Kushiro (river)

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Kushiro
Kushiro-gawa
Kushiro river01.jpg
Data
location Kushiro , Hokkaidō , ( Japan )
River system Kushiro
source Lake Kussharo
43 ° 33 ′ 35 ″  N , 144 ° 20 ′ 20 ″  E
Source height 121  m  TP
muzzle At Kushiro-shi in the Pacific Ocean Coordinates: 42 ° 58 ′ 46 "  N , 144 ° 22 ′ 19"  E 42 ° 58 ′ 46 "  N , 144 ° 22 ′ 19"  E
Mouth height 0  m  TP
Height difference 121 m
Bottom slope 0.79 ‰
length 154 km
Catchment area 2510 km²
Right tributaries Setsuri , Kuchoro
Medium-sized cities Kushiro-shi
Communities Teshikaga , Shibecha , Kushiro-chō
Residents in the catchment area 177,000
Kushiro Riv 1.JPG

The Kushiro ( Japanese 釧 路 川 , Kushiro-gawa ) is a 154 km long river on the Japanese island of Hokkaidō . It rises from the Kussharo , an 80 km² lake in the north of the sub-prefecture of Kushiro , and flows south until it flows into the Pacific Ocean in the city ​​of the same name . In its course it mainly drains the Kushiro wetland , which is the largest in Japan with around 200 km² and is partly part of the Kushiro Shitsugen National Park .

Since the 1980s, the river and the surrounding area have been under increased protection and have undergone a number of nature conservation measures .

course

The Kushiro rises from Lake Kussharo at 121 meters above sea level, near the municipality of Teshikaga . As a result, the river extends into the Kushiro wetland, where it receives countless tributaries from smaller channels. Its river system with a catchment area of ​​2510 km² includes 38 rivers, including the Setsuri with 59.8 km and the Kuchoro with 60.2 km in length. In the district of Kawakami it is also connected to the lakes Shirarutoro , Takkobu and Toro before it empties into the Pacific in the port of Kushiro .

natural reserve

After the river was straightened in many places in the middle of the 20th century to create areas for agriculture and industry , the area of ​​the wetland shrank by 20% within 50 years. As part of the Ramsar Convention , the Japanese Ministry of the Environment ordered appropriate countermeasures. A previously straightened part of the river was brought back into its original, winding shape at a cost of eight million US dollars. In addition, attempts are being made in other projects to prevent the inflow of sediments and to strengthen the vegetation .

Around 2000 different species of animals live in the catchment area of ​​the Kushiro, such as the critically endangered red-crowned crane or the Japanese huchen . The river's salmon populations are maintained with artificial breeding stations.

Web links

Commons : Kushiro  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d 釧 路 川 . In: 日本 河川 図 Rivers in Japan. Retrieved July 2, 2013 (Japanese / English).
  2. ↑ a b c d e a-rr.net: Restoration of Kushiro River (English, accessed July 1, 2013, PDF, 39 kB)
  3. ↑ a b env.go.jp: Kushiro Wetland - Preservation and Restoration of Wetland Ecosystem and Forest (English, accessed on July 1, 2013, PDF, 850 kB)
  4. ↑ FCB Mascarenhas: Flood Prevention and Remediation. WIT Press, Southampton, 2011, p. 94, ISBN 978-1-84564-560-1 .
  5. ↑ a b nytimes: "Forced to run straight, a Japanese river must now twist" (English, November 6, 2007, accessed on July 1, 2013)