View source for Lake Baikal

{{short description|Freshwater rift lake in Russia}}
{{Redirect|Baykal}}
{{Use dmy dates|date= October 2019}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name               = Lake Baikal
| native_name        = {{native name list |tag1=ru|name1=Озеро Байкал |tag2=bua|name2=Байгал далай}}
| pushpin_map        = Russia Buryatia#Russia Irkutsk Oblast#Russia
| image              = Baikal.A2001296.0420.250m-NASA.jpg
| caption            = Satellite photo of Baikal, 2001
| image_bathymetry   = Karte baikal2.png
| caption_bathymetry =
| location           = [[Siberia]], Russia
| coords             = {{Coord|53|30|N|108|0|E|region:RU-BU_type:waterbody_scale:5000000|display=inline,title}}
| lake_type          = [[Ancient lake]], [[Rift lake|Continental rift lake]]
| inflow             = [[Selenga]], [[Barguzin (river)|Barguzin]], [[Upper Angara]]
| outflow            = [[Angara]]
| catchment          = {{convert|560000|km2|-3|abbr=on}}
| basin_countries    = [[Mongolia]] and [[Russia]]
| length             = {{convert|636|km|abbr=on}}
| width              = {{convert|79|km|abbr=on}}
| area               = {{convert|31722|km2|abbr=on}}<ref name="INTAS">{{cite web|url= http://users.ugent.be/~mdbatist/intas/morphometry.htm|title= A new bathymetric map of Lake Baikal. Morphometric Data. INTAS Project 99-1669. Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Consolidated Research Group on Marine Geosciences (CRG-MG), University of Barcelona, Spain; Limnological Institute of the Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk, Russian Federation; State Science Research Navigation-Hydrographic Institute of the Ministry of Defense, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation|publisher= Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium|access-date= 9 July 2009|archive-date= 25 December 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181225085935/http://users.ugent.be/~mdbatist/intas/morphometry.htm}}</ref>
| depth              = {{convert|744.4|m|ft|abbr= on}}<ref name="INTAS"/>
| residence_time     = 330 years<ref>{{cite web |author= M.A. Grachev |url= http://lin.irk.ru/grachev/eng/introduction.htm |title= On the present state of the ecological system of lake Baikal |publisher= Limnological Institute, Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences |access-date= 9 July 2009  |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110820023119/http://lin.irk.ru/grachev/eng/introduction.htm |archive-date= 20 August 2011}}</ref>
| max-depth          = {{convert|1642|m|ft|abbr= on}}<ref name="INTAS"/>
| volume             = {{convert|23610|km3|cumi|-1|abbr= on}}<ref name="INTAS"/>
| shore              = {{convert|2100|km|-1|abbr= on}}
| elevation          = {{convert|455.5|m|0|abbr=on}}
| islands            = 27 ([[Olkhon Island]])
| cities             = [[Severobaykalsk]], [[Slyudyanka]], [[Baykalsk]], [[Ust-Barguzin]], [[Listvyanka, Irkutsky District, Irkutsk Oblast|Listvyanka]]
| frozen             = January–May
| reference          =
| extra              = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
  |child = yes
  |ID = 754
  |Year = 1996
  |Criteria = Natural: vii, viii, ix, x
  |Area = 8,800,000 ha
  }}
}}

'''Lake Baikal'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|b|aɪ|ˈ|k|ɑː|l|,_|-|ˈ|k|æ|l}} {{respell|by|KAHL|,_|-|KAL}};<ref>[https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/baikal "Baikal"]. ''[[Collins English Dictionary]]''.</ref> {{langx|ru|Озеро Байкал|Ózero Baykál}}, {{IPA|ru|ˈozʲɪrə bɐjˈkaɫ|pron}}; {{langx|bua|Байгал далай|Baigal dalai}}<ref>Dervla Murphy (2007) ''Silverland: A Winter Journey Beyond the Urals'', London, John Murray, p. 173</ref> {{IPA|bua|b̥ɛ́e̯ʁəɫ d̥ɐɫɛ́e̯|IPA}}}} is a [[rift lake]] and the deepest lake in the world.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-07-26 |title=Deepest lakes in the World 2024 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/deepest-lakes-in-the-world-2024/articleshow/111843110.cms |access-date=2025-03-13 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> It is situated in southern [[Siberia]], [[Russia]] between the [[Federal subjects of Russia|federal subjects]] of [[Irkutsk Oblast|Irkutsk]] [[Oblasts of Russia|Oblast]] to the northwest and the [[Republic of Buryatia]] to the southeast.

