Baikal water is different from sea water. It is soft - there are very few minerals in it - about 0.1 g / l. IN sea \u200b\u200bwater the salt content is 35 g / l. Sea water should not be flossable, as the high salt content in the water will cause serious health problems.

According to the sanitary and hygienic standards of Russia, the salt content in drinking water should not exceed 1 g / l. It is easy to calculate that the amount of salt in Baikal water is 10 times less than in standard drinking water, and 350 times less than in sea water.

1 — in sea water; 2 - in fresh water; 3 - in Baikal water

Transparency

The transparency of the water depends on the amount of suspended matter - particles of clay, sand, as well as the smallest organisms that live in the lake - algae, bacteria, crustaceans. There are very few suspended solids in Baikal. Therefore, being on the ship in clear calm weather, you can see the bottom of Lake Baikal over depths of tens of meters.

Measuring water transparency

The transparency of water on Lake Baikal is the highest among freshwater reservoirs. It reaches 40 m.Scientists measure the transparency of water using a metal disc painted in white color - the Secchi disc.

Transparent waters of Baikal. Baikal ice

Why is the transparency of Baikal water measured with the Secchi disk so high? The fact is that it comes from tributaries, mainly from the mountains, which, like the lake basin itself, are composed of solid crystalline rocks. Therefore, the amount of suspended matter that reduces the transparency of water is small.

Oxygen saturation. Factory of pure water

Baikal water differs from the waters of other reservoirs also in that it contains a lot of oxygen - up to 14 mg / l. This is 2 times more than in ordinary lakes. Why? The colder the water, the greater the oxygen solubility. And in Baikal, even the surface layers of water warm up very weakly, not to mention depths below 100 m, where the water temperature throughout the year fluctuates from 4 to 3.2 ° C. Therefore, the cold water of Lake Baikal is saturated with oxygen.

After the water enters the lake, the inhabitants of Baikal come into action. Algae work like a myriad of microscopic factories to enrich water with oxygen. In the process of their vital activity, they release oxygen, and its concentration in water, especially in springtime, can increase for a short time, even up to 16-18 mg / l. Algae oxygenate the water and absorb pollutants.

Planktonic crustacean Epishura filters out and eats living cells of algae and bacteria, returning clean water to Baikal. Bacteria and fungi break down dead organisms and contaminants. Bottom crustaceans, molluscs, worms feed on plant remains and weakened animals, preventing the development of decay processes. Baikal sponges filter water by consuming small animals and algae and retain pollutants in their bodies. Where harmful chemicals enter Baikal from the shores, coastal plants absorb them from the water, and after dying off, they are carried away into bottom sediments.

Baikal - a factory of pure water

So, the properties of Baikal water: - low salinity, transparency, oxygen saturation - are associated with weak mineralization of the lake's tributaries, low water temperature and the activity of living organisms living in the lake. Therefore, Baikal can be called a "factory of clean water".

These processes have been going on for many millions of years, and will continue all the time as long as Baikal plants and animals retain their viability. The state of the living world of Lake Baikal can be influenced by pollution that comes from the waters of rivers, from the shores of the lake, from large and small vessels, from economic and domestic human activities.

Since Baikal water is poorly mineralized, people who constantly use it as drinking experience lack of minerals. It can be replenished through consumption mineral waters... However, consultations with doctors are necessary, as in some diseases, excess minerals can be harmful.

The missing amount of minerals can also be obtained from food, since there are much more of them in it than in water. For example, people can get their daily calcium intake by eating 50 grams of cheese or 100 grams of cottage cheese per day. To get the same amount of calcium from regular drinking water, you have to drink three buckets!

50 grams of cheese or 3 buckets of water?

Due to the low content of minerals, Baikal water is also called ultra-fresh. Irkutsk physicians, having studied the deep water of Lake Baikal and analyzing the scientific data of other researchers on the effect of ultra-fresh waters on humans, came to the conclusion that the deep water of Lake Baikal can be used to treat some diseases of the joints, kidneys, and liver. Baikal water is also suitable as drinking water in areas where water of local origin contains an increased amount of salts.

Glossary

Renewable natural resource - a resource that is restored in environment after using it.

Irreplaceable natural resource - a resource that, when used, is converted into other substances and is not restored in nature in its original form.

Permanent tributaries - non-drying tributaries.

Temporary tributaries - tributaries that can be filled with water only in rainy, humid years.

Mineralization - the amount of minerals (salts) contained in 1 liter of water.

Soft water - water with a low salt content.

Hard water - water with a high salt content.

Transparency - water permeability to sunlight.

