Water resources of Kamchatka. Hydrography of Kamchatka: rivers, lakes, groundwater Birds and animals

The Kamchatka River is the largest waterway of the peninsula that bears the same name. The Itelmen name is Uykoal, which can be translated as " big river". It flows into the Pacific Ocean and has a length of 758 km. Its source is in the mountains, from where the water flows down in a stream, forming Ozernaya Kamchatka. Merging with the Pravaya River, it becomes a single stream. Flowing in the mountainous part of its path, Kamchatka forms there are many rapids and rifts, here its current is quite stormy and noisy.

Mouth of the Kamchatka River on the peninsula

In the middle section it becomes flat, with a more phlegmatic character. This section is the longest. However, the channel here is not calmly predictable; in some places it is very winding. A single flow is divided into branches, covering wider spaces. Approaching the ocean, the river goes around the Klyuchevskoy massif, flows east, crosses the Kumroch ridge and at the very mouth becomes delta-shaped, dividing into many channels. They are separated by spits, mainly consisting of sand and pebbles.

Flowing into the Pacific Ocean, Kamchatka forms a channel connecting it with Lake Nerpichye, the largest on the peninsula. Along its entire route the river has islands. Their a large number of, but they are medium in size, mostly sandy and have no vegetation except grass and here and there willow. In a flat area, the river flows for more than 30 km through the Bolshiye Shcheki gorge, forming steep rocky shores breathtaking beauty. This landscape arises due to the fact that the river intersects with the spurs of the Kamchatka Range.

The Kamchatka basin includes more than seven thousand small rivers. It is in these tributaries that fish, mainly salmon, spawn. The largest tributaries are Elovka, Shchapina, Kozyrevka. The river is fed by groundwater, precipitation, and snow. Snow and underground (sediment) recharge account for approximately 35% each, and about 28% of the water comes from glaciers. In winter, Kamchatka freezes, ice formation begins in November, and ice drift begins in May.

The character of the river and the processes occurring in it are greatly influenced by the seismic activity of the region and volcanism. When eruptions occur, glaciers melt and mudflows rush down, ending up in the river. The most powerful mudflow that existed in the last 100 years was the one that occurred after the eruption of the Bezymyanny volcano in 1956. Streams of mud and stones spread far along one of the tributaries of Kamchatka.

Fish spawning on the Kamchatka River

Kamchatka flows in both mountainous and flat areas; its flow is accompanied by coniferous and floodplain forests and shrubs. Of the coniferous species, Ayan spruce and larch are mainly common. In the upper and nearby middle reaches of the river, in addition to conifers, poplar, alder, willow, etc. grow. The lower reaches are more swampy; here the banks are dominated by shrubs and grasses.

The area around the river is rich in fauna. There are many birds, among which you can see gulls, cormorants, partridges and other species. The coastal forests are home to moose, deer, wolves, muskrats and other animals. The owner of these places is the Kamchatka bear. During spawning near the tributaries of Kamchatka, the number of bears increases many times.

The main treasure of the river is its fish stocks. Salmon and other fish spawn here. This significant event occurs at the end of summer, attracting many bears to the shores. Freshwater valuable fish live here permanently. Some of them, for example, silver crucian carp or Amur carp, were specially introduced into these waters and took root, give birth to offspring and are the object of fishing. The river basin is inhabited by lamprey, sterlet, Pacific herring, char, Kamchatka grayling, flounder, etc.

Fishing takes place as in industrial scale, and on an individual basis. Amateur fishermen specially come to Kamchatka to enjoy catching fish here, which cannot be found in other places in such abundance. At the end of June - beginning of July the most favorable period for catching chinook salmon. Sockeye salmon is excellently caught at the turn of July and August. All August there is chum salmon, and from the end of August almost until November - coho salmon.

Use of the reservoir

In addition to fishing, people actively use the river for other purposes. Like the biggest water artery peninsula, closer to the mouth it is used in shipping: the depth reaches 5 m, so the conditions for this are favorable. Great importance The river also has a role in tourism. In addition to the beauties that people come to admire, it provides an opportunity to make tourist water trips. The beginning of the route is Ust-Kamchatsk or the village of Klyuchi.

