home » Summer clothes » Where does the Yenisei originate? The amazing Yenisei River - the diverse flora and fauna of the great river, the history of the development of the water artery

Where does the Yenisei originate? The amazing Yenisei River - the diverse flora and fauna of the great river, the history of the development of the water artery

The water flow along the length of the river increases unevenly, which is associated with large tributaries - the Abakan, Angara, Podkamennaya and Nizhnyaya Tunguska. The average long-term water flow of the Yenisei near the city of Igarka is 18,500 m 3 /s, which corresponds to a runoff volume of 584 km 3 /year. Towards the mouth, due to the confluence of large tributaries, the river’s water flow increases to 625 km 3 /year.

The Yenisei is divided into three parts: the Upper Yenisei - from the merger of its components in the city of Kyzyl to the exit from the Western Sayan near the city of Krasnoyarsk; Middle Yenisei - from Krasnoyarsk to the mouth of the river. Chickens; Lower Yenisei - from the mouth of the river. Kureyki to the Yenisei Bay.

The river is fed by snow (about 50%) and rain (36–38%) with less significant groundwater. According to the water regime in the upper reaches, the Yenisei belongs to the Altai type, with floods extended until autumn due to melting snow at various altitudes in the mountains, and downstream - to the East Siberian type, with high spring floods, summer-autumn low water and flood periods. Winter low water (November–April) is characterized by low flow. On the Lower Yenisei, the flood begins in May and ends at the end of July. The share of melt water runoff at this time is 83%. Maximum water flows are observed at the end of May - mid-June during ice drift or in the first days after the river is cleared of ice. Near Igarka, the highest water flow was recorded on June 12, 1969 (176,000 m 3 /s); The average long-term maximum water flow here is 132,000 m 3 /s.

The hydrological regime of the Yenisei is significantly influenced by large reservoirs on the Yenisei and its tributaries - the Angara, Khantaika and Kureyka, regulating from 23% to 36.7% of the annual water flow. The Sayano-Shushenskoye Reservoir (filled in 1985) carries out seasonal flow regulation. The Main Reservoir is a counter-regulator Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP, smoothing out level fluctuations that occur when changing its operating modes. The Krasnoyarsk reservoir (filled in 1970) carries out long-term flow regulation. With the commissioning of the Boguchansky hydroelectric complex (see Boguchansky Reservoir) in the lower reaches of the Angara, the degree of regulation of the Yenisei flow increased to 38.6%. The development of hydropower resources did not affect the annual flow of the Yenisei near Igarka. The intra-annual regime of water flow, the flow of suspended sediment and heat, and the ice regime have undergone noticeable changes; in the downstream of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station, water mineralization has increased.

Summer-autumn minimum water flows on the Yenisei occur in August, September or October and average 13,800 m 3 /s. Flow regulation led to a slight decrease in the water content of summer-autumn floods.

The wettest months are May–July. IN natural conditions they accounted for more than 63% of the annual water flow. The share of runoff during the winter months (November–April) was 13.1%. Under conditions of flow regulation, winter runoff increased (up to 21.5% of the year), flood flow decreased (May–July - up to 58.3%). The flow is less disrupted during spring floods. In July–October, water consumption is 86–98% of household values.

The highest water levels in the upper reaches of the Yenisei depend on the supply of meltwater from the mountainous part of the basin and are observed from April to July. In the middle reaches, the highest levels are established in mid-May, in the lower reaches - until the end of the first ten days of June and are associated with ice jams, which can lead to floods. The range of water level fluctuations in the Sayan Mountains is 7–14 m, near the city of Krasnoyarsk – 10.7 m, near the city of Yeniseisk – 15.6 m, near the city of Turukhansk – 17–20 m, near the city of Dudinki – 11–15 m The height of the rise in levels during floods at the top of the delta is about 8 m, at the sea edge of the delta – 1.3 m.

In the mouth area of the Yenisei, the level regime depends on tidal and surge phenomena. The magnitude of the tide is 60 cm at the mouth, 35 cm at Baikalovo, 10 cm at Dudinka. Surges penetrate a distance of 977 km up the river. Surge winds predominate in summer, and downwind winds predominate in winter. The height of the surge wave is about 1 m. Tides and surges lead to the emergence of reverse currents, which are observed near the town of Dudinka; their speed at the mouth is 0.30 m/s.

Ice formation begins in the lower reaches of the river on average on October 17 and by October 25 it spreads to the upper reaches of the river. The duration of autumn ice drift decreases down the river from 25 to 4–5 days. Freeze-up occurs unevenly, and on some rapids it does not occur at all. In the downstream of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station, an ice-free polynya with a length of 150 to 300 km remains in winter. Ice dams form in some areas. The ice thickness exceeds 100 cm, in severe winters – 150–170 cm. Spring ice flow is stormy, with powerful jams. Jam level rises are the main cause of floods on the Yenisei. Clearing the river of ice begins in the upper reaches on May 3–10, and in the mouth area on June 11.

Ice formation in the Yenisei mouth area begins on October 9–13. The ice thickness reaches 1.5–1.9 m. Spring ice drift in the delta branches begins on June 19 on average. Recently, it has been practiced to break ice with icebreakers 2–3 weeks earlier than the natural time of breaking.

