The Laptev Sea in Russia. Laptev Sea: description and characteristics, islands and map, flowing rivers Where is the Laptev Sea located
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 of water. The sea is covered with ice for 10 months of the 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 the remains of mammoths can still be found.
The name “Laptev Sea” did not appear by chance. This is the merit of travelers with the corresponding surname - brothers Dmitry and Khariton. Previously, the reservoir bore the name of Norsköld (thanks to the suggestion of Fridtjof Nansen), and was also called the Tatar, Lena, 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 1300 km and form bays and bays of various sizes. The most impressive bays include Khatanga, 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, often subject to erosion. The most famous of the rivers flowing into the reservoir is the Lena. The most important islands include Severnaya Zemlya, Bolshoi Begichev, Maly Taimyr, Belkovsky and Thaddeya.
The reservoir is a habitat for approximately 40 different species of fish, most of which prefer salt water. These are grayling and whitefish, sardines and Bering Sea omul, smelt, cod, flounder and some other types of fish. Within the Laptev Sea there live many mammals - walruses, ermine, polar hare, polar bear etc.
In addition to the above, there is a bird here. Among the sedentary birds, we should highlight the snow bunting, sandpiper, snowy owl and brent goose. The rest wander around the polar regions or arrive from south side. Thus, the reservoir is excellent 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 has been formed. In the 90s, its protective zone expanded significantly to include the islands of the Novosibirsk archipelago. Now total area The territory exceeds 14 thousand km². This is the habitat of 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 in size is the village of Tiksi, where the Arctic sea port with the same name. This is a place of import of food, industrial goods, building materials, equipment, fuel and export of timber and lumber. About 5 thousand people live in the village. To other significant ones settlements includes the villages of Bykovsky (519 people) and Khatanga (2645 people).
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 New Siberian 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 Russian explorers and navigators - Dmitry and Khariton Laptev. They carried out explorations of the North Sea back in the 18th century. The Yakuts (indigenous people) call this body of water “Laptevtar”.
Features of the sea
A map of the Laptev Sea shows that its shores are heavily indented. The sea has large bays: Khatanga, 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. Single islands include Maly Taimyr, Peschany, Bolshoi Begichev, Starokadomskogo, etc.
The rugged coast of the Laptev Sea forms a variety of peninsulas, lips, capes, bays and bays. The following rivers carry their waters into this sea: Yana, Anabar, Khatanga, Olenek and Lena. 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 harshest 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 heterogeneous. In autumn, winds form over the sea, which easily intensify into storms. In winter it is calm and partly cloudy. Rare cyclones occur, causing cold and strong winds.
Use of the Laptev Sea
The sea is located far from the center of the country, in a harsh climate. Therefore, its economic use is difficult. The Laptev Sea is of great importance for the Russian economy, since cargo is transported in this area along the northern sea route. Here the transit of goods takes place and their delivery to the port of Tiksi. Locals are engaged in fishing. The density of indigenous people is very low. Evenks, Yukaghirs and other nationalities live on the banks. The Laptev Sea is the site of various scientific research. Scientists study how water circulates, monitor ice balance, and make hydrometeorological forecasts.
The Laptev Sea is a peripheral or marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, which is located near the northern coast of Russia, in Asia. In the west it is limited by the Taimyr Peninsula and the Severnaya Zemlya Islands, in the east by the New Siberian Islands.
The neighboring sea is the Kara Sea, with which the Laptev Sea is connected by the Vilkitsky Strait, as well as the East Siberian Sea, with which it is connected by the Sannikov and Dmitry Laptev Straits. The Laptev Sea is named after the Russian navigators and explorers of the north Khariton and Dmitry Laptev, who explored this harsh territory back in the 18th century. In the language of the indigenous people, the Yakuts, the name sounds like Laptevtar. One of the previous names is Nordenskiöld.
Sea area - 672 thousand. km.sq.
The prevailing depths are 30 – 80 m.
Average depth – 540 m.
The greatest depth is 3385 m.
Geographic coordinates: 76°16’07”N. 125°38’23”E
The salinity of the water is low.
The coastline has a length of 1300 km and is quite indented. Because of this, there are many bays and bays on the coast. Main bays: Olenksky, Khatanga, Thaddeya.