People have settled around the river since ancient times. Archaeologists are finding traces of ancient settlements. Russian Cossacks who arrived here in the 17th century reported that in the valley of the Kamchatka River there were many yurts, which were the dwellings of local peoples. The Cossacks themselves built wooden forts, almost all of which later grew into cities and towns. The fact that people settled in these places is largely due to the fertility of the soil, which allowed them to engage in agriculture.

The Kamchatka River, sometimes fast in its flow, sometimes majestically calm, full of fish, surrounded by unique landscapes, is one of the decorations of the peninsula, which also has practical significance.

Our routes along the Kamchatka River

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Washed from the west Sea of ​​Okhotsk, from the east - the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and the rugged shores of the peninsula form large bays: Avachinsky, Kronotsky, Kamchatsky, Ozernoy, Karaginsky, Korfa, as well as bays: Avachinskaya, Karaga, Ossora, etc. In the central part of the peninsula there are two parallel ridges - The Sredinny Range and the Eastern Range, and between them is the Central Kamchatka Lowland, where the largest river of the peninsula, the Kamchatka, flows.

The main watershed is the Sredinny Range, where the rivers originate. Rivers belonging to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk basin flow from the western slopes of the Sredinny Range, and rivers from the Bering Sea basin or flowing into the Pacific Ocean flow from the eastern slopes of the ridge. The rivers of the peninsula are divided into: ridge, key and tundra. The ridge rivers are mountainous in nature, receive their nutrition from the melting of snow and glaciers, and are characterized by very high water content. Key rivers have low water flows and do not freeze in winter. Tundra rivers flow through swampy lowlands. Kamchatka rivers have slow self-purification processes, so the discharge of untreated Wastewater containing organic contaminants should be prohibited.

Over six thousand large and small rivers flow through the territory of the [Kamchatka] region, but only a few of them have a length of more than 200 km and only 7 have a length of over 300.

The largest rivers

The insignificant length of Kamchatka rivers is explained by the close location of the main river watersheds from the sea coast.

There are two main ridges on the peninsula - Sredinny and Vostochny, which stretch in the meridional direction. From the outer (western) slope of the Sredinny Range, rivers flow into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, from outer slope Eastern - to the Pacific Ocean. And those that arise on the inner slopes of these ridges flow into the central valley, along the bottom of which the largest river of the peninsula, the Kamchatka, flows.

The rivers of our region, although shorter, are deeper than rivers The European part of the USSR: from each square kilometer of drainage area they receive 15–25 liters of water per second - almost twice as much as in Europe.

Types of rivers Based on the nature of the river flow, the regions are divided into several groups. The most common are mountain ones, the sources of which lie near the main watersheds. They are the largest on the peninsula and are formed from melting snow. However, they receive most of their nutrition from groundwater. Some of these rivers flow throughout their entire length within the mountains, the other part only in the upper reaches.

In mountainous regions, rivers flow in narrow valleys with steep slopes. They, as a rule, have a fast rapids flow, and when they come out onto the plains, they are calm: they break up into numerous channels and branches, strongly meander (loop), forming many oxbow lakes. Near the sea, the flow of rivers is slowed by tidal waters. Their mouths often turn into long estuaries, which is especially typical for the west coast. When they flow into the sea, they usually form “cats” and “spits”; bars are observed at the mouths (bars are shoals created by a tidal sea wave, making it difficult for ships to enter the mouths).

The upper reaches of Kamchatka, Avacha, Bystraya, Tigil, Penzhina and others are very characteristic of mountain rivers. Lowland rivers include Kamchatka, Penzhina and others in their middle and lower reaches.

The third group is dry rivers. They cut through the slopes and carry their waters to the receiving pools only in the summer, when the snow melts. During the rest of the year, water seeps into loose volcanic rocks and rivers disappear from the surface of the earth. An example is Elizovskaya and Khalaktyrskaya.

