All rivers of the Arctic Ocean basin flow through Eurasia and North America. For example, the largest American river Mackenzie. This article will examine some of the rivers of the Arctic Ocean in Russia, since among them are the largest waterways of the planet. In addition, about sixty-five percent of the water flows in our country belong to the Arctic Ocean basin. Among them, the largest contribution is made by such rivers as the Pechora, Northern Dvina, Ob, Khatanga, Yenisei, Lena, Kolyma, Indigirka and many others.
Features of the rivers of the Arctic Ocean
These water currents near the ocean flow along the plains and lowlands. Therefore, their lower course is calm, and there are no special obstacles on the way. The rivers of the Arctic Ocean basin are covered with ice for a very long time. Food mainly snow and rain. In the spring, there is a rise in water level by 10-15 meters. This is because the rivers of the Arctic Ocean basin flow mainly to the north, and the ice melts downstream later than in the upper reaches. Therefore, congestion and ice dams are formed.
Northern Dvina
The Northern Dvina carries its waters through the lands of two constituent entities of the Russian Federation - the Arkhangelsk and Vologda Regions. The mighty river flows into the White Sea, which opens into the waters of the northern ocean. Its “pure” length is 0.7 thousand km, together with Sukhona - 1.3 thousand km, and if you count with Vychegda - 1.8 thousand km.
The river delta occupies a significant area, spreading over an area 37 km long and 45 km wide. Here the river is divided into numerous branches and channels (about one hundred and fifty). The flow of river water at the mouth is three and a half thousand cubic meters per second.
Water regime of the Northern Dvina
The predominant type of food is snow. The Northern Dvina is covered by an ice shell from the end of October to the beginning of November, and is released from it from the beginning of April to the beginning of May. When opening the river in the spring, there are often congestion, the ice drift is quite stormy.
The basin of the Northern Dvina is huge, it is 360 thousand km 2 . Its main tributaries are the rivers of the Arctic Ocean basin: Pinega, Vychegda, Yelitsa, Vaga and others. More than 27 species of ichthyofauna are found.
Historical meaning
It is interesting that the Northern Dvina is navigable practically throughout its entire length (the length of the shipping lanes, together with numerous tributaries, is five and a half thousand kilometers). Since 1989, a regular passenger service has been operating on the river. Until now, the oldest ship in Russia, Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol, descended from shipyards in the distant 1911, is walking on its water mirror.
The Northern Dvina played a significant role in historical processes. For example, during the events of the Patriotic War of 1812, it was, according to historians, almost the only connection between Russia and European countries. And in World War II, a significant share of Lend-Lease supplies (military equipment, equipment and materials supplied from Europe and the USA to the warring Soviet Union) passed along the river. In addition, historians sometimes call the river the “gateway to the Arctic,” because more than two hundred research expeditions have started along the river into the Arctic regions.
Pechora
The river flows through two constituent entities of the Russian Federation - the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and the Komi Republic. It begins in the Western Urals with three sources. According to various estimates, the length of the river is from 1.7 to 1.9 thousand kilometers. According to the nature of its course, it is divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower.
Upper, Middle and Lower Pechora
The Upper Pechora region with a length of 400 kilometers is not populated and poorly understood. In this part, the river has a pronounced mountain character, which is expressed in a rapid current, a winding channel, high stony banks, a narrow river valley is covered with coniferous vegetation.
The width of the Upper Pechora ranges from 10 to 120 meters. The river is shallow, reaches two and a half meters.
Middle Pechora is a stretch of 1.2 thousand kilometers, from the mouth of Volosyanitsy to the mouth of Tsilma. Starting at Yashkinsky pier, the river becomes navigable. The width of the Pechora in the middle part ranges from 0.4 to 4 kilometers. In the low water on the river, shallows are formed that impede navigation.
The lower part of the river stretches for four hundred kilometers. Right up to the mouth of the Shapkina River , the right bank of the river is elevated, and the left bank is low.
Subsequently, both banks become flat with the predominance of tundra vegetation. A delta begins from the village of Whiskey. There are a large number of alluvial, low islands (the largest - 29). The length of the islands reaches 30 kilometers. When flowing into the lip, the river is divided into 20 branches.
Economic use
Pechora is open for 120-170 days, intensively used for shipping. There are 80 tributaries. The river basin is about 19.5 thousand square kilometers. In Pechora fishing is developed, salmon, pike, herring, omul, nelma and other species are fished.
Ob
As already mentioned, the basin of the smallest ocean on Earth occupies 65% or two-thirds of the Russian Federation. The rivers belonging to the Arctic Ocean are quite large and full-flowing. But not one of them can compare with Ob. This is the largest Siberian river. It leads among all water flows of Eurasia. The rivers belonging to the Arctic Ocean, such as Tom and Irtysh, Biya, Katun, give their waters to her.
According to some researchers, the name of the river comes from the word “both,” since it is formed when two fairly large rivers merge - Biya and Katun. Its length from the merger is 3.65 thousand km, and if you count it together with the Irtysh - 5.41 thousand km. This river is considered the longest in Russia. It flows into the Kara Sea in the north, forming an extended Ob Bay (the length of the bay is about 800 kilometers).
The economic importance of the Ob
The river bed passes through the territory of five constituent entities of the Russian Federation, including Altai Territory, Tomsk Oblast, Novosibirsk Oblast, Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Districts. The river is navigable. A regular shipping service was established on it, starting in 1844. In 1895, 120 steamers walked along the river.
Ob is a real paradise for fishing lovers. Here, a large number of fish such as pike, grayling, burbot, crucian carp, mackerel, sturgeon, lamprey, sterlet and many, many others are found. In total, there are about fifty species, twenty-five of which are the subject of intensive fishing (zander, ide, pike, burbot, dace, bream, crucian carp, roach, perch and others).
Water regime, tributaries
The food of the river is mainly snow, the main flow occurs during the spring flood. The Ob is covered with ice shell for 180-220 days a year. The basin is about 2.99 million km 2 ; according to this indicator, the river ranks first in Russia. It occupies an honorable third place in terms of water availability, and in front of it are such rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean, such as the Yenisei and Lena.
In the southern part of the Ob there is the famous Novosibirsk reservoir or, as it is more often called, the Ob Sea, which is a favorite vacation spot for thousands of tourists and local residents. The channel between the Ob and the Yenisei, built at the end of the century before last, is currently not used and abandoned.
The Ob has 30 large tributaries and many small ones. The largest of them is the Irtysh, whose length is 4.25 thousand kilometers, which exceeds the river’s own length. This inflow brings to the Ob an average of three thousand cubic meters of water per second.