At {{convert|31722|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}—slightly larger than [[Belgium]]—Lake Baikal is the world's [[List of lakes by area|seventh-largest lake]] by surface area,<ref name="oddities" /> as well as the second largest lake in [[Eurasia]] after the [[Caspian Sea]]. However, because it is also the [[List of lakes by depth|deepest lake]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Deepest Lake in the World|url=http://geology.com/records/deepest-lake.shtml|access-date=18 August 2007|publisher=geology.com}}</ref> with a maximum depth of {{convert|1642|m|ft|abbr=off|lk=out}},<ref name="INTAS" /> Lake Baikal is the world's [[List of lakes by volume|largest]] [[freshwater]] lake by volume, containing {{convert|23615.39|km3|cumi|-1|abbr=on}} of water<ref name="INTAS" /> or 22–23% of the world's fresh [[surface water]],<ref>{{cite book|author1= Schwarzenbach, Rene P. |author2= Philip M. Gschwend |author3= Dieter M. Imboden | title= Environmental Organic Chemistry | year= 2003 | publisher= Wiley Interscience | edition= 2 | page= 1052 | isbn= 978-0-471-35053-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Tyus, Harold M. | title= Ecology and Conservation of Fishes | year= 2012 | publisher= CRC Press | page= 116 | isbn= 978-1-4398-9759-1}}</ref> more than all of the [[North America]]n [[Great Lakes]] combined.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1= Bright |editor-first1= Michael | others= preface by Koichiro Mastsuura|title= 1001 natural wonders: you must see before you die|date= 2010|publisher= Cassell Illustrated|location= London|isbn= 978-1-84403-674-5|page= 620|edition= 2009 }}</ref> It is also the world's [[ancient lake|oldest lake]]<ref name="touchstone">{{cite web|url= http://marine.usgs.gov/fact-sheets/baikal/|title= Lake Baikal – A Touchstone for Global Change and Rift Studies|publisher= [[United States Geological Survey]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120629180319/http://marine.usgs.gov/fact-sheets/baikal/|archive-date= 29 June 2012|access-date= 3 January 2016}}</ref> at 25–30&nbsp;million years,<ref name="unesco">{{cite web|url= https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/754|title= Lake Baikal – UNESCO World Heritage Centre|access-date= 5 October 2012}}</ref><ref name="ScienceDaily2017">{{cite web|url= https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170726103013.htm|title= Lake Baikal: Protection of a unique ecosystem|website= ScienceDaily|date= 26 July 2017|access-date= 16 January 2018}}</ref> and among the clearest.<ref name="Jung2004">{{cite book |title=Ecosystems and Natural Resources of Mountain Regions. Proceedings of the first international symposium on Lake Baikal: The current state of the surface and underground hydrosphere in mountainous areas. "Nauka", Novosibirsk, Russia |year=2004 |editor1-last=Smirnov |editor1-first=A.I. |pages=131–140 |chapter=Diel vertical migration of zooplankton in Lake Baikal and its relationship to body size |access-date=9 August 2009 |editor2-last=Izmest'eva |editor2-first=L.R. |chapter-url=http://www.wellesley.edu/Biology/Faculty/Mmoore/Content/JUNG_et_al_2004.pdf |author=Jung, J. |author2=Hojnowski, C. |author3=Jenkins, H. |author4=Ortiz, A. |author5=Brinkley, C. |author6=Cadish, L. |author7=Evans, A. |author8=Kissinger, P. |author9=Ordal, L. |author10=Osipova, S. |author11=Smith, A. |author12=Vredeveld, B. |author13=Hodge, T. |author14=Kohler, S. |author15=Rodenhouse, N. |author16=Moore, M. |archive-date=15 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615182026/http://www.wellesley.edu/Biology/Faculty/Mmoore/Content/JUNG_et_al_2004.pdf }}</ref> It is estimated that the lake contains around 19% of the unfrozen [[fresh water]] on the planet.<ref>{{Cite web |last=World |first=Beautiful |date=2017-05-08 |title=Lake Baikal Facts & Information, Russia - Beautiful World Travel Guide |url=https://www.beautifulworld.com/asia/russia/lake-baikal/ |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Facts & Information - Beautiful World Travel Guide |language=en-US}}</ref>

Lake Baikal is home to thousands of species of plants and animals, many of them [[endemic]] to the region. It is also home to [[Buryats|Buryat]] tribes, who raise goats, camels, cattle, sheep, and horses,<ref name=animal>{{cite book |title= The Other Side of Russia: A Slice of Life in Siberia and the Russian Far East |author= S. Hudgins |year= 2003 |publisher= Texas A&M University Press |url= http://www.tamupress.com/product/Other-Side-of-Russia,4080.aspx |access-date= 9 August 2009}}</ref> on the eastern side of the lake within Buryatia,<ref>{{cite web |author1= M. Hammer |author2= T. Karafet |title= DNA & the peopling of Siberia |url= http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/html/peopling_siberia.html |year= 1995 |publisher= Smithsonian Institution |access-date= 9 August 2009 |archive-date= 24 December 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151224202140/http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic//html/peopling_siberia.html }}</ref> where the mean temperature varies from a winter minimum of {{convert|-19|°C|0}} to a summer maximum of {{convert|14|°C|0}}.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Fefelov |first= I. |author2= Tupitsyn, I. |date= August 2004 |title= Waders of the Selenga delta, Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia |journal= Wader Study Group Bulletin |volume= 104 |pages= 66–78 |url= http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/iwsgb/v104/p00066-p00078.pdf |access-date= 9 August 2009}}</ref> The region to the east of Lake Baikal is referred to as [[Transbaikalia]] or as the Transbaikal,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Erbajeva|first1=Margarita A.|last2=Khenzykhenova|first2=Fedora I.|last3=Alexeeva|first3=Nadezhda V.|date=2013-01-23|title=Aridization of the Transbaikalia in the context of global events during the Pleistocene and its effect on the evolution of small mammals|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040618211007166|journal=Quaternary International|series=Quaternary interconnections in Eurasia: focus on Eastern Europe SEQS Conference, Rostov-on-Don, Russia, 21–26 June 2010|language=en|volume=284|pages=45–52|doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2011.12.024|bibcode=2013QuInt.284...45E|issn=1040-6182|url-access=subscription}}</ref> and the loosely defined region around the lake itself is sometimes known as [[Baikalia]]. [[UNESCO]] declared Baikal a [[World Heritage Site]] in 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/754|title= Lake Baikal – World Heritage Site|publisher= World Heritage|access-date=13 January 2007}}
</ref>

==Geography and hydrography==
[[File:Yeniseirivermap.png|thumb|265px|upright=1.25|The [[Yenisey]] basin, which includes Lake Baikal]]

Lake Baikal is in a [[rift valley]], created by the [[Baikal Rift Zone]], where the Earth's crust is slowly pulling apart.<ref name="oddities">{{cite web|url=http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF9/986.html|title=The Oddities of Lake Baikal|publisher=Alaska Science Forum|access-date=7 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203174400/http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF9/986.html|archive-date=3 February 2007}}</ref> At {{convert|636|km|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|79|km|abbr=on}} wide, Lake Baikal has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in Asia, at {{convert|31722|km2|abbr=on}}, and is the deepest lake in the world at {{convert|1642|m|ft fathom|abbr=off}}. The surface of the lake is {{convert|455.5|m|0|abbr=on}} above sea level, while the bottom of the lake is {{convert|1186.5|m|ft fathom|abbr=on}} below sea level, and below this lies some {{convert|7|km|abbr=on}} of [[sediment]], placing the rift floor some {{convert|8|-|11|km|abbr=on}} below the surface, the deepest continental [[rift]] on Earth.<ref name="oddities"/>

