Asia: Lake Baikal, Russia

Source: http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-166713/In-the-principal-world-air-masses-continental-Arctic-continental-polar

Weather Systems & Severe Weather

Lake Baikal has severe weather such as a heavy amount of precipitation, high winds, and sub-zero temperatures. Because Lake Baikal is a large body of water, it retains the heat longer than land. The area around the lake is milder than the rest of Siberia. Lake Baikal's winter average is still below zero (-6 degrees Fahrenheit), but other places in Siberia can get down to -68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Source: https://petapixel.com/2017/01/17/photographing-frozen-baikal-deepest-oldest-lake-earth/

Temperature & Precipitation Regimes

The temperature regime in Lake Baikal is unique especially during the winter time, it can go from -12ºC to -27 ºC. During summer time, it goes from 15ºC-18ºC. The precipitation regime is also varied. The highest number is 495 millimeters during the warm time and the lowest is 258 millimeters during the cold time.

Climate Type

The climate type that affects Lake Baikal is Highland climate. Some characteristics of this climate are that this climate is found in any mountainous region or elevated mountainous plateau, it is normally associated with cool to cold winters, and usually has increased precipitation.

Source: http://www.allcountries.org/maps/world_climate_maps.html

Part 2

Plant and Animal Climate Adaptations

Because of the extreme cold temperatures, some animals hibernate during the winter and have thick coats of fur. Animals also developed hooves or large feet to help them move around through the winter snow. Most trees have needles instead of leaves so they can retain moisture. Along with that, most plants have a waxy coating so that snow does not stick to them.

http://siberiantimes.com/PICTURES/ECOLOGY/Baikal-seal/standard_baikal_seal.jpg

Topography Influencing the Distribution of Plants and Animals

The mountains surrounding Lake Baikal heavily influence the distribution of plants and animals. The mountains effectively isolate many species. This isolation results in over 80% of local animals being endemic. There are a total of 1000 plant and 2500 animal species known to exist. It is believed that there are many more undiscovered species in the region.

Biomes and Ecoregions

There are four ecoregions that are around lake baikal, which include, East Siberian Taiga, Trans-Baikal Bald Mountain Tundra, and Trans-Baikal Conifer Forests. The ecoregions East Siberian Taiga and Trans-Baikal Conifer Forests both are within the Boreal Forests/Taiga biome and the ecoregion Trans-Baikal Bald Mountain Tundra is within the Tundra biome.

http://www.getsready.com/impressive-lake-baikal-russian/

Factors Influencing Vegetation and Wildlife

Since Lake Baikal spans many ecoregions, there are many factors outside of just climate that influence the vegetation and wildlife there. Some of these factors include the physical topography of the land, such as slopes, plateaus, and bare summits, as well as the east-west orientation of the noncontiguous mountain ranges that provide a “trans-Siberian” route for floral dispersion. A factor that greatly influences both vegetation and wildlife in Lake Baikal are the invasive species and alien species brought in from outside ecoregions or biomes. These factors may lead to a decrease in natural vegetation in and around Lake Baikal.

Environmental Threats

The water level of Lake Baikal dropped by 40 centimeters to 456.09 meters since 2013 due to the climate change. The summer time in this area is extremely hot and dry with felling forests. There are also some algae blooms that took place around the 1,240 mile perimeter. The heaviest pollution was caused by Baikal Paper and Pulp Mill, which produced thousands of toxic pollutants every year.

Geologic History

The area that now makes up Lake Baikal was formed during the Proterozoic period. Rock types that were common in Lake Baikal during that period up until the present are most metasedimentary. Many common rocks that can be found around the lake are marble, granulite, gneiss, shists, and granitoids. Also within this area are relicts of oceanic crust and island arcs with ultrabasic rocks and metamorphosed basic magmatics. Geologists believe that the formation of the Baikal fold zone is in an early stage of tectonic magmatic activation.

http://todiscoverrussia.com/baikal-petroglyphs-in-siberia-russia-original-art-of-prehistoric-people/

Internal Processes

The Baikal Rift Zone is responsible for the landform. Current strain is extending by the shear movement. There are some basins create a rift valley. This place was originally in a fold and thrust belts form.

http://siberiantimes.com/science/opinion/features/f0058-is-a-potentially-catastrophic-earthquake-on-the-way-in-siberia/

Plate Boundaries

Lake Baikal is on a plate boundary that separates the Eurasian plate and the Amurian plate, which is a microplate on the coast of Asia. The Amurian plate is said to be moving southeast, while the Eurasian plate is moving north. The area around the lake is very mountainous because of the two plates splitting apart at the Baikal Rift Zone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amurian_Plate

Weathering and Erosion

Waves and high winds cause weathering and erosion in the coast of the lake. The freezing lake also causes yearly erosion on the lakebed and surrounding rock formations.

Liquid Water Impact

The water from Lake Baikal has a tremendous impact on the people around it, and the animals that live in it. One-fifth of all the freshwater on Earth is located in Lake Baikal. The lake provides clean drinking water for all on the animals that live near it. Along with that, it is an important home for many rare species. More than half of the species found in Lake Baikal are unique to there and can't be found anywhere else on the planet.

https://rbth.com/society/2014/08/17/russias_rare_breeds_ten_species_that_are_endemic_to_northern_asia_39037.html

Glacier Impact

Although the bottom of Lake Baikal has never been affected by glaciation, the rest of the lake has been dramatically affected by glacial activity. “Lake Baikal therefore contains a potential uninterrupted sedimentary archive possibly going back more than 20 million years, which is unusual in continental settings” (http://www.rusnature.info/reg/17_5.htm) The sediment found in the area surrounding area has provided scientists with information showing that the Serbian Ice sheet has shaped the region.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/9a/3f/fe/9a3ffe3f3b54295cd3b1765c82530268.jpg

Other Processes

Wind & Waves

Strong winds can cause large waves in Lake Baikal. Aside from wind, waves can arise from the effects on the difference of atmospheric pressure on different parts of the valley, from earthquakes, from the tides, from undersea volcanic eruptions, from the vessels motion and other external forces.

http://askbaikal.com/2012/01/how-huge-are-baikal-waves/

https://baikali.ya.ru/

Rivers

For example, Angara River flows into Lake Baikal, and Selenga River flows out of Lake Baikal.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Angara-River