Memel basin

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Overview map

The Memel Basin has a catchment area of 97,928 km², 45,600 km² of which in Belarus (46.4%), 46,626 km² in Lithuania (47.7%), 3,132 km² in Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast; 3.2%), 2,554 km² in Poland (2.6%) and 98 km² in Latvia (0.1%).

The highest point of the basin is 176 meters above sea ​​level . The Memel flows from its source in Belarus ( Belarusian ridge 45 km southwest of Minsk) then through Lithuania and forms the border with Russia for the last 115 km. In the Memel basin there are more than 800 water reservoirs ( lakes , ponds and oxbow lakes / oxbow lakes ) which are larger than 5 ha, but only 6% are larger than 50 ha.

The Memel Basin borders the Dnepr Basin in the east and southeast , the Vistula Basin in the southwest and the Pregel Basin in the west . In the north the basin was bordered by the small Windau basin, in the northeast by the even smaller Lielupe basin and the rather large Düna basin.

The Memel Basin consists of 15 sub-basins with a direct confluence with the Memel and other small streams that flow directly into the Memel, but do not represent their own catchment areas.

Main watershed

The north-western course of the ridge forms the main watershed.

The eastern and southeastern border of the Memel Basin to the Dnepr Basin forms part of the main European watershed between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea .

The area is delimited by the Belarusian ridge . On the other side of the ridge is the Prypiat basin and the Berezina River basin belonging to the Dnepr basin.

River system

Memel

The main river in the system is the Memel . The river is 937 km long. The Memel is 30-100 m wide in the upper reaches, 80-150 m in the middle and up to 500 m in the lower reaches. In the Lithuanian part of the Memel basin, the Neris, with its tributaries Šventoji and Žeimena, the Nevėžis, Šešupė, Merkys, Jūra and Minija, are characteristic, and the Memel has 2,656 other rivers that flow directly into the Memel. 530 of them are longer than 3 km, 2,126 are small rivers. The area that cannot be assigned to the other basins is 30% covered with forest - moors, marshes and swamps cover 0.7% of the area, the 66 lakes in their total 1.5%. In Lithuania it is 121 km². The Memel is the most water-rich river in Lithuania - its average perennial water volume at Sovetsk (Tilsit, lit. Tilžė ) is 612 m³ / s. In the north, the Memel flows into the Baltic Sea west of Šilutė . Before that, however, part of the water flows through an estuary delta into the Curonian Lagoon .

Neris

Neris Basin - catchment area: 24,942 km²
(map without the eastern part around the cities of Vilejka and Maladsetschna )

The Neris (Belarus. Ві́лія) is the longest tributary of the Memel with 509.5 km. It rises in the northern part of the Minsk highlands (lit. Minsko aukštuma ) in Belarus and flows westward. From the source the Neris flows over a length of 234.5 km across the territory of Belarus (km 0–234.5), then along the length of 234.5 km to 228 km along the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, on the remaining 228 km it flows in Lithuania (km 228–509.5). The Neris has a catchment area of ​​24,942.3 km, 56% of the total area of ​​the sub-catchment area is in Lithuania. The catchment area of ​​the Neris in Lithuania, however, only amounts to 4,266.79 km², since the catchment area of ​​the Šventoji and the Žeimena is a sub-area of ​​the Neris basin.

The catchment area of ​​the Neris usually consists of water-permeable ground, so that rainwater can sink into the groundwater and does not flow into the river as surface water. The area is 37% forested - moors, marshes and swamps cover about 0.8% and lakes 2.4% of the remaining area. In the Neris Basin there are 214 rivers longer than 3 km and 870 rivers shorter than 3 km.

Shchara

After the source of the Memel, the Shchara Basin is the second larger basin in the catchment area of ​​the Memel and lies entirely on the territory of Belarus. According to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, the river has a catchment area of ​​9,990 km² and a length of 325 km, according to other sources a catchment area of ​​6,992 km² and a length of 324 km. This makes it the second longest river in the system.

