Volga Delta
The Volga Delta is the river delta of the Volga on the Caspian Sea in the southeastern European part of Russia and in the far west of Kazakhstan . In 1880 it had an area of 3,222 km². Since the fall of the lake level of the Caspian Sea, its area has increased considerably. At the beginning of the 21st century it covers an area of 27,224 km², making it the largest river delta in Europe.
geography
The Volga Delta lies in the northern part of the Caspian Depression . It begins near the city of Wolschski , where the Akhtuba estuary (by far the longest of all arms of the Volga) branches off from the Volga. From there, the initially narrow delta stretches towards the southeast, with the Volga and Akhtuba forming the largest flowing waters, running parallel to one another and branching out from one another.
Much further southeast of Wolschski begins around the city of Astrakhan (formerly Itil ), from where the Volga delta branches out into numerous estuaries, the main area of the Volga delta. The river delta is around 180 kilometers wide at the mouth of the Caspian Sea, the largest lake in the world, stretching between Lagan in Kalmykia (southwest) and Ganyushkino in Kazakhstan (northeast).
At the exit of the Volga Delta, the Volga flows into the north-western part of the Caspian Sea with numerous branches. The most important river arms of the delta are (from west to east): Bakhtemir , Volga , Tabola and Akhtuba . The lakeshore is reached from these and other estuaries of the Volga about 75 to 100 km south or southeast of Astrakhan.
Conservation / wildlife
The Volga Delta, large parts of which are under nature protection , is an important stopover for migratory birds on their way south and also an important remaining habitat for numerous other animal species such as the sturgeon , whose catch is strictly regulated here. Illegal catching of sturgeon (for the trade in caviar ) and water pollution have caused stocks to shrink significantly.
Bird fauna
Whooper swans, mute swans,: in the Volga Delta and its surroundings, a unique concentration of bird species find cormorants , herons , night herons , egrets , little egrets , purple herons , spoonbills , glossy ibis , little bittern , Dalmatian pelicans , Little Bustards , waders , bag chickadees , bearded tits , bee-eaters , Flamingos , fish gulls , rust geese, pochard , ferruginous duck , teals , Smew , Red-footed Falcon , terns , eagles , osprey and many more.
Fish fauna
The Volga Delta, with the Danube Delta and 230 freshwater fish species found there, is one of the most fish-rich areas in Central Asia and Europe. On the lower reaches of the Volga between Volgograd and Astrakhan one can find one of the largest stocks of wild carp with an average weight of 12 kilograms, which here can weigh up to 35 kilograms. The growth is favored by the high water temperatures in summer (up to a maximum of 26–28 ° C and outside temperatures of 50 ° C), many mussel beds and large areas of flooded bank areas, which provide the carp with a high volume of food. There are also many other coarse fish such as silver carp , bream , roach and white bream . Unlike in Central Europe, rudds show predatory behavior with increasing size. In the case of predatory fish, pike , asp , Volga zander and the catfish that can weigh up to 100 kilograms dominate the Volga . Starting at the end of June after the high water season, fishing tours (Heribert's Fishing Tours from 1990–1995 to the KARAI LODGE, a former hunting dacha of the Russian presidents) were organized from Astrakhan into the water landscape of lakes, ponds, ditches, swamps, reed islands and alluvial forests.
flora
The Volga Delta forms a natural oasis between the Caspian Sea and the semi-deserts of the Caspian Depression, with sand dunes in some cases reaching just as far as the shore. In the Volga Delta you can find both northern boreal and Mediterranean vegetation. In addition to a variety of aquatic plants such as reeds , water lilies , pond roses , lotus flowers , water nuts and sea jugs, there are extensive alluvial forests in the shore zone. Due to the strong flooding, there are numerous flotsam and dead wood in the water network of the Volga Delta.
Individual evidence
- ↑ James M. Coleman, Oscar K. Huh and DeWitt Braud, Jr .: Wetland Loss in World Deltas . Coastal Studies Institute, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ↑ Volga Delta in autumn ( Memento of the original from January 5, 2009 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. , on Albatros-Tours, accessed August 22, 2010
- ↑ The Volga Delta ( Memento of the original dated February 7, 2009 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. , Natural Heritage Protection Fund, accessed August 22, 2010
- ↑ Aleksey Chemushenko: May it be a little more? ( Memento of the original from November 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF 253 KB), in: Blinker 7/2003, accessed on August 22, 2010
- ↑ Latvia - Endless Water ( Memento of the original from December 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on Blinker, waters abroad, accessed on August 22, 2010
- ^ EA Baldina et al .: Vegetation change in the Astrakhanskiy Biosphere Reserve (Lower Volga Delta, Russia) in relation to Caspian Sea level fluctuation , Environmental Conservation (1999), 26: 3: 169-178 Cambridge University Press
Web links
Coordinates: 46 ° 44 ′ 0 ″ N , 47 ° 51 ′ 0 ″ E