In geological terms, the rift is young and active – it widens about 4&nbsp;mm (0.16&nbsp;in) per year.<ref name="earthquake insight">{{cite web |last1=HUBBARD AND BRADLEY |title=M5.4 earthquake below Lake Baikal |url=https://earthquakeinsights.substack.com/p/m54-earthquake-below-lake-baikal |website=Earthquake Insights |date=16 January 2024 |access-date=Jan 16, 2024}}</ref> The fault zone is also seismically active; hot springs occur in the area and notable [[earthquake]]s happen every few years. The lake is divided into three basins: North, Central, and South, with depths about {{convert|900|m|abbr=on}}, {{convert|1600|m|abbr=on}}, and {{convert|1400|m|abbr=on}}, respectively. Fault-controlled accommodation zones rising to depths about {{convert|300|m|abbr=on}} separate the basins. The North and Central basins are separated by [[Academician Ridge]], while the area around the Selenga Delta and the Buguldeika Saddle separates the Central and South basins. The lake drains into the [[Angara]], a tributary of the [[Yenisey]]. Landforms include [[Cape Ryty]] on Baikal's northwest coast.

Baikal's age is estimated at 25–30&nbsp;million years, making it the most [[ancient lake]] in [[geology|geological]] history.<ref name="unesco"/><ref name=ScienceDaily2017/> It is unique among large, high-latitude lakes, as its sediments have not been scoured by overriding continental ice sheets. Russian, U.S., and Japanese cooperative studies of deep-drilling [[Core sample|core sediments]] in the 1990s provide a detailed record of climatic variation over the past 6.7&nbsp;million years.<ref>Kravchinsky, V.A., M.A. Krainov, M.E. Evans, J.A. Peck, J.W. King, M.I. Kuzmin, H. Sakai, T. Kawai, and D. Williams. Magnetic record of Lake Baikal sediments: chronological and paleoclimatic implication for the last 6.7 Myr. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 195, 281–298, 2003. {{doi|10.1016/S0031-0182(03)00362-6}}</ref><ref>Kravchinsky, V.A., M.E. Evans, J.A. Peck, H. Sakai, M.A. Krainov, J.W. King, M.I. Kuzmin. A 640kyr geomagnetic and paleoclimatic record from Lake Baikal sediments. Geophysical Journal International, 170 (1), 101–116, {{doi|10.1111/j.1365-246X.2007.03411.x}}, 2007.</ref>

Longer and deeper sediment cores are expected in the near future.{{update inline|date=May 2023}} Lake Baikal is the only confined freshwater lake in which direct and indirect evidence of [[gas hydrate]]s exists.<ref>M.I. Kuzmin ''et al.'' (1998). First find of gas hydrates in sediments of Lake Baikal. Doklady Adademii Nauk, 362: 541–543 (in Russian).</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=M. Vanneste |author2=M. De Batist |author3=A. Golmshtok |author4=A. Kremlev |author5=W. Versteeg |year=2001 |title=Multi-frequency seismic study of gas hydrate-bearing sediments in Lake Baikal, Siberia |journal=[[Marine Geology (journal)|Marine Geology]] |volume=172 |issue=1 |pages=1–21 |doi=10.1016/S0025-3227(00)00117-1|bibcode=2001MGeol.172....1V }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=P. Van Rensbergen |author2=M. De Batist |author3=J. Klerkx |author4=R. Hus |author5=J. Poort |author6=M. Vanneste |author7=N. Granin |author8=O. Khlystov |author9=P. Krinitsky |year=2002 |title=Sublacustrine mud volcanoes and methane seeps caused by dissociation of gas hydrates in Lake Baikal |journal=[[Geology (journal)|Geology]] |volume=30 |issue=7 |pages=631–634 |doi=10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0631:SMVAMS>2.0.CO;2|url=http://www.gt-crust.ru/jour/article/view/478 |bibcode=2002Geo....30..631V }}</ref>

The lake is surrounded by mountains; the [[Baikal Mountains]] on the north shore, the [[Barguzin Range]] on the northeastern shore and the [[Primorsky Range]] stretching along the western shore. The mountains and the [[taiga]] are protected as a national park. It contains 27 islands; the largest, [[Olkhon]], is {{convert|72|km|abbr=on}} long and is the third-largest lake-bound island in the world. The lake is fed by as many as 330 inflowing rivers.<ref name="cnn">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/russia/story/train/lake.baikal/|title=Lake Baikal: the great blue eye of Siberia|publisher=CNN |access-date=21 October 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061011114225/http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/russia/story/train/lake.baikal/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 11 October 2006}}</ref> The main ones draining directly into Baikal are the [[Selenga]], the [[Barguzin (river)|Barguzin]], the [[Upper Angara]], the [[Turka (Lake Baikal)|Turka]], the [[Sarma (river)|Sarma]], and the [[Snezhnaya]]. It is drained through a single outlet, the [[Angara]].