The average long-term flow of suspended sediment before the creation of reservoirs near Igarka was 12.0 million tons/year; The average water turbidity is 22 g/m3, the highest is 30–90 g/m3. After the construction of hydroelectric complexes, the flow of suspended sediment decreased to 4.7 million tons/year, the average turbidity - to 8 g/m3, the value of the highest turbidity remained almost unchanged. The maximum discharge of suspended sediment under these conditions averages 5210 kg/s; their passage lags behind the peak of the flood by an average of seven days; the highest sediment flow rate is 19,000 kg/s. Floods account for about 90% of sediment runoff. Under conditions of river flow regulation, the value of suspended sediment runoff and water turbidity decreased 10 times in May, 1.3–2.4 times in other months, and increased slightly in January–April. Along the length of the river, changes in the average discharge of suspended sediment (kg/s) for 1956–1966. (numerator) and 1968–1993 (denominator) occurred as follows: Divnogorsk – 200/7.8; Bazaikha – 215/9.6; Yeniseisk – 380/124; the mouth of the Podkamennaya Tunguska – 467/169; Igarka – 391/161.

The Upper Yenisei from the city of Kyzyl to the Sayano-Shushenskoye reservoir has a branched semi-mountain channel, sand and pebble sediments. Below the mouth of the Seiba, the channel is incised and looks like a rocky chute with numerous single stones and rapids (Bolshoi, Dedushkin, Khutinsky). Many rapids are now flooded by reservoirs. The average kilometer drop in the area from the city of Kyzyl to the river. Khemchik 152 cm/km, current speed more than 8 m/s. The channel has the greatest branching in the Khamsary section (“Forty Yeniseev”). In the Minusinsk basin between the Mainsa hydroelectric station and the Krasnoyarsk reservoir, the channel is wide-floodplain, with a system of complex branches and sand and pebble rifts. Above Krasnoyarsk, the Yenisei crosses the spurs of the Eastern Sayan, flowing in a narrow canyon between high rocky banks - a “pipe” 1.2–3 km wide. The Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric complex is equipped with an inclined ship lift.

The middle Yenisei crosses successively the Krasnoyarsk ridge, the Kansk depression and the spurs of the Yenisei ridge (Ataman ridge). This section of the river is under the regulatory influence of the Krasnoyarsk reservoir, which completely intercepts the flow of tractional sediment. A typical section of the Middle Yenisei is a multi-kilometer narrowing of the channel (up to 0.7 km) with almost vertical rocky banks 30–40 m high and up to 35 m deep - “Cheeks”. Between the Atamanovsky narrowing and the mouth of the Angara, rocky capes - “bulls” - jut into the riverbed. The channel is incised, straight, with rifts (Berezovsky, Ermolaevsky, Atamanovsky “stones”) and rapids (Kazachinsky, Osinovsky). Riffles are rocky ledges at the bottom, covered with a layer of sediment up to 2 m thick. The Kazachinsky threshold has a length with rifts of about 4 km, the total drop here is 3.8 m, the width of the channel is 550–600 m instead of the usual 800–1300 m. To overcome the threshold upstream large trains vessels use an auxiliary vessel - a tuyer. Below the Osinovsky threshold, the river passes through a rocky gorge with a channel width of 740 m and depths of up to 60 m. Below the mouth of the river. The width of the Lower Tunguska channel reaches 20 km, dividing into numerous branches with a depth of 14–20 m.

The Lower Yenisei from Kureika to Ust-Port forms incised bends, the width of the channel is 1.5–3.5 km, the depth is from 5 to 35–40 m. The width of the channel at Dudinka and Ust-Port is up to 2.5–5 km. The minimum depths on the Lower Yenisei are from 5 to 8.5 m. Below the confluence of the river. Kureyka is dominated by depths from 14 to 20 m, below Dudinka 20–25 m.

The main delta branches - the Small, Bolshoi, Kamenny and Okhotsk Yenisei - receive a total of 95% of the water flow at the top of the delta, the rest - into the secondary channels. At the main branching point, at a high flow rate (70 thousand m 3 /s), 75% of the water flow is concentrated at the source of the Big Yenisei, 23% flows into the Small Yenisei and 2% into the Okhotsk channel.

Active modern delta-forming processes are confined to the mouths of the Deryabinsk Yenisei and the Bolshoi Yenisei, where the mouth surface spits extend into the bay at 10–30 m/year, and underwater ones – 60–120 m/year. The linear speed of delta protrusion does not exceed 10–30 m/year.

The waters of the Yenisei are low- and medium-mineralized. In the upper reaches, mineralization and total water hardness during the year vary within the range of 31–197 mg/l and 0.41–2.44 mg-eq/l, respectively. The highest values of mineralization and hardness are observed during winter low-water periods: in March 111–197 mg/l and 1.24–2.44 mg-eq/l, respectively; the smallest are confined to the peak of the spring flood - 36–86 mg/l and 41–1.09 mg-eq/l. Throughout the year, water belongs to the hydrocarbonate class and calcium group. Below the mouth of the Angara, the content of chlorine ions increases. Here, the left-bank tributaries carry weakly mineralized waters, while the right-bank tributaries carry waters with high mineralization.

Toward Igarka, water mineralization increases from 20 to 65 mg/l during the spring flood period, to 180–230 mg/l during the winter low water period, but does not exceed 120 mg/l during the summer-autumn period. Closer to the mouth of the Yenisei, the mineralization and hardness of water decreases.

After the construction of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric complex, mineralization, hardness and the content of major ions in the water decreased. The relative abundance of major ions did not change. The ion flow of the river near Igarka averages about 70 million tons/year.

