Where is the Kara Sea? All about sharks

Kara Sea... From the school geography course we know that it is located somewhere on the edge of the Arctic Ocean, i.e. at the top of a map or globe. Very extensive knowledge, isn't it? This is definitely not enough for such an amazing geographical feature. Let's try to get to know each other better.

Section 1. Kara Sea. General description.

The Kara Sea belongs to the category marginal seas, geographically related to the Arctic Ocean. Its name comes from the one belonging to this basin, which, in turn, received given name in honor of a noble local Nenets family.

Before this, other names can be traced in history: Northern Tatar, New Northern and Mangazeya.

In accordance with the physical and geographical conditions, Kara is considered the most difficult sea in the Russian Arctic, so any navigation here is fraught with quite great difficulties. One reason is the almost constant presence of strong ice cover. In addition, the depth of the sea is uneven, shallows are encountered quite often, and currents are poorly studied.

It should also be noted that much in this region is decided by the weather, and since fog or haze persists almost constantly, it is impossible to visually determine the distance in most cases.

In the south-west part of the Kara Sea, large offshore deposits of gas condensate and natural gas have been discovered nearby.

The main economic significance of the sea lies in the fact that it is considered the most important link so necessary for the country and plays a large role in the development and strengthening of the productive forces of the regions

Section 2. Kara Sea. How diverse is its flora and fauna?.

In general, we can say with confidence that the flora and fauna here were formed under the influence of conditions that are very different in nature, both climatic and hydrological. Note that they differ significantly from each other in the southern and northern parts.

Neighboring basins continue to have a huge impact. So, for example, from Barents Sea Some heat-loving forms actively penetrate, and from the Laptev Sea, on the contrary, high-arctic forms. The ecological boundary of distribution, according to scientists, is the eightieth meridian. However, we should not forget that freshwater elements also play a significant role.

If we conduct a comparative analysis, it turns out that the flora and fauna are qualitatively much poorer than the Barents Sea, but are significantly ahead of the Laptev Sea. For example, in the Barents Sea there are currently 114 different species different types fish, in the Kara Sea - somewhere around 54, and in the Laptev Sea - much less, only 37.

Thanks to this fact, the Kara Sea is important in the life of the entire country. There are organized events related to fishing for omul, muksun, vendace, smelt, navaga, pollock and nelma.

The Kara Sea... Photos of animals living in its vicinity adorn printed and virtual publications of the planet. Pinnipeds are also abundant in the sea. Here you can meet seals, and if you're lucky, walruses. IN summer time Beluga whales come here, and polar bears live here all year round.

Section 3. Kara Sea. Interesting facts.

The salinity of the sea is quite uneven. This is due to the fact that several flow into it at once. large rivers(Yenisei, Taz and Ob). It is located mainly on the shelf. Coming across an island in the Kara Sea, or rather a cluster of several, is not such a rarity. The average depth is 50-100 m, the greatest recorded is 620 meters. The area is 893,400 km². The coldest of all our (Russian) seas. The water temperature near the coast in winter rarely exceeds −1.8 °C, and in summer +6 °C. In the years Cold War this sea was a place for secret disposal of nuclear waste. According to very rough estimates, today in its waters there are not only thousands of containers, about twenty ships with radioactive waste, but also several reactors with dangerous unspent fuel. It turns out that waste, the level of radiation of which was considered low, was simply poured into the water.

The Kara Sea is a marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean. Located between the coast of the mainland ( West Siberian Plain), the islands of Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land and Severnaya Zemlya.

The western border of the Kara Sea is from Cape Kolzat (81° 08" N, 65° 13" E) to Cape Zhelaniya (76° 57" N, 68° 36" E), then along the eastern shores of the Novaya Zemlya islands, the western border of the Matochkin Shar Strait, from Cape Serebryany to Cape Stolbovoy, the western border of the Kara Gate Strait, from Cape Kusov Nos to Cape Rogaty, the eastern shore of Vaygach Island and along the western border of the Yugorsky Shar Strait from Cape White Nos to Cape Greben; northern border - from Cape Kolzat to Cape Arkticheskiy (81° 16" N, 95° 43" E) Severnaya Zemlya Island, Komsomolsky Island; eastern border - the western shores of the Severnaya Zemlya islands and the eastern borders of the Red Army, Shokalsky and Vilkitsky straits; the southern border is the mainland coast from Cape Bely Nos to Cape Pronchishchev.

In the north, the Kara Sea communicates with the Arctic Basin, in the west - with the Barents Sea (Yugorsky Shar, Kara Vorota, Matochkin Shar straits and between the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land), in the east - with the Laptev Sea (Vilkitsky, Shokalsky and Red Army).

Area of ​​the Kara Sea 893.4 thousand km2, water volume 101 thousand km2 greatest depth 600 m, average 113 m. N greatest length from SW between 81 and 68° N. w. near. 1500 km, maximum width in the northern part of the Kara Sea 800 km. The length of the coastline along the mainland is 9047 km, along the islands 5653 km. |

Largest bays— Baydaratskaya Bay, Ob Bay, Yenisei Bay, Pyasinsky Bay, Gydan Bay and Taimyr Bay are cut into the mainland coast. Largest rivers flowing into the sea - the Yenisei, Ob, as well as Pyasina, Pur and Taz, Kara (which gave the name to the sea) - have a total flow of about 1300 km3/year (80% of the flow occurs in the summer).