Šventoji

Šventoji Basin - catchment area: 6789.18 km²

The Šventoji is 246 km, the fourth longest river in the Memel basin has a catchment area of 6,789.18 square kilometers but a larger catchment area than the Šešupė. The Šventoji is the largest tributary of the Neris. Its catchment area stretches from northeast to southwest, crossing the Zarasai highlands ( lit.Zarasų aukštuma ), the Utena highlands ( lit.Utenos aukštuma ) and the Molėtai highlands ( lit.Molėtų aukštuma ). The area is criss-crossed with lakes, which make up 25% of the catchment area. The Šventoji Basin is part of the Central Lithuanian lowlands (21% share). The remaining part of the basin (54%) is the Svėdasai plateau ( lit.Svėdasų plynaukštė ) and the Širvintų plateau (lit. Širvintų plynaukštė ).

The predominant soils consist of clay and loam, which cover 63% of the area, 27% of the soils consist of sand and gravel. The area is forested to 26% - moors, marshes and swamps cover about 0.7% and lakes 3% of the remaining area. There are 1885 rivers in the Šventoji Basin, only 375 rivers are longer than 3 km.

Nevėžis

Nevėžis Basin - catchment area: 6140.5 km²

At 208.6 km, the Nevėžis is the sixth longest river in the Memel Basin. The Nevėžis Basin is located in the center of the Central Lithuanian Lowlands . The largest tributary is the Šušvė at the foot of the Zemogitic highlands (lit. Žemaičių aukštuma), with a catchment area of ​​1,165.4 km². The Šušvė thus occupies 19% of the Nevėžis basin. The Nevėžis receives part of its water from the Šventoji because of the Nevėžis-Šventoji Canal. The catchment area of ​​the Nevėžis basin has an area of ​​6,140.5 km².

The soils in the Nevėžis catchment area are criss-crossed with heavy carbonaceous surfaces, and another 10% of the surface of the basin is covered with sand. Bogs, marshes and swamps cover about 0.6% of the remaining area, especially in the upper reaches of the river. The area is 25% forested. There are 89 lakes with a combined area of ​​5.28 km², the largest lake is Lėnas with 2.08 km². There are 2,132 rivers in the Nevėžis Basin, 422 longer than 3 km and 1,710 shorter. The Nevėžis flows into the Memel at Raudondvaris .

Šešupė

Šešupė Basin - catchment area: 6,104.8 km²

At 297.6 km, the Šešupė is the third longest river in the Memel basin, 53% of the length of the river is in Lithuania. The Lithuanian part of the basin corresponds to 80% of the total area. The upper reaches of the Šešupė (km 0–27) lies in Poland and has a catchment area of ​​287 km². The western part of the middle and lower course with a length of 62 km (km 27-89) and has a catchment area of ​​919 km² is located in the Kaliningrad region. For a distance of 52 kilometers, the river flows along the border between Lithuania and Russia with the Kaliningrad region. In Lithuania the Šešupė flows through the Užnemun lowlands ( lit.Užnemunės žemuma ), its upper course and the tributaries there drain the Sūduva highlands (lit. Sūduvos aukštuma ). The Šešupė Basin has a catchment area of ​​6,104.8 km², of which 4,769.75 km² are in Lithuania.

The floors in the basin consist of medium and heavy clay and loam. The area is 17% forested, it is one of the largest forest fields, the forests of Kazlų Rūda - moors, marshes and swamps cover about 1.6% of the area. The largest bogs are the Žuvintas bog with 68.5 km², the Amalvas bog with 34.1 km² and the Ežerėlio bog with 20 km². The basin only has a lake share of 1.1%. 60% of the lakes are on the right side of the Šešupė. The largest lakes are the Dusia with 23.3 km² and the Žuvintas with 10.3 km². There are 1,140 rivers in the Šešupė Basin, only 382 rivers are longer than 3 km.

