The Laptev Sea is one of the harshest places on the planet

The Laptev Sea is located on the continental plate of the Eurasian continent. Its borders are the Kara Sea, the basin of the Arctic Ocean and the East Siberian Sea. Its name is due to the brothers Laptev, who devoted their lives to the exploration of the North. Other of its names - Nordenskihelde and Siberian - are less relevant. The sea area is 672,000 square meters. Km., Everywhere depths up to 50 meters prevail. Only a fifth of the bottom is submerged more than 1000 meters. The maximum depth is fixed in the Nansen basin and is equal to 3385 m. The bottom of the sea is muddy in deep places and sandy-silt - in smaller ones.

Due to the huge number of rivers flowing into Nordenskiöld, the sea surface has a weak salt concentration. The Laptev Sea receives most of the water from Khatanga and Lena, the main arteries of Siberia. The temperature of the sea is rarely above zero. This is one of the harshest places on the planet.

But life has not disregarded this part of our planet. Despite the fact that the sea surface is almost always covered with ice and despite the small amount of sunlight, it is possible to find vegetation on the shore. The flora here is represented by various diatoms and other microscopic algae. Plankton microorganisms can also be found.

The coastal line is very indented. The steep banks are dotted with birds that fly here to rear their offspring. Seagulls, guillemots, chistiki and many other birds bring their chicks out here. Bird eggs attract small predators, such as arctic foxes, who are not averse to indulging in delicacy. Bird markets also attract larger animals, such as the polar bear. Along the continental strip along the coast there are sea urchins and stars, mollusks and other small inhabitants of the sea depths.

In the Laptev Sea there are about 40 species of fish - cod, omul, arctic char, and many others. The extraction is not possible because of the ice crust on the surface. Sports fishing is also poorly developed due to the remoteness of the sea from residential areas.

Mammals here are represented by walruses, whalebills, seals and beluga. Their extraction is also absolutely undeveloped for the reasons described above. The existence of Laptev sharks in the waters of the sea is not known. But we can assume that such conditions are quite suitable for a polar shark. In a warmer time, a herring shark can come from neighboring seas .

Recently, a large number of projects related to offshore oil and gas production began to appear. This is due to low depths for the most part of the area of the entire sea. A good seismic bottom study provides excellent preconditions for conclusions about the high content of oil and gas. Small depths allow drilling not from special offshore platforms, but from bulk islands.

Currently, oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft are planning to drill the first wells at the Laptev Sea. Each in turn should lead to the shelf and foreign partners. It remains only to wait for the moment when the development of the Laptev Sea will begin.