There are a large number of islands in the Kara Sea (their total area is about 10 thousand km2), concentrated mainly in the northeastern part of the sea. Along the coast of the mainland are the skerries of Minin, the Nordenskiöld archipelago (more than 70 islands), etc.; in the central part of the Kara Sea - the islands of the Arctic Institute, Izvestia TsIK, Sergei Kirov, and Uedineniya. The island of Wiese is widely known, the existence of which was theoretically predicted by V. Yu. Wiese (1924) as a result of studying ice drift in the Kara Sea.

Islands varied in origin and relief. Some of the islands are mountainous, for example the mountains of Vaygach Island and Novaya Zemlya are a continuation Ural mountains. Depressions on the slopes of the Sonoran Islands of Novaya Zemlya and Severnaya Zemlya are occupied by glaciers that produce icebergs. The shores of these islands are steep and indented by fiords. Other islands (Ushakova, Schmidt) are completely covered with glacial domes. There are many low-lying sandy islands (Bely, Uedineniya, etc.).

As studies have shown, the coast of the Kara Sea has been experiencing a tendency to rise over the past decades. Highest speed a rise of 1.5 mm/year is observed on Pravda Island. Along the coast relative speed vertical movements earth's crust varies from 0.7 mm/year (Amderma port area) to 0.1 mm/year (near Dixon Island) and up to - 1.2 mm/year (Cape Chelyuskin area).

Bottom topography and bottom sediments

The coast of the Kara Sea is bordered by the Barents-Kara shelf, so about 40% of the bottom area has depths of less than 50 m, 64% - less than 100 m and only 2% - more than 500 m. The shelf is cut from north to south by two wide deep-sea trenches - St. Anna (along east coast Franz Josef Land, depths up to 620 m) and Voronin (along the western coast of Severnaya Zemlya, depths up to 420 m). The East Novaya Zemlya Trench runs along the eastern shores of Novaya Zemlya (depths 200-400 m). Between the trenches there is the Central Kara Plateau (depths less than 50 m), bearing the islands of Ushakov, Vize, Uedineniya, etc.

Geological past Kara Sea is closely connected with development history Arctic Ocean, which determined geological structure its bed and shores. Geologically, the Kara Sea is one of the youngest. Main features Its relief was determined in the Late Cretaceous - Early Pleistocene periods. As a result of tectonic ruptures that occurred during these periods, the Barents-Kara shelf was formed; suboceanic trenches extending into the shelf separated the shelf from the abyssal of the Arctic basin. Under a relatively thin layer of modern sediments - brown, gray and blue silts in trenches and deep-sea basins, sandy silts on submarine heights and shallow waters, sands on shallows and near the coast - traces of glacial regressions and interglacial transgressions are found.

Climate in the Kara Sea

The climate of the Kara Sea is arctic - the polar night lasts three to four months a year and the polar day lasts the same amount. Air temperatures below 0° C remain in the north of the sea for 9-10 months, in the south for 7-8 months a year. Average temperature January air -20, -28° C (minimum - 48° C), July - 1° C (maximum - 16° C). The number of days with frost in July ranges from 6 in the south of the Kara Sea to 20 in the north. Average speed winds in the Kara Sea in summer are 5-5.5 m/s, in winter 6-7 m/s. The number of days with a storm in summer is 1-2 per month, in winter 6-7 per month. On Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land, bora is formed, with wind speeds reaching 40 m/s; a speed of 60 m/s was once recorded. In winter, storms are often accompanied by blizzards, and in summer - by snowstorms. In summer there is often fog.

Hydrological regime

Located in the high latitudes of the Kara Sea, a significant part of the year is covered with ice. Ice formation begins in the north of the Kara Sea in September, in the south in October. In winter, fast ice forms near the coast and between islands. The ice covering the rest of the Kara Sea is drifting. IN winter period The water temperature of the Kara Sea is close to freezing point (about -1.8°C). Water in shallow areas has almost the same temperature from surface to bottom. However, in the deep-sea trenches of St. Anna and Voronin, where warm Atlantic waters penetrate from the Arctic basin, temperatures of 1.5 and 2.5 ° C are observed at depths of 150-200 m. Calculations show that approximately 9 ,4.10^3 km3 of Atlantic waters, bringing almost 8*10^12 kcal. heat. In summer, surface waters are highly desalinated by river runoff and melting ice.

Throughout the summer, the water temperature in the drifting ice zone is only slightly above freezing. The ice-free waters of the Kara Sea warm up to 6°C in the southwestern part and to 2°C in the northern part. The thickness of the heated water layer is up to 60–70 m in the southwestern part of the Kara Sea and up to 10–15 m in the eastern part.

Through the Kara Gate and Yugorsky Shar straits, Barents Sea waters enter the Kara Sea. Joining the Yamal Current, they move north along the shores of the Yamal Peninsula. In the area of ​​Bely Island, the Yamal Current is intensified by the Ob-Yenisei Current; somewhat north of it, the Eastern Novaya Zemlya Current departs to Novaya Zemlya, the waters of which are directed to the south, where their cyclonic circulation closes. From the Ob-Yenisei region, part of the water flows east, forming the West Taimyr Current, spreading along the coast to the Vilkitsky Strait.

