With a harsh climate, it is famous for its gas and oil fields. But not only. On its territory there is a nature reserve. What animals live on land and in the sea, what grows there, read the article.

Where is the Gydansky Peninsula located?

It is located in the northern part of the Siberian plain of the Yamal-Nenets autonomous region. The peninsula is washed by the territory of the Gydan Peninsula, which is four hundred kilometers long and the same width. Its surface is represented by a hilly plain, composed of marine and glacial deposits, turning into a hill on the south side.

It is called Tamanskaya, its height is two hundred meters. The Gydan Peninsula, whose climate is harsh, is the territory of the Tazovsky District of Yamal and the Taimyr District of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Climate of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug

The energy of heat transfer and circulation of the atmosphere depends on solar radiation. What will be the angle of inclination of the rays of the sun is determined by the location of a particular area. On the Gydan Peninsula, one square centimeter of the territory receives up to seventy kilocalories of solar radiation.

The number of days in a year with positive temperatures is one hundred five to one hundred and ten. In winter, the circulation of the atmosphere is subject to the Asian anticyclone. When it weakens, the transformed air masses from the Atlantic Ocean. At this time, warming and thaws come, a lot of snow falls.

Winter on the Gydan Peninsula is the longest climatic season of the year. In the Arctic, it lasts up to eight months. The absolute minimum temperature is minus sixty-one degrees. Snow cover reaches seventy - eighty centimeters. It depends on the areas of the county. The period of stable frost lasts up to two hundred days.

In the summer on the Gydan Peninsula, the average monthly air temperature is ten degrees above zero. This time falls on the month of July, when it falls maximum amount precipitation. The exception is the tundra. Here they mostly fall in August.

Autumn on the Gydan Peninsula comes at temperatures below ten degrees Celsius. September and October are characterized by a gradual decrease in temperature and frequent drizzling rain. Frosts overtake the mountainous regions and the tundra already at the end of August.

Gydansky Reserve

The date of its formation is one thousand nine hundred and ninety-six. The purpose of the creation of the reserve is to preserve nature in connection with the impact of man-made nature during the oil and gas development of the territory. After all, geologists and drillers have seriously disturbed reindeer pastures and hunting grounds with the work of heavy equipment. Some of the lakes have been poisoned by effluents and solutions, and the natural habitats of birds and animals have been disturbed. The reserve on the Gydan Peninsula is of great importance in preserving the bird flyway that runs along the Asian coast in the north.

This is the youngest reserve in Tyumen. Its location is the Tazovsky district. The reserve occupies the peninsulas of Gydansky, Javai, Oleniy, Mammoth and small islands. Its area is 878174 thousand hectares. The territory of the reserve is a plain, the relief of which is soft and ridged. There are icy loose deposits and thick underground ice, the thickness of the layers is 4-5 meters. The area is completely covered with permafrost up to three hundred meters deep. July and August are considered the most warm months in a year, and January is the coldest with an absolute temperature minimum - minus sixty-three degrees.

Water resources

The north of the reserve is washed by the cold sea of the Russian Arctic - the Kara Sea. This territory is the largest shelf zone on our planet. So fresh water rivers flowing into the sea affect it within two thousand kilometers from the mouth. The salinity of the water changes. The Yenisei and the Ob are of great importance for the West of Siberia and the Kara Sea. After all, the relief and outlines of the sea were formed precisely by river flows. Rivers are fed by melting glaciers. In summer, the rivers are filled with water, but there is catastrophically little of it. And in winter, small rivers freeze to the bottom. The rivers of the tundra are very winding. The lakes are shallow, so winter time freeze to the full depth. The water of most of them contains few minerals.

Vegetation of the reserve

In contrast to the south of Yamal, on the Gydan Peninsula, large-herd reindeer husbandry and the development of the peninsula appeared late. This played a role in the conservation of land cover in natural form. The territory of the islands of the Kara Sea and the northern regions of the Gydan Peninsula is occupied by bare ground and variegated vegetation, which is formed by mosses, creeping shrubs, lichens and grasses, among which sedge predominates. The territory of the reserve is rich in complex transitional bogs located in low places on watersheds and floodplains. In some areas, where the lakes have dried up, there are meadows with sparse grassy vegetation.