The waters of the Yenisei are inhabited by whitefish, salmon and sturgeon fish. The ichthyofauna includes 46 species and subspecies of fish. Semi-anadromous species (sturgeon, nelma, vendace, musk, whitefish, omul and smelt) live in the brackish waters of the Yenisei Bay and rise hundreds of kilometers into the Yenisei to their spawning grounds. The main habitat of whitefishes is the lower reaches of the river. Flow regulation has led to a decrease in fish numbers in the upper and middle reaches. Sturgeon and sterlet stopped rising above 400 km from the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station. Throughout the Yenisei, only pike, taimen and burbot are common.

The annual water intake from the Yenisei averages 3,500 million m 3, when returned Wastewater about 2800 million m 3; Of these, half are either insufficiently purified or not purified at all. This creates a relatively high degree of water pollution, exceeding the MPC for many indicators. An unfavorable radiation situation was noted below Krasnoyarsk.

The main sectors of the economy in the Yenisei basin are water transport, forestry and wood processing industries, mining, metallurgy, and fisheries. Igarka and Dudinka are large sea ports. Products of the Norilsk Mining and Metallurgical Plant are exported through Dudinka. Navigation on the Yenisei is carried out to the Main hydroelectric complex, which, like the Sayano-Shushensky one, does not have navigation facilities. This significantly reduces the water transport importance of the Upper Yenisei. Above the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station, the Yenisei is navigable to the city of Kyzyl. Navigation is limited by depths on some rifts (Turushinsky and Lipatnikovsky on the Lower Yenisei) and rapids (Berezovsky, Ermolaevsky and Atamanovsky “stones”, Kazachinsky, Osinovsky rapids). To increase the depth to 10.4 m, dredging is being carried out on the Turushinsky rift in the Yenisei delta. Large-scale dredging and straightening work is being carried out on the rifts from Krasnoyarsk to the village. Atamanovo.

The main ports on the Yenisei: Abakan, Krasnoyarsk, Lesosibirsk, Igarka, Dudinka; piers – Shushenskoye, Minusinsk, Turukhansk, Ust-Port.

V.N. Korotaev, V.V. Ivanov, R.S. Chalov

The Yenisei is the largest river in Russia. In terms of basin area, it ranks seventh in the world and second in the country (after the Ob basin). In length, the Yenisei is second only to the Ob Lena, but surpasses them in annual flow.

Length of the Yenisei

Yenisei is one of largest rivers Russia. Formed by the confluence of two rivers - Biy-Khem (Big Yenisei) and Kaa-Khem (Small Yenisei) - in close proximity to the city of Kyzyl. It is from this place that the Yenisei proper begins. Its length from the confluence to the mouth is 3487 km, but if we count from the sources of the Greater Yenisei, it will be 4102 km.

Sources of the Yenisei

The sources of the Yenisei are the Biy-Khem (Big Yenisei) and Kaa-Khem (Small Yenisei) rivers. Biy-Khem begins from the high-mountain lake Kara-Balyk. Its length is 605 km. The second source of the Yenisei - Kaa-Khem, 563 km long, is formed by the confluence of two rivers - Balaktyg-Khem and Shishkhid-gol, which originates in Mongolia.

Yenisei drainage area

The catchment area of the Yenisei is 2,580 thousand km, it is second only to the Ob (almost 3 million km). The Yenisei basin is 2 times larger than the Volga basin, 5 times larger than the Dnieper basin and 9 times larger than the Neva basin. Its length from north to south is more than 3000 km, width - 1600 km.

A distinctive feature of the Yenisei basin

The Yenisei basin is asymmetrical: the territory stretching to the right of the river is 5 times larger than the left. Its largest tributaries - the Angara, Nizhnyaya Tunguska and Podkamennaya Tunguska, which provide over half of the total flow, flow into the Yenisei from the right bank. There are few left-bank tributaries and they are small. Of these, the largest are Abakan, Sym, Elogui and Turukhan.

Maximum depth

The Yenisei is rightfully considered the most deep river in the country. Great depths allow sea vessels to ascend the Yenisei almost 1000 km. For over 2000 km from the mouth, the Yenisei maintains a significant depth, which ranges from 9 m in the fairway (the area where the Angara flows) to 49 m in the bay. The maximum depths were recorded in the pits near the Osinovsky rapids - 66 m and in the delta - 65-70 m.

Maximum width

Up to the mouth of the Angara, for almost 1,400 km, the width of the Yenisei does not exceed 500-700 m. After merging with the Angara, which here is almost 3 times wider than the Yenisei, the width of the river immediately increases to 2.5 km. All subsequent tributaries - first Podkamennaya, then Lower Tunguska and then Turukhan and Kureyka - expand the Yenisei channel to 3-5 km. But the Yenisei is especially wide in the mouth zone, in the area of the Brekhov Islands archipelago, between which four large branches of the river flow: Deryabinsky, Maly, Bolshoy and Kamenny Yenisei. Here its width reaches 75 km. Behind the Brekhov Islands begins a huge stretch - the Great Crossing - 35-40 km wide. Then the Yenisei narrows at Golchikha to 5 km. Beyond Cape Sopochnaya Karga, the river flows into the Yenisei Bay, the width of which in some places reaches 150 km.

