Lake Baikal 贝加尔湖

许林玉

《文化萬花筒》将带领大家了解世界文化与自然遗产，本期我们走近的是贝加尔湖。贝加尔湖，中国古代称为“北海”，有“西伯利亚明珠”之称，联合国教科文组织于1996年将贝加尔湖列为世界自然遗产。

Lake Baikal， a lake located in the southern part of eastern Siberia in Rus- sia. It is the oldest existing freshwater lake on Earth， as well as the deepest continental body of water， having a maximum depth of 1，620 metres. Its area is some 31，500 square km， with a length of 636 km and a width of 48 km on average. It is also the world's largest freshwater lake by ''volume， containing about one-fifth of the fresh water on Earth's surface， some 23，000 cubic km. Into Lake Baikal flow more than 330 rivers and streams， including the Selen- ga， Barguzin， Upper （Verkhnyaya） Angara， Chikoy， and Uda.

Baikal is 2lsurrounded by mountains， some of which rise more than 2，000 metres above the lake's surface. The sedimentary strata on the floor of the lake may be as much as 6，100 metres thick. In 1862， flood caused by a quake inundated about 200 square km in the northern Selenga delta， creating a new bay in Baikal known as Proval Bay.

The lake hollow is not symmetrical， having steep slopes on the western shores and gentler slopes on the eastern. Baikal contains some 45 islets and islands. The influx of water into the lake is mainly from rivers， chiefly the Selenga. The only outflow is through the Angara River， a tributary of the Yenisey.

Baikal's climate is much 3'milder than that of the surrounding areas. Win- ter air temperatures are on average -21 C， and August temperatures aver- age 11 C. The lake surface freezes in January and thaws in May or June. The water temperature at the surface in August is between 10 and 12 °C and reaches 20 °C in the offshore shallows. Waves can be as high as 4.6 metres. The water is very clear， from the surface one can see to 40 metres. Its salinity is low， and it contains few minerals.

Plant and animal life in the lake is rich and various. There are between 1，500 and 1，800 animal 4species at different depths， and hundreds of plant species live on or near the surface. The majority of the species are unique to Baikal. The one mammal species is the Baikal seal. There are more than 320 bird species in the Baikal area.

Industries along the shores of Baikal include mining （mica and marble）， the manufacture of cellulose and paper， shipbuilding， fisheries， and timber. There are many mineral springs， and lots of visitors come here for the cu- rative properties of the waters. A pulp and paper mill built on Lake Baikal's southern shore in 1966 drew strong protests from local scientistsbecause its wastes were polluting the water， and in 1971 the government 5ladopted a law to protect the lake from polluting emissions. Further pollution controls were resisted，however， and industrial waste at the site 6remained a concern until the late 1990s.

The protection of natural resources in the area began with the establishment of the Barguzinsky Nature Reserve in 1916， subsequently there were added two nature reserves and two wildlife reserves， and two national parks. The Lake Baikal Coastal Protection Zone， covering the lake and its environs （a total of 88，000 square km）， was created in 1987， and the same area was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996.

词组加油站

（be） located in 坐落于……

on average 平均

be unique to 为……所独有;独一无二

protect... from... 保护……免受……

1） volume ['volju： m] n.体积

2） surround [sə'raund] v.包围;围绕

3） mild [maɪld] adj. 温和的

4） species [ˈspiːʃiːz] n. 物种

5） adopt [əˈdɒpt] v. 采纳;通过

6） remain [rɪˈmeɪn] v. 保持;继续存在

贝加尔湖位于俄罗斯东西伯利亚南部，是地球上现存最古老的淡水湖，也是最深的陆地水体，最大深度达1，620米。贝加尔湖长636千米，平均宽48千米，面积约3.15万平方千米。贝加尔湖也是世界上体积最大的淡水湖，蓄水量达约23万亿立方米，约占全球地表淡水总量的五分之一。有330多条河川注入贝加尔湖，包括色楞格河、巴尔古津河、上安加拉河、奇科伊河和乌第河。

贝加尔湖被群山环绕，其中一些高出湖面2，000多米。湖底沉积物厚度可能达到6100米。1862年，一场因地震引发的洪水淹没了色楞格河三角洲北部约200平方千米的土地，在贝加尔湖形成了一个新的湖湾—普罗瓦尔湾。

湖中的凹陷构造不对称，西岸坡陡，东岸坡缓。贝加尔湖中大约有45座岛屿。注入湖中的水大部分来自河流，主要为色楞格河。而唯一的外流出口是叶尼塞河的支流安加拉河。

贝加尔湖的气候比周边地区要温和很多。冬季的平均气温为—21℃，8月平均气温为11℃。湖面在1月结冰，5月或6月解冻。8月份湖面水温在10℃～12℃，近岸浅滩达到20℃。浪花可高达4.6米。贝加尔湖湖水清澈，能见度可达40米。湖水盐度较低，含少量矿物质。

湖中动植物种类繁多，在不同深度生活着1，500～1，800种动物，湖面或近湖面水域则生活着数百种植物，大多数物种为贝加尔湖的特有物种。湖中还生活着一种哺乳动物—贝加尔湖海豹。贝加尔湖地区有320多种鸟类。

贝加尔湖沿岸工业包括采矿业（云母和大理石）、纤维素和纸张制造业、造船业、渔业和木材加工业。该地区的矿泉资源丰富，具有水疗效果，许多游客慕名而來。1966年，贝加尔湖南岸建起了一家纸浆和造纸厂，但遭到了当地科学家的强烈抗议，因为工厂的废弃物会污染水体。1971年，政府通过了一项法令，以保护贝加尔湖免受污染排放的侵害。然而，进一步的污染控制措施遭到抵制。直到20世纪90年代末，该地区的工业废物问题仍然是一大问题。

贝加尔湖地区的自然资源保护始于1916年巴尔古津斯基自然保护区的设立，随后又相继增加了2个自然保护区和2个野生动物保护区，以及2个国家公园。贝加尔湖海岸保护区创建于1987年，包括湖泊及其周边地区（总面积为88，000平方千米）。1996年，该地区被联合国教科文组织列入世界遗产名录。