The nature of these places has been influenced for many centuries by the indigenous people - the Nenets. They grazed livestock, cut down trees and shrubs, set fires on purpose to expand the territory of grazing meadows. Now larch is widespread in the south of the reserve. In the center - alder, as a typical representative of the tundra subzone. Flora has up to two hundred species of plants. This figure varies depending on the locality.

Birds and animals

The fauna of the reserve is relatively young. The oldest remains of a mammoth are only fifty thousand years old. Red Book Russian Federation supplemented by Siberian sturgeon and white-billed loon, lesser white-fronted swan and gyrfalcon, white-tailed eagle and polar bear, walrus and northern fin whale. All of them are inhabitants of the peninsula.

The Gydan Peninsula, where the reserve is located, is famous for the nesting of the red-throated gagra, white-fronted goose, duck-tailed duck, comb eider, tundra partridge, oystercatcher, Asian brown-winged plover and many others. Birds of prey - the peregrine falcon and the buzzard - build their nests here.

Insectivorous shrews, rodents lemmings, predators live in the reserve: white bears, and in summer also brown bears, wolves, arctic foxes, foxes. Wild reindeer and elk live here, which is only a guest of these places.

Inhabitants of the water basin

Sturgeon, Siberian lamprey, a representative of salmon species of fish, is found in the waters washing the reserve. Coastal and inland waters abound with Siberian grayling, nelma, tugun, arctic omul, vendace and many other fish species.

The rivers of the reserve are full of burbot, stickleback and ruff. In the past, the coastal waters in the north of the reserve were full of walruses and seals. Now haulouts of walruses are observed in places on the territory of the Bely Peninsula. Of the cetaceans, beluga whales, narwhals and fin whales are found here.

Gydan deposits

The first stage of prospecting and exploration works dates back to the sixties of the twentieth century. The studies were carried out with the help of seismic surveys using the method of reflected waves. Conducting prospecting offshore work was organized in the nineties of the last century. After a detailed study of all the results obtained, the Kamennomysskoe-Sea and the northern structure with the same name were discovered.

The next stage in the development of the bowels of coastal waters is 1999. Everything was prepared to carry out the first offshore wells. This happened a year later, as a result of which the industrial gas content of the deposits was established. The same year was marked by seismic work in preparation for exploration drilling in the area of the Chugoryakhinskaya and Obskaya structures, where in 2002 Cenomanian gas deposits were discovered at these sites.

Since that time, regular work has been carried out in the waters of the peninsula. New deposits of the Gydan Peninsula are put on the map and their industrial development begins. At present, they contain 15 million tons of oil, two trillion cubic meters of gas and forty million tons of its condensate.

On the Gydan Peninsula, there is a unique protected area, famous for its abundance of flora and fauna.

Today, the Gydan Peninsula is famous for being one of the main sources of oil and gas. Scientists note that in its open spaces there is an equally valuable object of Russian heritage - the Gydan Reserve. The territory protected by the state extends in the north of the Siberian Plain of the YNAO and is washed by the Kara Sea. The predominant part of the peninsula is occupied by hills, plains and small hills.

The Gydan Reserve was established in 1996 in order to preserve the unique natural integrity against the background of the development of oil and gas relations and the search for new deposits. At the beginning of the work of oil and gas pipelines, the development of the "blue fuel" and "black gold" industries poisoned the environment: rivers, lakes suffered, disrupted new technology reindeer pastures and hunting grounds. Protected spaces play an important role in preserving the nomadic path for birds.

It should be noted that the Gydansky reserve acts as the youngest state-protected space in Tyumen. It is located on the territory of the Tazovsky district, occupying about 787.174 thousand hectares.

The protected area has a number of unique water sources. The northern side of the reserve is washed by the Kara Sea. Melting glaciers feed local water bodies. In summer, the rivers are replenished with water, but there is very little of it, so some small reservoirs dry up by the end of the hot season. In winter, most of the lakes and rivers freeze to the bottom. Scientists note that the dominant part water resources The reserve contains a small proportion of minerals and salts.