The climate here is Arctic continental and very harsh. Temperatures remain below zero degrees Celsius for more than nine months of the year. And only for two months, August and September, the sea is freed from the ice that binds it. Water temperature in summer in the south is from +12 to +15°, in the north from +1 to +6°. In winter, the water temperature under the ice: -1.5°C. Polar night and the days last more than three months each. The air temperature in January reaches -50°C, and in July it rarely reaches +5°C
The density of the indigenous population (Yukaghirs, Chuvans, Evenks and Evens) is very low. Their traditional activities are reindeer herding, fishing, and hunting. And this despite the fact that the local flora and fauna are very scarce. In the Laptev Sea there are 39 species of fish, the main ones being char, omul, whitefish, sturgeon, vendace, nelma and sea animals - seal, walrus, beluga. On the islands and coast there are polar bears and arctic foxes.
On the territory of the sea there are a couple of dozen islands on which the remains of mammoths were found, which were preserved in good condition. The largest port village is Tiksi.
The following rivers flow into the Laptev Sea: Lena, Anabar, Khatanga, Olenk, Yana and other smaller rivers.
Today, the main human activity in this region is navigation and mining.
Video: Tiksi. Laptev sea.
Group “Lips” - Laptev Sea (Reggae with Adriano Celentano. Comedy Club
The Laptev Sea is one of the marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean located between the Taimyr Peninsula and the New Siberian Islands.
The area is 672,000 square kilometers, the average depth is 540 meters, in some places more than 3 thousand meters. Navigable for all sea ships.
The most big river Siberia - Lena, along which timber and other riches of Siberia are exported. The length of the coast is 1300 km. There are many bays, bays, peninsulas and islands.
If you move along the Northern Sea Route to the east, then after crossing, and then beyond the Severnaya Zemlya islands, clear water will open to your view. After the Kara Sea cluttered with hummocks, this seems incredible, but nevertheless it is true, before you is the Laptev Sea.
Scientists explain this warming over the past two decades by global warming and the geographical position of the Laptev Sea, fenced off from the west by the Taimyr Peninsula, and from the east by the New Siberian Islands. In addition, the large influx of the inflowing rivers Khatanga, Anabar, Olenyok, Lena and Yana also contribute to the formation of relatively warm coastal waters in the Laptev Sea.
In cold years, this sea is also covered with a solid shell of ice, and frosts here are down to - 35 degrees, there have been cases when the temperature reached - 50. It is not for nothing that the discoverers of this sea, after whom it is named, are cousins Dmitry Yakovlevich and Khariton The Prokopyevich Laptevs traveled here along the Lena from Yakutsk.
.jpg)
At the time when the first explorers of the Russian North came here, this sea was called the Siberian or Outskirts Sea. The Great Northern Expedition, the most ambitious of all known, was started by Peter I at the beginning of the 18th century. This expedition was led by Commander Vitus Bering, one of the best sailors of Peter the Great. The task of this expedition was to study the Russian coast from the Yugorsky Shar to Kamchatka. Several detachments worked on the expedition, with a total number of more than 600 people. Two detachments, commanded by lieutenants Pronchishchev and Lasinius, leaving Yakutsk along the Lena into the sea, were supposed to explore the coast from the mouth of the Lena to the Yenisei, to Kolyma and further to Kamchatka.
However, none of the detachments were able to complete the task assigned to them. Lieutenant Peter Lasinius with a crew of fifty people on the two-masted deck boat “Irkutsk” left Yakutsk, reached the mouth of the Lena, went to sea and on August 20, 1735 headed east. A few days later, due to fog and ice, he stopped at the mouth of the Kharaulakh River. There the boat "Irkutsk" remained frozen in the ice. The fate of the Irkutsk team is perhaps the most tragic of all expeditions. During the winter, scurvy began and 42 people, including Lasinius himself, died. Only 9 team members survived the terrible winter. To save them, Commander Bering sent a special group, led by navigator Shcherbinin, which delivered the survivors to Yakutsk.
After such a failure of Lieutenant Lasinius’s detachment, Commander Bering appointed Lieutenant Dmitry Laptev, his best assistant, as commander of the Irkutsk.