Oxygen saturation of water - the amount of oxygen dissolved in water.

Baikal is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Russia. However, a traveler setting off to this largest freshwater lake on the planet should remember that both in summer and in winter it is fraught with dangers.

Water

Today, ecologists paint a bleak picture of the not so distant future of Baikal, namely, they believe that the lake may soon turn into a swamp. And there really is a reason for such a forecast. Every year, an increasingly significant area of \u200b\u200bthe lake is covered with spirogyra - an algae characteristic of stagnant warm water bodies. The situation on the coast near Severobaikalsk is of particular concern - about 1400 tons of these algae deposits have accumulated there. The growth of Spirogyra is facilitated by household wastewater, which treatment facilities can no longer cope with.

The overgrowth of Baikal with algae threatens with many negative consequences. One of them is the danger of drinking unboiled Baikal water. Alas, as environmentalists state, once crystal clear water is no longer worth drinking without some purification, if you took it from the coast. Doctor of Chemical Sciences Vadim Annenkov notes that some bacteria that have settled in the lake produce toxins, although you can get poisoned not only with some kind of neuroparalytic poison, but you can simply pick up dysentery.

In addition, the shipping traffic, which increases every year, causes irreparable harm to the Baikal water. The press service of the prosecutor's office of Buryatia emphasizes that none of the 30 Baikal berthing facilities, including ports, are equipped with collection points. As a result, more than 400 tons of oily dirty water is discharged directly into the lake. This threatens with inevitable ecological consequences, in particular, for the Baikal endemics.

The pollution of the lake affects, first of all, its inhabitants, in whose organisms harmful substances are deposited. Thus, in the tissues of the two main representatives of the Baikal fauna - omul and seal - in 2000, dioxin poison was found. This poison, accumulating in fish organisms, enters the food chain in animals and humans.

Ice

Every year in March, thousands of lovers of ice walks come to Baikal - on foot, on skates, skiing, bicycles and various types of vehicles. And some of them are frivolous about this type of outdoor activity. Numerous car tracks, streaking through the transparent Baikal ice, create an illusion of safety. However, one should not delude oneself, warn the employees of the Ministry of Emergencies. Insidious March ice can present an unpleasant surprise at any moment.

According to the official data of the Baikal search and rescue detachment of the EMERCOM of Russia, over the past ten years, 63 people died on the frozen lake (half of them remained at the bottom), and 203 people were on the verge of death, and only timely help came to rescue them from the tragic fate. The figures show that people die on the ice of Lake Baikal more often than when climbing the highest peak of the planet Everest.

The March ice on Lake Baikal is, of course, much more dangerous than the December ice. Old ice, under the influence of solar heat, begins to crystallize and crack, and the water on top of it, which could give away its melting, usually goes into cracks. Moving on such ice, albeit still quite thick, is an extremely risky undertaking, even for pedestrians.

Flame

Recently, forest fires have become noticeably more frequent in the area around Lake Baikal. In 2015, they had to close several of the most popular places to visit during the peak tourist season. More than 1,200 fires were reported that year, according to media reports. The fire came so close to the Peschanaya Bay that several dozen tourists were evacuated from this area.

The smoke from this fire was so strong that it crossed Lake Baikal at its widest point and covered Olkhon Island. Chairman of the Baikal Center for Ecology and Ethnography "Real Siberia" Dmitry Govorukhin even addressed the President of the Russian Federation, saying that 10 thousand local residents and more than 30 thousand tourists are suffocating from the smoke.

In the summer of 2015, the area of \u200b\u200bforest fires was also a record high. If from the side of the Irkutsk region forests were burning on an area of \u200b\u200bmore than 40 thousand hectares, then from the side of the Republic of Buryatia the situation was even worse - 75 thousand hectares of taiga were burning. It was a real ecological disaster, accompanied by the migration of wild animals, which, fleeing the fires, went out to people.

Experts call dry thunderstorms the main reason for the increased frequency of forest fires around Lake Baikal, high temperature air and human factor. It turns out that people not only carelessly light and put out fires poorly, but also launch Chinese lanterns in the forest.

Another factor favoring the spread of fires was the gradual decrease in the water level in the lake. This was caused, first of all, by the damming of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station of the Angara River, which feeds Baikal.
Scientists predict that the day is not far off when the water level in Lake Baikal can drop 13-16 cm below the limit. As a result, wells in villages will become shallower, and in the event of a fire, this will limit the possibility of refueling fire engines with water and, accordingly, extinguishing fires.