Most major influx

The largest tributary is the river. Lower Tunguska, originating on the northern slope of the Upper Tunguska Upland, not far from the Lena. Its length is 2989 km. In the Lower Yenisei, except Lower Tunguska, should be called the Angara (1779 km), Podkamennaya Tunguska (1865 km), which themselves are large rivers. In the Upper Yenisei, the tributaries are much smaller: Kemchik - 320 km, Tuba - 119 km, Abakan - 514 km. Kan has the greatest length - 629 km.

The largest lake in the Krasnoyarsk Territory

The largest lake in the Yenisei basin is Khantaiskoe. Its area is 822 km. In the Yenisei lake system there are lakes belonging to the Lower Tunguska basin. Of these, the most noticeable areas are: Vivi (229 km), Lower Agata (127), Nyagshinda (84.2), Upper Agata (53.7 km2). In the river basin Turukhan (639 km), the left tributary of the Yenisei, there are such large lakes, such as Bolshoye Sovetskoye (76.3 km), Maloe Sovetskoye (57 km) and Makovskoye (163 km).

Number of rivers and lakes in the Yenisei basin

In the Yenisei basin there are more than 184 thousand lakes with a total area of 32,438 km, over 20 thousand rivers with a total length of 337 thousand km. Of the total river and lake resources, rivers up to 10 km long and lakes up to 1 km (100 ha) make up the vast majority (more than 90%). There are few large bodies of water. Thus, only 66 lakes have an area of more than 1000 hectares (10 km) and 20 rivers have a length of more than 500 km each.

Duration of the freeze-up period on the Yenisei

Ice formation in the Upper and Middle Yenisei occurs in the second half of November, and ice break-up occurs at the end of April - beginning of May. The freeze-up period here lasts 150-170 days. The closer to the mouth, the earlier the freeze-up and the later the ice break-up. Thus, the Lower Yenisei freezes almost a month earlier - at the end of October, and the river is freed from ice in late May - early June, i.e. The freeze-up period lasts 180-200 days. Ice growth continues until spring months. Spring ice drift is accompanied by jams and ice accumulations that destroy the banks.

Current speed

The Yenisei is a fast, rapids river. It is characterized by high flow speeds due to the large slope of the river bed. In the upper reaches of the river they are especially significant and in summer time are 2-2.5 m/s. In the area of the Kazachinsky rapids, the river narrows to half a kilometer, the flow speed reaches the speed of a mountain stream - 5-7 m/s. As you move towards the mouth, current speeds decrease. After the adoption of Lower Tunguska, the width of the Yenisei increases to 3-5 km. The slope of the riverbed is small, so the flow here is smooth and does not exceed 0.24-0.25 m/s. In the delta and lip, the current speed continues to fall and decreases to a minimum. Moreover, under the influence of strong surge winds and especially during high tides, the current here takes the opposite direction. Maximum speeds currents are observed during floods, and minimal ones in winter, during the ice-covered period.

Soil rocks that make up the bottom of the Yenisei

Up to 95% of the entire area of the river bottom from the upper reaches to the Angara (upper and middle reaches) is occupied by rocky and pebble soils. In the area from the Angara to the Lower Tunguska, significant areas consist of sandy-pebble and sandy soils. From the mouth of the Lower Tunguska to Ust-Port (Lower Yenisei), they are replaced by silty, silty-sandy deposits, occupying huge areas in the delta, lip and bay. Clean sandy soils are preserved mainly on coastal shallows and elevated areas of the bottom.

Water transparency in the Yenisei

The transparency of water in the Yenisei varies widely and depends on the season of the year, depth, flow speed, soil and some other factors. In the spring it is the smallest (0.3-0.5 m), then gradually increases and in late autumn and winter reaches a maximum of 3 m or more. It should be noted that the transparency of water in the upper reaches of the river is less than in the lower reaches due to the increased content of suspended particles associated with a significant flow speed.

Power sources of the Yenisei

The most significant sources of nutrition for the Yenisei are rain and melt water; water from the melting of glaciers in the mountains is of less importance. The groundwater as a power source play a secondary role.

Reasons for low water temperatures in the Krasnoyarsk area

The formation of the low-temperature regime of the river is influenced by the cold waters of the Krasnoyarsk reservoir. Water is discharged from the reservoir through the dam windows located at a depth of 25-40 m. At this depth, the water does not warm up above 10 °C even in the hottest time of the year. Moreover, the entire water column of the dam zone is involved in the runoff current, to maximum depths (80 m), where the water temperature does not exceed 1-2 °C. In addition, the temperature of the water in the river is influenced by numerous fast, small tributaries of the mountain and semi-mountain type, carrying cold waters to the Yenisei. The main feeding of such rivers comes from the melting of mountain snow. The fast current does not allow the cold waters to warm up, and almost until autumn they remain colder than the air.

Role permafrost in the formation of the hydrochemical regime of the Yenisei

Permafrost limits soil drainage, prevents the leaching of mineral salts, reduces the ground supply of the river, and low temperatures slow down decomposition and mineralization organic matter, thereby creating special conditions to saturate water with salts. Therefore, the waters of the Yenisei are distinguished by extremely low mineralization, not exceeding 100 mg/l in summer. For comparison, let’s say that in the rivers of the European part of the country it is 4-5 times higher.

Types of fish inhabiting the reservoirs of the Yenisei basin

The reservoirs of the Yenisei basin are currently inhabited by representatives of 14 families, including 46 species and subspecies of fish and one species of fish-like fish.

