LENA RIVER: CHARACTERISTICS, MOUTH, POLLUTION - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The Lena River is the longest river in Russia and one of the longest in the world thanks to its 4400 km. The source of the Lena occurs in the Baikal Mountains, from which the river flows in a northeast direction, towards the Laptev Sea and towards the Arctic Ocean.

It has a delta of important proportions, with an extension of more than 100 kilometers towards the Laptev Sea and almost 400 kilometers wide. Due to its magnitude, the Lena River is of great importance for Russia, since it drains a fifth of its territory. This represents more than two million square kilometers.

The Lena River Delta is frozen for about seven months out of the year. During the month of May, this area is transformed into a humid terrain. Furthermore, the river is prone to severe flooding when spring arrives.

It is one of the three Siberian rivers that have their mouth in the Arctic Ocean (next to the Ob River and the Yenisei). The Lena is the one that is located in the easternmost part.

Historical importance

One of the theories that exists about the Lena River is that its name comes from the word Elyu-Ene, whose translation means large river. The first known exploration occurred in the 17th century. After that a large number of groups have dedicated themselves to exploring the Lena.

Some of these explorations have allowed it to be possible to know the course of the river and to know in greater depth the potential it has for the country and for the areas it crosses.

Since the Lena River was known to exist, in Russia this stream has become a fundamental part of trade and transport routes. Especially for those cargoes that arrive through the Arctic Ocean.

Explorations

Between 1620 and 1623, a group of hunters, led by the Russian explorer Demid Pyanda, sailed through the Lower Tunguska and that's when they discovered the Lena nearby. This group mobilized their boats to this area and others built new boats.

Then, Pyanda explored more than two thousand kilometers of the river, specifically the one that corresponds to the upper part of it to the center of Yakutia.

He returned a few years later to collect the taxes that were collected at the time, which were in the form of skins. In 1632, in one of his explorations he was able to found the city of Kirensk.

Pyotr Beketov, another illustrious explorer, also traveled the river with the mission of looking for a fortress in the present Yakutsk area, which he also founded in 1632. From this place more explorations departed over time. It is estimated that it was in 1633 that the river delta was reached.

Present

Image of the Lena river delta. Source: (Landsat), via Wikimedia Commons.

The role of the Lena River is vital, especially for the populations that live along the banks of the long river.

In those areas where this stream passes through lowlands, there are a large number of crops such as cucumber, potatoes, wheat or barley. These are products that are grown mostly for commercial activity.

Livestock or animal husbandry is also an activity present in these areas. Around the river the lands are very wide, which benefits grazing. In addition, these land areas have large deposits of wealth in terms of the presence of minerals (including gold and diamonds).

Other minerals such as iron and coal can also be found around the river, being important elements for the economy of Russia, since they are a key part in the production of steel.

Currently a large part of the Lena River remains navigable. This fact allows the mobilization of cargo, such as minerals, hides or food. This transport links the places of production to the different areas of consumption, including other countries in the world.

Only a small part of the Lena River is currently used for the development of the hydroelectric industry. Although its potential is much greater than what has been exploited.

characteristics

Due to its great extension, the characteristics of the Lena River are multiple and sometimes vary depending on the area through which it flows.

For starters, the river has a constantly changing temperature. The topography through which it flows has a determining role in the vegetation that appears throughout its course.

For example, the central valley of the river has wide plains with presence of grass. In areas where floods are common there is a large presence of swamps. Tree families such as birch and willow trees grow in these areas.

In the northern part, where the lower course of the river is located, the vegetation it presents is rather typical of the tundra biome. Here is a great growth of moss and lichen alga.

Regarding the fauna, the birds present in the Lena River areas normally have a migratory process towards this area after winter. At that time, the objective of these animals is to reproduce, especially in humid lands, being more fertile.

Swans, geese, wagtail or plover are birds that can normally be found in the basin area. While salmon, sturgeon and cisco are fish that can be found in the river. These fish are commercially important for Russia, but they are also ecologically important for the Lena River.

About 40 species make life in the river. Highlight the planktonic species, which are counted almost 100 different types to date.

Cities that travels

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The Lena River has its source in the Baikal Mountains, which is located south of the central Siberian plateau. At this point, the river is at a height of more than 1,500 meters. The source of the water current occurs just seven kilometers west of Lake Baikal.

The Lena current heads to the northeast, where other rivers (Kirenga, Vitim and Olyokma) join its channel. As it passes through Yakutsk, the Lena River passes through low-lying areas and flows north, where the Aldan River joins.

When the Lena reaches the area where the Verkhoyansk mountain range is located, it changes its trajectory again to the northeast. There it joins the Vilyuy River, which becomes the largest tributary of the Lena. On her way north she reaches the Laptev Sea, which is a division of the Arctic Ocean.

River mouth

At the end of the Lena River you can find a large delta that has a length of more than 100 kilometers towards the Laptev Sea. In addition, it is about 400 kilometers wide. The Lena's mouth is nothing more than frozen tundra, which maintains these conditions for about seven months of the year.

A large part of the delta is protected, being called the Lena Delta Wildlife Reserve.

The delta represents a territory that is formed in the area where a river flows. In the case of the Lena, it can be divided into a significant number of flat islands. Among the most important can be named Chychas Aryta, Petrushka, Sagastyr or Samakh Ary Diyete, although the list is much longer.

Contamination

Thanks to its vast expanse, the Lena River can still be considered one of the cleanest freshwater sources on the planet. The flow of these waters occurs almost without major setbacks throughout its natural course, since the riverbed has not been hampered by many constructions, especially dams or reservoirs.

These characteristics make the Lena River experience a very different situation from that of many other rivers in the world, which have been overexploited due to all the potential they have for the generation of hydroelectric energy. Despite everything, as is common in more recent times, the Lena River is also threatened by human action.

There is great concern about oil spills that can contaminate the Lena. This is due to the large number of ships that carry the precious crude down the river to the Arctic Ocean.

One of Russia's most effective tools was to classify many of the river's areas as protected areas. Despite this, the greatest threats that exist are due to the excessive exploitation of fishing, unbalanced grazing, the deforestation of nearby areas to develop cultivation and the indiscriminate extraction of water for irrigation.

One of the newer problems has to do with the wildfires that have affected large areas of the Arctic since the beginning of June 2019.

Some satellite images show fires around the Lena River. The carbon dioxide emitted will have very negative consequences for the environment.

References

1. De Long, G. (1882). Our lost explorers. Hartford, Conn.: American Pub. Co.
2. Gupta, A. (2002). Geomorphology on large rivers. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science.
3. Liu, B. (2004). Siberian Lena River thermal regimes and changes. Fairbanks.
4. Nag, O. (2017). The Lena River. Recovered from worldatlas.com
5. Nuttall, M. (2005). Encyclopedia of the Arctic. New York: Routledge.