The sea of bast shoes is average maximum depth. The harsh sea of Laptevs
In the west of the Laptev Sea by the Vilkitsky straits. Shokapskiy and the Red Army unites with By the Kara Sea, in the east by the straits Dm. Lapteva, Eterikan and Sannikova - with By the East Siberian Sea Sea Laptev (former names Siberian, Nordenskjold) Sea Laptev Square about 672 thousand km "-, volume 363 thousand km3, average depth 540 m, maximum depth 2980 m. The greatest length of the Laptev Sea from SE to NW is between 71 and 82 ° N 1300 km. Length coastline 7523 km, of which 5254 km along the mainland, 2269 km along the coast of its islands.
Largest bays- Khatangsky, Oleneksky, Buorkhaya Bay, etc. Many rivers flow into the Laptev Sea, the annual flow of which is about 730 km3 (the Lena River gives 77% of the continental runoff). Some rivers form extensive deltas. There are several dozen islands in the Sea of Laptevs with a total area of 5900 km2. Most of the islands are located in the western part of the Laptev Sea. The islands are diverse in origin and landscape.
Melting ice and the wave-breaking process greatly accelerate the denudation of the Laptev Sea shores and sometimes lead to the destruction of small islands. For example, open islands Semenovsky and Vasilievsky (74 ° 12 "N, 133e 20" E) Numerous remains of preglacial animals are found in the layers of ice exposed by erosion. The shore in the Dm. Laptev is named the Mammoth Coast, since the Quaternary strata is replete with the remains of these extinct animals.
Studies have shown that in the modern era, the mainland coast of the Laptev Sea rises. The relative rate of isostatic uplift increases from west to east from +2.2 mm / year in Bulunkan Bay (Tiksi Bay) to + 6.7 mm / year near Cape Shalaurov.
The geological past of the Laptev Sea is closely related to the history of the development of the Arctic Ocean, which determined the structure of its bed and shores. The Severnaya Zemlya archipelago is a continuation of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic folding of the Taimyr Peninsula, and the New Siberian Islands for the most part are a continuation of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic folding of the Verkhoyansk Range. The main features of the bottom relief of the Laptev Sea were determined by Late Neogene - Early Pleistocene tectonic ruptures. In the process of geological development, the Laptev Sea was repeatedly subjected to transgression and regression. Ancient arosian bottom relief forms were formed in the late Pliocene — early Pleistocene with a relative decrease in sea level (400-500 m below the present level). During this period, the coastline was located in the place of the upper edge of the continental slope. At the beginning of the Upper Pleistocene, the sea level was 80–100 m higher than the present day. Later, it began to gradually decline and reached a position close to the present, during the Sartan mountain-valley glaciation, that is, 20 thousand years ago.
Bottom relief and bottom sediments
In terms of its relief, the Laptev Sea is a bathyal plain, gently sloping in its southern part and steeplybreaking off to the ocean floor. Depths less than 100 m occupy about 70%, and more than 1000 m - 18% of the Laptev Sea area.
The bottom topography of the southern (shelf) part of the Laptev Sea is very complex; there are numerous depressions of erosional and tectonic origin, continuation of the underwater channels of modern rivers, as well as shallow waters and banks. The continental slope is cut by the deep-water Sadko trench, which in the north passes into the Nansen Basin.
In the shallow areas of the Laptev Sea, sediments are composed of sand and silt, sometimes with the addition of pebbles and boulders. Silts are observed at great depths. Sediment formation in the coastal zone of the Laptev Sea is greatly influenced by rivers, especially the Lena (11.3 million tons of suspended sediment per year) and Yana (6.2 million tons of suspended sediment per year). Alluvial sediments and erosion of the banks contribute to the fact that the rate of sedimentation in the coastal zone can reach 25 cm / year. In the eastern part of the Laptev Sea, relic ice is often found under the layer of sediments.