In the central part of the Kara Sea, the St. Anna Current, carrying water to the north, is included in the cyclonic circulation, which determines the clockwise circulation of water and ice.

Tides in the Kara Sea are determined mainly by a tidal wave propagating from Atlantic Ocean; this wave penetrates into the Kara Sea from the Arctic Basin and through the straits from the Barents Sea. The tides are predominantly semidiurnal. The magnitude of the tide is on average 0.5-0.8 m. In winter, the ice cover has a significant influence on the tides: the magnitude of the tide decreases, and the propagation of the tidal wave is delayed compared to summer.

Biology and inhabitants

The characteristics of the flora and fauna of the Kara Sea are quite complex. According to the distribution of salinity, planktonic forms - freshwater and saltwater - penetrate far to the north, and bottom marine forms - far to the south. The marine fauna is mainly (more than 50%) represented by Arctic species. These are largely supplemented by other species rising from the deeper layers of the Kara Sea, such as Atlantic species from the warm Atlantic intermediate layer. The greatest species diversity of flora and fauna is observed in two areas of the Kara Sea: in the area of ​​the eastern shores of Novaya Zemlya and in the northwestern part of the Kara Sea, where a diverse Barents Sea fauna penetrates along with the Barents Sea waters, and many Atlantic bathyal and abyssal forms. The quantitative composition of zooplankton includes 173 species. The predominant groups are copepods, ciliates and coelenterates. In the Yenisei Bay, the bulk of zooplankton consists of rotifers, copepods and cladocerans; with an average biomass of 150 mg/m3, the first give 47.4%, the second - 40%, the third - 11.1%, the rest - 1.5% of the biomass weight. The average mass of zooplankton in the southwestern part of the Caucasus is 43 mg/m3, and in the eastern part it is 48 mg/m3.

The Kara Sea is relatively rich in zoobenthos representatives (about 1,400 species). Among the bottom animals of the Kara Sea, crustaceans, mollusks, polychaete worms, bryozoans and echinoderms are best represented. On silty soils near the Yamal Peninsula, benthos biomass is 100-300 g/m2, and on brown silts in the central part of the Kara Sea
the volume of biomass drops sharply to 3-5 g/m2.

Phytoplankton

The total number of species of planktonic algae in the central part of the Kara Sea is 78 (diatoms - 52, peridinia - 20, others - 6). According to the phytoplankton regime in the Kara Sea, two areas with a high biomass content (from 1 to 3 g/m3) are distinguished: the area in the northwestern part of the Kara Sea, which receives warm Barents Sea and Atlantic deep waters, and the area coastal waters, under the influence of the runoff of the Ob and Yenisei rivers. The bulk of plankton in these areas is located in the 0-25 m layer.

Bottom vegetation is represented by 66 species, mainly red algae, somewhat poorer brown algae and very few green ones. Among macrophytes in the Kara Sea, cold-loving species of the Barents Sea flora predominate. Heat-loving forms are very rare, and the further you go from the Kara Gate Strait to the north and northwest, the less likely it is to find them.

Ichthyofauna

The ichthyofauna of the Kara Sea includes 54 species. Off the coast of Novaya Zemlya, especially in the area of ​​the Kara Gate Strait, cod is found, in the lips and bays - omul, vendace, smelt, char, nelma and grayling. However, there are no commercial aggregations of fish. In 1945, an ichthyological expedition carried out 43 hour-long trawls with otter trawls in the most fishing-promising parts of the Kara Sea. The total catch was 500 fish.

The Kara Sea is part of the Northern Sea Route. The main port is Dikson. Sea vessels also enter the Yenisei River as far as Igarka and Dudinka. In cargo transportation the largest specific gravity have a forest, building materials, coal, wheat, furs, and in lately Norilsk ore began to be exported.

The Kara Sea is one of several seas included in the Siberian Arctic group. In force geographical features it belongs to the continental type of marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean.

The Kara Sea is considered one of the largest in Russian Federation- its area is approximately 883 thousand kilometers, and the volume of water is about 98 thousand cubic kilometers.

They say that it was the Kara Sea that served as the prototype for “The Tale of Tsar Saltan.”

Gas producers... Boundless pr... Vaygach Island... Cape Chelyuskin...

The Kara Sea is located between the islands of Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land and Severnaya Zemlya. It is considered a marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean and is part of the Northern Sea Route. It communicates with its neighbor on the eastern side, through the Kara Gate and Matochkin Shar straits, and on the western side - with the Vilkitsky Straits, and the straits between the Severnaya Zemlya islands.

The main bays are the Baydaratskaya and Ob Bays, as well as the Yenisei, Pyasinsky and Taimyrsky. In places they crash into the gently sloping coast of the mainland. Several rivers flow into the Kara Sea, the largest of which are the Yenisei, Ob, Pyasinka and Kara, after which the sea is named. And although this sea is the heaviest along the entire Northern Sea Route, due to the huge ice cover, it is a kind of northern gateway to Siberia. It is here along the Yenisei and Ob that the wealth of Siberian forests is exported.

In the sea area there are many islands that are included in the Great Arctic State Nature Reserve. It is the largest in Eurasia. One of the most famous islands of the Kara Sea, Vaygach Island, is a special place where the secrets of bloody rites and pagan cults of the ancient peoples who inhabited these lands in ancient times are kept. According to their legends, this is where the abode of the gods was located. Scientists call Vaygach Island an anomalous mystery, which for a long time can't figure it out. Travelers note that health is restored here and mood improves.

