Even in the harsh climatic corners of the vast Earth there are amazing natural features. One of such sections of Western Siberia, in particular the Gydan Peninsula, will be described in this article.
Before we find out where the Gydansky peninsula is located, we will take a little look at the features of one of the most famous peninsulas of these places - the Yamal Peninsula.
A little about Yamal
The peninsula, located in Western Siberia (in the north), is located on the Kara Sea. The dimensions of Yamal are: width - 240 km, length - 700 km, area - 122,000 km².
The landscapes of the island vary depending on its latitudes. Almost here permafrost, the main part of the territory are swamps and lakes. According to the relief, the surface of the peninsula is a plain, in some places cut by ravines.
The appearance of the Yamal Peninsula was formed over several million years through changes in relief, climatic conditions, cover of soil, fauna and flora. In ancient times, the coastline was 300-400 meters lower than the current level of the ocean. In those days, Eurasia, together with North America, represented a single large continent. Heat-loving forms of life gradually died out with a cooling of the climate, and species of flora and fauna more resistant to cold formed.
The peculiarity of the relief of the peninsula is that it has a large number of terraces (it represents a step). This is due to the intermittent decrease in the level of the Arctic basin.
Gydan Peninsula: photos, brief description
The peninsula, like the Yamal Peninsula, is washed by the waters of the Kara Sea: in the west of the Ob and Taz lips, in the east - by the Yenisei Gulf. It extends both in width and in length for approximately 400 km. Its low steep shores are actively washed by sea waves.
The low and shallow coast is heavily indented. Nearby are the islands: Sibiryakova, Shokalsky and Oleniy (these are the largest neighbors). The Gydan Peninsula is one of the least studied areas of Russia.
This territory belongs to the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The relief of the peninsula is for the most part elevated (about 200 meters above sea level), forming small peninsulas protruding above the sea surface from the Yawai and Mammoth peninsulas. Between them there are lowlands, very boggy, and deep inland - bays (Gydanskaya Bay and Yuratskaya). In the lowlands, river valleys and lake basins extend.
The Gydan Peninsula has a less developed lake network than the Yamal Peninsula, but here these natural bodies of water are deeper and partly of tectonic origin.
Climatic conditions
Gydan Peninsula has a rather severe Arctic climate . The weather here is pretty cold. January average temperature in January is minus 26-30 ° , and in July - plus 4-11 ° . On average, annual precipitation reaches 300 mm.
Flora and fauna
Like in Yamal, the fauna and flora of the Gydan Peninsula is not very diverse. The vegetation here is relatively poor, mainly shrub tundra and moss-lichen prevail, and in the southern part of the forest-tundra.
A little more than on the Yamal Peninsula, freshwater fish (about 25 species), but fewer birds (about 36 species). Specific low and rugged northern shores are favorable for breeding birds such as comb eagles and black geese. Among the animals there are 5 species that are on the Red Book lists: pussycat, red-breasted goose, small swan, walrus and polar bear.
Gydan Reserve
The Gydan Peninsula has placed a unique reserve of the same name on its territories. It was formed with the aim of studying and preserving the tundras of Western Siberia, the coastal ecological systems of the sea and areas of extensive breeding of waders and other waterfowl.
The entire area of the reserve is 878 thousand ha. The security zone is 150 thousand ha. Here is such a wonderful natural attraction Gydan Peninsula with its rather harsh climate conditions.
The reserve is one of the youngest in the Tyumen region (established in 1996). It is located in the Tazovsky District of the Yamalo-Nenets District on the territory of the Yavai, Mammoth, Gydansky, and Oleniy Peninsulas.
The frozen layer is 80 cm thick. It was here that the remains of the ancient mammoth were discovered, which are now in the Zoological Institute of St. Petersburg.
Peninsula structure
The Gydan Peninsula in the north has 2 large bays (Gydan Bay and Yuratskaya Bay), which separate the Mammoth Peninsula from Java.
The surface of the territory is composed of loose marine and glacial Quaternary sediments. The Mesozoic sedimentary deposits located beneath them have rich reserves of oil and natural gas. The peninsula has many thermokarst lakes, the largest of which is called Yambuto.
Gydan Bay
The Gulf (Gydan Bay), which extends deep into the Gydan Peninsula, is located in the south of the Kara Sea. This place is between the Yenisei Gulf and the Gulf of Ob. Its width is 62 kilometers, the length is about 200 km. The bay has insignificant depths - from 5 to 8 meters. During winds (wind-driven), the water level changes by 1-3 m.
Precipitation on average per year falls to 300 mm. The Gyda River (Närmesal), originating from Lake Hosseinto, flows into the eastern part of the Kara Sea Bay. Its course stretches up to 60 kilometers along the tundra of the Gydan Peninsula.
There is practically no knowledge of the hydrochemical characteristics of the waters of this bay and the rivers flowing into the bay.