River feeding- mixed. Most consists of groundwater and water obtained from melting snow in the mountains and valleys. The role of ground nutrition increases in low-water years, and snow nutrition, on the contrary, in high-water years. Rain power is significant for the rivers of the west coast, where its share in some years can be 20–30 percent. There are rain floods here in the fall, sometimes exceeding the spring flood in height.

Freezing and opening. Due to the abundant ground supply, ice cover on many rivers is unstable, and there are large ice-free areas and polynyas. In winter, ice often appears only near the coast, places with fast current and the middle of the river are usually ice-free. Freeze-up begins in November or even December, and only slightly earlier in the north of the region. In the north and northwest, where climatic conditions more severe, medium and small rivers at riffles freeze to the bottom, forming ice dams.

The opening of the rivers occurs in April - early May, in the north of the peninsula - somewhat later (in the middle and end of May). The opening is accompanied by spring ice drift, which is especially typical for rivers in the northwestern region.

Water content. Its main indicator for rivers is water flow. It increases downstream as the basin grows. Thus, the average annual water flow in the upper reaches of the Kamchatka River is 91 cubic meters per second, in the lower reaches it is ten times more. Water content also depends on precipitation and the nature of the underlying surface. For example, the Penzhina River has a much larger drainage area than the Kamchatka River, but its average annual flow is less.

Kamchatka River flows through the lowland located between the Middle and Eastern ranges. Having cut through the Kumroch ridge with a narrow valley - an area called “Cheeks” - it flows into the Kamchatka Gulf Pacific Ocean.

In the upper reaches the river has a mountainous character. Fast, greenish-turbid waters rush rapidly from the Ganalsky and Sredinny ridges. Swift streams rush between the stone banks, tear off stones and carry them far downstream. Stones piled up in the riverbed form riffles and rapids.

Below the village of Pushchino the current becomes smooth. The river becomes flat and begins to meander strongly. Its width in the area of ​​the village of Milkovo is 100–150 meters.

The further down you go, the wider and deeper it becomes. The wide floodplain along which the river laid its winding channel with many branches and oxbow lakes is covered with a green carpet of meadows interspersed with fields and forests. In many places the forest comes close to the river and forms a dense wall of green hedge. In its lower reaches, the Kamchatka River widens to 500–600 meters, and its depths range from 1 to 6 meters. Numerous rapids make the river fairway unstable. After large floods it changes its position. This greatly complicates navigation.

The river freezes in November and opens at the end of April - beginning of May. Among the numerous tributaries, the largest are Elovka, Tolbachik, Shchapina.

Along the banks of the river are the villages of Milkovo, Dolinovka, Shchapino, Kozyrevsk, Klyuchi, Ust-Kamchatsk, etc.

Kamchatka is the most important transport route of the peninsula. Passenger trams, boats, and barges travel along it. Shipping is carried out almost to Milkovo. Large quantities of timber are floated. Salmon fish enter the river and its tributaries to spawn.

The mighty northern beauty river is an interesting tourist route for summer hikes.

Lakes of Kamchatka

There are over 100 thousand Kamchatka lakes, but their water surface area is only 2 percent of the entire area of ​​the region. Only four lakes have an area of ​​more than 50 square kilometers, and two have an area of ​​more than 100.

The lakes are varied and attractive. They often present a unique and amazing panorama.

Not far from the village of Semlyachiki there are remains of an old one. Its top was demolished by a colossal volcanic explosion, and at an altitude of more than 500 meters a huge caldera (bowl) with an area of ​​about 100 square kilometers was formed. This area contains a lot of springs, streams and small lakes. Many of them are filled with boiling water and constantly seethe, indicating the violent activity of the volcano. One of them is especially remarkable - Fumarolnoe. Its area is about 40 hectares. The water in it is always hot. Ducks and swans winter here.