The Severnaya Zemlya archipelago also has rich and interesting story. It was discovered in 1913 by the expedition of Boris Vilkitsky. He mistakenly presented the archipelago as one island and gave it the name Land of Nicholas II. In 1926, the Land of Nicholas II received the name Severnaya Zemlya. And the fact that this zone is a group of islands was published only in 1933.

In ancient times, sailing in the Kara Sea was equal to a deadly feat - it was called the “ice cellar”. Until now, this sea is considered the coldest sea on Earth. It is not surprising, because in winter in these parts the temperature drops to -46 degrees, and in summer no more than +16. A third of the year is occupied by the polar night, and the rest of the time is occupied by the polar day. In winter, stormy winds often blow, blizzards and blizzards rage. In summer the fogs come and north wind brings snow charges. For most of the year the sea is completely covered with ice. Even modern nuclear icebreakers this sea is not always conquered.

Plant life in the Kara Sea, with its harsh climate, cold water and a powerful ice shell, one cannot call it animated. But it still exists here, although it is several times poorer than in the neighboring Barents Sea. Several types of bottom algae grow here: some types of fucus, rhodimen and odontaria, porphyra, ulva, which is also called " sea ​​salad"and kelp" - seaweed." In the icy water of this northern sea, unicellular algae and phytoplankton also develop well. Zooplankton also lives in the waters of the Kara Sea, which serves as food for cetaceans.

Unlike plants, the fauna is somewhat richer. For example, in the waters of this sea there are many invertebrates and fish: pink salmon and chum salmon, chinook and sockeye salmon, omul and musk, nelma and char, navaga and flounder. In addition to them, salmon and whitefish, which spawn in rivers, come out to feed in the sea, not far from river mouths.

Just like in other northern seas, the Kara Sea has a lot of small fish: European smelt and capelin, sculpin and liparis, sea chanterelles and some other fish. In total, there are about 54 species of fish in this sea. Some of them are of great commercial importance.

The Kara Sea is home to seals and walruses, seals, bearded seals and beluga whales. Among cetaceans, there are 5 species of minke whales: fin whale, sei whale, small whale, and humpback whale. Of the sharks in the Kara Sea, only the polar one lives, which is not afraid ice water this northern sea.

There are a great variety of birds on the islands; they form noisy bird colonies. Most of them are guillemots and auks, as well as little auks.

There are not many tourists going to the icy coast of the Kara Sea yet. But those who have visited these parts talk excitedly about their vacation. Of course, you shouldn’t count on five-star hotels in this harsh region. But the hotels here are quite decent and you won’t go hungry, that’s for sure. But what kind of fishing and hunting awaits you in the Arctic! You can catch fish either in summer or in winter. Any kid here can teach you this.

If you wish, you can take part in a seal or seal hunt.

Of course, you need to exercise some caution, since the owner of the north can do this close to you.

And of course, it’s worth getting to know the local customs better, riding a snowmobile or.

The Kara Sea and the islands lying in its waters are a real pearl of the Russian North. It cannot be described in words, it must be seen and felt.;

Video: Kara Sea:...

KARA SEA, a marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean, between the shores of Northern Eurasia, the island archipelagos of Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land and Severnaya Zemlya. Washing the shores of Russia. In the north, it is wide open to the Arctic basin, here the boundaries of the sea are drawn from Cape Zhelaniya (Novaya Zemlya archipelago) to Cape Kolzat (Graham Bell Island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago) and further to Cape Arktichesky (Komsomolets Island in the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago). The water boundaries in the southwest run along the western borders of the Kara Gate and Yugorsky Shar straits, in the northeast - along the eastern borders of the Red Army, Shokalsky (Severnaya Zemlya) and Vilkitsky straits. In the west it borders with the Barents Sea, in the east with the Laptev Sea, in the north with the Arctic basin of the Arctic Ocean. Area 883 thousand km 2, volume 98 thousand km 3. The greatest depth is 620 m.

There are a large number of islands in the Kara Sea, the largest of which are: Bely, Shokalsky, Oleniy, Sibiryakova, Taimyr, Vize, Schmidt, Ushakova, Russky. Most of the small islands are located in the coastal areas of the eastern part of the sea, many are part of the archipelagos: Arctic Institute, Izvestia TsIK, Nordenskiöld, Sergei Kirov, etc. The coastline is very winding, forms numerous fjords and several large bays: Yenisei, Pyasinsky; Baydaratskaya, Obskaya, Gydanskaya lips. The shores of Novaya Zemlya are steep and precipitous; on Yamal and the Gydan Peninsula - low-lying, abrasive; in Taimyr they are mostly high and rocky. On islands subject to glaciation, glaciers approach the sea (Ushakov and Schmidt islands).