Laptev Sea climate
In terms of climate, the Laptev Sea is one of the harshest Arctic seas. The polar night lasts about 3 months in the south and 4 months in the north. Air temperatures below zero persist in the northern part of the Laptev Sea for about 11 months, in the southern part for 9 months. average temperature air of the coldest month (January) —31, —34 ° C, the average minimum —54 ° C, the absolute minimum —61 ° C.Average wind speeds in January, from 3-4 m / s in the southern part to 5-6 m / s in the northern part of the Laptev Sea, the highest wind speed is 49 m / s. In spring (mainly in April) the duration of sunshine reaches 250 hours per month (almost 2 times more than in Moscow). The total radiation on the coast of the Laptev Sea in April is 8-11 kcal / cm2, in May 14-16 kcal / cm2, but the radiation balance becomes positive only in May. The average air temperature in April is –19.2 ° С in the south of the Laptev Sea and –20.8 ° С in the north, in May –7 and –9 ° С, respectively.
A stable transition of air temperatures through zero to positive values is carried out in the first ten days of June. The Laptev Sea receives 25% of the annual solar radiation in June.
The average air temperature of the warmest month (July) is 1 ° C, in the south and on the sea coast 5-7 ° C; the maximum air temperature is 22-24 ° С, the minimum is –4, –1 С, respectively. The number of days with frost in July in the north is 25, in the south 6. The transition from average daily values to negative values in the north is carried out in the first decade of September, in the south - in the second. The average air temperature in September in the north is -1.6 ° C, in the south is 1.5 ° C, and in October, respectively, -10.5 and -11.9 ° C.
Hydrological regime
The Laptev Sea is primarily determined by the fact that most of the year its water area is covered with ice. Ice formation begins in September in the north of the Laptev Sea and in October in the south. The Laptev Sea is characterized by low water temperatures. In winter, the temperature of the under-ice layer of water is about -0.8 ° C in the southeastern part of the Laptev Sea and about -1.8 ° C in the north. At depths from 25 to 100 m, the water temperature is from -1.6 to -1.8 ° C.Relatively warm Atlantic waters with temperatures up to 1.5 ° C (at a depth of 250-300 m) enter the deep-water part of the Laptev Sea of the Arctic Basin. Below the layer of Atlantic waters to the bottom, the temperature is on the order of -0.8 ° C. The waters of the Laptev Sea begin to warm up in the regions of river mouths. According to Antonov's data, the thermal runoff of rivers in the Laptev Sea is 3120 10 ^ 12 kcal (62% of the thermal runoff in June-July, 25% in August). The heat brought by river waters, promotes breaking of fast ice and clearing of ice from near-estuarine areas and formation of near-estuarine rarefaction. Under the influence of solar radiation, near-estuarine rarefaction, as well as near-ice polynyas, become centers of ice melting and warming up of the Laptev Sea.
In summer, in areas cleared of ice, a thin layer of surface water warms up to 8-10 ° C in bays, inlets and bays. The waters of the western part of the Laptev Sea, diluted by the cold waters of the Arctic basin brought by the Taimyr Current, colder than waters the eastern part, where most of the waters of the continental runoff are distributed. While in the eastern part of the Laptev Sea the water temperature can reach 4-6 ° C, in the western part it does not exceed 2-3 ° C. In the northern part of the Laptev Sea and near the ice edge, water temperatures rise to 0-1 ° C.
On the salinity of the Laptev Sea Ice melting (in the northern part) and river runoff exert a strong influence, which could form a 135 cm thick layer of fresh water over the entire Laptev Sea area (the second thickest in the World Ocean after the Kara Sea) over the entire area of the Laptev Sea.
Laptev Sea, the marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, off the northeastern coasts of Asia, between the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago, the Taimyr Peninsula, the coast of Siberia and the Novosibirsk Islands. It is communicated through the straits with the seas: in the west with the Kara, in the east with the East Siberian. The western border runs from Cape Arctic (northern point of Komsomolets Island) along the eastern shores of the islands of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago and the straits of the Red Army, Shokalsky, Vilkitsky, then along east coasts the Taimyr Peninsula to the mouth of the Khatanga; southern - further along the mainland coast to Cape Svyatoy Nos (141 ° east longitude); eastern - along the Dmitry Laptev Strait, the western coast of Bolshoy Lyakhovsky Island, Eterikan Strait, west bank Small Lyakhovsky Island, Sannikov Strait, west coast Kotelny Island to Cape Anisy, then in the open sea along the meridian 139 ° east longitude to the parallel of 79 ° north latitude; northern - from this point along the arc of a great circle to Cape Arctic. Within these boundaries, the area of the Laptev Sea is 662 thousand km 2, the volume is 353 thousand km 3. The greatest depth is 3385 m (79 ° 35 'north latitude, 124 ° 40' east longitude).
