Laptev sea. Laptev Sea: description and characteristics, islands and map, flowing rivers The Laptev Sea belongs to the ocean basin
The Laptev Sea belongs to the group of marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean. Located between Severnaya Zemlya and the New Siberian Islands. The area of the reservoir is about 678 thousand square meters. km. The volume of water reaches 363 thousand cubic meters. km. The average depth is 578 meters, and the maximum corresponds to 3385 meters. The climate in these places is arctic, the salinity of the water is low, the ice cover lasts most of the year and only partially recedes in late summer and early autumn. The large Siberian river Lena flows into the reservoir.
origin of name
The sea was named in honor of Russian explorers and cousins Khariton and Dmitry Laptev. They mastered this inhospitable region in the first half of the 18th century. Prior to that, in the 17th and 18th centuries, the reservoir was called either the Arctic, the Siberian, the Lenskoye, or the Tatar Sea. In 1883, the famous Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen proposed another name - the Nordenskjold Sea in honor of the Swedish geographer and geologist Adolf Erik Nordenskjold.
This name lasted until the beginning of the 20th century, when the Russian Geographical Society approved the modern name, and the archipelago in the Kara Sea was named after the famous Swede. The official decision on this issue was made by the Soviet government in the summer of 1935.
Laptev Sea on the map
The boundaries of the Laptev Sea
In the west, the reservoir is bounded by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. The northernmost point is the Arctic Cape on Komsomolets Island. The eastern border is the New Siberian Islands with the northernmost point on the island of Kotelny, Cape Anisy. The eastern border ends at Cape Svyatoy Nos and further west along the mainland coast to the Taimyr Peninsula.
Coastline
The Lena River flowing into the Laptev Sea forms a vast delta. In addition, such rivers as Yana, Khatanga, Olenek, Anabar flow into the reservoir. The coastline is rugged with a length of 1300 km. It has many bays and coves. The most eastern is the Ebellyakh Bay (the bay is a bay that flows far into the land, into which the river, as a rule, flows). Further to the west are Sellakhskaya Bay, Yansky Bay, Buor-Khaya Bay, Oleneksky Bay, Anabar Bay, Nordvik Bay, and the westernmost is Khatanga Bay.
In the region of the southwestern coast there are such skeletons as Small and Big Begichev, Preobrazhensky Island, Sandy Island, Psov Island, and Petra Islands. In total, there are several dozen islands near the coastline, and their total area is 3.8 thousand square meters. km. As a result of erosion, some of the islands collapse and disappear.
Sea bottom
More than half of the seabed is a continental shelf with a depth of no more than 60 meters. In the southern regions there are places where the depth corresponds to 25-30 meters. In the northern part of the reservoir, the bottom drops abruptly and the depth reaches 1 km or more. The maximum depth of 3385 meters was recorded in the northern part of the sea in the Nansen Basin, where the water column corresponds to an average of 2 km.
The Laptev Sea is characterized by low temperature regimes. They range from -1.8 degrees Celsius in the north to -0.8 degrees Celsius in the southeastern part. The temperature of the middle layers of the water is 1.5 degrees Celsius. At depth, the temperature regime is colder and reaches -0.8 degrees Celsius. In the summer months, the water is warmed by the sun in the bays up to 8-10 degrees Celsius and up to 2-3 degrees Celsius in the open sea.
The salinity of sea water is largely influenced by ice melting and river runoff. In winter, salinity in the southern regions is 20-25 ppm, and in the north it reaches 34 ppm. In summer, it decreases by 10% and 32%, respectively.
70% of the total river runoff (515 thousand cubic km) comes from the Lena River. And the river flow of all rivers flowing into the reservoir under consideration reaches 730 thousand cubic meters. km. Due to ice melting, 90% of the runoff occurs in June-September, and in January this figure is only 5%.
Semi-daily tides with an average amplitude of 0.5 meters. In Khatanga Bay, they reach 2 meters. Seasonal fluctuations in water level are 40 cm. Winds are weak, so the wave height usually does not exceed 1 meter. In summer, in the central regions of the sea, there are waves of 4-5 meters in height, and in autumn they can reach 6 meters in height.