Merkys

Merkys Basin - catchment area: 4415.7 km²

At 203 km the Merkys is the seventh longest river in the Memel Basin, with 185.2 km 91% of the river is in Lithuania. The upper reaches of the Merkys runs in Belarus on the edge of the Ašmena highlands ( lit.Ašmenos aukštuma ), some of its right tributaries flow into the Merkys at the foot of the Dzūkai highlands (lit. Dzūkų aukštuma ). The Merkys Basin has a catchment area of ​​4,415.7 km², 3,798.73 km² are in Lithuania (that is 86%).

Most of the basin extends over a sandy plain, the middle course of the river then reaches the Vokė- Merkys Canal (lit. Merkio-Vokės kanalas or Papio kanalas ). In addition to the sandy soils (67% of the surface), the Merkys Basin is 51% forested. The predominant type of trees is the pine. The largest forest areas are the Rūdninkų forests and Gudų forests. Compared to the other basins, there are very few lakes in the area, with only 175 they make up only 0.9% of the catchment area - bogs, marshes and swamps cover only 1.4% of the area. The largest moors are the Čepkeliai-Marsch (lit. Čepkelių Raistas ) with 58.6 km², the Rūdninkai Moor (lit. Rūdninkų Bog ) with 5 km² and the Kernav-Moor (lit. Kernavės Bog ) with 9 km². The catchment area of ​​the Merky consists mostly of water-permeable ground, there are 660 rivers, of which 530 rivers are longer than 3 km.

Jūra Basin - catchment area: 4,005.06 km²

Law

The Jūra is with a length of 171.8 km of the ninth-longest river in the Memel basin. The source of the Jūra is in the Rietavas plain (lit. Rietavo lyguma ). In the upper reaches it flows over the western slopes of the Zamagitic highlands (lit. Žemaičių aukštuma ), then turns to the Karšuva lowlands (lit. Karšuvos žemuma), then along the moraine hill at Vilkyškiai in its lower reaches. The Jūra Basin has a catchment area of ​​4,005.06 km² and is entirely on Lithuanian territory. At its mouth, however, the Memel is a border river.

In the upper and middle reaches about 80% of the area of ​​the sub-catchment area is covered with medium clay-loam. The soils in the lower reaches consist primarily of heavy clay and loam, 10% of the catchment area are sand zones. The area is 27% forested - bogs, marshes and swamps cover 0.5% of the area. There are 1674 rivers in the basin, 334 of which are longer than 3 km.

Western Berezina

The western Berezina (Belarus. Заходняя Бярэзіна, lit. Beržūna) runs in the eastern area of ​​the Memel Basin on Belarusian territory. With a length of 226 km it is the fifth longest river and has a catchment area of ​​approx. 4000 km². It is the first basin on the right after the source of the Memel, followed by the Shchara basin.

Minija

Minija Basin - catchment area: 2939.97 km²

The Minija is with a length of 201.8 km of the eight longest river in the Memel basin. The area is mostly in a lowland characterized by the coast, in the upper reaches the Minija flows through the Zemogitia highlands (lit. Žemaičių aukštuma ), then it flows into the Curonian Lagoon, which is a spit . The Minija Basin has a catchment area of ​​2,939.97 km². The Klaipėda Canal draws water 18.4 km before it flows into the sea, and then again to feed the Krokų Lanka Lake. The Wilhelm Canal (lit. Vilhelmo kanalas or Klaipėdos kanalas ) was built by French prisoners of war from 1863 to 1873. The canal was supposed to connect the port city of Klaipėda directly to the Minija and the Memel, bypassing the Curonian Lagoon, which was dangerous for boats. The canal length is 27 km and has a width of 28 m, the average depth is 1.7 m.

The forest density in the area is 32% of the total area and is thus higher than in the other and larger basins. There are 1,359 rivers in the basin, 269 of which are longer than 3 km - bogs, marshes and swamps cover only 1.0% of the area. The most important march in the area is the Reiskių Tyras Marsh with an area of ​​8.75 km² and the Aukštumala Bog with about 30 km².