The heavily indented shores of the Laptev Sea form many bays, bays, peninsulas. Large bays - Khatangsky, Anabarsky, Oleneksky, Yansky, Faddeya; bays - Pronchishchevoy, Kozhevnikova, Nordvik, Tiksi; lips - Buor-Khaya, Vankina, Sellakhskaya, Ebelyakhskaya; peninsulas - Khara-Tumus, Nordvik, Shirokostan. There are several dozen islands (mostly small) located off the western and southern shores; most large islands- Bolshoi Begichev, Maly Taimyr, Starokadomsky, Belkovsky, Stolbovoy; group of islands - Thaddeus, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Petra, Danube. Many small islands are located in river estuaries and deltas. The nature of the shores is varied, abrasive, accumulative prevail; large areas of the coasts are covered with fossil ice, they are subject to intense erosion; thus, the islands of Vasilievsky and Semyonovsky, discovered in 1815, were completely eroded and by the mid-1950s turned into sand banks with the same names. The coasts are mostly low-lying, but in some areas low mountains come close to the coastline.
Relief and geological structure bottom... The bottom of the Laptev Sea is represented by a plain, slightly dissected by several trenches, gently descending from south to north. The sea is shallow, about half of the bottom is located at depths less than 50 m, the shelf (along the 200 m isobath) occupies 72%. The continental slope is cut by a deep-water trench Sadko, which passes to the north into the Nansen Basin. Areas with depths of more than 2000 m (northwestern part of the sea) account for only 13%. A large, shallow part of the Laptev Sea is located in the area of junction of the Taimyr, Verkhoyansk-Kolyma and Novosibirsk-Chukotka fold systems, the Mesozoic complexes of which are dissected by a branched Cenozoic rift system of northwestern striking and covered by a cover of Upper Cretaceous - Cenozoic sediments with a thickness of 1-1.5 km uplifts up to 8-12 km in troughs. In the northern, deep-water part of the sea, the sedimentary cover overlies the magmatic rocks of the oceanic crust. Modern bottom sediments on the shelf are represented by sands, silty silt, sometimes with inclusions of pebbles and boulders; in deep-water areas, mostly silty-clayey and clayey silts are observed at the bottom. The sedimentation of coastal areas is significantly influenced by solid river runoff. Lena and Yana alone annually bring up to 17.5 million tons of suspended sediment to the southeastern part of the sea. Eastern The Laptev Sea is seismically active (earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 6 occur); there is an increased seismicity of the coast.
Climate... The climate is arctic maritime, with signs of continental in the southern coastal regions; high-latitude position, proximity to the mainland, isolation from the softening influence of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans determine its severity. The polar night lasts from three to five months. For most of the year, the sea is under the influence of the Siberian High, which causes weak cyclonic activity and monsoon wind conditions. In winter, southern and southwestern winds prevail at a speed of 8-10 m / s, the air becomes very cool, the temperature in January drops to -34 ° C, the absolute minimum was -61 ° C. In summer, predominantly northerly winds (speed 3-4 m / s), the air temperature in July is from 0 ° С at the northern borders to 4 ° С at southern coasts... In small bays well protected from the wind, the air warms up to 12-15 ° C in summer, the maximum temperatures in summer reach 22-24 ° C, the minimum ones drop to -4 ° C.
Hydrological regime. Many small and several large rivers flow into the Laptev Sea; therefore, fresh runoff has a noticeable effect on the hydrological regime of the shallow sea. One of largest rivers the Arctic Ocean basin - Lena annually brings 520 km 3 of water, Khatanga - 105 km 3, Olenek - 38 km 3, Yana - 31.5 km 3. In total, the Laptev Sea receives over 700 km 3 annually. fresh water, or over 30% of the river flow of the Arctic basin. The runoff is unevenly distributed over the seasons of the year: in January about 36 km 3 (over 5% of the annual value) flows into the sea, and in August up to 290 km 3 (over 40%) of water. In coastal areas with a strong influence of river runoff, strongly desalinated water is formed in the surface layer in summer, when salinity drops to 10 ‰ in the Lena estuary area. Salinity increases northward and northwestward, reaching 31 ‰ at Cape Arctic. The water temperature on the surface at this time varies from 4 to -1 ° C, respectively. In winter, salinity everywhere noticeably increases due to a decrease in freshwater runoff and salinization of the surface layer in the process of ice formation: in the Tiksi area up to 15 ‰, at Cape Arctic up to 33 ‰. The water temperature on the surface in winter is everywhere close to the freezing point and is determined by the salinity of the water; it varies from -1 to -1.8 ° C, respectively. With depth, the temperature quickly decreases and deeper than 15-20 m, even in summer, it takes negative values everywhere. Only in deep-water areas, in the 100-300 m layer, the water temperature is above 0 ° C due to the warming effect of the intermediate Atlantic waters.