Vegetable world

In the Gydan Reserve are marked unique species plants and animals whose life is determined by a specific climate. Endless expanses have at their disposal both rivers, lakes, and swampy areas. Most of vegetation refers to mosses, various marsh shrubs, lichens, motley grass, sedge. In separate segments of the reserve, where water bodies have dried up, "newborn" meadows are noted. Larch grows in the southern part of the protected areas, and alder grows in the central part.

Animal world

The fauna of the reserve is relatively young. The discovered remains of an ancient mammoth are about 50,000 years old. The unique book of rare plants and animals includes such representatives of the Gydan Reserve as Siberian sturgeon, white-billed diver, goose, lesser swan, walrus, fin whale. The red-throated gagra, which nests here, acts as a "celebrity" of the protected area. In addition to it, white-fronted goose, tundra partridges, peregrine falcons and buzzards huddle here. Among the inhabitants of local reservoirs, scientists note the Siberian lamprey, salmon families, graylings, nelma, tuguns.

On the official website of the Gydan Reserve, visitors can find out its location, possible ways to get to it, excursion routes, rules and visiting schedule.

Reserve "Gydansky"

One of the youngest reserves in our region - Gydansky, was established in accordance with the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1167 of 07.10.1996.

It is located in the Tazovsky district of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug on the Yavai, Gydansky, Mammoth, Oleniy peninsulas, and also includes an insular part (the islands of Shokalsky, Oleny, Pestsovye, Rovny, Damned). The total area of the reserve is 878.174 thousand hectares, the buffer zone is 150.00 thousand hectares.

The climate is sharply continental. The main factors determining it are the circulation of atmospheric air currents, the influence of the Arctic and the flat relief. Winter is long and harsh. On average, blizzard rages here for 60-65 days. Summer with strong winds, large clouds and little rainfall. Ice period - 280-290 days. average temperature the warmest month (July) does not exceed +10…+12°С, January - - 24…-27°С. During cyclones, temperature fluctuations can be 15°C.

A distinctive feature is frequent winds, slight evaporation. The prevailing wind direction is northwest and northeast with an average speed of 5-6 m/s. A blizzard, as a rule, occurs with east and north winds and lasts 3-4 days (2-3 times a month). The first snowstorms begin in early October and continue until May.

The average annual rainfall does not exceed 300 mm. The height of the snow cover ranges from 0 (at higher elevations) to 120 cm (in deep and narrow floodplains). The rivers freeze in mid-October, at which time a steady snow cover sets in; open - in mid-June. The frost-free period lasts from 1 to 3.5 months.

The reserve is located in the Ob-Taz province Western Siberia. It also includes coastal waters. The territory is a hilly plain, indented by a dense network of rivers and streams, with a slight slope to the north. The absolute height reaches 60-70 m above sea level.

The reserve is located in the tundra zone with typical tundra gley soils formed on a loamy substrate under moss-forb-driad vegetation. The soil is uniformly gleyed along the profile and has a neutral reaction. The thickness of the frozen layer reaches 80 cm.

From the north, the reserve is washed by the Kara Sea, including the Gydan and Yuratskaya bays. The Kara Sea is one of the coldest seas in the Russian Arctic. Here is the largest shelf zone on Earth, so the fresh Ob waters flowing into the sea affect it at a distance of up to 2000 km from the mouth of the river. At the extreme northern point of. New Earth and at o. Franz Josef Land, the salinity of the water is 29-31 ppm.

For the north of Western Siberia and the bed of the Kara Sea great importance had and have the rivers Ob and Yenisei. Its outlines and relief are formed by river flows. Along the eastern coast of Novaya Zemlya, the St. Anna Trench runs for hundreds of kilometers - the paleochannel of the protobe, and Baydaratskaya Bay - its former protomouth. In the Pleistocene, the Ob and Yenisei, merging in the lower reaches, created a common giant river estuary. Their joint activities a significant part of the Gulf of Ob has been worked out, a common system of alluvial alluvial islands has been created along the northern coast of Western Siberia - from about. Bely to about. Sibiryakov. The lower part of the Yenisei retreated to the east, but the Taz and Gydan bays and a number of large lakes remained the products of its activity.