Relief and geological structure of the bottom. Most of the sea is located within the shelf. The bottom topography is uneven with prevailing depths of about 100 m. The underwater Central Kara Upland separates the St. Anna trough (depth up to 620 m) in the west and Voronin (up to 270 m) in the east. The narrow Novaya Zemlya trough stretches along Novaya Zemlya. The young West Siberian platform continues onto the shelf of the Kara Sea, in the structure of the sedimentary cover of which the South Kara (in the southwestern part of the sea) and North Kara (in the northeastern part) depressions are distinguished. The South Kara depression is filled with terrigenous deposits of the Jurassic and Cretaceous (thickness 8-14 km). Paleorifts intersecting the folded Paleozoic basement have been identified at the base of the sedimentary cover. The structure of the cover is complicated by arches and shafts. Within the depression, giant gas and gas condensate fields have been discovered (Leningradskoye, Rusanovskoye). In the North Kara depression, the depth of the platform foundation is 12-20 km; it is filled with Paleozoic and Mesozoic sediments and has oil and gas potential. Modern bottom sediments are represented in the trenches by brown, gray and blue clayey silts; on underwater elevations and shallow waters - sandy silts in which ferromanganese nodules are immersed; in the shallows and near the shores - sand.

Climate. Polar maritime climate with short, cool summers and long cold winter somewhat softened by the influence of warm Atlantic waters. The polar night lasts 3-4 months a year. In winter, the weather is formed by the Siberian anticyclone, the polar maximum and the partial influence of the trough of the Icelandic depression. In the northeastern regions, northerly winds of moderate strength prevail, over the rest of the water area - winds of southern directions. Stormy weather is more typical for western regions. Off the coast of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, a local hurricane wind is observed - the Novaya Zemlya bora, lasting from several hours to 2-3 days. In summer, moderate winds of variable directions prevail over the sea. The air temperature in February ranges from -18 °C off the coast of Novaya Zemlya to -26 °C off the coast of Severnaya Zemlya, with a minimum of -52 °C recorded at Cape Chelyuskin. The air temperature in August ranges from 0 °C in the north to 6 °C in the south, with a maximum of 22 °C off the southwestern mainland coast.

Hydrological regime. The Kara Sea accounts for more than half of the river flow into the Arctic seas of Russia; the rivers Ob, Yenisei, Pyasina, Pur, Taz and others supply about 1300 km 3 per year fresh water. All river flow enters the sea from the south and mostly in summer. Fresh river waters create a surface desalinated layer of water in the sea, which complicates vertical mixing with the underlying layers, which contributes to the process of ice formation.

The temperature of surface waters in February is close to freezing, which, depending on salinity, varies from -1.3 °C in the south to -1.8 °C in the north. In August, water temperatures vary from 0 °C in the northeast to 5 °C in the southern regions near the mainland coasts. Salinity in February decreases from the north-west to the south-east - from 34‰ near Novaya Zemlya to 20‰ near Dikson Island. In August, salinity decreases from north to south - from 33‰ at the latitude of Franz Josef Land to 11‰ near Dikson Island.

Regular semidiurnal tides predominate in the Kara Sea, and in some areas - diurnal and mixed tides. The tide is small, almost everywhere 0.5-0.8 m, in the Ob Bay more than 1 m. Wave height is on average 1.5-2.5 m. Ice formation begins in September, from October to May almost the entire water area is covered with sea ice . Fast ice is well developed near shallow shores, inlets and bays. Per season, at average weather conditions, the ice thickness reaches 1.5-2.0 m. Fast ice polynyas often form between fast ice and drifting ice. Of these, the so-called stationary polynyas appear especially regularly: Amderma, Yamal and Ob-Yenisei. Ice melting begins in June; in August, most of the sea area is ice-free. Water circulation is formed by the East Novaya Zemlya Current (from Cape Zhelaniya to Kara Gates, average speeds 5-7 cm/s), Yamal and Ob-Yenisei Currents (from southwest to northeast, 2-5 cm/s). A cyclonic gyre is forming between Novaya Zemlya and the northern part of Yamal.

History of the study. The Kara Sea received its name in the 18th century from the Kara River, which played an important role in the exploration of Siberia by explorers. The first navigators in the Kara Sea were Russian Pomors, who penetrated into its south- western part no later than the 1st quarter of the 16th century. In the mid-16th century, the Pomors mastered coastal navigation around the Yamal Peninsula to the Ob and Taz Bays (the so-called Mangazeya sea passage). In 1594, the Dutch navigators K. Nye and B. Tetgales entered the Kara Sea through the Yugorsky Shar; in 1596-97, the expedition of Willem Barents wintered on the northeastern coast of the Severny Island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. Traces of Russian presence on the northern coast of the Taimyr Peninsula date back to the 1st quarter of the 17th century. Maps of the mainland coasts of the Kara Sea were compiled by Russians naval officers during the Great Northern Expedition in 1733-1743. The western shores of the Kara Sea (eastern shores of Novaya Zemlya) began to appear on maps in the 30s of the 19th century, and mapping was completed in 1911. The eastern shores of the Kara Sea (Severnaya Zemlya archipelago) appeared on maps in 1932.

The beginning of maritime trade operations in the Kara Sea was the delivery of commercial cargo by sea from Europe to the mouth of the Yenisei in 1876; the return commercial flight with Siberian goods took place in 1877.

