The Yenisei River: characteristics and description. The fall and slope of the Yenisei River

The Yenisei is one of the greatest rivers not only in Russia, but all over the world. The geographic location of the water area is the territory of Siberia. The Yenisei stretches from the Arctic Ocean thousands of kilometers up to the Kara Sea. It is noteworthy that the name comes from the word "Ionesis", which is translated from the Evenk dialect as "great water". In turn, the Big Yenisei was named 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-Khem. As for Kaa-Khem, he has several tributaries in Mongolia. The confluence of the mouths takes place off the coast of the city of Kyzyl.

Description of the Yenisei River is noteworthy primarily in the area of the basin. Thanks to such impressive dimensions of the water area, Hema is among the seven largest tributaries in the world. In Russia, the Ob is considered to be majestic in scale. The Yenisei water area is several times larger than the combined basins of the Volga and the Dnieper. By its structure, the river is asymmetric and uneven. The most part is located to the right of the central axis. Achieved asymmetry due to such large tributaries as Tunguska and Angara. The description of the Yenisei River is important to start with its geographical division. Today it is customary to distinguish between the upper, lower and middle parts of the basin. Because of such a conditional separation, many people are beginning to be confused, where the Yenisei River lies with respect to its geological location. In fact, the water area begins in Siberia and Mongolia, as it is commonly believed. As for the Upper Yenisei, its length is about 600 km, and it starts from the point of confluence of Kaa-Khem and Biy-Khem. The middle part of the river is located from the Angara River to the Krasnoyarsk Reservoir. Lower Hem is the longest and widest. It ends in Ust-Port, near the cape Sopochnaya karga.

Swimming pool characteristics

The length of the Yenisei River from the merger 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 on the territory of Russia, varies up to 4123 km.

In hydrology there is such a thing as the length of the waterway. It includes the most important basins, which in some way are associated with a particular river. In the case of the Yenisei, the length of such a path would be a route to the Idar, including Lake Baikal. This figure is about 5550 kilometers.

The total area of the water area of Hema is determined by 2580 thousand square meters. Km. According to this indicator, the pool is the seventh in the world. Another important characteristic is the fall and slope of the Yenisei River. To calculate, first determine the value of the first property. The fall and slope of the Yenisei River - the parameters are interchangeable and depend on each other. In determining the proportion, the height of the source (3.3 km) and the mouth (0 km) are important indicators. From the first value, the second is subtracted, and it turns out to be 3300 m. The next step is to determine the length of the river - 4287 km. Now 3300 is divided into 4287. The value obtained is translated in ppm. Thus, the fall and slope of the Yenisei River are 3.3 km and 0.77 m / km, respectively.

The structure of the channel

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 Hema is on the plain, and the right bank is in the mountain taiga. The swimming pool is located in several climatic zones. So where is the Yenisei River, if in its lower reaches live polar bears, and in the upper reaches - camels? 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 is endless hollows and rolling. In this part, the width of the basin varies from 100 to 650 m at medium 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 HPP. Behind the Sayany mountain ridge, the channel sharply curves to the left, down to the Mainskaya HPP at 290 km. The largest reservoir on the way to Khem is Krasnoyarsk. Its length is about 360 km. In this case, 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 extends considerably - up to 40 km, and near Ust-Port - up to 150 km. At the same time, the riverbed maintains its size in the range from 2500 to 5000 m. The depths of the river range from 5 to 30 m. The last obstacle to the sea is the Brekhov Islands, which divide the channel into many channels. The total width of the strait is 50 km. The final point of the route is the Kara Sea. It connects with the sleeve of the Yenisei Bay.

Features of the water area

The direction of the Yenisei River is straightforward: from the south it is strictly to the north. The water area of Hema is classified as a mixed food. This indicator is determined by the kinds of sources. A large proportion of the pool is snow, it is 48%. Next are rainfall tributaries - 36% and underground - 16%. The power indicator means the source of filling the water area with water. From them, in turn, the flow of the river depends.

The Yenisei begins to freeze in early October. In the lower reaches of the basin there is a strong ice drift, which lasts until the end of November. In the mountainous zones, large ice sheets often appear. In spring time comes for flood, sometimes emergency. In the upper reaches of the water area, there are often significant floods of coastal settlements that last until the middle of summer. The lowest water discharge is observed in the source of the river - 1009 cubic meters. M / s, the largest - at Igarka (more than 18,000 cubic m / s). According to the flow indicators, Hem takes the first place in the country. The annual volume varies within 630 cubic meters.

Tributaries 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 large tributaries of Hema are Abakan, Sym, Kantegir, Yelogui, Heta, Dubce, Tanama, Tuba, Sisim, Tunguska, Us, Bakhta, Kureika, Angara, Dudinka, Kebezh, Haytayka and others. In total, more than 500 rivers will flow into the water area, whose total length is about 300 thousand km.

In the area, the right tributaries significantly dominate the left. Here the main flowing river is the Angara. Nevertheless, every 10-12 years, the Lower Tunguska is ahead of it by the annual drainage. The reason for this hydrological activity is the underground current and melting snow. It is interesting that after the point of merging with the Angara, the modern Yenisei is considered to be the Angara. It's all about excellence in terms of indicators such as the collection area and water flow. However, Russian scientists call this area the Yenisei-Angara. The confluence of the river occurs at a right angle.

The Great 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 area of the basin of 56.8 thousand square meters. Km. The average water discharge rate fluctuates around 585 cubic meters. M / s. This characteristic of the Yenisei River determines the level of the general runoff of the water area of Khem. The source is considered to be a lake called Kara-Balyk. Its height above sea level is 1521 m. The river is considered an administrative part of the Republic of Tuva. The shipping way 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 Todzha depression. Its relief allows to form a huge catchment basin. In Biy-Khem, about a dozen large tributaries emerge, the largest of which are Systyg, Toora and Khamsara.

The most rocky part of the coast is on the border with Buryatia and Irkutsk. There is also a unique geological description of the river. The Yenisei flows through the vents of nine inactive volcanoes. Due to such a dangerous terrain, this zone is still untouched by 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.

History of shipping

At present, the Yenisei is the most important transport and industrial artery of Russia. Dozens of large and small ships cruise along the river daily. Nevertheless, because of the difficult terrain and sharp channel in the water area, catastrophes often occur. Back in 1877, the ship "Thames" and the schooner called "Northern Lights" suffered a wreck. From both crews managed to survive units. In the period from 1892 to 1941, as a result of a heavy ice break, about a hundred ships sank.

In recent years, the Yenisei has been endangered primarily by its endless floods. As a result, many ships receive holes in the mountainous areas of the basin.

Ecological tragedy

Today, the largest accidents at the hydroelectric power station are connected with the Yenisei River. In 2009, as a result of the flooding of the Shushenskiy basin, chemical substances and harmful oils entered the water. Also, several halls and important compartments of the station were destroyed. The result of the tragedy was the dozens of the lives of the employees of the hydroelectric station.

The cause of the accident was called the old equipment, which was in an emergency condition. The outflow of water in 2009 has become 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 HPP, in order to prevent a repeat tragedy.

Successful position

The river passes through such settlements as Sayanogorsk, Kyzyl, Abakan, Krasnoyarsk, Novoselovo, Zheleznogorsk, Cheryomushki, Turukhansk, Divnogorsk, Ust-Port, Minusinsk, Karaus and others. Dozens of large bridges operate between cities. The newest is the bypass road leading to the M53 road.

Almost all settlements of the Yenisei water area have direct access to the sea. This facilitates the transportation of large loads. At the gutter of the river, three hydroelectric power stations work at once, supplying whole regions with electricity.