Stoke river The Ob has a certain effect on the north of the West Siberian Plain and on the Kara Sea. It affects the biogeographic features of the region, the living conditions of the local flora and fauna. The solid runoff of the river is unique on a global scale, accounting for up to 40% of the runoff of the Arctic basin and exceeds the runoff of all other Siberian rivers combined, flowing into the Arctic Ocean. The Kara Sea has its own semi-closed water cycle, which makes its basin and biota, as well as hydrobionts migrating through it, dependent on any pollution, including those brought here by the Ob and Yenisei.

The Gydan Peninsula has a well-developed hydrographic network, although to a lesser extent than Yamal (the rivers Mongoche-Yakha, Pukhucha-Yakha, Esya-Yakha, Neyta-Yakha, Mangty-Yakha, Nyava-Yakha, etc.; lakes Yarogo, Khucheto, Khosato, Ngetato, Yambuto, etc.). Large lakes located on the watershed with the Yenisei have a drain into the Yuratskaya Bay. There are no mountain rivers in the water network of the reserve. All snow fed rivers with a pronounced spring-summer flood and low-water period have a flat character, their course is calm.

During the period with a large amount of precipitation, the rivers become full-flowing, therefore their channels are well developed, the banks are mostly steep and steep. The largest rivers are passable for motor boats. The rivers break up in mid-June, the flood lasts 5-7 days, they become shallow in summer. The hydrological network of Gydan is of great importance for the local aquatic and coastal fauna. Due to the favorable average annual oxygen regime of the local hydro network and the waters surrounding Gydan, the peninsula is of particular importance for the conservation of the hydrofauna of Western Siberia and the Kara Sea.

The Gydan Peninsula, like most of the area of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, is included in the range of the succession system of the Yamal botanical-geographical region of the Northern taiga province with a climax community (according to Razumovsky, 1981).

Due to the geological youth of the soil and vegetation cover, remoteness and lack of contact with the Polar Urals (unlike the southern Yamal), the Gydan succession system is poorer than the South Yamal - Polar Urals. Its development itself is not completed, but has reached the maximum preclimax stage.

In connection with the rather late appearance of large-herd reindeer breeding here and the small development of the peninsula modern industry, the natural soil and vegetation cover has been preserved almost unchanged (especially in the northern and eastern parts of Gydan).

The islands of the Kara Sea and the northern territories of the Gydan Peninsula are occupied by communities of the Arctic tundra. They are characterized by areas of bare ground, variegated vegetation formed by mosses, lichens, creeping shrubs and some types of grasses. On the islands and the mainland (along the coast and in the river valleys), grass and hypnum-grass bogs are common.

On the Gydansky Peninsula, moss tundras are a characteristic group of associations on drained and slightly waterlogged watersheds with loamy soils. They are represented by willow-dwarf birch-moss and grass-moss associations. The first are characterized by synusia of shrubs up to 3 m and a rather variegated grass layer. Grass-moss associations are spread over open hilly spaces. Shrubs creep along the moss cover and do not rise above the grasses, among which the hard sedge prevails. Ground cover - hypnum mosses with a small amount of lichens.

Tundra willow forests of the moss-lichen tundra of Gydan are characteristic of river valleys and watersheds where there is a continuous snow cover of up to 30-60 cm. The height of the snow cover limits the height of the willow forests. The soil here thaws deeper than in the moss tundra, which contributes to the formation of a good grass cover with cotton grass and cereals. The moss cover consists of sphagnum and green mosses. In the lowlands, sphagnum mosses predominate, water sedge and other marsh grasses appear.

The swamps occupy flat, poorly drained depressions on the watersheds, forming with the tundra a kind of tundra vegetation complex. In floodplains, low-lying swamps are most common. On the territory of the reserve, complex transitional bogs are widely represented, confined to extensive depressions on watersheds and river floodplains. Among them, shrub-moss, flat-hummocky shrub-sedge-moss, polygonal-rolled sedge-sphagnum bogs predominate. In the interfluve spaces and in the floodplains of the rivers there are low-lying bogs, mainly grass-sedge and willow-sedge.

Bushes are most common in the typical tundra subzone and occasionally in the arctic tundra subzone. Of the shrubs, grass-moss willow, grass-forb, sedge and grass-moss dwarf birches predominate.