Regular winds exist in Baikal's rift valley.<ref>{{Citation|last=Touchart|first=Laurent|title=Baikal, Lake|date=2012|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Lakes and Reservoirs|series=Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series|pages=83–91|editor-last=Bengtsson|editor-first=Lars|place=Dordrecht|publisher=Springer Netherlands|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-1-4020-4410-6_50|isbn=978-1-4020-4410-6|editor2-last=Herschy|editor2-first=Reginald W.|editor3-last=Fairbridge|editor3-first=Rhodes W.}}</ref>

===Water characteristics===
[[File:Baikal 1739.jpg|thumb|Lake Baikal's water is especially clear]]
Baikal is one of the clearest lakes in the world.<ref name=Jung2004/> During the winter, the water transparency in open sections can be as much as {{convert|30-40|m|ft|abbr=on|-1}}, but during the summer it is typically {{cvt|5–8|m|ft|round=5}}.<ref name=FEOW>Freshwater Ecoregions of the World (2008). ''[http://www.feow.org/ecoregions/details/lake_baikal Lake Baikal.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303193643/http://www.feow.org/ecoregions/details/lake_baikal |date=3 March 2016 }}'' Retrieved 16 July 2014.</ref> Baikal is rich in oxygen, even in deep sections,<ref name=FEOW/> which separates it from distinctly [[Stratification (water)|stratified]] bodies of water such as [[Lake Tanganyika]] and the [[Black Sea]].<ref>{{cite book | author1=Hutter| author2=Yongqi | author3=Chubarenko | year=2011 | title=Physics of Lakes: Foundation of the Mathematical and Physical Background | volume=1 | page=11 | publisher=Springer | isbn=978-3-642-15178-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title=Unique body of water | url=http://www.blackseascene.net/content/content.asp?menu=0040032_000000 | publisher=Black Sea Scene | access-date=5 March 2018}}</ref>

In Lake Baikal, the water temperature varies significantly depending on location, depth, and time of the year. During the winter and spring, the surface freezes for about 4–5 months; from early January to early May–June (latest in the north), the lake surface is covered in ice.<ref name=baikalice>{{cite web| title=Ice Conditions | url=http://www.bww.irk.ru/baikalclimate/baikalice.html | publisher=bww.irk.ru | access-date=8 June 2017}}</ref> On average, the ice reaches a thickness of {{convert|0.5|to(-)|1.4|m|ft|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web| title=Baikal seal | url=http://baikal.ru/en/baikal/excursion/nerpa.html | publisher=baikal.ru | access-date=9 June 2017}}</ref> but in some places with [[hummock]]s, it can be more than {{convert|2|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=baikalice/> During this period, the temperature slowly increases with depth in the lake, being coldest near the ice-covered surface at around freezing, and reaching about {{convert|3.5-3.8|C|F|abbr=on}} at a depth of {{convert|200-250|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Gurulev>{{cite web| author=Gurulev, S.A. | title=Temperature of Lake Baikal Water | url=http://www.bww.irk.ru/baikalwater/temperature.html | publisher=bww.irk.ru | access-date=8 June 2017}}</ref> 

After the surface ice breaks up, the surface water is slowly warmed up by the sun, and in May–June, the upper {{convert|300|m|ft|abbr=on}} or so becomes homothermic (same temperature throughout) at around {{convert|4|C|F|abbr=on}} because of water mixing.<ref name="FEOW" /><ref name="Gurulev" /> The sun continues to heat up the surface layer, and at the peak in August can reach up to about {{convert|16|C|F|abbr=on}} in the main sections<ref name="Gurulev" /> and {{convert|20-24|C|F|abbr=on}} in shallow bays in the southern half of the lake.<ref name="FEOW" /><ref name="Pomazkina2012">{{cite journal|author1=Pomazkina, G. |author2=L. Kravtsova |author3=E. Sorokovikova | title=Structure of epiphyton communities on Lake Baikal submerged macrophytes | year=2012 | journal=Limnological Review | volume=12 | issue=1 | pages=19–27 | doi=10.2478/v10194-011-0041-1| doi-access=free }}</ref>

During this time, the pattern is inverted compared to the winter and spring, as the water temperature falls with increasing depth. As the autumn begins, the surface temperature falls again and a second homothermic period at around {{convert|4|C|F|abbr=on}} of the upper circa {{convert|300|m|ft|abbr=on}} occurs in October–November.<ref name="FEOW" /><ref name="Gurulev" /> In the deepest parts of the lake, from about {{convert|300|m|ft|abbr=on}}, the temperature is stable at {{convert|3.1-3.4|C|F|abbr=on}} with only minor annual variations.<ref name="Gurulev" />

The average surface temperature has risen by almost 1.5&nbsp;°C (2.7&nbsp;°F) in the last 50 years, resulting in a shorter period where the lake is covered by ice.<ref name=ScienceDaily2017/> At some locations, [[hydrothermal vent]]s with water that is about {{convert|50|C|F|abbr=on}} have been found. These are mostly in deep water but locally have also been found in relatively shallow water. They have little effect on the lake's temperature because of its huge volume.<ref name=Gurulev/>

Stormy weather on the lake is common, especially during the summer and autumn, and can result in waves as high as {{convert|4.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=FEOW/>

<gallery mode="packed" heights=150>
File:Baikal-S1999276045323.png|Lake Baikal as seen from the [[OrbView-2]] satellite
File:Ice Melting on Lake Baikal - NASA Earth Observatory.jpg|Spring ice melt underway on Lake Baikal, on 4 May{{efn|Note the ice-covered north, while much of the south is already ice-free.}}
File:Baikal lake Crack in the ice.jpg|Ice cover survey on the lake
File:Circles in Thin Ice, Lake Baikal, Russia.jpg|Circle of thin ice, diameter of {{convert|4.4|km|1|abbr=on}} at the lake's southern tip, probably caused by [[convection]]
File:Selenga delta.jpg|Delta of the [[Selenga River]], Baikal's main tributary
</gallery>

==Ecology==
[[File:Baikal-seal 4747-pho.jpg|thumb|The [[Baikal seal]] is [[Endemism|endemic]] to Lake Baikal.]]
Lake Baikal is rich in [[biodiversity]]. It hosts more than 1,000 species of plants and 2,500 species of animals based on current knowledge, but the actual figures for both groups are believed to be significantly higher.<ref name="FEOW" />

===Flora===
The watershed of Lake Baikal has numerous floral species represented. The [[marsh thistle]] (''Cirsium palustre'') is found here at the eastern limit of its geographic range.<ref>C. Michael Hogan. 2009. [http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=48639 ''Marsh Thistle: Cirsium palustre'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Strömberg] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213144520/http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=48639 |date=13 December 2012 }}</ref>