Climate
The Laptev Sea is remote from both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, so the arctic climate prevails. The polar night lasts 3 months a year in the south and 5 months in the north. The air temperature is below 0 degrees 11 months of the year in the north and 9 months in the south. The average January temperature is -32 degrees Celsius, and the minimum is -50 degrees Celsius.
In summer, the temperature in the south rises to 10 degrees Celsius. On the coast, it can rise up to 24 degrees Celsius. The maximum summer temperature recorded in Tiksi was 32 degrees Celsius. However, in foggy weather, snow can fall in summer, and winter is characterized by blizzards and storms.
At sea, although it is weak, shipping is well developed, and the main seaport is Tiksi. In the 30s of the last century, the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Routes was created, which was in charge of the ships plying the Laptev Sea. The ships moved in a caravan after the icebreaker. They transported timber, furs, various building materials. Today, the northern route is used to deliver goods to the northern regions of Russia.
Ecology
The reservoir under consideration is considered to be slightly polluted. Enterprises located on the banks of the Lena, Anabar, and Yana rivers have a negative impact. It is from them that phenols, zinc, and copper get into the sea water. The administrative center of Tiksi also contributes to the pollution. Rotting wood that gets into the sea as a result of timber rafting is also a source of pollution. All this causes a high concentration of phenol.
The Laptev Sea is the marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. Located between the Taimyr Peninsula and the Severnaya Zemlya Islands in the west and the Novosibirsk Islands in the east. The sea is named after the Russian polar explorers, cousins Dmitry and Khariton Laptev (originally the sea was named Nordenskjold). The banks are heavily indented. Large bays: Khatangsky, Oleneksky, Faddeya, Yansky, Anabarsky, Maria Pronchishcheva Bay, Buor-Khaya. There are many islands in the western part of the sea, mainly off the coast. The Komsomolskaya Pravda Islands are located in the southwestern part of the sea. The rivers flow into the sea: Khatanga, Anabar, Olenek, Lena, Yana. Some rivers form large deltas. The main port is Tiksi.
The salinity of sea water near the surface in the northwestern part of the sea is 28 ppm, in the southern part - up to 15 ppm, near river mouths - less than 10 ppm. The runoff of Siberian rivers and ice melting have a strong effect on the salinity of surface waters. With increasing depth, salinity increases rapidly, reaching 33 ppm.
The Laptev Sea is one of the marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean. It stretches between the Taimyr Peninsula, the Severnaya Zemlya Islands and the Novosibirsk Islands. The sea area has an area of about 672 thousand square meters. km. The maximum depth is almost 3390 m, and the average depth is 540 m. This sea got its name thanks to the Russian explorers and navigators - Dmitry and Khariton Laptev. They have been exploring the North Sea as early as the 18th century. The Yakuts (indigenous people) call this reservoir "Laptevtar".
Features of the sea
The Laptev Sea map shows that its shores are heavily indented. The sea has large bays: Khatangsky, Anabarsky, Yansky, Oleneksky, etc. There are many islands in its vast water area. They are concentrated mainly in its western part. The largest island groups: Thaddeus, Vilkitsky and Komsomolskaya Pravda. Small Taimyr, Sandy, Bolshoy Begichev, Starokadomsky, etc. are distinguished from single islands.
The rugged coastline of the Laptev Sea forms a variety of peninsulas, lips, capes, bays and bays. The rivers Yana, Anabar, Khatanga, Olenek and Lena carry their waters to this sea. They form vast deltas where they flow into the sea. The salinity of sea water is low.
Climatic conditions
The Laptev Sea is considered the most severe among the Arctic seas. The climate there is close to continental, but has pronounced polar and marine features. Continentality is expressed in significant fluctuations in annual temperature. The climate in different areas of the sea is not uniform. In autumn, winds form over the sea, which are easily intensified to storms. In winter, it is calm and slightly cloudy. Rare cyclones occur, causing cold and strong winds.