Meadow vegetation on the territory of the reserve is represented by small areas in floodplains along the banks of the Gydan and Yuratskaya bays in the place of drying lakes. Here, sedge-cereal meadows (including bushy ones), khasyreys, seaside saline meadows or "tampas" and small tundra sedge-forb meadows are widespread.

The fauna of Gydan is poorly studied. species composition animals are much poorer here than in Yamal or in the adjacent regions of Western Siberia. A sharply continental climate and permafrost limit the habitation of many of them. For example, there are no amphibians and reptiles on Gydan.

The ichthyofauna, on the contrary, is quite rich: about 20 species of fish, including valuable commercial ones, such as sturgeon, nelma, muksun, whitefish, pizhyan, omul, grayling, saffron cod, flounder, etc. Most of them are widespread on the peninsula. Of course, sturgeon, salmon and whitefish deserve special protection and study, since local populations are practically not studied.

The avifauna is also insufficiently studied. According to available data, it has about 100 species. These are mainly migratory birds that appear here for the nesting period and inhabit all areas from the south of the Gydan Peninsula to the northern islands. Among them, several species are rare and are listed in the Red Book of Russia - the red-throated goose, white-tailed eagle, peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, etc.

Zoologists number about 30 species of mammals. It is reliably known about the habitation of the small and medium shrews here. Frosts limit the penetration of mice to the north. Only lemmings populate the entire peninsula. Among predatory mammals, the Arctic fox, ermine, etc. are of the greatest value. The polar bear, once a common inhabitant of Gydan, can now only occasionally be found on the northern islands.

The walrus used to be a typical representative of the southern part of the Kara Sea, but at the beginning of the century its numbers were severely undermined. At present, single animals and small groups are occasionally observed on the northern islands. At the same time, bearded seals, harp seals, and ringed seals are common on the peninsula; they are known to enter the Gydan Bay and the lower reaches of the largest rivers.

If 5 species of cetaceans approach the Yamal coast, then at Gydan in last years only the white whale has been registered. This common inhabitant of coastal waters and all bays during the ice-free period can also enter large rivers. However, its numbers have been severely undermined.

Of the ungulates, elk and reindeer live in Gydan. moose in Lately gradually increases. Its appearances in the tundra up to the coast are noted. On the northern coast and on the islands, a small population of wild reindeer. It lives separately, cut off from other populations. It is quite possible that not so long ago, in a historically foreseeable time, a musk ox lived on the Gydan Peninsula, and a narwhal lived in coastal waters.

Rare and endangered plant species are practically not found on Gydan. However, the territory of the peninsula has been little studied, and therefore an inventory of its flora is required. At the same time, the Gydansky Reserve can become a benchmark for tundra communities in the Arctic. Preservation of vegetation cover in general on the peninsula has special meaning. The incompleteness of ecogenesis, permafrost, and a sharply continental climate make the vegetation cover vulnerable and difficult to restore. At the same time, it has a climate-forming, soil-protective, anti-erosion value. Preservation of the vegetation of tundra communities is of great importance for the animal world. In general, the vegetation cover of Gydan is less transformed than in Yamal and in the southern regions of Western Siberia.

Due to the lack of knowledge, it is impossible to make a final conclusion about the presence of rare and endangered species of animals and plants on the peninsula. To date, only one representative of the flora is known, listed in the Red Book of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug - lagotis small. A wider list of fauna species: polar bear, northern tundra deer, Atlantic walrus, tules, dunlin, Arctic skua, white-billed loon, small swan, red-throated goose, lesser white-fronted goose, kloktun, common scoter, white-tailed eagle, peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, Siberian sturgeon, arctic char, muksun, tugun, grayling Siberian.

One of the youngest reserves in the Tyumen region - Gydansky, was established on October 7, 1996.

It is located in the Tazovsky district of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug on the Yavai, Gydansky, Mammoth, Oleniy peninsulas, and also includes an insular part (the islands of Shokalsky, Oleny, Pestsovye, Rovny, Damned). The total area of the reserve is 878174 thousand hectares, the buffer zone is 150 thousand hectares

The reserve is located in the Ob-Taz province of Western Siberia. It also includes coastal waters. The territory is a hilly plain, indented by a dense network of rivers and streams, with a slight slope to the north. The absolute height reaches 60-70 m above sea level.

