.87 thousand square meters. km. The volume of water in Lake Ladoga is 838 cubic meters. km. The length from north to south of the lake is 219 km, at its widest point Ladoga stretches for 125 km.
Climatic features of the area
Lake Ladoga is mainly characterized by a temperate climate. In the geographical area where Lake Ladoga is located, not so much sunlight penetrates during the year. Therefore, the evaporation of water from Ladoga is rather slow. Most of the days of the year are cloudy and overcast here.
Between late May and mid-July, Lake Ladoga you can observe the famous phenomenon of "white nights", when at night the sun practically does not set over the horizon.
Throughout the year, westerly and south-westerly winds blow on Ladoga. In winter, Lake Ladoga freezes until the end of spring, but is completely covered with ice only in the coldest winters. Such a long glaciation affects the water temperature throughout the rest of the year. The average water temperature here is low: at depth it stays at 4 ° C, and on the surface Lake Ladoga depending on the season and area it can be in the range from 2 ° C to 24 ° C. The water is not as clear as on Lake Baikal, but this may be due to the fact that many species of algae, small plankton live in it, and constant storms disturb its surface, whipping up the foam.
The history of Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga was formed as a result of the melting of glaciers and over the course of several thousand years, its outlines were formed and changed.
Until the 13th century, the lake was called Nevo, which, apparently, was directly related to the name of the Neva River. Then it was called Lake Ladoga, taking the name from the city of Ladoga located here. Many objects in this area have names originating from the Karelian language. But the most probable explanation for the name "Ladoga" is considered to be the Finnish versions - from the ancient words denoting water or the concept of "lower", which are consonant with Ladoga. The name Nevo also has Finnish roots and can mean "swamp". It is possible that in those days the lake gave rise to the name itself, in this area there are many traces of swamps.
Along Lake Ladoga, starting from the 9th century from Scandinavia, the water part of the route "From the Varangians to the Greeks" passed through the territory of Europe to the country of Byzantium. In the VIII century, the city of Ladoga was erected here, soon other cities and fortresses began to appear here. At the end of the XIV century, the famous Valaam Monastery was founded on the islands of the same name; to this day, its buildings are the pearl of wooden architecture.
For many years there was a war with the Swedish state for part of the land lying on the shore of the lake. Peter I managed to achieve the fact that Ladoga became Russian. In 1721, according to an agreement with the Swedes, concluded after the war, the coast of Lake Ladoga went entirely to Russia.
To make navigation on Ladoga more accessible, a canal was built here.
During the difficult war years from 1939 to 1944. the Ladoga flotilla was based in Lake Ladoga, which fought in its waters. In 1941-1944. more than half of the coast of Lake Ladoga was occupied by enemy troops. From September 1941 to March 1943, the Road of Life ran across the ice of Ladoga - the only way along which provisions and necessary things could be delivered to besieged Leningrad. The removal of people was also organized along it; in total, about 1.3 million people took advantage of the evacuation.
Thus, Ladoga is a lake that is of particular importance for Russian history.
Ecology of Lake Ladoga
Basically, the waters of Ladoga are very clean, but there are problem areas. This is largely due to the development of industrial zones next to Lake Ladoga, as well as with the aftermath of the Second World War. During the war, tests of radioactive weapons took place in this area and on some islands. In particular, the reaction of animals to the consequences of its use was studied. In addition, many sunken warships and planes with ammunition create an unfavorable radiation background.
The number of contaminated sites is growing. About 600 industrial enterprises operate on the shores of Ladoga, which pollute the air, dump industrial waste into the Ladoga River and others, which then bring them into the lake. By the way, the correct answer to the question - Ladoga is a river or a lake is that it is both. There is a river and also a city with that name. At the same time, historians claim that first the river received its name, then the city, and only after that Lake Nevo was renamed.
The pollution of Lake Ladoga is currently considered to be at a moderate level. In some places, there is an excess of radiation standards - where previously tests of supplies were carried out, as well as those closest to nuclear and other industrial enterprises.
Nature and fauna of Lake Ladoga
The nature of Lake Ladoga is very beautiful, this place is very famous among tourists, travelers as a place for recreation and hiking. Majestic cliffs, mountains, pine forests - it all creates unique image of this place. Rare plants and animals are found in various nature reserves of Ladoga. Despite the difficult climate, even some southern plant species grow here, and in the north - typical representatives of the tundra (saxifrage). Forests on Lake Ladoga are not only coniferous, but also broad-leaved - with maples, elms.