Using the Laptev Sea
The sea is located far from the center of the country, in a harsh climate. Therefore, its economic use is difficult. For the Russian economy, the Laptev Sea is of great importance, since the transportation of goods along the northern sea route is carried out in this area. This is where the transit of goods takes place and their delivery to the port of Tiksi. Local residents are engaged in fishing. The density of the indigenous people is very low. Evenks, Yukagirs and other ethnic groups live on the shores. The Laptev Sea is a place for various scientific research. Scientists study how water circulates, observe the ice balance, and make hydrometeorological forecasts.
Between the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago and the Taimyr Peninsula in the west and the Novosibirsk Islands in the east lies the sea, which bears the name of the Russian navigators, the Laptev brothers. Its western border runs along the eastern shores of the Severnaya Zemlya islands from Cape Arkticheskiy (Komsomolets Island), through the Red Army strait along the eastern coast of Komsomolets Island. October Revolution to Cape Anuchin, across the Shokalsky Strait to Cape Sandy on the island. Bolshevik and along its eastern coast to Cape Vaigach, then along the eastern border of the Vilkitsky Strait and further along the mainland coast to the top of Khatanga Bay. The northern border of the sea goes from Cape Arctic to the point of intersection of the meridian of the northern tip of the island. Kotelny (Cape Anisiy) with the edge of the continental shelf (79 ° N, 139 ° E), the eastern border - from this point along the meridian to the island. Kotelniy, further along its western coast, through the Sannikov Strait, along the western shores of the Bolshoy and Maly Lyakhovsky islands and along the western border of the Dmitry Laptev Strait to Cape Svyatoy Nos. The southern border of the sea runs along the mainland coast from this cape to the top of the Khatanga Bay.
The Laptev Sea belongs to the type of continental marginal seas. Its area is 662 thousand km 2, volume - 353 thousand km 3, average depth - 533 m, maximum depth - 3385 m.
There are several dozen islands in the Laptev Sea, most of which are located in the western part of the sea. The largest islands are Komsomolskaya Pravda, Vilkitsky and Thaddeus. Among the single islands, the islands of Starokadomsky, Maly Taimyr, Bolshoy Begichev, Sandy, Stolbovoy and Belkovsky stand out for their size. Many small islands are located in river deltas.
The shores of the sea are quite indented and form bays, inlets, bays, peninsulas and capes of various shapes and sizes. The eastern shores of the islands of Severnaya Zemlya and the Taimyr Peninsula are significantly dissected. To the east of it, the coastline forms several large bays (Khatangsky, Anabarsky, Oleneksky, Yansky), bays (Kozhevnikova, Nordvik, Tiksi), bays (Buor-Khaya, Vankina) and peninsulas (Khara-Tumus, Nordvik). The western coast of the New Siberian Islands is much less indented.
By their nature, the seashore is quite varied. There are both abrasion and accumulative, there are also ice shores. Sometimes low mountains approach the water, most of the coast is low-lying.
Climate
The Laptev Sea is one of the harshest Arctic seas. Its climate, generally polar marine, also has signs of continentality, which is most clearly manifested in the relatively large annual fluctuations in air temperature.
In the cold season, the sea is mainly in the area of high atmospheric pressure - the Siberian anticyclone. In autumn, unstable winds gradually acquire a southerly direction and intensify to stormy ones. Cyclones pass less often, cloudiness decreases.
In winter, the Laptev Sea is affected by three large baric systems. Above the southeastern part lies a spur of the Siberian anticyclone, the center of which is located near the Yansky Bay. The crest of the polar maximum extends from the north. In the western part of the sea, the influence of the Icelandic minimum is sometimes observed. In accordance with such a baric environment, southern and southwestern winds prevail in this season with an average speed of about 8 m / s. By the end of winter, their speed decreases, and calms are often observed. The air is greatly cooled. The air temperature over the sea generally decreases from north-west to south-east in January and in the area of Tiksi Bay is -26 - 29 °. Calm and slightly cloudy winter weather is sometimes interrupted by cyclones passing slightly south of the sea. They cause strong cold northerly winds and blizzards that last only a few days.