There are many lakes like it. One of the most beautiful is Khangar. The huge stone bowl of the volcano of the same name rises to a height of 2000 meters. It is very difficult to climb to the top. It is even more difficult to go down to the lake along the steep walls of the crater. Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences A.E. Svyatlovsky, who overcame all these difficulties, drove around the lake in a rubber inflatable boat and decided to measure the depth. However, the hundred-meter rope did not reach the bottom.

Tectonic processes - the rise and fall of individual sections of the earth's surface - led to the formation of a number of lakes. Lakes of tectonic origin and Blizhnoe in the area of ​​​​the village of Paratunka and one of the deepest and most beautiful lakes in Kamchatka - Kurilskoye.

The largest lakes

Thanks to invaluable work, the ancient, poetic legend of the Alaid volcano has reached us:

"...The aforementioned mountain (Alaid) stood before at the declared lake (Kuril); and since its height took away the light from all other mountains, they were constantly indignant at Alaid and quarreled with her, so that Alaid was forced to leave from anxiety and to go into solitude at sea; however, in memory of her stay on the lake, she left her heart, which in Kuril is Uchichi, also Nukhguni, that is, Pupkova, and in Russian it is called Heart-Stone, which stands in the middle of Kuril Lake and has a conical shape. Her path was the place where the Ozernaya River flows, which began on the occasion of this journey: for as the mountain rose from its place, the water from the lake rushed after it and made a road for itself to the sea.”

Kuril Lake is surrounded by volcanoes. Its banks are steep and steep. Numerous mountain streams and hot springs flow here, and only the Ozernaya River flows out, which freezes briefly in winter.

Kuril Lake is the deepest on the peninsula (306 meters). Its bottom is below ocean level.

A similar legend is recorded about the origin of another lake - Kronotsky. This is the largest freshwater lake in the region. In area it exceeds Avacha Bay. The greatest depth is 128 meters. It arose due to the fact that colossal masses of lava, poured out from a nearby volcano, blocked the valley through which the rapids and noisy Kronotskaya River runs, and formed a dam. According to legend, the lake was formed because he moved to a new place of residence and on the way carelessly broke the tops of two hills. The “traces” of his feet, filled with water, turned into lakes. In particular, these include the Kharchinskoye and Kurazhechnoye lakes, well known to residents of the village of Klyuchi.

In the lower reaches of the Kamchatka River lies the largest of the brackish lakes - Nerpichye, the remnant of a bay that separated from the sea after the coast of the peninsula was slowly raised. Its depth is 12 meters. It consists of two lakes connected to each other, one of them is called Nerpichye, and the other is Kultuchnoe. The surf and the river took part in its origin. The name of the lake indicates what is found here sea ​​animal- seal (type of seal). Kultuchnoye comes from the Turkic word kultuk - lagoon.

Lagoon-type lakes are common on the western coast of the peninsula. They form at the mouths of almost all large rivers of the Western Kamchatka Lowland. Lagoon lakes have an elongated shape.

The most numerous group of lakes are peat lakes. Their clusters can be found in the Western Kamchatka Lowland, Parapolsky Dole and coastal plains east coast. Such lakes, as a rule, are small, have a round shape and steep shores.

The lakes of Kamchatka are located at different altitudes above sea level and are heterogeneous in temperature and water regime. They also have different periods of freezing and opening.

The greatest rise in water level is observed in the summer, when the snow melts in the mountains. The height of the level of coastal lakes depends on the tidal sea ​​currents. The largest amplitude of level fluctuations in the lagoons of the west coast reaches 4–5 meters. Lagoons and lakes sea ​​coasts freeze in December - later than in the interior regions of the peninsula, and open in late May - early June, although some of them are cleared of ice only in July

The rivers of Kamchatka have enormous reserves of energy. Their abundance, abundance of water and mountainous nature create favorable conditions for the construction of hydroelectric power stations, but our rivers for the most part are spawning grounds for such valuable species fish like salmon. And the spawning grounds need to be preserved.

The shallow lakes of Kamchatka, which warm up well, are used for breeding silver crucian carp - a tasty and nutritious fish. Amur carp and sterlet are also bred here.