Fauna Lake Ladoga includes representatives of the taiga: foxes, wolves, hares, bears, etc. There is also an original animal that is found only here - the Ladoga seal. The animal, which is more characteristic of the seas, feels great in the fresh water of Ladoga.
There are about 50 species of fish in Lake Ladoga. The most popular among fishermen and industrialists are smelt and pike perch.
Rest on Lake Ladoga
Around Lake Ladoga, you can find places for recreation for every taste and for any purpose: wellness, hiking, entertainment. Fishing lovers can often be found here. Everything that is needed for such classes is located at recreation centers, including practically at each of them instructors work who will teach the subtleties of one or another type of pastime.
They like diving here because of the large number of finds that can be found at the bottom and just beautiful underwater views. You can also choose quiet rest on the beach when weather conditions permit.
Excursions to the natural and historical sights of Ladoga are also organized, for example, buildings left after the war, old fortresses or mountain peaks.
Attractions on Lake Ladoga
It is worth talking about the sights of Lake Ladoga separately. Here is, for example, an interesting one, with beautiful views practically untouched nature Nizhnesvirsky reserve. It is home to a huge number of bird species and many animals.
Valaam Island on Ladoga with the monastery of the same name is of historical, cultural and architectural value. Not to mention the fact that pilgrims come here from all over Russia and beyond.
The memorial complex dedicated to the Road of Life tells the story of the heroic deed of people who, in the most dangerous conditions, traveled on the ice of Lake Ladoga, risking falling under the ice or being fired upon by the enemy. Nevertheless, they went to it in order to save the lives of the inhabitants of the city, who survived the terrible blockade.
Also of historical and cultural interest on Lake Ladoga are the cities of Shlisselburg, founded by Peter I, with the Oreshek fortress, and Novaya Ladoga.
Lake Ladoga in works of art
Ladoga is a lake that is reflected in folk legends and examples of folk art of various peoples who lived here. These are mainly Karelian and Russian epics.
The famous Karelian folk composition "Kalevala", which was once passed from mouth to mouth, describes the events that took place in the north of Lake Ladoga.
Constantine Roerich in his youth made an expedition along the rivers flowing into Lake Ladoga and to the lake itself. Since 1916, he lived in this area for two years, created here several canvases, sketches, poems and fairy tales.
Thanks to its amazing nature Lake Ladoga inspired, first of all, painters who were fascinated by the local colors and landscapes. Many painted the Valaam Monastery, as its structures looked especially impressive and mysterious against the backdrop of majestic nature. The lake with the sonorous name Ladoga also inspired fairy tales. Such masters of painting as F.A.Vasiliev, A.I. Kuindzhi, N.K. Roerich, I.I.Shishkin worked here.
Industry on the lake
The lake is used for the passage of ships, the routes of which are sections of the Volga-Baltic route and the White Sea-Baltic channel. The weather on the lake is very changeable and often ships are threatened by storms, high waves, therefore, from time to time, navigation is suspended. Once upon a time there was even a widespread expression that if a sailor did not sail on Ladoga, then he is not a real sailor yet. Such a phenomenon as complete calm is quite rare on this lake.
Various industrial cargoes and construction materials are transported along Lake Ladoga. Also, passenger ships and cruise ships, for the most part, these are tourist routes.
On an industrial scale, about 10 species of fish are caught here, such as smelt, pike perch, whitefish. Not far from the lake there are industrial enterprises: a paper and pulp mill, aluminum, oil and chemical industries, etc.
Secrets and secrets that the bottom of Lake Ladoga keeps
At the bottom of the lake there are many interesting researchers and lovers of various secrets and secrets of things. Of course, it is considered the greatest luck to find something very ancient, dating back to the Vikings. But the most often found are artifacts that have remained from the Second World War. They are better preserved and easier to find. For example, the so-called “Death Cove” is one of the attractions of that time that attracted extreme tourists and divers, the bottom of which is almost covered with shell casings, since in 1941 a fierce battle took place here.
Amateur divers find sunken ships, wartime aircraft. Unlike sea water, fresh water does not destroy and spoil sunken things so much, which is why the findings of Lake Ladoga are so attractive.
For all great lakes, except for the Pskov-Peipsi, Ladoga Lake is the closing one. Therefore, its basin is very large: 258.6 thousand km2. (Ivanova and Kirillova, 1966). In this basin there are about 50,000 smaller lakes, many swamps and 3,500 rivers (each over 10 km long); the total length of the rivers is about 45,000 km (Nezhikhovsky, 1955). Swamps and complex lake systems of the basin regulate the flow into Lake Ladoga and its water regime. Rivers passing through intermediate lakes leave in them a lot of suspended mineral particles carried by them and reach Ladoga with noticeably clarified water. River floods spread over the lakes.