At the beginning of the warm season, the destruction of areas of atmospheric pressure begins. The baric environment is generally similar to the winter one, but somewhat more eroded, therefore the spring winds are very unstable in direction. In addition to the southern winds, northern winds sometimes blow. Usually the winds are gusty, but not strong. The air temperature rises steadily. Cloudy, rather cold weather prevails. In summer, the Siberian maximum is absent, and the polar maximum looms rather weakly. To the south of the sea, the pressure is somewhat lowered; over the sea itself, it is slightly increased. As a result, northern winds most often blow at a speed of 3-4 m / s. Strong winds (with speeds exceeding 20 m / s) are not observed in summer. The average monthly air temperature in August is the maximum in the year, in the central part of the sea the temperature is 1-5 °. On the coast in closed bays, the air sometimes (albeit very rarely) warms up quite significantly (up to 32.7 ° in Tiksi). Summer is characterized by increased cyclonic activity. At this time, cyclones pass over the southern part of the sea, which are also filled here. Then cloudy weather sets in over the sea with continuous drizzling rain. At the end of August, the Siberian maximum pressure begins to form, which marks the transition to autumn.
Thus, the Laptev Sea is under the influence of the Siberian anticyclone for most of the year. This is responsible for relatively weak cyclonic activity and predominantly weak monsoon winds.
Long-term and strong cooling with a calm wind regime of winter is the most important climatic feature of the sea. Another very important factor in the formation of the natural appearance of the Laptev Sea is continental runoff. Many small and several large rivers flow into this sea. The largest of them - Lena - annually brings on average about 515 km 3 of water, Khatanga - over 100, Yana - more than 30, Olenek - about 35 and Anabara - about 20 km 3. All other rivers provide about 20 km 3 of water per year. The total annual flow into the sea is approximately 720 km 3, which is 30% of the total flow to all Arctic seas. However, the distribution of runoff is very uneven in time and space. About 90% of the annual runoff occurs in the summer months (June-September), of which about 35-40% of the annual runoff falls in August, while in January it barely reaches 5%. This type of runoff distribution throughout the year is explained by the fact that the rivers flowing into the Laptev Sea are snow-fed, and the overwhelming majority of their water flows into the southeastern part of the sea (Lena alone provides 70% of the total coastal runoff). Depending on the amount of water brought by the rivers and the hydrometeorological situation, the river water spreads to the northeast, reaching the northern tip of the island. Kotelny, then far to the east, going through the straits into the East Siberian Sea. Large continental runoff leads to freshening of waters over vast areas of the sea, especially in the southern and eastern parts of it.
Water temperature and salinity
The Laptev Sea (like the Kara Sea) is dominated by surface Arctic waters. In zones of strong influence of coastal runoff, as a result of mixing of river and surface Arctic waters, water is formed with a relatively high temperature and low salinity. Large gradients of salinity and density are created at their interface (horizon 5-7 m). In the north, in a deep trench, warm Atlantic waters are widespread above the surface Arctic water, but their temperature is somewhat lower than in the trenches of the Kara Sea. They penetrate here 2.5 - 3 years after they start their journey at Svalbard. In the deeper (compared to the Kara) Laptev Sea, the horizons from 800-1000 m to the bottom are occupied by cold bottom Arctic water with a temperature of -0.4-0.9 ° and almost uniform (34.90-34.95 ‰) salinity.
For most of the year, the water temperature is close to freezing and drops rapidly after the summer maximum. In winter, the surface water temperature varies from –0.8 ° (near Mostah Island) to –1.7 ° (near Cape Chelyuskin), which is associated with differences in salinity in these areas.
In the first spring months, the ice melts, so the water temperature remains almost the same as in winter. Only in the coastal areas (especially in the estuarine areas), which are cleared of ice earlier than others, the water temperature is slightly higher than in the central areas. It generally decreases from south to north and from east to west. During the summer, the sea surface warms up noticeably. In August, in the south (Buor-Khaya Bay), the water temperature on the surface can reach 10 or even 14 °, in the central regions it is 3 - 5 °, at the northern tip of the island. Boiler 0.8 ° and at m. Chelyuskin 1 °. In general, the western part of the sea, where the cold waters of the Arctic basin come, is characterized by a lower (2 - 3 °) water temperature than the eastern part, where the bulk of the warm river waters are concentrated, and the surface temperature here can reach 6 - 8 °.