The sea is covered with ice for most of the year. The ice-forming season lasts from 7-8 months in the south to 9-11 months in the north. In cold years, ice can form in all seasons, in very warm years in late August - early September, the sea is completely free of ice. Vast coastal areas, especially in the southeastern part, are covered with fixed fast ice in winter.
Usually the width of the fast ice is determined by the isobath of 25 m, therefore, in the Laptev Sea, fast ice can occupy up to 30% of the water area. In the rest of the sea, the ice is drifting. By the end of winter, fast ice and drifting ice can (in one season) grow in thickness up to 1.8–2.0 m. The concentration of drifting ice strongly depends on the prevailing winds. Sustainable winds from the eastern points often drive away drifting ice from fast ice, creating space even in the most severe frosts open water- the so-called solderless wormwood. Such a phenomenon in the past was called the Great Siberian Polynya. With the termination of the action of the eastern winds, the ice clearing is quickly covered with young ice.
Due to weak winds in summer and high ice concentration in winter, wind mixing is poorly developed and usually does not penetrate deeper than 8-10 m. Autumn-winter cooling and ice formation contribute to the development of convective mixing, which penetrates to the bottom by the end of winter in northern - to a depth of 90-100 m. Horizontal circulation is mainly cyclonic in nature. Along the mainland coast, the stream moves from west to east. Near the Novosibirsk Islands, most of the flow goes north in the form of the Novosibirsk Current, where it splits into two branches: one turns east into the East Siberian Sea, the other goes west. Have Northern Land the current deviates to the south and, under the name of the East Taimyr Current, closes the cycle.
The tides are of an irregular semidiurnal character, the height is 0.3-0.8 m. Only at the top of the funnel of the Khatanga Bay, during the syzygy, the tide exceeds 2 m. Up the Khatanga, the tidal wave penetrates 200-300 km. Surge-surging level fluctuations usually do not exceed 2.0-2.5 m. Seasonal level fluctuations are small, observed mainly only in the southeastern regions, where they reach 0.4 m (the minimum level is observed in winter, the maximum - in summer). The prevailing excitement is 2-4 points with a wave height of about 1 m. In the central part of the sea during autumn storms with a force of 5-7 points, the wave height reaches 4-5 m, their maximum height 6 m.
Research history. Russian explorers of the Laptevs have known the Sea since the first half of the 17th century. The traces of a Pomor artel found on the shores of the Taimyr Peninsula indicate that the Russians entered the Laptev Sea no later than 1620. In 1633-34, the explorers Ilya Perfilyev and II Rebrov, descending the Lena, discovered Olenek Bay, the mouth of the Olenek River, Yanskiy Bay, and the mouth of the Yana River. The first surveys of the shores of the Laptev Sea from the mouth of the Lena to the northern shores of Taimyr were made in 1735-36 by Lieutenant V.V. Pronchishchev. Former names of the sea - Siberian, from the end of the 19th century - Nordenskjold, established in 1935 modern name in honor of naval officers, participants of the 2nd Kamchatka expedition V. I. Bering, cousins D. Ya. Laptev and Kh. P. Laptev, who completed surveys of its mainland coasts and made the first reliable map of this area. The New Siberian Islands were discovered by Siberian hunters in 1712-1812. The first reliable maps of the islands were made by the government expedition of Lieutenant PF Anjou in 1821-23. The Severnaya Zemlya archipelago was discovered in 1913 by the Arctic Ocean hydrographic expedition, led by Senior Lieutenant B.A. Vilkitsky. The map of the coast of Severnaya Zemlya was compiled by G. A. Ushakov's expedition in 1930-32.