Dmitry Laptev and his cousin Khariton Laptev began naval service in 1718 as midshipmen under Peter. By the beginning of the Great Northern Expedition, Dmitry was already an experienced sailor, which is why he ended up on the expedition. After Bering’s order, in preparation for the campaign, he recruited the best sailors into the team and with this brave team, in small boats, along the Lena reached the mouth of the Kharaulakh River, where the abandoned Irkutsk was located. Having restored the boat, Laptev brought it to the river delta. Lena. There the boat was loaded with everything necessary, and on August 22, 1736, it went to sea and headed east. But time was lost and four days later the Irkutsk hit a wall of ice. Laptev, in order not to destroy the team, was forced to return to the Lena and winter in the Bulun area.
.jpg)
A difficult winter almost ruined this expedition, but Dmitry Laptev, taking into account the sad experience of Lasinius, did everything to save the crew of the Irkutsk. There was scurvy again, and in order to protect his sailors from scurvy, Laptev forced everyone to drink a decoction of pine cones, they ate frozen raw fish and were constantly at work. This time even scurvy did not kill the brave sailors. Although everyone got sick, only one person died. The model of the boat “Irkutsk”, built by masters Rogachev and Kuzmin in Okhotsk in 1733-1736, has been preserved.
In the summer of 1737, Laptev returned to Yakutsk on the Irkutsk, but he no longer found Bering in Yakutsk. In Yakutsk, Laptev learned about the tragic fate of Pronchishchev’s team.
The second detachment of Lieutenant Pronchishchev on the two-masted double sloop "Yakutsk" left Yakutsk in the summer of 1735. Having gone down the Lena, "Yakutsk" went out to sea and headed west. However, due to ice conditions, the detachment had to winter at the mouth of the Olenek River. And only in August 1736, after the ice had retreated, Pronchishchev was able to move on. We had to move forward not so much under sail, but by oars or pushing off ice floes with hooks.
His expedition explored the entire mouth of the Lena, as well as the eastern coast of Taimyr: shores, depths of water, bays. And all this was put on the map. But they were unable to advance north of 77°З1`; they extended further impassable ice.
The decision was made to return, but on the way back Vasily Pronchishchev himself and his wife Tatyana, who participated in the campaign, died of scurvy just a few days apart. The surviving members of the detachment buried their commander and his wife in the village of Ust Olenek. The grave of these brave spouses has been preserved there to this day.
After another winter, navigator Semyon Chelyuskin, who took command of the crew, led the ship with the surviving crew to Yakutsk.
In order to obtain permission for further research, Dmitry Laptev went to St. Petersburg. Laptev covered the long distance from Yakutsk to St. Petersburg on horseback. During this time, he carefully considered the reasons for the failures and arrived at the Admiralty Board with a clear plan of action.
The Admiralty Board appreciated everything that Lieutenant D. Laptev said in his report and decided to continue the work of the expedition. At the request of D. Laptev, Dmitry’s cousin, Khariton Laptev, was appointed commander of the Yakutsk, who happily accepted this offer, because he had always dreamed of the North.
In March 1738, Dmitry and Khariton Laptev, having received all the necessary equipment and food, went to Yakutsk. Having arrived at the place, they put their ships in order and worked out their expedition plans. And on June 18, 1739, Dmitry Laptev set sail on his Irkutsk with a crew of 35 people. On July 5, the Irkutsk was already on the open sea, heading east.
This time, D. Laptev’s expedition worked both from the sea and from land. Having walked a difficult path to the mouth of the Indigirka River, the expedition stopped for the winter. We spent the winter safely on the shore. During this time, a huge amount of work was done to study the coast. In the spring, in order to get to clean water, they had to cut a whole channel a mile long. After this titanic work, the ship, going out to sea, encountered a storm and was thrown aground. But the brave sailors, at the cost of enormous effort, unloaded the ship and removed the masts, refloated it and continued their journey east along the coast of the East Siberian Sea. Part of the team was sent on foot to explore the banks of the Kolyma River. Having reached the mouth of the Kolyma, D. Laptev stopped his expedition for a second winter in Nizhnekolymsk. This winter was spent relatively calmly, continuing work on land.
