For the livelihoods of all living organisms, fresh water is needed. On our planet, the main resources are natural sources. There are many water systems in the Russian Federation. Most rivers in Russia are powered by soil water and seasonal rainfall.
River basins
The distribution of water bodies in the Russian regions is uneven. The river network in the central part of our country runs along the plains and plateaus, reaching a maximum in the Siberian taiga and decreasing to the north and south. The lowest density of the river system is observed in the Caspian lowland. Territorial affiliation is an important factor that determines what kind of food most rivers of Russia have.
The rivers located on the vast territory of our country mainly belong to the basin of the Arctic Ocean. The largest waterways of the Ural Mountains, the Russian Plain and the western part of Siberia are directed to the northern seas. In the east is the Pacific basin. The channels pass through mountainous regions; therefore, they have a small length and a high flow rate. The rivers of the western part of Russia are located in the Atlantic Ocean basin, flow into the Baltic Sea, and in the south of the country into the Black and Azov Seas.
Climatic features
The length of most Russian rivers is less than 10 km. Only about two hundred of them are more than 500 km long. The hydrological and temperature balance of water bodies depends on the features of the relief, average annual temperature, the presence of groundwater, and nutrition. Most of the rivers of Russia have a mixed type of food, so the ice regime has a huge impact on the water level.
Water supply
What type of food does most of the rivers of Russia have? Our country occupies rather vast territories in temperate and high latitudes. This arrangement is of great importance in determining the power sources. There are several main types:
- snow,
- rain,
- ground,
- glacial,
- mixed.
Most rivers in Russia have snow-type food. The rivers of this category are divided into:
- with spring flood - due to melting snow cover after winter;
- with spillage in summer - depends on precipitation and melting glaciers in the mountains;
- flood mode - floods can be caused by a sharp rise in water level due to heavy rains.
Rain nutrition is typical for the western and eastern regions of Russia.
Rivers with a predominance of groundwater are most often found in Kamchatka. All water bodies partially feed from groundwater.
Glacial waters feed on mountain rivers predominantly of the North Caucasus region.
Most rivers in Russia are powered by three sources: melt and groundwater, rain. A small number of currents feed from four possible sources. Full-flowing river systems are of significant economic importance. They are used for water supply of settlements, industry, fishing, as transport routes and energy supply.