Hydrographic and oceanographic work in the Kara Sea began to be carried out during the voyages of expeditions: the Swedish on the ship “Vega” (N.A. E. Nordenskiöld, 1878), the Norwegian on the “Fram” (F. Nansen, 1893), as well as the Russian on the schooner “ Dawn" (E.V. Toll, 1900-02). In the summer of 1913, a Russian hydrographic expedition sailed through the Kara Sea from east to west on the icebreaking steamships Taimyr and Vaigach. Research work in the Kara Sea became most intensive in the 1920-30s, during the development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR). During these years, Soviet scientists, polar explorers, sailors and polar aviation pilots discovered the large islands of Vize, Ushakov, Schmidt and dozens of small islands; we corrected old ones and compiled new navigational and bottom relief maps, and gained a real understanding of the nature of sea currents and the ice regime of the sea. By 1939, 25 polar stations and marine observatories operated on the islands and mainland coasts of the Kara Sea. Research works have acquired a greater practical focus in connection with the exploration and development of large offshore hydrocarbon deposits.

Economic use. The Kara Sea is characterized by high bioproductivity. Salmon, whitefish, and sturgeon are widespread, and there are herds of beluga whales in the lips and bays. Fishing objects include cod, whitefish, char, vendace, omul, smelt, navaga, and cod. Opened and under development large deposits oil and gas (gas condensate fields Rusanovskoye, Leningradskoye). The Kara Sea is part of the transport NSR, ports: Dikson, Amderma; Dudinka and Igarka (Yenisei).

Ecological state. In general, the condition is defined as favorable, however, in large bays, in places where the fleet is concentrated and fields are being developed, there is an increased content of petroleum products and heavy metals.

Lit.: Vise V. Yu. Seas of the Soviet Arctic. 3rd ed. M.; L., 1948; Zalogin B.S., Kosarev A.N. Seas. M., 1999; Geology and mineral resources of the Russian shelves / Edited by M. N. Alekseev. M., 2002; Mazarovich A. O. The structure of the bottom of the World Ocean and the marginal seas of Russia. M., 2006.

Posted Thu, 04/23/2015 - 08:32 by Cap

In ancient times, sailing in the Kara Sea was equal to a deadly feat - it was called the “ice cellar”. Until now, this sea is considered the coldest sea on Earth. It is not surprising, because in winter in these parts the temperature drops to -46 degrees, and in summer no more than +16.
A third of the year is occupied by the polar night, and the rest of the time is occupied by the polar day. In winter, stormy winds often blow, blizzards and blizzards rage.
In summer, fogs come, and the north wind brings snowballs. For most of the year the sea is completely covered with ice. Even modern nuclear icebreakers do not always conquer this sea.
The Kara Sea can safely be called the most extreme sea in Russia!

In the sea area there are many islands that are included in the Great Arctic State Nature Reserve. It is the largest in Eurasia. One of the most famous islands of the Kara Sea, Vaygach Island, is a special place where the secrets of bloody rites and pagan cults of the ancient peoples who inhabited these lands in ancient times are kept. According to their legends, this is where the abode of the gods was located. Scientists call Vaygach Island an anomalous mystery that they cannot solve for a long time. Travelers note that health is restored here and mood improves.

The Kara Sea is a marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean.
Previously, the sea was called Nyarzomsky (Narzemsky) - this is how it was named in the 1601 story about the journey to Mangazeya by Pinega resident Leonty Shubin (Plekhan) and in the petition of Andrei Palitsyn from 1630 (the etymology of this name is unknown). And the name “Karskaya” belonged to Baydaratskaya Bay, named after the Kara River flowing into it. According to the version given by V. Yu. Wiese, the name of the river comes from the Nenets word “khare”, meaning hummocky ice. It is curious that the Dutchman N. Witsen calls the sea Ice, and the Frenchman J. Campredon Arctic, which echoes the Nenets word.
The sea was first named Kara on the map of V.M. Selifontov in 1736, compiled based on the results of the work of the Dvina-Ob detachment of the Great Northern Expedition.

schooner Polar Odysseus in the Kara Sea

Geography
Location
The sea is limited to the northern coast of Eurasia and Heiberg. In the northern part of the sea is Wiese Land, an island theoretically discovered in 1924. Also in the sea are the islands of the Arctic Institute and the Izvestia Central Executive Committee islands.

The sea is located primarily on the shelf; many islands. The predominant depths are 50-100 meters, the greatest depth is 620 meters. Area 883,400 km².

They flow into the sea deep rivers: Ob, so the salinity varies greatly. The Taz River also flows into the Kara Sea.

The Kara Sea is one of the coldest seas in Russia; only near river mouths the water temperature in summer is above 0 °C. Fogs and storms are frequent. Most of the year the sea is covered with ice.

Bottom relief
The sea lies almost entirely on the shelf with depths of up to 100 meters. Two trenches—St. Anna with a maximum depth of 620 meters (80°26′N 71°18′E) and Voronin with a depth of up to 420 meters—cut the shelf from north to south. The East Novaya Zemlya Trench with depths of 200-400 meters runs along the eastern shores of Novaya Zemlya. The shallow (up to 50 meters) Central Kara Plateau is located between the trenches.

The bottom of shallow waters and hills is covered with sand and sandy silt. The gutters and basins are covered with gray, blue and brown silts. At the bottom of the central part of the sea there are iron-manganese nodules.

Kara Sea Sibiryakova Island

Flora and fauna
The flora and fauna of the Kara Sea is formed under the influence of heterogeneous climatic and hydrological conditions in the north and south. Neighboring basins also have a great influence, due to the penetration of some thermophilic forms from them (from the Barents Sea) and high-Arctic species (from the Laptev Sea). The ecological boundary of their distribution is approximately the eightieth meridian. Freshwater elements also play a significant role in the life of the Kara Sea.