Wind

Lake Baikal, huge in area, has a significant impact on the climate of the windward slopes of the eastern ridges of the Baikal region, thanks to it, a huge amount of precipitation falls there. First of all, this applies to the Khamar-Daban ridge, in the central part of which the amount of precipitation reaches a record for the entire country - 1,443 mm per year, and the thickness of the snow cover is 2-3 times higher than the average values \u200b\u200bin other regions and sometimes exceeds the mark in three meters.

A slow increase in air temperature in spring leads to long-term “conservation” of snow and creates an increased threat of avalanches for a long time. For example, on May 3, 1985, a great tragedy happened at Lake Baikal - 17 students of the Irkutsk Pedagogical Institute died in an avalanche on the slope of Babkha Peak. However, desperate tourists still continue to conquer the Baikal peaks.

Rescuers also draw travelers' attention to such climatic features region, as the cyclical nature of the winds, due to which there is a sharp change in the situation even in summer, especially after hot days. At the end of June 1971, at the Chertovy Vorota pass (1700 m), tourists were overtaken by a real blizzard - the height of the snow cover reached the level of an adult's knees. In July of the same year, as a result of a sharp cold snap and a snowstorm that replaced the fine days, a part of the Angara group of climbers who climbed the peak named after the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences died.

Experts strongly do not recommend high-altitude trekking at the end of August, when snow begins to fall in the alpine zone. During this period, storms of significant wind strength sometimes last for several days. You need to be extremely vigilant during ski trips in winter: the health and life of a tourist can be threatened not only by widespread wet ice, but also by large openings and treacherous gullies covered from above by snow bridges.

Forest

The Baikal taiga is fraught with the same dangers as other Siberian forests. Potentially aggressive animals include bear, wolf, wild boar. However, if certain rules of behavior are followed, the risk of encountering them is small. Ticks and especially gnats are much more problematic for vacationers. Clouds of bloodsucking live in the swampy eastern and northeastern Baikal territories. You can't survive there without a mosquito net.

Another "surprise" of the Baikal forests is prepared for lovers of hiking routes. We are talking about dwarf cedar - a half-tree-half-shrub, climbing up to heights of 1700 meters and descending to the lake itself. Its thickets like a fur coat cover extended territories, making it difficult for a person to move. Dwarf branches can reach 6 meters in height and 25 centimeters in thickness. Intertwining with neighboring plants, they create almost impenetrable thickets.

“In the valley of Kunerma, not yet leaving the forest zone, we came across a thicket of elfin trees two to three meters high,” wrote the geographer S. G. Sarkisyan in his book “Baikal”. - The branches of this tree were so closely intertwined that it was simply impossible to walk on the ground - it was necessary to move by climbing on branches-trunks on all four limbs. Such climbing with a backpack turned out to be so slow and tiring that we overcame a significant part of the Kunerma valley directly along the river bed, often knee-deep in cold water - it turned out faster and easier. "

We add that the dwarf cedar is highly flammable and quickly burns out. This applies not only to dry, but also to young plants. Thus, a tourist stuck in a hard-to-pass thicket of elfin trees, during a fire, finds himself in a deadly trap.

Baikal amazes not only with its impressive size, water reserves, but also with the number of myths about the water of this amazing lake. Here are 5 things you need to know:

1. Unique composition of water

Delving deeper into the study of the composition of the lake's water, scientists note that it is similar to distilled water. There are practically no mechanical impurities in Lake Baikal, the content of dissolved salts is low. But if we turn to a more detailed analysis of water, then we can note one important fact: water is enriched with free oxygen and, important for the human body, trace elements. This is due to the fact that water enters the lake through a multi-stage and complex path, overcoming tributaries, cascades of natural filters. Enriched with life-giving power, it turns into a health-improving cocktail: improving brain and physical activity, rejuvenating the human body, accelerating tissue regeneration, water becomes an important component of maintaining health.

2. Acidity of water

The acidity of water extracted from the lake is Ph \u003d 7.5, this figure is as close as possible to the acidity of the internal environment of the human body. Due to this level of acidity, the water is perfectly absorbed, ideal for preparing baby and diet food.

3. Environmental formula

Lake Baikal is an incredible factory for the production of quality drinking water. The healing properties of water are associated with the passage of complex natural filtration and a unique biosphere. The study of water quality by the Irkutsk Limnological Institute showed that the lake is inhabited not only by living organisms, but also by ten types of bacteriophages participating in the destruction of dangerous bacteria for the human body.

An amazing fact about the water of Lake Baikal: the water has the properties of a natural antiseptic and is effective in treating hypertension, bronchial asthma and urolithiasis.