Submerged macrophytic [[vascular plant]]s are mostly absent, except in some shallow bays along the shores of Lake Baikal.<ref name="Shahgedanova2002">{{cite book|author1=Mackay, A. |author2=R. Flower |author3=L. Granina | chapter=Lake Baikal | editor=Shahgedanova, M. | year=2002 | title=The Physical Geography of Northern Eurasia | publisher=Oxford University Press | pages=403–421 | isbn=978-0-19-823384-8}}</ref> More than 85 species of submerged [[macrophytes]] have been recorded, including genera such as ''[[Ceratophyllum]]'', ''[[Myriophyllum]]'', ''[[Potamogeton]]'', and ''[[Sparganium]]''.<ref name="Pomazkina2012" /> The [[invasive species]] ''[[Elodea canadensis]]'' was introduced to the lake in the 1950s.<ref name="Shahgedanova2002" /> Instead of vascular plants, aquatic flora is often dominated by several [[green algae]] species, notably ''[[Draparnaldioides]]'', ''[[Tetraspora]]'', and ''[[Ulothrix]]'' in water shallower than {{convert|20|m|ft|abbr=on|round=5}}; although ''[[Aegagropila linnaei|Aegagrophila]]'', ''[[Cladophora]]'', and ''Draparnaldioides'' may occur deeper than {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on|round=5}}.<ref name="Shahgedanova2002" /> Except for ''Ulothrix'', these green algae genera contain species [[Endemism|endemic]] to Baikal.<ref name="Shahgedanova2002" /> More than 400 [[diatom]] species, both [[benthic]] and [[planktonic]], are found in the lake, and about half of these are endemic to Baikal; however, significant [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomic]] uncertainties remain for this group.<ref name="Shahgedanova2002" />

=== Mammals ===
[[File:Из жизни байкальской нерпы близ Ушканьих островов 02.jpg|thumb|right|Baikal seal]]

The [[Baikal seal]] or ''nerpa'' (''Pusa sibirica'') is endemic to Lake Baikal.<ref>Peter Saundry. 2010. [http://www.eoearth.org/wiki/Baikal_seal ''Baikal seal'']. Encyclopedia of Earth. Topic ed. C. Michael Hogan, Ed. in chief C. NCSE, Washington D.C.</ref>

A wide range of land mammals can be found in the habitats around the lake, such as the [[brown bear]] (''Ursus arctos''), [[Eurasian wolf]] (''Canis lupus lupus''), [[red fox]] (''Vulpes vulpes''), [[sable]] (''Martes zibellina''), [[stoat]] (''Mustela erminea''), [[least weasel]] (''[[Mustela nivalis]]''), [[Eurasian otter]] (''Lutra lutra''), [[snow leopard]] (''Panthera uncia''), [[Siberian tiger]] (''[[Panthera tigris tigris]]''), [[Amur leopard]] (''[[Panthera pardus orientalis]]''), [[moose]] (''Alces alces''), [[elk]] (''Cervus canadensis''), [[reindeer]] (''Rangifer tarandus''), [[Siberian roe deer]] (''Capreolus pygargus''), [[Siberian musk deer]] (''Moschus moschiferus''), [[wild boar]] (''Sus scrofa''), [[red squirrel]] (''Sciurus vulgaris''), [[Siberian chipmunk]] (''Eutamias sibiricus''), [[marmot]]s (''Marmota'' sp.), [[lemming]]s (''Lemmus'' sp.), and [[mountain hare]] (''Lepus timidus'').<ref>{{cite web| title=Wildlife of Lake Baikal | url=http://www.bww.irk.ru/baikalfauna/baikalwildlife.html | publisher=bww.irk.ru | access-date=9 June 2017}}</ref> Until the [[Early Middle Ages]], populations of the [[European bison]] (''Bison bonasus'') were found near the lake; this represented the easternmost range of the species.<ref>Sipko P.T.. 2009. [http://www.smz.waw.pl/wydawnictwa/biuletyn2/20_Sipko.pdf European bison in Russia – past, present and future] (pdf). the European Bison Conservation Newsletter Vol 2 (2009). pp.148–159. the Institute of Problems Ecology and Evolution RAS. Retrieved on 31 March 2017</ref>

=== Birds ===
[[File:Chayki v Chivyrkuyskom zalive.JPG|thumb|[[Mongolian gull]]s on Baikal]]

There are 236 species of birds that inhabit Lake Baikal, 29 of which are [[waterfowl]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zooeco.com/strany/str-01-9-3.html|title=Животный мир Байкала. Озеро Байкал: экология. Озеро Байкал. Природа. Пресноводные водоемы, растительность, животный мир.|website=www.zooeco.com|language=en|access-date=30 June 2018}}</ref> Although named after the lake, both the [[Baikal teal]] and [[Baikal bush warbler]] are widespread in eastern Asia.<ref>{{cite book | author1=Flint, V.E. | author2=R.L. Boehme | author3=Y.V. Kostin | author4=A.A. Kuznetsov | year=1984 | title=Birds of the USSR | page=38<!-- not the same as "plate 38" with illustrations --> | publisher=Princeton University Press | isbn=0-691-02430-8 <!-- | url=https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetobird00flin/page/38 -- wrong link, page 38 is not the same as "plate 38" with illustrations. Page 38 is not currently available for free preview --> }}</ref><ref>{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Locustella davidi'' |volume=2016 |article-number=e.T22732200A95043817 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22732200A95043817.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>

===Fish===
[[File:Thymallus baikalensis, Baikal-Museum, Listvyanka, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia - 20080405.jpg|thumb|left|Two species of [[Thymallus|grayling]] (''[[Thymallus baicalensis|Thymallus baikalensis]]'' and ''T. brevipinnis'') are found only in Baikal and rivers that drain into the lake.<ref name=ThymallusBaikalensis>{{fishBase|Thymallus|baikalensis|year=2014}}</ref><ref name=ThymallusBrevipinnis>{{fishBase|Thymallus|brevipinnis|year=2014}}</ref>]]