From the north, the reserve is washed by the Kara Sea, including the Gydan and Yuratskaya bays. The Kara Sea is one of the coldest seas in the Russian Arctic. Here is the largest shelf zone on Earth, so the fresh Ob waters flowing into the sea affect it at a distance of up to 2000 km from the mouth of the river. At the extreme northern point of. Novaya Zemlya and Fr. Franz Josef Land water salinity is 29-31 ppm

For the north of Western Siberia and the bed of the Kara Sea, the Ob and Yenisei rivers have been and still are of great importance. Its outlines and relief are formed by river flows. Along the eastern coast of Novaya Zemlya, the St. Anna Trench runs for hundreds of kilometers - the paleochannel of the protobe, and Baydaratskaya Bay - its former protomouth. In the Pleistocene, the Ob and Yenisei, merging in the lower reaches, created a common giant river estuary. Their joint activity worked out a significant part of the Gulf of Ob, created a common system of alluvial alluvial islands along the northern coast of Western Siberia - from about. Bely to about. Sibiryakov. The lower part of the Yenisei retreated to the east, but the Taz and Gydan bays and a number of large lakes remained the products of its activity.

The Gydan Peninsula has a well-developed hydrographic network, although to a lesser extent than Yamal (the rivers Mongoche-Yakha, Pukhucha-Yakha, Esya-Yakha, Neyta-Yakha, Mangty-Yakha, Nyava-Yakha, etc.; lakes Yarogo, Khucheto, Khosato, Ngetato, Yambuto, etc.). Large lakes located on the watershed with the Yenisei have a drain into the Yuratskaya Bay. There are no mountain rivers in the water network of the reserve. All snow-fed rivers with a pronounced spring-summer flood and low-water period have a flat character, their course is calm

Due to the rather late appearance of large-herd reindeer breeding here and the small development of the peninsula by modern industry, the natural soil and vegetation cover has remained almost unchanged (especially in the northern and eastern parts of Gydan)

Among the lichen tundra, moss-lichen associations predominate. Their ground cover is bushy lichens. In the shrub-herbaceous sparse layer, there are many herbs, among the shrubs there are lingonberries and willows. Here are creeping dwarf dwarf and willow trees. On dry, elevated places, lichen tundras are found with a predominance of alectoria. The grass-shrub layer of these associations is poor and is distinguished by the presence of cassiopeia. Tundra willow forests of the moss-lichen tundra of Gydan are typical for river valleys and watersheds where there is a continuous snow cover of up to 30-60 cm. The height of the snow cover limits the height of the willow forests. The soil here thaws deeper than in the moss tundra, which contributes to the formation of a good grass cover with cotton grass and cereals. The moss cover consists of sphagnum and green mosses. In the lowlands, sphagnum mosses predominate, water sedge and other marsh grasses appear.

Bushes are most common in the typical tundra subzone and occasionally in the arctic tundra subzone. Of the shrubs, grass-moss willow, grass-forb, sedge and grass-moss dwarf dwarfs predominate.

Meadow vegetation on the territory of the reserve is represented by small areas in floodplains along the banks of the Gydan and Yuratskaya bays in the place of drying lakes. Sedge-grass meadows (including bushy ones), khasyreys, seaside saline meadows or "tampas" and small tundra sedge-forb meadows are widespread here.

The fauna of Gydan is poorly studied. The species composition of animals here is much poorer than in Yamal or in the adjacent regions of Western Siberia. A sharply continental climate and permafrost limit the habitation of many of them. So, for example, there are no amphibians and reptiles on Gydan

The avifauna is also insufficiently studied. According to available data, it has about 100 species. These are mainly migratory birds that appear here for the nesting period and inhabit all areas from the south of the Gydan Peninsula to the northern islands. Among them, several species are rare and are listed in the Red Book of Russia - the red-breasted goose, white-tailed eagle, peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, etc.