The largest rivers of Kamchatka are reliable transport routes. Goods, materials, equipment, and construction timber are transported across Kamchatka, Penzhina and some others.

Published from the collection
"Kamchatka region. Articles and essays on geography"
(Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, - 1966).

Many amazing things can be seen in these magnificent and richly diverse natural phenomena edges of Russia. This wonderful corner of the earth is called Kamchatka. The most diverse landscapes, vegetation and the most amazing animals are concentrated here.

And about where the Kamchatka River is located, what are its features and what natural wonders she is rich, you can find out in this article.

Location of the Kamchatka Peninsula, description

The peninsula is washed by the Sea of ​​Okhotsk from the west, the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean from the east.

Kamchatka is located on the border of the Eurasian continent and one of the greatest oceans on the planet. All this influences the formation of a varied topography of the territory, climate and the distribution of animals and vegetation. In this unique place, like in no other corner of Russia, the most amazing and vibrant natural phenomena are concentrated.

Here are located ancient volcanoes (active and extinct), mineral hot and cold springs, and water basins of glacial, tectonic and volcanic origin, rare throughout the world. Among all this splendor, the beautiful Kamchatka (river) flows here.

Description of the river: geographical location

Kamchatka is the largest river located on the peninsula of the same name. And it flows into the Bering Sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean through the Kamchatka Bay. The total length of the river is 758 kilometers, and its basin extends over a vast area of ​​55.9 thousand km².

Kamchatka is a river with varied topography of its bed. The upper flow has a faster mountain character; in its bed there are a large number of rifts and rapids. In the central one it flows into the Central Kamchatka lowland and changes the nature of its flow to a calmer one. Here the riverbed is quite winding and in some places it diverges into branches.

During lower river it goes around Klyuchevskaya Sopka (massif) and turns east, where in the lower reaches it intersects with the Kumroch ridge.

At the very mouth of the river, a delta is formed, which consists of numerous channels. At the point where Kamchatka flows into the sea, it is connected by the Ozernaya Channel with the largest lake on the island, Nerpichy.

Throughout the river there are many islands. For the most part they are low, sandy, almost bare or slightly overgrown tall grass or small willow.

The Kamchatka River is amazing and interesting. It is simply impossible to describe all its unique natural attractions in one article.

Tributaries, source, settlements

The river has several tributaries, both right and left. Among them are the largest: Kensol, Zhulanka, Andrianovka and Kozyrevka - left; Urts, Kitilgina - right.

There is a village with the port of Ust-Kamchatsk. Also on the banks of the river are the small villages of Klyuchi and Milkovo.

Where is the source of the river? Kamchatka has two sources: the left one (Ozernaya Kamchatka), starting at the Sredinny Range; right (Right Kamchatka), located in the eastern ridge. They are found in the Ganal tundra region and together form the beginning of a magnificent river.

Flora of Kamchatka

The vegetation of the entire peninsula was influenced by a number of factors, such as geographical position territory, mountainous terrain (mainly), impact humid climate due to the close location of the ocean, the peculiarities of the history of landscape formation, the strong impact of volcanism, etc.

Widespread in the central part coniferous forests(larch and spruce). Birch and aspen trees also grow here interspersed with them.

In Kamchatka, the richest and most diverse in terms of vegetation are floodplain forests. In them you can find hairy alder, willow, choicenia, etc.

Kamchatka is a river, the coastal part of which abounds in a wide variety of types of vegetation. The banks of the upper and middle reaches of the river represent an excellent forest, represented by poplar, fir, larch, interspersed with willow, alder, hawthorn and other vegetation. The lower coastal part of the river is already more swampy and covered with grass, small willows and horsetail.

River fauna

Kamchatka is a river rich in rare and valuable species fish This is a spawning ground for many of the world's most magnificent species, including chum salmon, pink salmon and chinook salmon. This happens at the end of summer. Both seals and belugas come from the ocean to Lake Nerpichye and the mouth of the Kamchatka River.