The proposed classification covers fish living in the reservoirs of the Yenisei basin within the boundaries of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The list of species does not include fish that are permanent inhabitants of the salty and brackish waters of the Yenisei Bay and are never found in the Yenisei.

For the first 188 km, the Yenisei flows under the name Upper Yenisei (Ulug-Khem). The Sayano-Shushenskoye reservoir, formed by the dam of the Sayano-Shushenskoye hydroelectric power station, begins from Shagonar. Having accepted the Khemchik River on the left, the Yenisei turns north and for 290 km breaks through the Western Sayan Mountains and the Minusinsk Basin. After crossing the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station, the small Mainskoye reservoir begins, ending with the Mainskaya hydroelectric power station.

After the confluence of the left tributary of the Abakan River, the Krasnoyarsk reservoir, 360 km long, begins, formed by the dam of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station near the city of Divnogorsk, at the point where the Yenisei crosses the spurs of the Eastern Sayan. Between Krasnoyarsk and the mouth of the Angara, the Yenisei valley expands again, the river loses its mountainous character, but there are still underwater ridges in the riverbed - a continuation of the spurs of the Yenisei Ridge.

Below the confluence of the Angara, the character of the valley and bed of the Yenisei changes dramatically. The right bank remains mountainous, the left bank becomes low and floodplain. The mouth of the Yenisei begins from the mouth of the Kureyka River. Below the village of Ust-Port the Yenisei delta itself begins. The Brekhov Islands divide the channel of the Yenisei into many channels, of which four main branches stand out: the Okhotsk Yenisei, the Kamenny Yenisei, the Big Yenisei and the Small Yenisei. The total width of the channel at this point is 50 km. Below the Yenisei flows in one channel, forming the Yenisei Bay in the “throat” Kara Sea.

Flowing almost strictly along the meridian from south to north, the Yenisei divides the territory of Russia into approximately two equal parts. The Yenisei basin consists of three absolutely different parts. In the upper reaches the river is surrounded on all sides by mountains, and in the middle and lower reaches the river bed serves as the border between the lowland Western Siberia and the Central Siberian Plateau.

The Yenisei belongs to the type of rivers of mixed feeding with a predominance of snow. Freezing of the Yenisei begins in the lower reaches in early October. The Yenisei is characterized by intensive formation of inland ice and autumn ice drift. Freeze-up in the lower reaches occurs from the end of October, in mid-November - in the middle reaches and near Krasnoyarsk, and in late November - December in the mountainous part. In some areas, thick ice deposits appear in the riverbed. The flood on the Yenisei begins in May, sometimes in April, on the middle Yenisei somewhat earlier than on the upper Yenisei, on the lower Yenisei in mid-May - early June. Spring ice drift is accompanied by congestion.

The list of the most significant tributaries of the Yenisei includes the following rivers: on the left - Khemchik, Kantegir, Abakan, Kem, Kas, Sym, Dubches, Eloguy, Turukhan, Malaya Kheta, Bolshaya Kheta, Tanama, Gryaznukha; on the right - Us, Kebezh, Tuba, Syda, Sisim, Mana, Kan, Angara, Big Pete, Podkamennaya Tunguska, Bakhta, Lower Tunguska, Kureyka, Khantaika, Dudinka. In total, about 500 more or less significant rivers flow into the Yenisei, and their total length is more than 300 thousand kilometers.

The main tributary is the Angara River, but approximately one year out of ten years another major tributary, the Lower Tunguska River, exceeds it in annual flow.

Who doesn't know the great Siberian river Yenisei? The question is rhetorical. It is known all over the world because its length waterway officially ranks 5th in the world among all rivers.

In the middle of Siberia

Three mighty rivers flow through Siberia: Ob, Lena and Yenisei. But it is the Yenisei that divides Siberia into two equal parts: Western and Eastern. With his impetuous powerful flow he crosses this entire land, passing through mountains and plains, steppes and forests.

It would be wrong to draw up a plan for describing the Yenisei River without at least first mentioning its so important location in the middle of Siberia.

Extends its expanses across left side Yenisei. The West Siberian Lowland covers an area of about 2.6 million square meters. km and stretches to Ural mountains. This is the richest oil and gas basin in the Russian Federation.

The “mistress” of this half of Siberia is the Ob, the largest river in Russia in terms of length and basin area.

Along the right bank of the Yenisei, the endless expanses of Eastern Siberia begin and stretch to the ridges Far East. Plateaus and hills predominate here, and a significant part is permafrost.

The largest river in Eastern Siberia is the Lena. High in the mountains, not far from Lake Baikal, it originates. When it flows into the sea, the Lena forms the largest delta in Russia, which consists of more than a thousand islands.

Ionessi, or the Great River

The plan for describing the Yenisei River must necessarily include the origin of its name.

In ancient times, local residents called it differently. And since the peoples living along its shores are very different, there were several names. For example, in Tuvan the name of the Yenisei was given to Ulug-Khem, which translates as “great river”.

The Evenks called it Ionessi - translated as “big water”. There were also names Ene-Sai, Kim, Hook and others.

However, Russian merchants began to trade with the Evenks. That’s why they began to call the river by the Even name, but they just changed it a little in their own way. And Ionessi became the Yenisei. Under this name it is now known throughout the world.

Controversial Truth

Where does the Yenisei River begin and where does it flow? It turns out there is controversy about this. However, there are only disputes regarding its beginning.

