Kara Sea ... From the course of school geography, we know that it is located somewhere on the edge of the Arctic Ocean, i.e. at the top of a map or globe. Very extensive knowledge, is not it? This is definitely not enough for such an amazing geographical feature. Let's try to get to know each other better.
Section 1. Kara Sea. General description .
The Kara Sea belongs to the category of marginal seas geographically belonging to the Arctic Ocean. Its name comes from the Kara River belonging to this basin . The latter, in turn, received this name in honor of a noble local Nenets clan.
Prior to this, in history, one can trace its other names: Northern Tatar, New Northern and Mangazey.
In accordance with the physical and geographical conditions, Karskoye is considered the most difficult sea in the Russian Arctic, so any navigation here is fraught with rather great difficulties. One reason is the almost constant presence of a solid ice cover. In addition, the depth of the sea is uneven, the shallows come across quite often, and the currents are poorly studied.
It should also be noted that the weather decides a lot in this region, and since fog or haze is almost always preserved, it is impossible to visually determine the distance in most cases.
In the southwest parts of the Kara Sea, not far from the Yamal Peninsula, large offshore deposits of gas condensate and natural gas have been discovered.
The main economic significance of the sea is that it is considered to be the most important link in the Northern Sea Route so necessary for the country and plays a large role in the development and strengthening of the productive forces of the Far North regions .
Section 2. Kara Sea. How diverse is its flora and fauna .
In general, we can say with confidence that the flora and fauna here was formed under the influence of very different in nature conditions, both climatic and hydrological. Note that they differ significantly from each other in the southern and northern parts.
The neighboring pools continue to exert tremendous influence. For example, some thermophilic forms actively penetrate from the Barents Sea, and from the Laptev Sea, on the contrary, are highly arctic. According to scientists, the eightieth meridian serves as the ecological border of distribution. However, one should not forget that freshwater elements also play a significant role.
If a comparative analysis is carried out, it turns out that the flora and fauna are significantly poorer than the Barents Sea, but significantly ahead of the Laptev Sea. For example, in the Barents today there are 114 different species of fish, in the Kara - somewhere around 54, and in the Laptev Sea - much less, only 37.
Due to this fact, the Kara Sea is important in the life of the whole country. It organizes fisheries related to fishing for mules, muksuns, vendace, smelt, saffron cod and pollock.
The Kara Sea ... Photos of animals living in its environs are decorated with print and virtual editions of the planet. Pinnipeds are abundantly found in the sea. Here you can find seals, sea hares, and if you're lucky, then walruses. In the summer, beluga whales come here, a polar bear lives year-round.
Section 3. Kara Sea. Interesting Facts.
The salinity of the sea is quite uneven. This is due to the fact that several large rivers (Yenisei, Taz and Ob) flow into it at once. It is located mainly on the shelf. To meet an island in the Kara Sea, or rather a cluster of several, is not so rare. The average depth is 50-100 m, the largest recorded is 620 meters. The area is 893,400 km². The coldest of all our (Russian) seas. The water temperature near the coast in winter rarely exceeds −1.8 ° C, and in the summer +6 ° C. During the Cold War, this sea was a place for secret burial of nuclear waste. According to very rough estimates, today in its waters there are not only thousands of containers, about twenty vessels with radioactive waste, but also several reactors with dangerous untreated fuel. It turns out that waste whose radiation level was considered low was simply poured into water.