Qualitatively, the flora and fauna of the Kara Sea is poorer than the Barents Sea, but much richer than the Laptev Sea. This can be seen from a comparison of their ichthyofauna. There are 114 species of fish, in the Kara Sea - 54, and in the Laptev Sea - 37. Of commercial importance in the Kara Sea are: whitefish - omul, muksun and vendace; from smelts - smelt; from cod - navaga and pollock; from salmon - nelma. Fishing is organized only in bays, bays and lower reaches of rivers. There are different types of pinnipeds in the sea: seals, sea hares, and less often walruses. In summer time in large quantities The beluga whale comes here - a herd animal that makes regular seasonal migrations. There are also polar bears in the Kara Sea.

COAST OF THE KARA SEA
The coastline of the Kara Sea is complex and winding. The eastern shores of Novaya Zemlya are indented by numerous fjords. The mainland coast is significantly dissected, where the Baydaratskaya and Ob Bays protrude deep into the land, between which large bays are located far to the east: Gydansky, Pyasinsky, starting from which the coastline outlines many small bays. The western coast of Severnaya Zemlya is less winding.

Varied in external forms and structure, the coast of the Kara Sea in different areas belongs to different morphological types shores (). The sea is framed mainly by abrasive shores, but there are accumulative and icy shores. The eastern shores of Novaya Zemlya are steep and hilly. The mainland coast is low and flat in places, steep in others. Mostly low banks near

Gydan Bay, Kara Sea

ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA AND WINDS
Located in the high latitudes of the Arctic and directly connected to the North Arctic Ocean The Kara Sea is characterized by polar maritime climate. The relative proximity of the Atlantic Ocean somewhat softens the climate of the sea, in the path of warm Atlantic air and waters, therefore the Kara Sea is climatically more severe. The large extent of the Kara Sea from southwest to northeast creates noticeable differences in climatic indicators in its different areas in all seasons of the year.

The location, intensity and interaction of the main centers of atmospheric action largely determine the state of the weather and the magnitude of meteorological elements throughout the year. In autumn-winter, the Siberian anticyclone forms and establishes itself, the Polar High intensifies, and the trough of the Icelandic Low extends to the sea. At the beginning of the cold season, the north wind predominates in the northern part of the sea, and in the southern part the winds are unstable in direction. The wind speed at this time is usually 5-7 m/s. The winter pressure situation determines the predominance of southern, southwestern and southeastern winds in most of the sea. Only in the northeast are winds of northern directions often observed. The average wind speed is 7-8 m/s, often reaching storm force. The greatest number of storms occur in the western part of the sea. Off the coast of Novaya Zemlya, local hurricane wind- Novaya Zemlya forest. It usually lasts several hours, but in winter it can last 2-3 days. Winds from the south, as a rule, bring continental air, which is very cooled over the mainland, into the Kara Sea. The average monthly air temperature in March at Cape Chelyuskin is −28.6°, at Cape Zhelaniya −20°, and the minimum air temperature at sea can reach −45–50°. However, with southern winds, relatively warm sea polar air sometimes enters the western part of the sea. It is brought by cyclones coming from the west and deviating to the south and southeast, as they meet the chain of Novaya Zemlya Mountains on their way. The most frequent influxes of warm air occur in February. These invasions and the Novaya Zemlya bora make winter weather in the western part of the sea unstable, while in its northern and eastern regions there is relatively stable cold and clear weather.

In the warm season, the Siberian Maximum collapses and the trough disappears low pressure. The polar maximum shifts north. In connection with this, winds blow in spring, unstable in direction, the speed of which usually does not exceed 5-6 m/s. Cyclonic activity is weakening. Spring warming occurs quite quickly, but does not lead to significant increases in air temperature. In May, the average monthly air temperature is about −7° in the west and about −9° in the east of the sea.

In summer, a local area forms over the sea high blood pressure, which leads to the predominance of winds from northern directions with speeds of 4-5 m/s. In the warmest month (July), the air temperature averages 5-6° in the western part of the sea and 1-2° in the east and northeast. In some areas of the mainland coast, the air temperature can rise to +18 and even +20°. Anytime summer month there may be snowfall. In general, summers are short and cold with cloudy, rainy weather. Strong winter cooling and weak summer heating, unstable weather in the cold season and a relatively calm state of the atmosphere in summer - characteristic features climate of the Kara Sea.

Baydaratskaya Bay Kara Sea

KARA SEA DRAIN
This sea accounts for on average about 55% (1290 km3/year) of the total flow into all seas of the Siberian Arctic. The Ob annually brings approximately 450 km3 of water, Pyasina - 80 km3, Pur and Taz together - about 86 km3, and other rivers - approximately 74 km3. With such a significant river flow, it is distributed very unevenly in time and across the sea. Approximately 80% of river water reaches the sea in late summer - early autumn (June - September). In winter it is very small quantities Only the largest rivers flow into the sea. Almost all continental runoff enters the Kara Sea from the south. Under the influence mainly of the prevailing winds, river water spreads across the sea; its distribution is not the same from year to year. Based on a generalization of long-term observations for the Kara Sea, western, eastern and fan-shaped variants of the distribution of desalinated waters in it have been established.
In general, almost 40% of the area of ​​this sea is under the influence of continental waters. They have a very diverse effect on natural conditions seas. The heat they bring slightly increases the temperature of the water on the surface in the estuary areas, which promotes the breaking of fast ice in the spring and somewhat slows down ice formation in the fall; river waters reduce the salinity of sea waters; mechanically, river flow affects the directions of movement of sea waters, etc. Continental flow - important factor formation of features of the Kara Sea.