The Yenisei waterway begins in the Khangai Mountains with the Ider River (452 km), in Mongolia. Then it continues along the Delger-Muren and Selenga rivers (1024 km). The latter flows into Lake Baikal, from which flows the majestic Angara. Its length is 1779 km. Above Yeniseisk, the Angara finally flows into the Yenisei. Where does the Yenisei River flow? It carries its waters to the Kara Sea, and then to the Arctic Ocean.

If we talk purely about the length of the Yenisei, then Lake Kara-Balyk, located in Eastern Sayan Mountains. It is from here that the Biy-Khem River (translated as Big Yenisei) originates. Merging with the Small Yenisei (Kaa-Khem) near the city of Kyzyl, it forms the deep Yenisei. The length from the source to the Kara Sea is 4123 kilometers.

Yenisei basin

In terms of basin area, this Siberian river is also one of the largest in the world. True, in this case it takes seventh, not fifth place. In addition, it also allows another full-flowing Siberian river Ob, whose basin area is 2,990,000 square meters, to pass ahead. km.

The Yenisei basin is asymmetrical. On the right side are its large, high-water tributaries, such as the Angara, Nizhnyaya and Podkamennaya Tunguska. The Angara alone occupies almost half of the Yenisei basin (1,039,000 sq. km out of 2,580,000 sq. km). Therefore, sometimes disputes arise over what flows where: the Angara into the Yenisei or the Yenisei into the Angara. However, the Lower Tunguska can sometimes overlap the Angara in terms of annual flow. In total, almost 500 rivers flow into the Yenisei. Among the left banks we can highlight Kan, Abakan, Khemchik, Tuba and others.

For comparison, we can give examples: the Volga basin is two times smaller than the Yenisei basin, and the Dnieper basin is five times smaller.

Three parts of the Yenisei

There is a conditional division of the river into three parts. These are the Lower, Middle and Upper Yenisei.

The upper one begins near the city of Kyzyl, where the Big and Small Yenisei merge. It flows for 600 kilometers mainly through mountainous terrain. The largest tributaries of the Upper Yenisei are the Khemchik, Tuba and Abakan.

The Middle Yenisei is the part that connects the Krasnoyarsk reservoir and the confluence of the Angara (approximately 750 km). By the way, the width of the Yenisei along its entire length to the mouth of the Angara does not exceed 500-700 meters. After the Krasnoyarsk storage facility, the area through which the Yenisei flows loses its mountainous character.

The Lower Yenisei is the longest and widest. Its length is 1820 km, and its width ranges from 2.5 to 5 km. The two banks of the river here are significantly different. The right one is mountainous, the left one is flat, lowland. The Lower Yenisei reaches the village of Ust-Port. However, now it is too early to talk about which sea the Yenisei River flows into.

From the mouth to the delta

The widest Yenisei is in the delta, where it is divided into many channels and several branches, between which lie the Brekhov Islands. By the way, the branches even have their own names: Small, Bolshoi, Okhotsk and Kamenny Yenisei. The width of the total river bed in these places reaches 75 kilometers.

Behind Nasonovsky Island, the Yenisei narrows sharply, the so-called “throat” begins, up to 5 km wide, and behind Cape Sopochnaya Karga it spills into the Yenisei Bay, in some places the width of which can reach up to 150 km. Here the question is appropriate: into which sea does the Yenisei River flow? Because the Yenisei Bay is the bay of the Kara Sea. It is between and mainland Eurasia. Its depth ranges from 6 to 20 meters. Sea vessels sail along and end up in the Yenisei, and then to the ports of Dudinka and Igarka. This Siberian river is navigable for almost 1000 kilometers.

Along the Yenisei

If we talk about cities, then the city of Kyzyl should be named first. After all, it is located at the confluence of the Small and Large Yenisei, where the Upper Yenisei begins. Kyzyl is home to about 114 thousand people. The city is equal to the districts Far North. The obelisk “Center of Asia” is installed here, because this place really is the geographical center of Asia.

Next along the route to the sea, where the Yenisei River flows, are the cities of Shagonar (Republic of Tyva), Sayanogorsk (Republic of Khakassia, near the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric station), Minusinsk. The latter is already located in one of the oldest cities in Eastern Siberia. The population reaches almost 70 thousand people.

The city of Abakan - the capital of the Republic of Khakassia - is located at the mouth of the Abakan River. It is home to more than 173 thousand people.

There is another one on the way to Krasnoyarsk small town- Divnogorsk. From here the construction of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station began.

The largest city on the Yenisei

The Krasnoyarsk Territory divides Russia into two almost equal parts and is located in the Yenisei basin. It is the second largest subject of the Russian Federation by area. Its administrative center was the city of Krasnoyarsk, located on both banks of the Yenisei and Upper Yenisei. So to the North Arctic Ocean, where the Yenisei River flows, is very far from Krasnoyarsk.

This is a city of over a million people, with just over 1 million inhabitants. It is clear that it is not only an administrative, but also a cultural, industrial, sports, and educational center of Eastern and Central Siberia. The city has many attractions that are interesting for tourists to see.

Port cities

The city of Yeniseisk cannot be called large. It is home to only about 20 thousand people. However, it was he who was located next to the place where the Angara flows into the Yenisei, or, as some like to argue, where the Yenisei flows into the Angara. Because at the confluence the Angara is wider than the Yenisei. Her clear waters They quickly rush into the Yenisei stream and continue to flow together. Here the Yenisei is expanding significantly. The city of Yeniseisk is located on its left bank, below the confluence of the Angara. This is very Old city, founded back in 1619 and over time became the center of the fur trade. The fairs held there were famous throughout Russia.

