The Yenisei is one of the greatest rivers not only in Russia, but also in the whole world. The geographical location of the water area is the territory of Siberia. Yenisei stretches from the Arctic Ocean for thousands of kilometers up to the Kara Sea. It is noteworthy that the name comes from the word "Ionessi", which from the Evenki dialect is translated as "great water." In turn, Big Yenisei was called Biy-Khem, and Small - Kaa-Khem.
Description of the water area
The mouth of the Yenisei River originates from a lake called Kara-Balyk, which is located in the highlands in the Eastern Sayan Mountains. This place is considered the source of Biy-Hem. With regards to the Kaa-Khem, it has several tributaries in Mongolia. The confluence of estuaries occurs off the coast of the city of Kyzyl.
Description of the Yenisei River is notable primarily for the area of the basin. Thanks to such an impressive size, the Hema water area is one of the seven largest tributaries in the world. In Russia, only the Ob is considered to be more magnificent in scale. The Yenisei water area is several times larger than the combined Volga and Dnieper basins. In its structure, the river is asymmetric and uneven. Most are located to the right of the central axis. The asymmetry is achieved thanks to such large tributaries as the Tunguska and the Angara.
It is important to begin the description of the Yenisei River with its geographical division. Today it is customary to distinguish between the upper, lower and middle parts of the basin. Due to this conditional separation, many people begin to confuse where the Yenisei River is located in relation to its geological location. In fact, the water area begins in Siberia and Mongolia, as is commonly believed. As for the Upper Yenisei, its length is about 600 km, and it starts from the confluence of the Kaa-Khem and Biy-Khem. The middle part of the river is located from the Angara to the Krasnoyarsk storage. Lower Hem is the longest and widest. It ends in Ust-Port, near the cape Sopochnaya hag.
Pool Characteristics
The length of the Yenisei River from the confluence of Biy-Khem and Kaa-Khem is about 3487 kilometers. The total length of the basin from the farthest point of the source is 4287 km. The length of the water area located in Russia varies up to 4123 km.
In hydrology there is such a thing as the length of the waterway. It includes the most important pools that are in any way connected with a particular river. In the case of the Yenisei, the length of such a route will be a route to Ider, including Lake Baikal. This figure is about 5550 kilometers.
The total area of the Hem water area is determined by 2580 thousand square meters. km According to this indicator, the pool ranks seventh in the world.
Another important characteristic is the fall and
slope of the Yenisei River. To calculate, you must first determine the value of the first property. The fall and slope of the Yenisei River are mutually variable and depend on each other. In determining the proportion, important indicators are the height of the source (3.3 km) and the mouth (0 km). The second is subtracted from the first value, and 3300 m is obtained. The next step will be to determine the length of the river - 4287 km. Now 3300 is divided by 4287. The resulting value is converted to ppm. Thus, the fall and slope of the Yenisei River are 3.3 km and 0.77 m / km, respectively.
Channel structure
The natural boundary of the river is the axis of separation of Eastern and Western Siberia. It is worth noting that most of the left bank of the Khem is on the plain, and the right bank is in the mountain taiga. The pool is located immediately in several climatic zones. So where is the Yenisei River, if polar bears live in its lower reaches and camels live in its upper reaches? The geographical source of the water area is the city of Kyzyl. It is there that the Big and Small Yenisei merge.
The first 188 kilometers of the relief of the river are endless hollows and rifts. In this part, the width of the basin varies from 100 to 650 m with average depths of up to 12 m. Here, the fall and slope of the Yenisei River are practically zero. Further, the water area is represented by the Shushensky reservoir at the local hydroelectric station. Behind the Sayan mountain range, the channel sharply bends to the left, up to the Mainskaya hydroelectric station for 290 km.
The largest reservoir on the Hema path is Krasnoyarsk. Its length is about 360 km. Moreover, the width of the valley in some places exceeds 5 km. As for the channel, it is about 500 meters. Closer to the mouth of the Lower Tunguska, the pool expands significantly - up to 40 km, and at Ust-Port - up to 150 km. At the same time, the channel retains its size in the range from 2500 to 5000 m. The river depths range from 5 to 30 m. The last obstacle in front of the sea are the Brekhov Islands, which divide the channel into many channels. The total width of the strait is 50 km. The end point of the route is the Kara Sea. It connects to the sleeve of the
Yenisei Gulf.
