Question.3163 - Lake Baikal
Answer Below:
Lake Baikal Situated in the south-eastern part of Siberia, lies the deepest freshwater lake of the world, Lake Baikal. It derives its name from Turkish words “bai” which means wealthy and “kul” which stands for lake. Consequently, it is also called a “wealthy lake”. It huge diversity of plant and animal life makes it a truly wealthy lake. This amazing water body is fondly called as sea contains over 20% of world’s fresh surface water as is also give names like “Holy Sea”, “Sacred Lake” and “Spiritual Waters”. The lake is home to over 1700 species of plants and animals and over 26 islands including the Olkhon Island. In 1996 this environmentally diversified lake was declared as World Heritage site by UNESCO. However, the Baykalsk paper and pulp mill situated close to the lake is source of pollution. Environmentalists have raised concern over the chlorine pumping pulp mill in the vicinity of the lake. The mill is not easy to close down because the sparse population of the region is heavily dependent on the mill for employment as this area lacks any other credible employment opportunities. The lake region experiences a lot of seismic activity and tectonic movements. Over 300 rivers and water bodies supply water to this thriving lake while only Angara River acts as an outlet for the lake water into the Arctic Ocean. The Angara River is a major tributary of the Yenisey River which pumps out the lake waters into the Arctic which is situated north of the lake. The deepest lake in the world, Lake Baikal, holds more water than the combined volume of water found in the five North American Great Lakes. It is home to more water than any other lake in the world. Baikal Lake has been instrumental in creating an amazing form of music which was generated a team of enthusiasts. This team discovered that one metre thick ice had a deeply evocative and distinct music which can be created by tapping the ice blocks. In another amazing event Nissan Motors led by car driver Roman Rusinow to drive Nissan GT-R model at an astonishing speed of 294.8 km/h on the frozen ice sheet of the Lake. Lake Baikal is natural paradise and is recommended place to visit. Visitors should look forward to explore its pristine bi-diversity which is unmatched across the world. It is also home to a lot of cultural diversity which is evident by the presence of Asian Buryat and Siberian Russian culture. It is also a place of delight for fish lovers who can gorge on a number of tasteful dishes including the special soup Ukha. A visit to this amazing lake therefore, has a lot of exciting and learning experiences. References Way To Russia. (2011, April 17). An introduction to Baikal lake. Retrieved from http://www.waytorussia.net/Siberia/Baikal/Baikal.html United Nations Environment Programme. (n.d.) Saving Lake Baikal. Retrieved from http://www.unep.org/roe/SavingLakeBaikal/tabid/54598/Default.aspx New York Times. (2010, Nov 8). Last Gasp for Factory Bequeathed by Soviets. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/world/europe/09baikal.html?_r=0 BBC. (2010, July 28). Pollution fears over world's deepest and oldest lake. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10785363 Auto Net. (Retrieved from http://www.autonet.ca/auto-news/automotive-industry- news/2013/04/08/2012-nissan-gt-r-frozen-in-time/ RT News. (2012, Sept 28). Polluting Paper Mill in Lake Baikal could close. Retrieved from http://rt.com/business/baikal-pulp-paper-mill-226/ Dailymail. (2013, Jan 2). The coolest music in the world: Listen to Siberian ice drummers use frozen Lake Baikal as an incredible musical instrument. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255943/Listen-Siberian-ice-drummers-use-frozen- Lake-Baikal-incredible-musical-instrument.html The Atlantic. (2011, Oct 26). Siberian Paradise. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/12/siberian-paradise/308717/
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