Taymyr Gulf
Encyclopedia
The Taymyr Gulf is a gulf in the Kara Sea
that includes the estuary of the Lower Taymyr River
. The estuary opens roughly northwestwise from the western coast of the Taymyr Peninsula
into the eastern expanses of the Kara Sea
, widening from about 4 km at the river's mouth to about 20 km. Its length, including the wider gulf, is about 50 km, and its width roughly 40 km.
Taymyr Island
is located about 60 km westwards from the mouth of the estuary.
The climate in the desolate area of the Taymyr Gulf is severe, with long and bitter winters and frequent blizzards and gales. The estuary proper is frozen for about nine months in a year and even in summer it is never quite free of ice floes.
Fishes like the golets
and the muksun
are very common in its waters.
, Nikifor Fomin reached Bera Island and built a hut in order to winter there.
The Taymyr Gulf and its islands were explored by Alexander von Middendorff
during his expedition to Siberia (1842–1845). Bera Island was the farthest northern point he reached after exploring the Taymyr River from the south towards its estuary in August 1843.
Baron Eduard von Toll
during his last expedition, the Russian Polar Expedition of 1900-1903, explored the mouth of the Taymyr Gulf. Toll found a quartz boulder on Bera Island that had been described by Middendorff. He also found the remains of Nikifor Fomin's hut.
Nowadays the Taymyr Gulf is part of the Great Arctic State Nature Reserve
, the largest nature reserve of Russia.
administrative division of the Russian Federation.
Kara Sea
The Kara Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia. It is separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya....
that includes the estuary of the Lower Taymyr River
Taymyr River
The Taymyr River is a roughly 400 mi long river in the middle of the Taymyr Peninsula in the Krasnoyarsk Krai administrative region of the Russian Federation.-Parts:...
. The estuary opens roughly northwestwise from the western coast of the Taymyr Peninsula
Taymyr Peninsula
The Taymyr Peninsula is a peninsula in the Far North of Russia, in the Siberian Federal District, that forms the northernmost part of mainland Eurasia and Asia...
into the eastern expanses of the Kara Sea
Kara Sea
The Kara Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia. It is separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya....
, widening from about 4 km at the river's mouth to about 20 km. Its length, including the wider gulf, is about 50 km, and its width roughly 40 km.
Taymyr Island
Taymyr Island
Taymyr Island, Russian: Остров Таймыр , is a large island in the coast of the Kara Sea. Its length is and its average width about . This island is located west of the Taymyr Gulf in an area of skerries right off the western coast of the Taymyr Peninsula...
is located about 60 km westwards from the mouth of the estuary.
The climate in the desolate area of the Taymyr Gulf is severe, with long and bitter winters and frequent blizzards and gales. The estuary proper is frozen for about nine months in a year and even in summer it is never quite free of ice floes.
Fishes like the golets
Arctic char
Arctic char or Arctic charr is both a freshwater and saltwater fish in the Salmonidae family, native to Arctic, sub-Arctic and alpine lakes and coastal waters. No other freshwater fish is found as far north. It is the only species of fish in Lake Hazen, on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic...
and the muksun
Muksun
The Muksun is a type of whitefish. Its name is derived from its Russian name Муксун.The muksun is a widespread fish in the Siberian Arctic waters. It is mostly found in the freshened areas of the Kara and Laptev Seas and up the major rivers, as well as in Lake Taymyr.Like all whitefishes, it is a...
are very common in its waters.
Islands
The most important islands in the Taymyr Gulf are the following:- Chelyuskin Island is the first island at the mouth of the gulf.
- Bera Island or Baer Island (Остров Бера) is 3.5 km long. It is located in the middle of the mouth of the gulf, abaout 13 km from the Kara Sea 76°13′N 99°22′E. This island was named after Baltic-German scholar Karl Ernst von BaerKarl Ernst von BaerKarl Ernst Ritter von Baer, Edler von Huthorn also known in Russia as Karl Maksimovich Baer was an Estonian naturalist, biologist, geologist, meteorologist, geographer, a founding father of embryology, explorer of European Russia and Scandinavia, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a...
. Baer made important contributions to the research of Arctic meteorology between 1830 and 1840. - The Nanosnyye Islands are four small islands, the largest of which is 5 km long and 2 km wide. They are located in the mouth of the estuary, right at the opening of the gulf.
- Fomin Island (Остров Фомин) is 11.5 km long and 3.7 km wide. It is located deep within the estuary, dividing the last stretch of the Taymyr River into two branches. 75°52′N 99°46′E. This island was named after early Russian Arctic explorer Nikifor Fomin.
History
In the 1740s, during the Great Northern ExpeditionGreat Northern Expedition
The Great Northern Expedition or Second Kamchatka expedition was one of the largest organised exploration enterprises in history, resulting in mapping of the most of the Arctic coast of Siberia and some parts of the North America coastline, greatly reducing the "white areas" on the maps...
, Nikifor Fomin reached Bera Island and built a hut in order to winter there.
The Taymyr Gulf and its islands were explored by Alexander von Middendorff
Alexander von Middendorff
Alexander Theodor von Middendorff was a Baltic German zoologist and explorer.- Early life :Middendorff's mother Sophia Johanson was an Estonian peasant girl who had been sent to Saint Petersburg for education by her parents. There she met with the future director of the St...
during his expedition to Siberia (1842–1845). Bera Island was the farthest northern point he reached after exploring the Taymyr River from the south towards its estuary in August 1843.
Baron Eduard von Toll
Eduard Toll
Eduard Gustav von Toll was a Baltic German geologist and Arctic explorer in Russian service. Often referred to as Baron von Toll or as Eduard v. Toll, in Russia he is known as Eduard Vasiliyevich Toll . Eduard Toll was born on and he died in 1902 in an unknown location in the Arctic Ocean)...
during his last expedition, the Russian Polar Expedition of 1900-1903, explored the mouth of the Taymyr Gulf. Toll found a quartz boulder on Bera Island that had been described by Middendorff. He also found the remains of Nikifor Fomin's hut.
Nowadays the Taymyr Gulf is part of the Great Arctic State Nature Reserve
Great Arctic State Nature Reserve
The Great Arctic State Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia...
, the largest nature reserve of Russia.
Administration
The Taymyr Gulf and all its surrounding area belongs to the Krasnoyarsk KraiKrasnoyarsk Krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It is the second largest federal subject after the Sakha Republic, and Russia's largest krai, occupying an area of , which is 13% of the country's total territory. The administrative center of the krai is the city of Krasnoyarsk...
administrative division of the Russian Federation.