Žeimena

Žeimena Basin - catchment area: 2775.25 km²

The Zeimena with a length of 79.6 km, the shortest river in the Lithuanian part of the Memel basin. The ratio of the length to the size of the catchment area is particularly short, this is because the basin in the north is criss-crossed with a lake landscape that feeds the Žeimena. The Žeimena therefore has no actual source and rises from the Žeimenys lake. The river flows through the sandy plain of the town of the same name Žeimena. The upper course drains the Aukštaičiai highlands ( lit.Aukštaičių aukštuma ) and the Švenčionys highlands (lit. Švenčionių aukštuma ). The Žeimena basin is characterized by a particularly large number of lakes in the north and west of the area. The basin has a catchment area of ​​2,775.25 km², it makes up 11% of the Neris basin.

There are 479 lakes with more than 50 ares, together that makes 180 km². 6.4% of the surface of the basin is made up of lakes, there are also 524 rivers, 104 of which are longer than 3 km. The area is 51% forested, slightly structured soils cover another 76% of the area - bogs, marshes and swamps cover only 1.3% of the area.

Waterways, canals

The Matrossowka (dt. Gilge) is an originally natural estuary that has been developed into a waterway and also flows into the Curonian Lagoon. In its course, the Friedrichsgraben system branches off, through which there was a connection to the Pregel basin .

On the other side is the König Wilhelm Canal . It is located on the north coast of the Curonian Lagoon in Lithuania and was used to provide direct access to the port city of Klaipėda , especially for rafting companies , as the delta is constantly changing and there was a risk of running aground in the lagoon.

The Memel Basin is connected to the Windau Basin by the Venta-Dubysa Canal via the Dubysa River . However, it was not opened.

In the northeast, the Oginski Canal connects the Memel Basin with the Prypiat Basin , which is part of the Dnieper Basin. (Rough route: it leads from the Memel over the Shchara, Oginski Canal, Yasselda and Prypiat to the Dnieper.) The canal itself is 46 km long, the connection from the Memel to the Pripyat 58 km.

The Augustów Canal ( Kanał Augustowski in Polish ) connects the Vistula with the Memel. The canal is 101 km long, 82 km of which are in Poland and the rest in Belarus.

List of all flows in the system

Left tributaries

  1. Shchara , catchment area: 9,990 km², near Daschkautsy
  2. Šešupė , length: 297.6 km, catchment area: 6104.8 km², near Neman ( Eng . Ragnit)
  3. Swislatsch , length: 137 km, catchment area: 1750 km², near Hrodna
  4. Zelvyanka
  5. Etc.
  6. Jiesia , length 62 km, catchment area: 473.7 km²
  7. Peršėkė , length 66 km, catchment area: 542 km²
  8. Baltoji Ančia , length 60 km, catchment area: 791 km²
  9. lit. Juodoji Ančia o. Czarna Hańcza , length 145 km, catchment area: 1916 km²
  10. Svisločius
  11. Moltschad
  12. Rosė , length: 99 km, catchment area: 1250 km²
  13. Zelva or Zelwianka Length: 170 km, catchment area: 1940 km²
  14. Molčiadė , length: 98 km, catchment area: 1140 km²
  15. Servečius , length: 63 km, catchment area: 770 km²
  16. Uša , length: 105 km, catchment area: 1220 km²
  17. Serwetsch
  18. Loscha
  19. Tilse , length: 27 km, catchment area: nb, estuary at Sovetsk
  20. Issa (river) (right), length: 62 km, catchment area: 554 km²
  21. Bereza (left), length 23 km, catchment area: 96 km².