In the summer of 1741, Dmitry Laptev made an attempt for the third time to sail east from Kolyma to. But at Cape Baranov he was again met by impassable ice, and the expedition was forced to return to Nizhnekolymsk. Having put in order all the records of the study of the coast from the Lena delta to the Kolyma, Dmitry Laptev headed to the Anadyrsky fort on dog sleds and made a thorough inventory of the Anadyr River basin. And in the fall of 1742 he arrived in St. Petersburg with a report on the work done.
After the Great Northern Expedition D.Ya. Laptev continued to serve in the navy and retired in 1762 with the rank of vice admiral.
Khariton Laptev’s expedition went through great difficulties, but quite safely. Knowing from his brother’s stories about the difficulties of sailing in the North Sea, Khariton Laptev, having arrived in Yakutsk, thoroughly prepared for the upcoming expedition.
Having collected everything necessary and completed Lieutenant Pronchishchev’s team with the strongest and most experienced sailors, at the end of July 1738 he headed north on the Yakutsk. On August 17, Khariton Laptev, having reached the first large bay of Taimyr, explored these places and gave it the name “Nordvik”. Then the Yakutsk headed further to Khatanga Bay, examining its shores and coastal waters. And at the exit from it, the Transfiguration Island was discovered and put on the map. After which, the expedition began to move along the eastern coast of Taimyr, exploring its coast. But at Cape Fadeya, a solid wall of ice blocked the path. Winter was ahead and Khariton Laptev, knowing the tragedy of his predecessor, turned back and settled for the winter in Khatanga Bay, at the mouth of the Bludnaya River.
The prudent Khariton, with the help of his team, quickly erected a small house made of driftwood on the shore, in which the expedition safely overwintered. During wintering, no time was wasted; all available places were examined, and everything was prepared to continue work in the spring.
In the spring, leaving supplies of food and equipment at the winter quarters, Kh. Laptev sent part of the team overland to explore Taimyr. And he and the rest of the crew, immediately after breaking up the ice, once again tried to go around Taimyr from the north, but the ship was tightly pinched and crushed by the ice. And although all the cargo had been unloaded onto the ice in advance, we had to carry it all on foot along the ice hummocks to the wintering site. Along the way, we lost 4 people who could not bear the rigors of the transition, but the rest still made it to the place. At the old place, the expedition spent the winter quite successfully, continuing to work on land.
In the spring of 1741, the expedition of Khariton Laptev, now no longer having a ship, continued exploring the Taimyr Peninsula. Having divided the expedition into three detachments, Kh. Laptev set them the task of exploring the coast of Taimyr.
And although due to incredible difficulties not all of Kh. Laptev’s tasks were completed, on the whole the work of the expedition could be considered successful. Bala compiled a reliable map of Taimyr. One of their groups was led by Semyon Chelyuskin, who later continued research in the Arctic, whose name is the northernmost point of Asia. The rocky “Cape Chelyuskin” is located at 77°43′ north latitude and 104°17′ east longitude.
X. Laptev himself examined all available places in the depths of the Taimyr Peninsula. On foot along the ice hummocks, carrying luggage on dogs, he reached Lake Taimyr, and completely described its surroundings.
After which Khariton went down to the sea along the Taimyrka River and moved towards Chelyuskin. Having finished their work, Khariton Laptev and Semyon Chelyuskin reached Turukhansk on the Yenisei River on dogs. Laptev and Chelyuskin spent the winter in Turukhansk. But they didn’t waste time. During this winter, they put in order all the records of the individual expedition groups and put it all on the map. Practically there, in Turukhansk, it was compiled detailed map east coast Laptev Sea and Taimyr Peninsula.
After the end of the expedition, Khariton Prokopyevich Laptev returned to St. Petersburg, where his work was highly appreciated. Afterwards he continued to serve in the navy. He completed his service with the rank of captain of the first rank.
The book by Vladlen Aleksandrovich Troitsky “Notes of Khariton Laptev” is very informative in describing the history of Khariton Laptev’s expedition. The author of the book describes the life and travels of a participant in the Great Northern Expedition, the discoverer of Taimyr, Khariton Laptev (1736 - 1743). The book describes in detail how the first map of Taimyr was created, how the islands in the Laptev Sea were discovered, and a complete geographical description this region.