4. Energy of melt water

As a result geographic location and features climatic conditions, the water of the lake goes through repeated cycles of freezing and melting. Melt water is biologically active and has a beneficial effect on the human body. Studies have shown that it stimulates life processes, affects longevity and health. Most centenarians live in regions where melt water is mainly used in the diet.

5. Unusual taste of pure water

Having considered all four facts about water, it's no surprise that it tastes unique and delicious. The clean drinking water of Lake Baikal can rightfully be called life-giving. Due to the chemical properties of water, its composition, natural and mechanical filtration, the water is thirsty and enjoyable.

The lake water is used in the food industry to create carbonated drinks, fruit drinks and alcoholic beverages, but the taste and benefits of clean drinking water are undeniable.

Baikal water is natural " living water". Artificially, with the help modern technologiesIt is impossible to create such water, therefore, the conservation of the lake is a priority not only for the ecology of Russia, but also for the world.

Baikal water is unique and amazing, like Baikal itself. It is unusually transparent, clean and oxygenated. In not so ancient times, it was considered curative, with its help diseases were treated. In spring, the transparency of Baikal water, measured with the Sekki disk (a white disk with a diameter of 30 cm), is 40 m (for comparison, in the Sargasso Sea, which is considered the standard of transparency, this value is 65 m). Later, when a massive algae bloom begins, the transparency of the water decreases, but in calm weather, the bottom is visible from the boat at a fairly decent depth. This high transparency is explained by the fact that the Baikal water, due to the activity of living organisms inhabiting it, is very weakly mineralized and close to distilled.

The volume of water in Lake Baikal is about 23 thousand cubic kilometers, which is 20% of the world and 90% of Russian reserves of fresh water. Every year the Baikal ecosystem reproduces about 60 cubic kilometers of transparent, oxygenated water.

Climate

The climate in Eastern Siberia is sharply continental, but the huge mass of water contained in Lake Baikal and its mountainous surroundings create an extraordinary microclimate. Baikal works as a large thermal stabilizer - it is warmer in winter and a little cooler in summer than, for example, in Irkutsk, which is 70 km from the lake. The temperature difference is usually around 10 degrees. A significant contribution to this effect is made by forests growing almost on the entire coast of Lake Baikal.

The influence of Lake Baikal is not limited only to temperature regulation. Due to the fact that the evaporation of cold water from the surface of the lake is very insignificant, clouds over Baikal cannot form. Besides, air masses, bringing clouds from the land, when passing the coastal mountains, they heat up, and the clouds dissipate. As a result most the sky is clear over Lake Baikal. This is also indicated by the numbers: the number of hours of sunshine in the area of \u200b\u200bOlkhon Island is 2277 hours (for comparison - at the Riga seaside in 1839, in Abastumani (Caucasus) - 1994). You should not think that the sun always shines over the lake - if you are not lucky, you can get one, or even two weeks of disgusting rainy weather even in the sunniest place of Lake Baikal - on Olkhon, but this happens extremely rarely.

It is impossible to say that Baikal has been fully explored today. Even simple things are often confusing. For example, such a seemingly elementary question as the number of sources flowing into the lake can be considered open. After all, it is not so easy to rewrite all the streams that carry the purest mountain water to Baikal. It's almost like taking a census. Even the number of rivers varies from source to source! It is difficult to count all these flows, because some of the shores of the lake are simply impassable. Sheer cliffs or, conversely, swampy places interfere, and it is not always possible to see a stream winding in the grass from a helicopter. The situation is complicated by the seasonal difference in these tributaries, because some of them appear during the snow melting period, safely disappearing in the summer.

But it is precisely established that the Angara water carries away from Lake Baikal. But whether there are small, insignificant drains near the lake, it is also difficult to say. Regarding the number of islands - the same confusion - for some reason it is impossible to count them exactly. Or is it washed up by the running water of the lake? By the way, information about water exchange also varies. Some scientists argue that the water in the bottom layers of Lake Baikal has been settled for almost centuries, and therefore it acquires unique properties. Others focus on the fact that the lake water is still in motion, and this does not allow it to accumulate a large amount of silt - and with it, acquire turbidity, and therefore the transparency of Baikal water is so high.

The "culprit" of purity

But what else has been established for sure is one of the "culprits" of the unsurpassed purity of this planet's greatest water reserve. It is a microscopic crustacean that recycles everything that could form silt. They call it the Baikal Epishura. And this endemic planktonic crustacean recycles all substances to the simplest inorganic compounds. The local plankton produces oxygen in huge quantities! Sponges are another filter of Baikal water. That's where the amazing saturation of water with this life-giving element comes from. So the sludge of water, especially the age-old, here, apparently, has nothing to do with it.