Both amateur and industrial fishing is carried out in these places.

Aquatic flora

The main vegetation of the river and sea bottoms are commercial algae of several species. Due to the sufficient amount of reserves, specialized fishing for them is not carried out.

Birds and animals

Exceptionally diverse animal world not only the territory of the river in question, but also the entire Kamchatka Territory.

Among the birds, of which there are a huge number (about two hundred and twenty species), there are gulls, cormorants, puffins, guillemots, guillemots, etc. You can also find crows, magpies, wagtails, nutcrackers, partridges, etc.

The fauna of the coastal part consists of: ermine, Kamchatka sable, otter, muskrat, mountain hare, elk, reindeer, lynx, fox, bighorn sheep, wolverine, weasel and many others. etc. Among the largest forest animals in the forest zone, the famous Kamchatka brown bear can be noted.

Finally

In addition to all its natural magnificent landscapes, the territory of the Kamchatka River is also distinguished by the fact that the climate of its valley is the best on the entire peninsula and is the most suitable for agriculture, especially in the areas between the villages of Ushakovskoye and Kirganovskoye.

Due to the speed of the current, this Kamchatka is popular among numerous tourists and is widely used by them for hiking, both on water and on foot. There is something to see and remember forever.

Kamchatka is beautiful and magnificent. And to know more about her, you must see her.

The Itelmens (one of the indigenous peoples of Kamchatka) used to call the river “Uykoal”, which means “Big River”.

Kamchatka River is the most large river the edges. It stretches over more than 750 km. The Itelmens called it Uykoal, which means “Big River”. U Kamchatka there are two sources: the left one, which begins at the Sredinny ridge (Ozernaya Kamchatka) and the right one, which is located in the eastern ridge (Right Kamchatka). Meeting in the area of ​​the Ganal tundra, they form the beginning of Kamchatka itself. This river flows in a northerly direction, but near the village of Klyuchi it abruptly changes and flows into the Kamchatka Bay, which is why a wide mouth is formed, in which the fairway often changes.

Kamchatka remains the only river area that is of navigable importance. Today Kamchatka is used for shipping purposes over a distance of 200 km. from the mouth. The lower reaches can boast depths of up to 5-6 m on the reaches during low-water periods, and up to 2 m on the riffles.

Pool Kamchatka River is located in the Central Kamchatka depression, between the western Sredinny ridge and the eastern Valaginsky ridge. Because of large sizes Almost 80% of the river's length is on a flat bed. Upstream- semi-mountainous and mountainous, has multiple branches typical for rivers in the region.

On the territory of the flat riverbed there are special and quite intriguing places. These include the Big Cheeks gorge, where the river flows for 35 km. Throughout this section the river has almost sheer rocky banks that will give any of the canyons a head start. North America. Here they appeared due to the intersection of the river with the spurs of the Kamchatka Range. In addition, the river passes through the spurs of the Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano, along which, already in the form of a large lowland river, it forms the Krekurlinsky and Pingrinsky rapids.

On Kamchatka River the largest fisheries resources are located. During the spawning season, all types of fish appear here salmon breed, among which you can see: pink salmon, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, chinook salmon, kunja. There are quite a lot of fish belonging to residential forms: char, mykiss, Dolly Varden, grayling. There are species of the carp family, as well as those related to sturgeon.

Kamchatka River has a large number of tributaries. The largest ones include Elovka, Shchapina, Kozyrevka. A sufficient amount of alluvial material has been observed in Kamchatka and its tributaries.

Kamchatka River bears the title of not only the largest reservoir in the region, but also occupied a significant place in the history of the region. People settled in the river valley in ancient times. While working in the valley, archaeologist N.N. Dikov found ancient settlements. The great habitability of this valley was also noted by Russian pioneers. The Cossacks who went on reconnaissance reported that from the mouth of the Elovka to the sea, on an area of ​​150 km, there were 160 forts. In each fort, 150-200 people lived in one or two yurts. According to the most conservative estimates, approximately 25 thousand people lived in the river valley.