The water temperature decreases rapidly with depth. In winter, in areas with depths of up to 50-60 m, the water temperature is the same from surface to bottom. In the coastal zone, it is –1-1.2 °, and in the open sea about –1.6 °. In the northern regions, at depths of 50-60 m, the water temperature rises by 0.1-0.2 ° due to the inflow of other waters.
In the north, in the area of a deep trench, a negative temperature is noted from the surface to 100 m. Below it begins to rise (up to 0.6-0.8 °) to about 300 m and then slowly decreases to the bottom. High temperatures (above zero) in the 100-300 m layer are associated with the penetration of warm Atlantic waters from the Central Arctic basin into the Laptev Sea.
In summer, the top layer 10-15 m thick warms up well and has a temperature of 8-10 ° in the southeastern part and 3-4 ° in the central regions. Deeper than these horizons, the temperature drops sharply and reaches –1.4–1.5 ° at the 25 m horizon. These values or those close to them remain until the very bottom. In the western part of the sea, where warming is less, such sharp temperature differences are not observed.
Salinity in the Laptev Sea is very heterogeneous: in summer it varies from 1 to almost 31 ‰, but the surface layer is dominated by desalinated waters with a salinity of 20-30 ‰, and its distribution is very complex. In general, it increases from the southeast to the northwest and north.
In winter, with minimal river runoff and intense ice formation, salinity increases. At the same time (like in summer) it is higher in the west (near Cape Chelyuskin - 34 ‰ than in the east (near Kotelny Island - 25 ‰). This high salinity lasts quite a long time, only in June, when the ice begins to melt, it begins to decrease ...
In summer, the southeastern part of the sea is most desalinated. In the Buor-Khaya Bay, salinity decreases to 5 ‰ and below, west of the Lyakhov Islands, it rises (10-15 ‰). More salty waters (30 - 32 ‰) are spread in the west of the sea. They are located slightly north of the line about. Petra - M. Anisy. Thus, freshened water flows out to the north in the eastern part of the sea, and salty waters descend to the south in the western part of the sea.
Salinity increases with depth, but seasonal differences are noted in its distribution. In winter, in shallow water, it increases from the surface to the horizons of 10-15 m, and below and to the bottom remains almost unchanged. At great depths, salinity noticeably increases not from the surface itself, but from the underlying horizons. The spring vertical distribution of salinity begins with the time of intense melting of snow and ice. At this time, salinity rapidly decreases in the surface layer and retains winter values at the lower horizons.
In summer, in the zone of distribution of river waters, the upper layer (5 - 10 m) is very much freshened, below there is a very sharp increase in salinity. In the layer from 10 to 25 m, the salinity gradient reaches 20 ‰ per 1 m in places.In the northern part of the sea, salinity increases comparatively rapidly from the surface to 50 m, from here to 300 m salinity increases more slowly (in the range from 29 to 33 - 34 ‰) , deeper it hardly changes.
In autumn, in the southern regions, the summer salinity jump is gradually eroded.
In the Laptev Sea, the density distribution is more related to salinity than to temperature. This is due to the large salinity range and the weak influence on the density of the low water temperature.
The density increases from southeast to northwest. In winter and autumn, the water is denser than in summer and spring. In winter and early spring, the density is almost the same from surface to bottom. In summer, large gradients of salinity and temperature at horizons of 10-15 m also determine a sharp drop in density. In autumn, due to the cooling and salinization of surface waters, their density increases.
Density stratification of waters is clearly traced from late spring to early autumn. It is most pronounced in the southeastern and central regions of the sea and at the edge of the ice.
Port in the Arctic
Bottom relief
The bottom of the Laptev Sea is an almost undivided plain, gently declining to the north. Several gutters, low elevations and banks stand out here. A wide, but short trench is located opposite the Lena delta, a funnel-shaped trench is located at Oleneksky Bay, a narrow and long trough goes from about. Stolbovoy to the north. In the eastern part of the sea, the banks of Semenovskaya and Vasilievskaya rise. Half of the entire area of the sea is occupied by depths of up to 50 m, and south of 76 ° N. they do not exceed 25 m. The northern part of the sea is much deeper. At a depth of 100 m, the bottom drops sharply. The appearance of the sea is formed mainly by the waters of the southern part with a depth of 25-100 m.