It is impossible not to mention two more cities located on the Yenisei. They serve as seaports. These are Dudinka and Igarka. The first is located on the right bank of the Yenisei, in its lower reaches. Here its right tributary Dudinka flows into the Yenisei. This is where the name of the city came from. More than 22 thousand people live here. But Igarka is a very small port. The number of its inhabitants is only 5.3 thousand people. After all, the city is located beyond the Arctic Circle, in the permafrost zone.

Without a doubt, the story on the topic: “The Yenisei River: attractions, tributaries...” can be continued indefinitely. Because there really is something to say...

Yenisei(Ionesi evn “big water”, Kim kjh, Ulug-Khem tyv “great river”, ket. Hook, Selkup Poul Tyaas-kold, Ensya’ yam’ yrk) is a river in Siberia, one of the greatest rivers in the world and Russia. It flows into the Kara Sea of the Arctic Ocean. Length - 3487 km.

Attractions

From source to mouth:

The confluence of the Big and Small Yenisei near the city of Kyzyl is the geographical center of Asia. To commemorate this, an obelisk was erected at the memorial site.
The annual international festival of ethnic music and crafts "World of Siberia" (until 2012 the festival was called "The Sayan Ring") and the historical and ethnographic museum-reserve under open air in the village of Shushenskoye.
Stolby Nature Reserve, as well as the Bobrovy Log ski and recreation complex near Krasnoyarsk.

Tributaries

List of most significant tributaries Yenisei includes the following rivers: on the left - Khemchik, Kantegir, Abakan, Kem, Kas, Sym, Dubches, Eloguy, Turukhan, Malaya Kheta, Bolshaya Kheta, Tanama, Gryaznukha; on the right - Us, Kebezh, Tuba, Syda, Sisim, Mana, Kan, Angara, Big Pete, Podkamennaya Tunguska, Bakhta, Nizhnyaya Tunguska, Kureyka, Khantaika, Dudinka. In total, about 500 more or less significant rivers flow into the Yenisei, and their total length is more than 300 thousand kilometers.

Right tributaries Yenisei dominate over the left in terms of the amount of water they bring and the catchment area. The main tributary is the Angara River, but approximately one year out of ten years another major tributary, the Lower Tunguska River, surpasses it in annual flow, UNESCO: Water resources, UNESCO: Water resources.

Controversy: Yenisei or Angara

There are several reasons why modern Yenisei below the confluence with the Angara River could actually be considered Angara:

when merging with Yenisei The Angara carries significantly more water - near the village of Strelka the average annual water flow is Yenisei is ≈104 km³ per year, and at the mouth of the Angara - 4530 m³/s or ≈143 km³ per year, Cruises and shipping - forum, R-Arcticnet V4.0;
pool top Yenisei is less, that is, significantly less than the Angara catchment area - , R-Arcticnet V4.0.

Yenisei counts main river due to the older geological structure its river valley and due to historical tradition.

Environmental and social issues

After the construction of the Krasnoyarsk and Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power stations, serious environmental consequences occurred. Bryzgalov V.I. From the experience of creating and developing the Krasnoyarsk and Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power stations - production publication. - Krasnoyarsk: Siberian Publishing House “Surikov”, 1999. - 560 p. - ISBN 5-7867-0019-7..

The Yenisei in the area of Krasnoyarsk, Divnogorsk, Sayanogorsk has stopped freezing, in particular, the extended ice-free polynya below Krasnoyarsk can be up to 500 km long. The official website of RusHydro connects the formation of such an extensive polynya “not so much with the operation of the hydroelectric power station, but with the discharge of warm wastewater in Krasnoyarsk.” The climate has become milder and the air more humid, thanks to the huge amount of water that accumulates in the Krasnoyarsk reservoir.

In addition, the cascade of Yenisei hydroelectric power stations flooded large areas valuable lands, led to the destruction of archaeological monuments, biocenoses, fish resources, and the forced relocation of a significant number of the population.

After the construction of a mining and chemical plant in Krasnoyarsk-26 in the 1950s, two direct-flow nuclear reactor for the production of weapons-grade plutonium (plutonium-239). The reactors had direct-flow cooling, that is, after taking water and cooling the reactor, the water was discharged back into the Yenisei without purification - which led to radiation contamination of the Yenisei.

In the spring of 2012, the reservoir of the Boguchanskaya hydroelectric power station began to be filled, which led to a drop in water level, exposure of the river banks by tens of meters and the destruction of the food supply for fish.

Economic use

The Yenisei is the most important waterway of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Regular shipping - from Sayanogorsk to the mouth (3013 km). The main cargo flows go from Krasnoyarsk to Dudinka. Main ports and marinas: Abakan, Krasnoyarsk, Strelka, Maklakovo, Yeniseisk, Turukhansk, Igarka, Ust-Port. Sea vessels rise to Igarka. A unique ship lift was built to transport ships from the lower tail of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station to the upper. In the Republic of Tuva on the Yenisei there is local shipping (the main pier is Kyzyl).

Hydroelectric power stations (location downstream): Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP, Mainskaya HPP, Krasnoyarsk HPP.

Timber rafting is carried out along the Yenisei.

IN late XIX century, the Ob-Yenisei Canal was built, connecting the Ob with the Yenisei. The canal is currently unused and abandoned.