Features of the water area
The direction of the Yenisei River is straightforward: from south to north. The water area of Hem is classified as mixed food. This indicator is determined by the types of sources. A large proportion of the pool’s nutrition is snow, it makes up 48%. Next come the rain tributaries - 36% and underground - 16%. The indicator of nutrition means the source of filling the water area. From them, in turn, depends on the course of the river.
Yenisei begins to freeze in early October. A strong ice drift is formed in the lower reaches of the basin, which lasts until the end of November. In mountainous zones, often large icing occurs. In spring, the time comes for floods, sometimes emergency. In the upper reaches of the waters there are often significant flooding of coastal villages, lasting until mid-summer.
The lowest water discharge is observed at the source of the river - 1009 cubic meters. m / s, the largest - at Igarka (more than 18,000 cubic m / s). In terms of runoff, Hem ranks first in the country. Annual volume varies within 630 cubic meters.
Inflows and mergers
The mouth of the Yenisei River is homogeneous, but the further channel is constantly connected to other large basins. The most significant and largest tributaries of the Khem are considered Abakan, Sym, Kantegir, Elogui, Kheta, Dubches, Tanama, Tuba, Sisim, Tunguska, Us, Bakhta, Kureyka, Angara, Dudinka, Kebezh, Khaytayka and others. In total, more than 500 rivers flow into the water area, whose total length is about 300 thousand km.
In terms of area, the right tributaries significantly dominate the left. Here the main flowing river is the Angara. Nevertheless, once every 10-12 years, the Lower Tunguska is ahead of it on the annual drain. The reason for this hydrological activity is the underground current and snowmelt. Interestingly, after the point of confluence with the Angara, the modern Yenisei is considered to be the Angara. It's all about excellence in indicators such as collection area and water flow. However, Russian scientists call this region the Yenisei-Angara. The river flows in at a right angle.
Big Yenisei
This water area occupies a special place in the hydrological system of Russia. The length of the river is more than 605 km with a total basin area of 56.8 thousand square meters. km The average water flow rate fluctuates around 585 cubic meters. m / s This characteristic of the Yenisei River determines the level of the total runoff of the Khem water area.
The source is considered to be a lake called Kara-Balyk. Its height above sea level is 1521 m. The river is considered the administrative part of the Republic of Tuva. The shipping route stretches for 285 km from the mouth. It should be noted the high water content of this part of the water area. It is explained by the large area and depth of the Togina basin. Its relief allows you to form a huge drainage basin. About a dozen large tributaries flow into Biy-Khem, the largest of which are Systyg, Toor and Hamsara.
The most rocky part of the coast is located on the border with Buryatia and Irkutsk. Here, there is a unique geological characteristic of the river. The Yenisei flows through the vents of nine inactive volcanoes. Thanks to such a dangerous relief, this zone is still untouched virgin for industrial moves. Today, this pool is represented by Lake Azas, which is considered a reserve and attracts tourists from all over the world.
Shipping history
Currently, the Yenisei is the most important transport and industrial artery in Russia. Dozens of large and small vessels ply the river daily. Nevertheless, because of the complex terrain and sharp channel in the water area, disasters often occur.
As far back as 1877, the Thames steamboat and a schooner called the Northern Lights crashed. Of both crews, units managed to survive. In the period from 1892 to 1941, as a result of heavy ice drift, about a hundred ships sank.
In recent years, the Yenisei is in danger primarily by its endless floods. As a result, many vessels receive holes in the mountainous areas of the basin.
Ecological tragedy
Today, the largest accidents at hydroelectric power stations are associated with the Yenisei River. In 2009, as a result of the spill of the Shushensky basin, chemicals and harmful oils fell into the water. Several halls and important compartments of the station were also destroyed. The result of the tragedy was dozens of claimed lives of hydroelectric station workers.
The cause of the disaster was called the old equipment, which was in disrepair. The spill in 2009 was a huge human and environmental tragedy for the whole country. Only a year later, it was possible to partially eliminate the damage from the accident, estimated at almost 22 billion rubles.
In 2014, the state allocated a similar amount for the modernization of the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric station in order to prevent another tragedy.
Good position
The river passes through such settlements as Sayanogorsk, Kyzyl, Abakan, Krasnoyarsk, Novoselovo, Zheleznogorsk, Cheryomushki, Turukhansk, Divnogorsk, Ust-Port, Minusinsk, Karaus and others. Between cities there are dozens of large bridges. The newest of them is the bypass road leading to the M53 highway.
Almost all settlements of the Yenisei water area have direct access to the sea. This facilitates the transport of large loads. Three hydroelectric power stations operate immediately on the river gutter, providing electricity to entire regions.