Fewer than 65 native fish species occur in the lake basin, but more than half of these are endemic.<ref name=FEOW/><ref name=FishbaseList>FishBase: [http://www.fishbase.org/trophiceco/FishEcoList.php?ve_code=156 Species in Lake Baikal.] Retrieved 6 April 2017.</ref> The families [[Abyssocottidae]] (deep-water sculpins), [[Comephoridae]] (golomyankas or Baikal oilfish), and [[Cottocomephoridae]] (Baikal sculpins) are entirely restricted to the lake basin.<ref name=FEOW/><ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00376-7 |title=Endemic diversification of the monophyletic cottoid fish species flock in Lake Baikal explored with mtDNA sequencing |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=27 |pages=143–155 |year=2003 |last1=Kontula |first1=Tytti |last2=Kirilchik |first2=Sergei V. |last3=Väinölä |first3=Risto |issue=1 |pmid=12679079 |bibcode=2003MolPE..27..143K }}</ref> All these are part of the [[Cottoidea]] and are typically less than {{convert|20|cm|in|abbr=on|0}} long.<ref name=Shahgedanova2002/> Of particular note are the two species of [[golomyanka]] (''Comephorus baicalensis'' and ''C. dybowskii''). These long-finned, translucent fish typically live in open water at depths of {{convert|100|-|500|m|ft|abbr=on}}, but occur both shallower and much deeper. Together with certain abyssocottid sculpins, they are the deepest living freshwater fish in the world, occurring near the bottom of Lake Baikal.<ref name=hunt>Hunt, D. M., et al. (1997). Molecular evolution of the cottoid fish endemic to Lake Baikal deduced from nuclear DNA evidence. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 8(3): 415–22.</ref> The golomyankas are the primary prey of the Baikal seal and represent the largest fish [[biomass]] in the lake.<ref>Pastukhov, V.D: ''[http://www.bww.irk.ru/baikalseals/baikalseals_01.html Lake Baikal Seals – NERPA.]'' Retrieved 19 July 2014.</ref> Beyond members of Cottoidea, there are few endemic fish species in the lake basin.<ref name=FEOW/><ref name=FishbaseList/>

[[File:Omul Fish.jpg|The [[omul]] (''Coregonus migratorius'') is [[Endemism|endemic]] to Lake Baikal, and is a source of income to locals.|thumb]]
The most important local species for fisheries is the [[omul]] (''Coregonus migratorius''), an endemic [[Coregonus|whitefish]].<ref name=FEOW/> It is caught, [[Smoking (food)|smoked]], and then sold widely in markets around the lake. Also, a second endemic whitefish inhabits the lake, ''[[Coregonus baicalensis|C. baicalensis]]''.<ref>{{fishBase|Coregonus|baicalensis|year=2014}}</ref> The [[Thymallus baicalensis|Baikal black grayling]] (''Thymallus baicalensis''), [[Thymallus brevipinnis|Baikal white grayling]] (''T. brevipinnis''), and [[Siberian sturgeon|Baikal sturgeon]] (''Acipenser baerii baicalensis'') are other important species with commercial value. They are also endemic to the Lake Baikal basin.<ref name=ThymallusBaikalensis/><ref name=ThymallusBrevipinnis/><ref>Baikal.ru: ''[http://baikal.ru/en/baikal/excursion/pisces/Thymallus_arcticus_baicalensis.html Baikal grayling.]'' Retrieved 19 July 2014.</ref><ref>Baikal.ru: ''[http://baikal.ru/en/baikal/excursion/pisces/acipenser.html Baikal sturgeon.]'' Retrieved 19 July 2014.</ref>

===Invertebrates===
The lake hosts a rich endemic fauna of invertebrates. Among the most diverse invertebrate groups are the [[amphipod]] and [[ostracod]] crustaceans, [[freshwater snail]]s, [[annelid]] worms and [[turbellaria]]n worms.

====Crustaceans====
[[File:Baikal-Flohkrebs.jpg|thumb|''[[Brachyuropus reicherti]]'' ([[Acanthogammaridae]]), "giant" amphipod caught during [[ice fishing]] in the lake. This species is naturally red-orange in color]]

More than 350 species and subspecies of [[amphipod]]s are endemic to the lake.<ref name="Eulimnogammarus">Rivarola-Duartea; Otto; Jühling; Schreiber; Bedulina; Jakob; Gurkov; Axenov-Gribanov; Sahyoun; Lucassen; Hackermüller; Hoffmann; Sartoris; Pörtner; Timofeyev; Luckenbach; and Stadler (2014). ''A First Glimpse at the Genome of the Baikalian Amphipod Eulimnogammarus verrucosus.'' Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution 322(3): 177–189.</ref> They are exceptionally diverse in [[ecology]] and appearance, ranging from the pelagic ''[[Macrohectopus]]'' to the relatively large deep-water ''[[Abyssogammarus]]'' and ''[[Garjajewia]]'', the tiny herbivorous ''[[Micruropus]]'', and the parasitic ''[[Pachyschesis]]'' ([[parasitizing]] other [[Amphipoda|amphipods]]).<ref name=Sherbakov>Sherbakov; Kamaltynov; Ogarkov; and Verheyen (1998). ''Patterns of Evolutionary Change in Baikalian Gammarids Inferred from DNA Sequences (Crustacea, Amphipoda).'' Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 10(2): 160–167</ref> The "[[gigantism]]" of some Baikal amphipods, which has been compared to that seen in Antarctic amphipods, has been linked to the high level of [[dissolved oxygen]] in the lake.<ref>BBC News (13 May 1999). ''[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/342906.stm Oxygen boosts polar giants.]'' Retrieved 17 July 2014.</ref> Among the "giants" are several species of spiny ''[[Acanthogammarus]]'' and ''[[Brachyuropus]]'' ([[Acanthogammaridae]]) found at both shallow and deep depths.<ref name=Acanthogammarus>Daneliya, M.E.; Kamaltynov, R.M.; and Väinölä, R. (2011). ''Phylogeography and systematics of Acanthogammarus s. str., giant amphipod crustaceans from Lake Baikal.'' Zoologica Scripta 40(6): 623–637.</ref> These conspicuous and common amphipods are essentially carnivores (will also take [[detritus]]), and can reach a body length up to {{convert|7|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Sherbakov/><ref name=Acanthogammarus/> Another common species is another unique inhabitant of the lake: the pelagic amphipod ''[[Macrohectopus branickii]]'' lives its entire life in the water column, which is unique among freshwater amphipods and has been compared to [[krill]].<ref name="Parallel">{{cite journal |last1=Takhteev |first1=V. V. |title=Trends in the evolution of Baikal amphipods and evolutionary parallels with some marine malacostracan faunas |journal=Advances in Ecological Research |date=2000 |volume=31 |pages=197–220 |doi=10.1016/S0065-2504(00)31013-3 |bibcode=2000AdER...31..197T |isbn=0-12-013931-6 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0065250400310133 |access-date=18 May 2025}}</ref>