Topography of the bottom and current of the Laptev Sea
Currents
Wind mixing in ice-free areas of the sea is poorly developed due to relatively weak winds in the warm season and high sea ice coverage. During spring and summer, the wind mixes only the uppermost layers up to 5-7 m thick in the east and up to 10 m in the western part of the sea.
Strong autumn-winter cooling and intense ice formation cause active development of convective mixing. Due to the relatively high degree of water homogeneity and early ice formation, density mixing penetrates deepest (up to horizons of 90-100 m) in the north of the sea. In the central part, convection reaches the bottom (40-50 m) by the beginning of winter, and in the southern part, due to large vertical salinity gradients, even at shallow (up to 25 m) depths, it spreads to the bottom only by the end of winter.
In general, the sea is characterized by the usual cyclonic circulation. The coastal flow, moving along the coast of the mainland from west to east, at the eastern coasts deviates to the north and north-west and in the form of the Novosibirsk current goes beyond the sea, connecting with the Transarctic Current of the Central Arctic Basin. From it at the northern tip of Severnaya Zemlya branches off to the south the East Taimyr Current, which moves south along the eastern shores of Severnaya Zemlya and the Taimyr Peninsula and closes the cyclonic ring. A small part of the coastal stream flows through the Dmitry Laptev and Sannikov Straits into the East Siberian Sea.
The velocities of the currents in this circulation are low (2 cm / s). Depending on the large-scale baric situation, the center of the cyclonic circulation can shift from the middle of the northern part of the sea towards Severnaya Zemlya. Accordingly, there are branches from the main streams. Constant currents are superimposed on tidal currents.
In the Laptev Sea, tides are well pronounced, having an irregular semidiurnal character everywhere. The tidal wave enters from the north from the Central Arctic Basin, fading and deforming as it travels south. The magnitude of the tide is usually small, mainly about 0.5 m. Only in Khatanga Bay, the range of tidal level fluctuations exceeds 2 m in syzygy. This is due to the well-known "funnel" effect observed, for example, in the Bay of Fundy. The tidal wave arriving in the Khatanga Bay ("funnel") grows in size and spreads almost 500 km up the river. Khatanga. This is one of the cases of deep tidal wave penetration up the river. However, the boron phenomenon is not observed at Khatanga. In other rivers flowing into the Laptev Sea, the tide hardly enters. It attenuates very close to the estuaries, since the tidal wave is extinguished in the deltas of these rivers.
In addition to tidal fluctuations in the Laptev Sea, seasonal and surge fluctuations of the level are observed. Seasonal level changes are generally insignificant. They are most pronounced in the southeastern part of the sea, in areas close to river mouths, where the fluctuation range reaches 40 cm. The minimum level is observed in winter, the maximum - in summer.
Surge fluctuations of the level are observed everywhere and at any time of the year, but they are most significant in the southeastern part. The surges and surges cause the largest depressions and rises in the level in the Laptev Sea. The range of surge and surge level fluctuations reaches 1-2 m, and sometimes reaches 2.5 m (Tiksi Bay). Most often, surges and surges are observed in autumn with strong and stable winds. In general, northerly winds cause a surge, and south winds cause a surge, but depending on the configuration of the coast, surging level fluctuations in each specific area create winds of certain directions. Thus, in the southeastern part of the sea, the western and northwestern ones are the most effective surge winds.
On average, the Laptev Sea is dominated by waves of 2-4 points with wave heights of about 1 m.In summer (July - August), storms of 5-7 points occasionally develop in the western and central parts of the sea, during which wave heights reach 4-5 m. Autumn - the most stormy season, when the highest waves are observed (up to 6 m). However, in this season, waves with a height of about 4 m predominate, which is determined by the acceleration length and depths.