Right tributaries

  1. Sula , length: 63 km, catchment area: 537 km²
  2. Usa , length: 104 km, catchment area: 1316 km²
  3. Western Berezina , Belarus. Заходняя Бярэзіна, lit. Beržūna, length: 226 km, catchment area: 4000 km²
  4. Gauja , length: 94 km, catchment area: 1677 km²
  5. Ditva , length: 87 km, catchment area: 176 km²
  6. Ratnyčia , length: 12.2 km, catchment area: 171.5 km², near Druskininkai
  7. Lebeda , length: 67 km, catchment area: 791 km²
  8. Katra , length: 109 km, catchment area: 2010 km²
  9. Merkys , length: 203/206 km, catchment area: 4415.7 km², mouth at Merkinė
    • Left tributaries of the Merkys: Ūla , Skroblus , Šalčia , Verseka , Gruda
    • Right tributaries of the Merkys: Varėnė , Duobupis , Spengla , Geluža , Lukna
      • Ūla (left), length: 84.4 km, catchment area: 752.9 km²
      • Skroblus (left), length: 17.3 km, catchment area: 76.1 km²
      • Šalčia (left), length: 76 km, catchment area: 749 km²
      • Verseka (left), length: 47.6 km, catchment area: 384.4 km²
      • Gruda (left), length: 36.2 km, catchment area: 248.4 km²
      • Varėnė (right), length: 48 km, catchment area: 411 km²
      • Geluža (right), length: 14.4 km, catchment area: 55.9 km²
      • Lukna (right), length: 28.9 km, catchment area: 184.9 km²
      • Spengla (right), length: 25.9 km, catchment area: 148.3 km²
      • Amarnia / Nedingė (right), length: 15.1 km, catchment area 144 km²
  10. Verknė , length: 77.3 km, catchment area: 703 km²
  11. Strėva , length. 73.6 km; Catchment area: 758.9 km²
  12. Neris , length: 510 km, catchment area: 24,942.3 km² estuary at Kaunas
    Neris Basin - catchment area: 24,942 km²
  13. Nevėžis , length: 209 km, catchment area: 6140.5 km², mouth at Raudondvaris
    Nevėžis Basin - catchment area: 6140.5 km²
  14. Dubysa , length: 130.9 km, catchment area: 1972.6 km², mouth at Seredžius
    Dubysa Basin - catchment area: 1972.6 km²
  15. Mituva , length: 101.7 km, catchment area: 773.4 km²
  16. Jūra , length: 171.8 km, catchment area: 3994.4 km² / 3990 km²
  17. Šyša , length: 61 km, catchment area: 410 km²
  18. Gėgė , length: 24.9 km, catchment area: 445.4 km²
  19. Minija , length: 213 km, catchment area: 2980 km², confluence with the Atama, an arm of the Memel Delta
  20. Matrosovka - the main estuary of the Memel
  21. Atama - northern branch of the Memel estuary
  22. Skirvytė - the southern branch of the Memel estuary

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Nemunas river management plan : Table 1, Section 3
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Nemuna's river management plan : Section 11, page 16
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h Nemunas river management plan : Section 10, page 14
  4. ↑ Egidijus Rimkus, et al.
  5. ^ Nemunas river management plan : Section 2, page 3
  6. ↑ a b Nemunas river management plan : Section 8, page 11
  7. ^ Nemunas river management plan : Section 6, page 7
  8. ↑ Article Shchara in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (BSE) , 3rd edition 1969–1978 (Russian)http: //vorlage_gse.test/1%3D124904~2a%3DSchtschara~2b%3DSchtschara
  9. ↑ Main characteristics of the largest rivers of Belarus. In: Land of Ancestors. Data of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus, 2011, accessed September 27, 2013 .
  10. ↑ SAUSUMOS VANDENU TYRIMAI ( Memento of the original dated December 22, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , ISSN 0132-3156 . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.geo.lt 
  11. ↑ a b c Nemunas river management plan : Section 13, page 18
  12. ↑ a b c d e Nemunas river management plan : Section 13, page 19
  13. ↑ a b c Nemunas river management plan : Section 7, page 8
  14. ↑ a b Nemunas river management plan : Section 14, page 21
  15. ↑ Lietuvių kartografijoje sutinkamas ir Vakarų Beržūnės pavadinimas, ypač norint ją atskirti nuo kitos Beržūnės arba Berezinos (Dniepro dešiniojo intako). Etnologas Arvydas Norkūnas siūlo šį Nemuno intaką vadinti Beržūnėlės , dar geriau Beržynės ar Beržės vardu, o Dniepro intaką - Pietų Beržūna
  16. ^ A b Nemunas river management plan : Section 15, page 22
  17. ↑ a b c Nemunas river management plan : Section 9, page 12