The number of [[Isopoda|isopods]] is low; all belonging to the family [[Asellidae]]. There are four species of the genus [[Baicalasellus]], and the two species ''[[Mesoasellus dybowskii]]'' and ''[[Limnoasellus poberezhnii]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hMxKEAAAQBAJ&dq=The+four+species+of+Baikalasellus&pg=PA463|title=Evolution and Phylogeny of Pancrustacea: A Story of Scientific Method|first1=Frederick R.|last1=Schram|first2=Stefan|last2=Koenemann|date=2 November 2021|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-009598-7 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hal.science/hal-03623375/document|title=A new obligate groundwater species of Asellus (Isopoda, Asellidae) from Iran}}</ref> These six endemic species are found on rocky substrata in depths varying from 3–10 meters (''Baicalasellus angarensis'') to more than hundred meters (''Mesoasellus dybowskii'').<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ix7ZDwAAQBAJ&dq=Baicalasellus+endemic+rocky+substrata&pg=PA289|title=Evolution and Biogeography: Volume 8|first1=Martin|last1=Thiel|first2=Gary|last2=Poore|date=18 June 2020|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-009497-3 |via=Google Books}}</ref>
[[File:Байкальская эпишура.jpg|thumb|''[[Epischurella baikalensis]]'']]
''[[Epischurella baikalensis]]'' is a [[copepod]] endemic to the lake, being a very abundant species there; it was estimated that they make up 80 to 90% of the total [[Biomass (ecology)|biomass]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://baikal.mobi/ |title=Зоопланктон в экосистеме озера Байкал / О Байкале.ру – Байкал. Научно и популярно |publisher=Baikal.mobi |access-date=2 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930202148/http://baikal.mobi/ |archive-date=30 September 2011  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.obaykale.ru/baykal-fauna_06.htm |script-title=ru:Зоопланктон в экосистеме озера Байкал |author=Пенькова О.Г. |publisher=Иркутский государственный педагогический институт |others=Пробл. сохранения биол. разнообразия Юж. Сиб. : 1 Межрегион. науч.-практ. конф., Кемерово, 19-22 мая, 1997 |location=[[Kemerovo]] |year=1997 |page=87 |language=Russian |access-date=2008-05-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080419084852/http://www.obaykale.ru/baykal-fauna_06.htm |archive-date=2008-04-19 }}</ref> It is estimated that as a species, they filter as much as a thousand cubic kilometers of water a year, or the lake's entire volume every twenty-three years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://epdf.pub/sacred-sea-a-journey-to-lake-baikal.html|title=Sacred Sea: A Journey to Lake Baikal - PDF Free Download|website=epdf.pub}}</ref>

There are about 60 known species of native [[Diplostraca|cladocerans]] (water fleas), several of them endemic.<ref>[https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/962/1/012034/pdf Cladocera species (Crustacea, Branchiopoda) in the littoral zone of Lake Baikal: some representatives of Daphniidae families]</ref>

Similar to another ancient lake, [[Lake Tanganyika|Tanganyika]], Baikal is a center for [[ostracod]] diversity. About 90% of the Lake Baikal ostracods are endemic,<ref name=Karanovic2017a>Karanovic, I.; and T.Y. Sitnikova (2017). ''Morphological and molecular diversity of Lake Baikal candonid ostracods, with a description of a new genus.'' Zookeys. 2017(684): 19–56. {{doi|10.3897/zookeys.684.13249|doi-access=free}}</ref> meaning that there are {{circa}} 200 endemic species.<ref>Martens; Schön; Meisch; and Horne (2008). ''Global diversity of ostracods (Ostracoda, Crustacea) in freshwater.'' Hydrobiologia 595: 185–193. {{doi|10.1007/s10750-007-9245-4}}</ref> This makes it the second-most diverse group of crustacean in the lake, after the amphipods.<ref name=Karanovic2017a/> The vast majority of the Baikal ostracods belong to the families [[Candonidae]] (more than 100 described species) and [[Cytherideidae]] (about 50 described species),<ref name=Karanovic2017a/><ref>Karanovic, I.; and T.Y. Sitnikova (2017). ''Phylogenetic position and age of Lake Baikal candonids (Crustacea, Ostracoda) inferred from multigene sequence analyses and molecular dating.'' Ecol Evol. 7(17): 7091–7103. {{doi|10.1002/ece3.3159}}</ref> but genetic studies indicate that the true diversity in at least the latter family has been heavily underestimated.<ref>Schön; Pieri; Sherbakov; and Martens (2017). ''Cryptic diversity and speciation in endemic Cytherissa (Ostracoda, Crustacea) from Lake Baikal.'' Hydrobiologia 800(1): 61–79. {{doi|10.1007/s10750-017-3259-3}}</ref> The morphology of the Baikal ostracods is highly diverse.<ref name=Karanovic2017a/>