Household use. The Laptev Sea is characterized as an area of weak economic use. Fishing is of local importance. Among the commercial ones are Arctic char, Siberian whitefish, omul, nelma, sturgeon, vendace, muksun. Mammals are represented by walruses, seals, and beluga whales. Polar bears breed on the islands. On the banks there are white foxes and lemmings. The world of birds is diverse, especially in bird colonies where guillemots and guillemots nest; species of gulls, skuas are numerous; common snowy owl, etc.
The Laptev Sea is part of the Northern Sea Route. The main port is Tiksi, where river-sea cargo is transshipped. Timber, building materials, furs, foodstuffs prevail in cargo transportation. Sea cargo transportation is carried out under icebreaker assistance. The Laptev Sea is promising in terms of oil and gas content, but its development is difficult due to the harsh natural conditions.
Ecological situation. In general, the ecological situation in the Laptev Sea is characterized as favorable due to the poor economic use of this area. The shallow parts of the sea are slightly polluted, as a result of which eutrophication of bays, bays, coastal areas of the sea is noted; a decrease in the size of aquatic organisms is observed.
Lit .: Dobrovolsky A.D., Zalogin B.S. of the Sea of the USSR. M., 1982; Atlas of the Arctic. M., 1985; Tectonic map of the Kara and Laptev seas and the north of Siberia / Edited by N. A. Bogdanov, V. E. Khain. M., 1998; Zalogin B.S., Kosarev A.N. M., 1999; Geoecology of the shelf and coast of the seas of Russia / Edited by N. A. Aibulatov. M., 2001.
Sea location
Laptev Sea (Yakut. Laptevtar Baygallara) 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.
Physical and geographical location
The sea surface area is 672,000 km². Depths up to 50 m prevail, the maximum depth is 3385 meters, the average depth is 540 meters. The banks are heavily indented. Large bays: Khatangsky, Oleneksky, Faddeya, Yansky, Anabarsky, Maria Bay, Pronchishcheva, 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.
Inhabitants and flowing rivers
The rivers flow into the sea: Khatanga, Anabar, Olenek, Lena, Yana. Some rivers form large deltas. The main port is Tiksi.
Walrus, bearded seals, and seals live here.
Bottom relief.
The bottom of the Laptev Sea is a gently sloping continental shelf that drops abruptly to the ocean floor. The southern part of the sea is shallow, with depths of 20-50 meters. In shallow areas, the bottom is covered with sand and silt with admixtures of pebbles and boulders. Near the coast, river precipitation accumulates at a high rate, up to 20-25 centimeters per year. The continental slope is cut by the Sadko trench, which passes in the north into the Nansen Basin with a depth of more than 2 kilometers; the maximum depth of the Laptev Sea is also noted here - 3385 meters ( 79 ° 35 N 124 ° 40 ′ v.d.). At great depths, the bottom is covered with silt.
Temperature regime and salinity
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. A strong influence on the salinity of surface waters is exerted by the runoff of Siberian rivers and ice melting. With increasing depth, salinity increases rapidly, reaching 33 ppm
Sea temperatures are low. In winter, the water temperature under the ice is -0.8 ... -1.8 ° C. Above a depth of 100 meters, the entire water layer has negative temperatures (down to -1.8 ° C). In summer, in ice-free areas of the sea, the uppermost layer of water can warm up to 4-6 ° C, in bays up to 10 ° C. In the deep sea zone at a depth of 250-300 meters there are relatively warm waters (up to 1.5 ° C) coming from the Arctic waters of the Atlantic. Below this layer, the water temperature again becomes negative to the very bottom, where the temperature is about -0.8 ° C.
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 most north point Cape Arctic on the island of Komsomolets is considered. The eastern border is the New Siberian Islands with the northernmost point on Kotelny Island, Cape Anisiy. 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 runs into the land far away, 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.
Near southwest coast there are such skeletons as Small and Big Begichev, Preobrazhensky Island, Sandy Island, Psov Island, Petra Island. 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. Maximum depth 3385 meters were recorded in the northern part of the sea in the Nansen Basin, where the water column corresponds on average to 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 up 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 in sea water get phenols, zinc, copper. Contributes to pollution and administrative center Tiksi. 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.
This sea has the status of continental marginal seas.