Geography

One of the largest rivers in the world: the length of the river from the confluence of the Big Yenisei and the Small Yenisei is 3487 km, from the sources of the Small Yenisei - 4287 km, from the sources of the Big Yenisei - 4092 (4123) km. The length of the waterway: Ider - Selenga - Lake Baikal - Angara - Yenisei is 5075 km. In terms of basin area (2,580 thousand km²), the Yenisei ranks 2nd among the rivers of Russia (after the Ob) and 7th among the rivers of the world. The Yenisei basin is characterized by sharp asymmetry: its right-bank part is 5.6 times higher than the left bank.

Yenisei - natural boundary between Western and Eastern Siberia. The left bank of the Yenisei ends with a great West Siberian Plain, and the right bank represents the kingdom of mountain taiga. From the Sayan Mountains to the Arctic Ocean, the Yenisei passes through everything climatic zones Siberia. Camels live in its upper reaches, and polar bears live in its lower reaches.

The Yenisei proper begins in the city of Kyzyl at the confluence of the Big Yenisei and the Small Yenisei. For the first 188 km, the Yenisei flows under the name Upper Yenisei (Ulug-Khem), within the northern side of the Tuva Basin in the west, the river breaks into branches, the channel is replete with rifts, the width ranges from 100 to 650 m; the depth on the reaches is 4-12 meters, on the rifts no more than one meter. The Sayano-Shushenskoye reservoir, formed by the dam of the Sayano-Shushenskoye hydroelectric power station, begins from Shagonar. Having accepted the Khemchik River on the left, the Yenisei turns north and for 290 km breaks through the Western Sayan Mountains and the Minusinsk Basin. After crossing the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station, the small Mainskoye reservoir begins, ending with the Mainskaya hydroelectric power station. After the confluence of the left tributary of the Abakan River, the Krasnoyarsk Reservoir begins (length 360 km), formed by the dam of the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Station near the city of Divnogorsk, at the point where the Yenisei crosses the spurs of the Eastern Sayan, the width of the valley here is five km, the riverbed is more than 500 meters. Between Krasnoyarsk and the mouth of the Angara, the Yenisei valley expands again, the river loses its mountainous character, but there are still underwater ridges in the riverbed - a continuation of the spurs of the Yenisei Ridge. Below the confluence of the Angara, the character of the valley and bed of the Yenisei changes dramatically. The right bank remains mountainous, the left bank becomes low and floodplain. The width of the Yenisei valley at the mouth of the Lower Tunguska is about 40 km, at Dudinka and Ust-Port up to 150 km, the bed is 2500-5000 m; the minimum depths of the entire lower Yenisei range from 5 to 8.5 m. Below Dudinka, the prevailing depths are 20-25 m, the channel is divided into branches, the islands reach a length of 20 km. From the mouth of the Kureyka River, where tidal fluctuations in level are already felt, the mouth section of the Yenisei begins. The site of Cape Sopochnaya Karga is taken as the mouth section. Below the village of Ust-Port the Yenisei delta itself begins. The Brekhov Islands divide the Yenisei channel into many channels, of which four main branches stand out: Okhotsk Yenisei, Stone Yenisei, Big Yenisei And Maly Yenisei; the total width of the channel here is 50 km. Below, the Yenisei flows in one channel, in the “throat”, forming the Yenisei Bay of the Kara Sea.

Hydrology

The Yenisei belongs to the type of rivers of mixed feeding with a predominance of snow. The share of the latter is slightly less than 50%, rain - 36-38%, underground in the upper reaches up to 16%, and decreases towards the lower reaches. Freezing of the Yenisei begins in the lower reaches (beginning of October). The Yenisei is characterized by intensive formation of inland ice and autumn ice drift. Freeze-up occurs in the lower reaches from the end of October, in mid-November in the middle reaches and near Krasnoyarsk, and in late November - December in the mountainous part. In some areas, thick ice deposits appear in the riverbed. Most of the Yenisei is characterized by an extended spring flood and summer floods; in winter there is a sharp reduction in flow (but levels fall slowly due to the development of floods). The upper reaches are characterized by extended spring-summer floods. The flood on the Yenisei begins in May, sometimes in April, on the middle Yenisei somewhat earlier than on the upper Yenisei, on the lower Yenisei in mid-May - early June. Spring ice drift is accompanied by congestion. The range of fluctuations in the Yenisei level in the upper reaches is 5-7 m in expansions and 15-16 m in contractions; in the lower reaches it is larger (28 m at Kureika), decreasing towards the mouth (11.7 m at Ust-Port).

The average monthly flow of the Yenisei (m³/sec), measured at the gauging station in Igarka.Data calculated for the period from 1936 to 1999

In terms of flow (624 km³), the Yenisei ranks first among Russian rivers. The average annual water flow is 19,800 m³/s at the mouth, the maximum flow at Igarka is 154,000 m³/s.

Settlements

Cities (location downstream): Kyzyl, Shagonar, Sayanogorsk, Minusinsk, Abakan, Divnogorsk, Krasnoyarsk, Sosnovoborsk, Zheleznogorsk, Lesosibirsk, Yeniseisk, Igarka, Dudinka.

Other settlements: Cheryomushki, Maina, Shushenskoye, Ust-Abakan, Novoselovo, Berezovka, Atamanovo, Kazachinskoye, Turukhansk, Kureika, Ust-Port, Karaul, Podtesovo.