Pyasina, Upper and Lower Taimyr, Khatanga.

Portnyagino, Kungasalakh, Labaz, Kokora.

Largest bays:
Middendorf, Pyasinsky, Simsa, Taimyr Bay, Teresa Klavenes, Thaddeus, Maria Pronchishcheva Bay.
Administratively part of Krasnoyarsk Territory, forming in it a special Taimyr Dolgano-Nenets region.
The largest city is Norilsk.

NUMBER OF PEOPLES
Number of indigenous small peoples The North - as of 01/01/2008 - is 10,217 people or 27.0% of the total population, of which:
Dolgan - 5,517 people;
Nenets - 3,486 people;
Nganasans - 749 people;
Evenks - 270 people;
Entsy - 168 people;
other nations - 27 people.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads
Berman L.V. To new Mangazeya. - L.: Krasnaya Gazeta, 1930. - 189 p. — 50,000 copies.
Vasiliev N. Ya. Kara expedition. - M.: Editorial office of the NKVT publications, 1921. - 44 p.
Wiese V. Yu. Kara Sea // Seas of the Soviet Arctic: Essays on the history of research. — 2nd ed. - L.: Publishing house of the Main Northern Sea Route, 1939. - P. 180-217. — 568 p. — (Polar Library). — 10,000 copies.
Vorobyov V.I. Kara Sea. - L.-M.: Publishing house of the Main Northern Sea Route, 1940. - 128 p. — 5,000 copies.
Gelvald F. and the Kara Sea // In the region eternal ice: Travel history to North Pole from ancient times to the present. - SPb.: Publishing house. book magician "New Time", 1881. - pp. 812-828. — 880 s.
Dobrovolsky A.D., Zalogin B.S. Kara Sea // Seas of the USSR. - M.: Moscow State University Publishing House, 1982. - P. 102-112. — 192 p. — 14,000 copies.
History of the discovery and development of the Northern Sea Route: In 4 volumes / Ed. Ya. Ya. Gakkel, A. P. Okladnikov, M. B. Chernenko. - M.-L., 1956-1969.
Belov M.I. Arctic navigation from ancient times to the middle of the 19th century. - M.: Marine transport, 1956. - T. I. - 592 p. — 3,000 copies.
Pinchenson D. M. The problem of the Northern Sea Route in the era of capitalism. - L.: Marine transport, 1962. - T. II. — 767 p. — 1,000 copies.
Belov M.I. Soviet Arctic navigation 1917-1932. - L.: Marine transport, 1959. - T. III. — 511 p. — 3,000 copies.
Belov M.I. Scientific and economic development of the Soviet North 1933-1945. - L.: Hydrometeorological Publishing House, 1969. - T. IV. — 617 p. — 2,000 copies.
Kalinin V.M. Kara Sea // Great Tyumen Encyclopedia / Ch. ed. G. F. Shafranov-Kutsev. — 1st ed. — Tyumen: Research Institute of Regional Encyclopedias of Tyumen State University; “Socrates”, 2004. - T. 2. I-P. — P. 69-71. — 495 p. — 10,000 copies. — ISBN 5-88664-171-8.
Kanevsky Z. M. Forecast price. - L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1976. - 128 p. — 50,000 copies.
Kara Sea / Nikiforov E. G., Speicher A. O. // Italy - Kvarkush. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1973. - (Great Soviet Encyclopedia: in 30 volumes / chief editor A. M. Prokhorov; 1969-1978, vol. 11).
Kovalev S.A. Arctic shadows of the Third Reich. - M.: Veche, 2010. - 432 p. - (Marine Chronicle). — 5,000 copies. — ISBN 978-5-9533-4348-0.
Kovalev S. Polar bases of the Kriegsmarine // Independent military review: newspaper. - M., March 29, 2002.
Kopylov V. E. Kara expeditions // Great Tyumen Encyclopedia / Ch. ed. G. F. Shafranov-Kutsev. — 1st ed. — Tyumen: Research Institute of Regional Encyclopedias of Tyumen State University; “Socrates”, 2004. - T. 2. I-P. - P. 69. - 495 p. — 10,000 copies. — ISBN 5-88664-171-8.
Nansen F. To the Land of the Future: The Great Northern Route from Europe to Siberia through the Kara Sea. - Pg.: Ed. K. I. Xido, 1915. - 454 p.
Rudnev D. D., Kulik N. A. Materials for the study of the Northern Sea Route from Europe to the Ob and Yenisei. — Pg.: Type. A. E. Collins, 1915. - VI, 127 p.
Sergeev A. A. Germanskie submarines in the Arctic 1941-1942 - M.: Russian Publishing House, 2003. - 304 p. — 2,000 copies. — ISBN 5-9900099-1-7.
http://www.photosight.ru/
photo D. Lobanov, L. Trifonova, S. Kruglikov, S. Anisimov, L. Shvarts, E. Gusev

• 14413 views