IN different times this sea was called differently. In the 16th-17th centuries, on maps it was called the Tatar or Lena Sea, in XVIII-XIX centuries it was called Siberian or Arctic. In 1883, Norwegian Arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen named it the “Nordenskiöld Sea.”
But despite the fact that a lot of time has passed since those long ago, the homeland has not forgotten the discoverers of this distant and important sea for Russia. In 1913, the Russian Geographical Society proposed calling this sea the “Laptev Sea” in honor of the discoverers, brothers Dmitry and Khariton Laptev. Officially, the name “Laptev Sea” was legalized only in 1935 by a decision of the USSR Central Executive Committee. This name was recognized by all countries and is now marked on maps.
The Laptev Sea still plays a very important role for Russia. In principle, this is the sea gate of central Siberia. From here laden ships sail all over the world Siberian forest and other riches of this region. In addition, the Laptev Sea represents a kind of reserve of strategic oil and gas reserves in Russia.
This is explained primarily by the oil and gas potential of the Laptev Sea. The sea is quite shallow and therefore gas and oil can be extracted here simply from the shore or from bulk islands. And this can significantly reduce the cost of production. In addition, the Laptev Sea is located in the very center of the Northern Sea Route, which gives a great advantage for transportation.
In addition, there is a real opportunity to connect these fields to the oil pipeline system " Eastern Siberia- Pacific Ocean". There is no doubt that the future lies with this region. Moreover, recently the Russian government has begun to pay great attention to the development of the Northeast Russian Federation, improving the living conditions of the local population, increasing their employment and the overall development of this region.
.jpg)
These places are also quite attractive for tourism. Of course, the lack of tourist infrastructure still makes these places inaccessible for wide visits, but nevertheless, lovers of northern extreme sports are increasingly visiting these regions. Well, for hunters and fishermen this is a real paradise. After all, from time immemorial, the indigenous local population: Nganasans, Enets, Dolgans, Nenets, Evenks, Khanty, Mansi, Komi, Selkups and Yakuts roamed these places and were mainly engaged in fishing and hunting.
Various animals and sea animals are still abundant here. You can hunt seal, seal, walrus and deer. You can easily meet a musk ox or even a musk ox.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Well, the birds here are like dirt, especially gulls, ducks, tundra and northern partridges, waders, buntings and of course geese. There are simply countless of them here.
.jpg)
.jpg)
But will a hand always rise to such a beauty as a goose?
Although mainly small species of fish are found here: smelt, cod, capelin, navaga and other cod, quite often you can find perch, whitefish, salmon, sturgeon that go to sea to feed, but such fish do not move far from the mouth of the rivers. Muksun, nelma, grayling and, of course, taimen are not uncommon in these waters. But such Arctic char, as they call it locally, “kunja,” can only be caught here. Fish are caught mainly in bays, bays and river mouths.
After visiting these places, you should definitely ride in a sleigh pulled by reindeer.
.jpg)
Well, the Northern Lights will not leave anyone indifferent. Such beauty can only be seen here.
Of course, holidays in these places will not be very comfortable, but the days spent here will remain in your memory for a long time. And we are sure that once you get to these harsh places, you will be amazed by this northern beauty, it will always attract you to itself, and someday you will still return here.
The Laptev Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. Located between the Taimyr Peninsula and the Severnaya Zemlya Islands in the west and the New Siberian Islands in the east. The sea is named after the Russian polar explorers, cousins Dmitry and Khariton Laptev (originally the sea was named after Nordenskiöld). The banks are heavily indented. Large bays: Khatanga, Olenyoksky, Faddeya, Yansky, Anabarsky, Maria Pronchishcheva Bay, Buor-Khaya. There are many islands in the western part of the sea, mostly off the coast. The islands of Komsomolskaya Pravda are located in the southwestern part of the sea. The following rivers flow into the sea: Khatanga, Anabar, Olenyok, Lena, Yana. Some rivers form large deltas. The main port is Tiksi.
The salinity of sea water at 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 salinity of surface waters is strongly influenced by the flow of Siberian rivers and the melting of ice. With increasing depth, salinity increases rapidly, reaching 33 ppm.