Zoologists number about 30 species of mammals. It is reliably known about the habitation of the small and medium shrews here. Frosts limit the penetration of mice to the north. Only lemmings populate the entire peninsula. Among predatory mammals, the arctic fox, ermine, etc. are of the greatest value. The polar bear, once a common inhabitant of Gydan, can now only occasionally be found on the northern islands

If 5 species of cetaceans approach the Yamal coast, then only white whales have been recorded near Gydan in recent years. This common inhabitant of coastal waters and all bays during the ice-free period can also enter large rivers. However, its numbers are greatly undermined.

Of the ungulates, elk and reindeer live in Gydan. Moose numbers have been gradually increasing in recent years. Its appearances in the tundra up to the coast are noted. A small population of wild reindeer has survived on the northern coast and on the islands. It lives separately, cut off from other populations. It is quite possible that not so long ago, in a historically foreseeable time, a musk ox lived on the Gydan Peninsula, and a narwhal lived in coastal waters.

Rare and endangered plant species are practically not found on Gydan. However, the territory of the peninsula has been little studied, and therefore an inventory of its flora is required. At the same time, the Gydansky Reserve can become a benchmark for tundra communities in the Arctic. Preservation of vegetation cover in general on the peninsula is of particular importance. The incompleteness of ecogenesis, permafrost, and a sharply continental climate make the vegetation cover vulnerable and difficult to restore. At the same time, it has a climate-forming, soil-protective, anti-erosion value. Preservation of the vegetation of tundra communities is of great importance for the animal world. In general, the vegetation cover of Gydan is less transformed than in Yamal and in the southern regions of Western Siberia.

Due to the lack of knowledge, it is impossible to make a final conclusion about the presence of rare and endangered species of animals and plants on the peninsula. To date, only one representative of the flora is known, listed in the Red Book of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug - lagotis small. The list of species of fauna is wider: polar bear, northern tundra deer, Atlantic walrus, thules, dunlin, short-tailed skua, white-billed loon, small swan, red-throated goose, lesser white-fronted goose, kloktun, common scoter, white-tailed eagle, peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, Siberian sturgeon, arctic char, muksun, tugun, Siberian grayling.

GYDAN
reserve

Location and history of the Gydan Reserve.

The reserve is located in the extreme north-east of the Tazovsky district of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of the Tyumen region. On its territory are the Yavai Peninsula, the northern part of the Mammoth Peninsula, the Oleniy, Damned, Rovny Peninsulas. The territory of the reserve was seriously damaged as a result of the activities of geologists and drillers: vast areas of deer pastures and hunting grounds were significantly disturbed by heavy equipment, some lakes were poisoned by industrial effluents and drilling fluids, and the habitat of animals and birds was disturbed. The reserve was established in 1996 to preserve nature from the current and future anthropogenic impact associated with the oil and gas development of the territory. The reserve contributes to the conservation of the East Atlantic flyway of aquatic and semi-aquatic birds flying along the northern coasts of Asia. To date, the reserve does not have a central estate and staff.

The territory of the Gydansky Reserve is a plain with a soft, ridged relief with the presence of icy loose deposits and thick ground ice. The thickness of the ice layers exceeds 4–5 m. Continuous permafrost with a thickness of 150–300 m is widespread on the territory. The islands of the Kara Sea are plains of low height. The maximum height of Shokalsky Island is 10.1 m, Olenye Island is 13.1 m with hills and ridges located on it, separated by large lakes.

The warmest months of the year are July and August. In the cold season from November to March, the severity of the weather is determined by the speed of the wind. Blizzards often occur on the coast of the Kara Sea in winter. In summer, the winds blow mainly from the north and northeast directions. The most frequent weather phenomena are blizzards and fogs.

The territory belongs to the area of excessive moisture due to the general weak evaporation. Most of the precipitation falls during the warm season. The wettest months are August and September.

Snow cover sets in early October and breaks up in mid or late June.

Rivers are fed by melting ice. The magnitude of the water rise is 2 - 5 m, but on some rivers it reaches 7 - 9 m. In summer, there is very little water in most rivers. The minimum amount of water is in winter, when small rivers freeze to the very bottom. Tundra rivers are characterized by a high degree of meandering. Most of the lakes are shallow and freeze to the bottom in winter. Most tundra lakes are poor in minerals. A significant part of the coastal waters are Gydan Bay and Yuratskaya Bay with total area 14.7 thousand sq. km, characterized by strong desalinization and high ice coverage.