It's just that Baikal heals itself with the help of microorganisms, which are almost nowhere else. Why "almost"? Because the Baikal water nevertheless penetrates into other lakes of its basin, moreover, together with this plankton. But here's a mystery: the warm and shallow lake Kotokel, where it is reliably known that the same plankton Epishura is present, almost died from ecological disaster... Of course, the percentage of pollution in a small lake could have exceeded all conceivable limits, but the water temperature in which pathogenic organisms could multiply more actively than in the cold deep Baikal could also play a role, therefore the bottom plankton was unable to cope with such an attack.

But what is surprising: Kotokel is gradually recovering! It has already become to fish . After all, only a few years have passed since the disaster, and already such an amazing result. Of course, Kotokel is flowing, but water from it enters Baikal through the system of rivers. Why didn't the water of the "Glorious Sea" suffer? Because it is not "defended" for centuries, but is processed, moreover, with a large amount of plankton. In addition, both lakes receive replenishment from the purest glacial water. Modern scientists believe that it is melt water that has the most favorable structure. It seems that the second "culprit" of Baikal's purity has been found.

Melt and bottom water

Can the sun warm up the entire water column of Lake Baikal? Of course, such a moment comes, otherwise ice would always rest on the bottom of the lake. But the temperature of the bottom water still remains very low. As a result, in its structure, it turns out to be close to melt water. Pathogenic organisms do not multiply at this temperature, and if you organize the intake of drinking water from the depths, then it will not have to be chlorinated to drink. Just like we drink cold water from springs that rises from the depths of the earth. Since there is no more lake in the world with such a depth, there is no more water of such remarkable properties. If we take the largest lake - the Caspian Sea, then the water in it is salty, unsuitable for drinking.

Melt water is considered useful not only because of its structure, but also because of the small amount of salts. When it flows down from the mountains during the melting of glaciers, it is practically not saturated with minerals, because in the vicinity of Lake Baikal, the river banks consist of crystalline rocks that are poorly soluble in water. As a result, the water remains soft, therefore it is favorable for drinking and bathing in it. Doctors believe that hard water can clog the joints and contribute to the deposition of salts in them. Blood flow also suffers from it, not to mention the digestive system and kidneys. But soft water can work wonders, and in spring the waters of Lake Baikal are close to distilled ones, but these are natural waters, and not artificially obtained.

Examples for contrast

A modern motorist is unlikely to pour low-quality fuel into the gas tank, realizing that the car can deteriorate. At the same time, for example, in the water supply system of the city of Taganrog, far from Baikal, water flowed with such a salt content that it tasted bitter-salty. And people drank it! Tourists who came to this "resort-industrial" center jokingly called the tap water coming from the Mius River "crane borjomi". Or even it was believed that water was brought there not even from the slightly salted Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, but immediately from the Black! Even six tablespoons of sugar could not "correct" the taste of tea with such water.

Against this background, you begin to appreciate the unique water of Lake Baikal even more. After all, the body of each person is unique, and he needs clean "fuel" no less than a car. Since the body is 80% water, our health depends on the purity of what we are forced to drink. And how useful soft bathing water is! She not only seems affectionate when you touch her, but also has a beneficial effect on the health of the skin and hair, as well as their appearance... That is why the unique water of the lake must be treated with the utmost care.

When you begin to understand the value of a unique lake

Conversations about the fact that all living things came out of the water are already categorically boring. Anyone will ignore this phrase now. If a person is told that Baikal is one-fifth of all fresh water reserves on Earth, then this will be perceived as just statistics. But one has only to plunge into this wonderful world of the relict lake, to be imbued with its greatness, as you begin to almost feel with your skin that this fragile balance can be destroyed. And even though now the Baikal water is able to heal itself, experiment with it or wave your hand, throwing garbage on the shore or into an oncoming wave, they say, and it will be processed, it is not worth it.

But each of us can contribute to the safety of this unique water. If you are accustomed not to burden nature with the "husk of civilization", but to contemplate it peacefully, if in your habits to collect garbage in a bag and carry it to the first waste container you come across, if you do not break branches unnecessarily, and make fires in old fireplaces and always have them extinguish after yourself, or even better - use other means of cooking, then come to Baikal and take a place there, not allowing those who live only one day to settle.

In order to get imbued with an idea, you can visit special ecological tours that are organized here on Lake Baikal. Around the lake there are nature reserves and sanctuaries open to the public, which is limited by the number of people passing through the area in one day. These territories are protected by the state, and we are personally responsible for others, when we visit them, live there and leave again. How clean the water will remain in Baikal depends on how attentive we are to nature.

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