Ice cover
For most of the year (from October to May), the Laptev Sea is covered with ice. Ice formation begins at the end of September and takes place simultaneously throughout the sea. In winter, in its shallow eastern part, an extensive fast ice with a thickness of up to 2 m is developed. The boundary of the fast ice distribution is a depth of approximately 25 m, which in this area of the sea is removed several hundred kilometers from the coast. The fast ice area is approximately 30% of the entire sea area. In the western and northwestern parts of the sea, landfast ice is small, and in some winters it is completely absent. Drifting ice is located to the north of the fast-ice zone.
With an almost constant removal of ice from the sea to the north in winter, after fast ice, significant areas of polynyas and young ice remain for almost the entire winter. The width of this zone varies from tens to several hundred kilometers. Its individual areas are called the East Severozemelskaya, Taimyr, Lenskaya and Novosibirsk polynyas. The last two at the beginning of the warm season reach enormous sizes (thousands of km 2). Ice begins to melt in June - July, and by August significant areas of the sea are freed from ice. In summer, the ice edge often changes its position under the influence of winds and currents. The western part of the sea is generally more ice-covered than the eastern one. From the north, along the eastern coast of Taimyr, the oceanic Taimyr ice massif descends into the sea, in which heavy perennial ice often occurs. It stably persists until new ice formation, depending on the prevailing winds, moving either north or south. The local Yansky ice massif, formed by fast ice, usually melts "in place" by the second half of August or is partially carried to the north beyond the sea.
Economic value
Due to the harsh natural conditions, the biological productivity of the Laptev Sea is low, and life in its waters is generally poor in quantity and quality. It is home to 37 species of fish. In very small quantities, vendace, omul, and partly muksun are caught.
The Laptev Sea is one of the most interesting, important and useful bodies of water existing in the country. It is adjacent to the Arctic Ocean and is characterized by low temperature and low salinity. The sea is covered with ice for 10 months a year. Specific features are poor fauna and flora, a small number of people on the coast and islands within the sea, on some of which you can still find the remains of mammoths.
The name "Laptev Sea" did not appear by chance. This is the merit of the travelers with the corresponding surname - brothers Dmitry and Khariton. Previously, the reservoir bore the name of Norsheld (thanks to the filing of Fridtjof Nansen), and was also called the Tatar, Lensk, Siberian and Arctic seas.
Shores of the Laptev Sea
The Laptev Sea has an area of 672 thousand km² and a volume of 363 thousand km². The maximum depth of the reservoir considered in the article is over 3000 meters, the average depth is 540 meters. The shores stretch for 1,300 km and form bays and bays of various sizes. Among the most impressive bays are Khatangsky, Yansky, Maria Pronchishcheva Bay and a number of others.
Several rivers flow into the Laptev Sea, in the deltas of which there are several dozen islands, which are often subject to erosion. The most famous of the rivers flowing into the reservoir is the Lena. The most important islands include Severnaya Zemlya, Bolshoy Begichev, Maly Taimyr, Belkovsky and Thaddeya.
The body of water is home to about 40 different fish species, most of which prefer salt water. These are grayling and whitefish, sardine and Bering Sea omul, smelt, Arctic cod, flounder and some other types of fish. Many mammals live within the Laptev Sea - walruses, ermine, polar hare, polar bear, etc.
In addition to the above, there is a bird here. Among the sedentary birds, the snow bunting, the sea sandpiper, the snowy owl and the brent goose should be distinguished. The rest - wander around the polar regions or arrive from the south side. Thus, the reservoir is great for fishing and hunting, although both of these activities are not particularly common.
In the 80s of the last century in the area of the river. Lena reserve is formed. In the 90s, its protection zone expanded significantly, due to the inclusion of the islands of the Novosibirsk archipelago in it. Now the total area of the territory exceeds 14 thousand km². It is a habitat for many fish, plants, birds and mammals, including those that can be seen on the pages of the Red Book.
Cities on the Laptev Sea
(Tiksi village)
The largest settlement is considered the village of Tiksi, where the Arctic seaport of the same name is located. This is the place of import of food, industrial goods, construction materials, equipment, fuel and export of timber and sawn timber. About 5 thousand people live on the territory of the village. Other significant settlements include the village of Bykovsky (519 people) and Khatanga (2645 people).