There are about several dozen islands in the waters of the Laptev Sea. Most of them are located in the western zone of the sea. Here the islands are located both in small groups and separately. The following groups of skeletons are located here: Komsomolskaya Pravda, Vilkitsky and Thaddeus. Among the single skeletons, the largest are: Starokadomsky, Maly Taimyr, Bolshoy Begichev, Sandy, Stolbovoy and Belkovsky. A large number of small islands are found in river deltas.
The coastline of the sea is quite uneven, there are a large number of bays, coves, and capes. Heavily cut eastern shores islands of Severnaya Zemlya and the Taimyr Peninsula. To the east of it there are large bays: Khatangsky, Anabarsky, Oleneksky and Yansky. There are also bays (Kozhevnikova, Nordvik, Tiksi), gulfs (Vankina and Buor-Khaya) and peninsulas (Khara-Tumus, Nordvik). The shores that are washed by the Laptev Sea are different. Some shores have low mountains, some are lowlands.
The Laptev Sea is located in the shelf zone, the continental slope and occupies a small area of the ocean floor. Due to this location is, which ends abruptly in the north. There are several hills and banks on this plain. There is a small groove opposite the mouth. A narrow and rather long trench extends from Stolbovoy Island to the north. Another trough is located at the Oleneksky Bay. In the east of the Laptev Sea, there are two banks Semenovskaya and Vasilievskaya.
Most of the sea is shallow. The shallowest part is located in the south of the sea. Half of the sea is up to 50 m deep. Moving to the north, the depth of the sea increases. First, there are minor changes in depth (from 50 m to 100), and then the depth increases sharply from 2000 m and more.
The climatic conditions of the Laptev Sea are rather harsh compared to other seas. This is due to the location of the sea near, distance from the waters and the adjacent location of the mainland. The climatic conditions of the sea are close to continental. Although there are features of the marine. On the Laptev Sea, one can trace such a continental climate feature as a strong change in air temperature throughout the year. But under the influence of the sea, this fluctuation is not as pronounced as on land.
Different centers influence the sea climate at different times of the year. In the cold period, the high region dominates over the sea. In autumn, the winds of alternating rule are replaced by the southern ones, and their strength increases to stormy ones.
In winter, the sea can be divided into three zones, which have slightly different climatic conditions. The southeastern part of the sea is dominated by the Siberian one. In the north, the influence of the Polar Maximum affects. The western part is periodically affected by the Icelandic minimum. The Siberian anticyclone has the greatest impact on the vastness of the Laptev Sea. Thus, in winter, mainly southern and south-western winds blow, the speed of which is about 8 m / s. At the end of winter, their strength weakens, and calms are observed. During this period, a strong cooling is noticeable. in January it drops to - 26 - 29 ° С. In general, the weather in winter is cloudless and calm. Sometimes, formed south of the sea, contribute to the emergence of powerful northern ones. Such storms continue for several days, after which they cease.
In the warm season, the high pressure area is replaced by a low trough. Spring winds have no constant direction. Along with the southerly winds, there are also northerly ones. These winds are usually gusty and mild. At the same time, the air temperature is constantly increasing. But the weather is still quite cold. V summer time northerly winds prevail, the speed of which does not exceed 3-4 m / s. Powerful winds are not typical for summer. At this time, it rises and reaches its highest mark in August + 1-5 ° С. In confined spaces, the air temperature can be significantly higher. For example, in the Tiksi Bay, a temperature of + 32.5 ° C was recorded. In summer, cyclones often prevail, while it becomes cloudy and rainy.
Fishing and hunting for sea animals is poorly developed, mainly sea fishing is carried out near river mouths. The Laptev Sea is of economic importance, since transport is carried out here. In dispatch and delivery of goods great importance has a port of Tisca.
The coastal waters of the Laptev Sea contain a high concentration of phenol, which comes along with the waters. The high content of phenol in river and coastal waters is due to the huge number of sunken tree species. The most polluted are the waters of the Neelov Bay. The waters of the Tiksi and Buor-Khaya bays are polluted. Ecological standing water resources Buluncan Bay is noted as disastrous. The content of a large amount of toxic substances in coastal waters is due to the discharge of untreated water from Tiksi. Also, the sea contains a large amount of oil products in areas of developed shipping.