Most of the territory of the Gydansky Reserve is characterized by the predominance of thin soils.

Nature of the Gydan Reserve

The nature of the reserve for many centuries has been influenced by the indigenous people - the Nenets: grazing, cutting down trees and shrubs, fires specially used by reindeer herders in order to expand the territory for grazing animals. Larch is widespread on the southern border. Alder curtains are isolated in the central part of the typical tundra subzone. Flora of the surroundings Leskino is more than 180 species of vascular plants. The flora of Sibiryakov Island includes 162 species of vascular plants.

Animals of the Gydan Reserve

The fauna of the reserve can be considered relatively young, the oldest remains of mammoths are less than 50 thousand years old. The Red Book of the Russian Federation includes the following species living in the Gydansky Reserve: Siberian sturgeon, white-billed diver, red-throated goose, lesser white-tailed goose, lesser swan, white-tailed eagle, gyrfalcon, peregrine falcon, polar bear, walrus, narwhal, northern fin whale.

The Siberian lamprey lives in the Ob and Gydan bays. Of the sturgeon fish in the largest rivers and some lakes, sturgeon is common. Salmonids in Gydan are represented only by arctic char. In coastal and inland waters Gydan Siberian grayling is common. Nelma, Siberian vendace, tugun, arctic omul, peld, broad whitefish, pizhyan, muksun live in the adjacent regions of Gydan. From time to time ide enters the Gydansuya Bay, in coastal and inland river waters burbot, nine-spined stickleback and common ruff are common.

Among the representatives of the representatives of the marine ichthyofauna, the following are distinguished: capelin, polar cod (mass species), navaga, kottunkul “Sadko”, average lumpenus, common hymnel, patterned lycod, slingshot, sharp-nosed triglops, two-horned itels, rough hookhorn, leptagon, ice-sea fox, lumpfish, Deryugin's and Jordan's roundfins, arctic, humpbacked and black-bellied liparis, Reinhardt's careprots, small-headed and small-eyed flounder, European halibut flounder.

Nesting of red-throated gagra has been established in Northern Gydan. In the north of the Mammoth Peninsula, a small swan is found, though in small numbers. Barnacle Goose have been observed flying, Black Goose can be found on migration and molting. The white-fronted goose nests on the mainland and islands, and the bean goose nests on the Mammoth Peninsula. Among ducks, long-tailed duck and comb eider are considered common nesting species, on the Mammoth Peninsula and on some other islands - Siberian eider. Buzzard and peregrine falcon nest among birds of prey. White-tailed eagle and gyrfalcon are known as rare migrant birds in the reserve.

Of the partridges, the tundra partridge is common and nests. Of the waders, the following are common and nest: tules, Asian brown-winged plover, ringed turntable, turnstone, flat-nosed and round-nosed phalaropes, turukhtan, oystercatcher, white-tailed sandpiper, red-throated, dunlin.

In years when the number of lemmings is high, snowy owl nests. Of the passerine birds on nesting, the following were noted: horned lark, red-throated pipit, white wagtail, common wheatear, tap dance, baby bunting, Lapland plantain, snow bunting. The field sparrow lives in human buildings.

Of the insectivores, only the tundra shrew lives on the territory of the reserve. Of the rodents, the Siberian lemming is widespread. The hoofed lemming is distributed everywhere except the islands.

Of the predators on the territory of the reserve, there are polar bears; Brown bear. Wolves move around the reserve following the reindeer. The polar fox is considered to be a common predator of the reserve. Foxes can visit along the Yesyakha valley.

In the coastal waters of the north of Western Siberia, they used to live in in large numbers walruses and several species of seals. Recently, small deposits of walruses have been observed in the summer on the Bely Peninsula.

Three species of cetaceans are known in this area: the beluga whale remains a common species, the narwhal has become very rare, and the fin whale was noted in the Yenisei Bay in 1950.

The number of wild reindeer reaches several thousand animals. An elk occasionally comes to the Arctic coast.

Background information about national park kindly provided by the administration of the resource www.biodiversity.ru