The Neva does not grow shallow at any time of the year, and there are no floods on it. Fluctuations in the level in the river depend mainly on the surge and surge winds. With rushing winds blowing downstream of the river, the water level can drop by 1 meter; with surging winds from the Gulf of Finland, the level sometimes rises to a dangerous level, and Leningrad is exposed to floods. The Neva is original not only for its abundance and its hydrological regime. Unlike normal rivers, it has no real river terraces, and no real delta. Typically, river deltas arise as a result of sedimentation in the mouth of the river of those sediments that are carried by the river. But in the Neva, flowing from such a huge sedimentation tank, which is Lake Ladoga, there is very little sediment. Consequently, the sedimentation of silt at the mouth of the Neva could not lead to the formation of a delta in the usual way.
And the Neva delta, consisting of 101 islands and occupying an area of 83 km2, arose differently. The Baltic Sea was once larger than it is now. Reducing in volume and retreating to the west from the mouth of the Neva, it drained coastal shoals, turning them into islands. The Neva waters gushed between the islands, and the river began to flow into the sea not in one, as before, but in several branches. This is how the delta came about. It was formed about 2000 years ago.
As already noted, Northern part Lake Ladoga lies on the Baltic crystalline shield, the southern one - on the Russian platform. The southern border of the shield in the areas closest to Ladoga runs approximately along the line Vyborg - Priozersk - the mouth of the river. Vidlitsy - the source of the r. Svir.
The ancient rocks that make up the Baltic Shield come to the surface of the earth, being covered in places only by a thin (several meters) layer of loose sediments of the Quaternary time. Among the Archean rocks, the main place in the structure of the shield is occupied by various granites, migmatites, gneisses, and crystalline schists. Gneisses, shales, quartzites, sandstones, conglomerates, crystalline and dolomitized limestones, as well as tuffaceous and volcanic rocks form the Proterozoic sedimentary complex.
Intrusions of gabbro, gabbro-diabases, and diabases belong to igneous rocks of the same age. On the northwestern and northeastern coasts of Lake Ladoga there are numerous outcrops of migmatites, gneisses, crystalline schists, and rappakivi granites; The Valaam archipelago and the group of islands Mantsinsari and Lunkulansari are composed of olivine diabases.
To the south of the Baltic Shield, the Early Cambrian deposits of the Russian Platform are exposed to the surface in the area of Lake Ladoga, which, unlike the shield, was repeatedly covered by the sea in the Paleozoic. The Cambrian strata is represented by two complexes: the Valdai, developed everywhere and consisting of variegated sandstones and thin-layered shales, and the Baltic, composed of sandstones, sands and plastic blue clays, so fine-grained and greasy that they were sometimes used instead of soap when washing clothes.
On Karelian Isthmus there is no Baltic complex, it is only found on the southeastern coast of Ladoga. The thickness of the cover of loose Quaternary sediments in the Ladoga part of the Russian Platform reaches tens of meters.
The surface of the crystalline basement, exposed on the Baltic shield and gradually extending to the south and east under the Paleozoic sediments of the Russian Platform (in the Neva delta at a depth of 200 m, in the southern Ladoga area - 300-400 m), is very uneven; it is crushed by cracks and faults into separate projections and depressions. In such tectonic depressions, called grabens, the basins of the Ladoga and Onega lakes lie. Protrusions and depressions of the relief stretch within the Baltic shield in a completely straight line for many kilometers from northwest to southeast or from north to south.
The straightness of the formations of the relief and the hydrographic network in itself indicates that these forms were created by tectonics, the internal forces of the Earth. And the longer these formations, the more reliable the assumption about their tectonic origin, since exogenous factors, due to their multiplicity and inconstancy, are not able to create rectilinear forms several kilometers long.
The difference in the geological structure of different parts of the Ladoga Lake basin is reflected in the structure of the lake basin. Thus, the relief of the bottom of the northern part of the basin, as it were, repeats the relief of the adjacent land and consists of deep-sea depressions alternating with shallower areas. Depths of more than 100m prevail.
In the southern part of the lake, the bottom is smoother, the depths gradually decrease from 100m in the north to 10m or less in the south (in the Petrokrepost Bay, the depths on average vary from 3 to 7 meters). There are many sandy and stony spits and shallows, as well as accumulations of boulders at the bottom (Davydova, 1968).