====Snails and bivalves====
{{As of|2006}}, almost 150 freshwater snails are known from Lake Baikal, including 117 endemic species from the subfamilies Baicaliinae (part of the [[Amnicolidae]]) and Benedictiinae (part of the [[Lithoglyphidae]]), and the families [[Planorbidae]] and [[Valvatidae]].<ref name=gastropod>{{cite journal|last1=Sitnikova|first1=T.Y.|title=Endemic gastropod distribution in Baikal|journal=Hydrobiologia|date=2006|volume=568|issue=S1|pages=207–211|doi=10.1007/s10750-006-0313-y|bibcode=2006HyBio.568..207S |s2cid=35020631}}</ref> All endemics have been recorded between {{convert|20|and|30|m|ft|abbr=on}}, but the majority mainly live at shallower depths.<ref name=gastropod/> About 30 freshwater snail species can be seen deeper than {{convert|100|m|ft|abbr=on}}, which represents the approximate limit of the [[sunlight zone]], but only 10 are truly deepwater species.<ref name=gastropod/> In general, Baikal snails are thin-shelled and small. Two of the most common species are ''[[Benedictia]] baicalensis'' and ''[[Megalovalvata baicalensis]]''.<ref name=BaikalGastropoda>Baikal.ru: ''[http://baikal.ru/en/baikal/excursion/gastropoda.html Gastropoda.]'' Retrieved 17 July 2014.</ref> [[Bivalve]] diversity is lower with more than 30 species; about half of these, all in the families Euglesidae, [[Pisidiidae]], and [[Sphaeriidae]], are endemic (the only other family in the lake is the [[Unionidae]] with a single nonendemic species).<ref name=BaikalGastropoda/><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Slugina|first1=Z.V.|title=Endemic Bivalvia in ancient lakes|journal=Hydrobiologia|date=2006|volume=568|issue=S1|pages=213–217|doi=10.1007/s10750-006-0312-z|bibcode=2006HyBio.568..213S |s2cid=22330810}}</ref> The endemic bivalves are mainly found in shallows, with few species from deep water.<ref>Slugina; Starobogatov; and Korniushin (1994). ''Bivalves (Bivalvia) of Lake Baikal.'' Ruthenica 4(2): 111–146.</ref>

====Aquatic worms====
With almost 200 described species, including more than 160 endemics, the center of diversity for aquatic freshwater [[oligochaetes]] is Lake Baikal.<ref name=SegersMartens>Segers, H.; and Martens, K; editors (2005). ''The Diversity of Aquatic Ecosystems.'' pp. 43–44. Developments in Hydrobiology. Aquatic Biodiversity. {{ISBN|1-4020-3745-7}}</ref> A smaller number of other freshwater annelids is known: 30 species of [[leech]]es (Hirudinea),<ref>Kaygorodova, I.A.; and N.M. Pronin (2013). ''New Records of Lake Baikal Leech Fauna: Species Diversity and Spatial Distribution in Chivyrkuy Gulf.'' ScientificWorldJournal. 2013(2013): 206590. {{doi|10.1155/2013/206590|doi-access=free}}</ref> and 4 [[polychaetes]].<ref name=SegersMartens/> Several hundred species of [[nematode]]s are known from the lake, but a large percentage of these are [[Undescribed taxon|undescribed]].<ref name=SegersMartens/>
[[File:Lubomirskia-baicalensis.jpg|thumb|upright|Museum specimen of the branching sponge ''[[Lubomirskia baicalensis]]'' (living are brighter green)]]
More than 140 endemic [[flatworm]] (Plathelminthes) species are in Lake Baikal, where they occur on a wide range of bottom types.<ref name=flatworm>Baikal.ru: [http://baikal.ru/en/baikal/excursion/planaria.html Flatworms (Plathelminthes).] Retrieved 7 June 2017.</ref> Most of the flatworms are predatory, and some are relatively brightly marked. They are often abundant in shallow waters, where they are typically less than {{convert|2|cm|in|abbr=on|0}} long, but in deeper parts of the lake, the largest, ''Baikaloplana valida'', can reach up to {{convert|30|cm|ft|abbr=on|0}} when outstretched.<ref name=Shahgedanova2002/><ref name=flatworm/>

====Sponges====

At least 18 species of [[sponge]]s occur in the lake,<ref name=Kaluzhnaya2005>Kaluzhnaya; Belikov; Schröder; Rothenberger; Zapf; Kaandorp; Borejko; Müller; and Müller (2005). ''Dynamics of skeleton formation in the Lake Baikal sponge Lubomirskia baicalensis. Part I. Biological and biochemical studies.'' Naturwissenschaften 92: 128–133.</ref> including about 15 species from the endemic family [[Lubomirskiidae]] (the remaining are from the nonendemic family [[Spongillidae]]),<ref name=Paradina2003>Paradina; Kulikova; Suturin; and Saibatalova (2003). ''The Distribution of Chemical Elements in Sponges of the Family Lubomirskiidae in Lake Baikal.'' International Symposium – Speciation in Ancient Lakes, SIAL III – Irkutsk 2002. Berliner Paläobiologische Abhandlungen 4: 151–157.</ref><ref>{{cite WoRMS |author=de Voogd, N.J.; Alvarez, B.; Boury-Esnault, N.; Carballo, J.L.; Cárdenas, P.; Díaz, M.-C.; Dohrmann, M.; Downey, R.; Hajdu, E.; Hooper, J.N.A.; Kelly, M.; Klautau, M.; Manconi, R.; Morrow, C.C. Pisera, A.B.; Ríos, P.; Rützler, K.; Schönberg, C.; Vacelet, J.; van Soest, R.W.M. |year=2021 |title=Lubomirskiidae Weltner, 1895 |id=167011 |access-date=24 November 2021}}</ref> which colonized the lake about 3.4 million years ago. The lake's sponges makes up around 44% of the [[benthic]] animal biomass.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/36/11/2462/5522662?login=false|title=Symbiosis, Selection, and Novelty: Freshwater Adaptation in the Unique Sponges of Lake Baikal|first1=Kenny, Nathan|last1=J|first2=Plese|last2=Bruna|first3=Riesgo|last3=Ana|first4=Itskovich, Valeria|last4=B|date=1 November 2019|journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution|volume=36|issue=11|doi=10.1093/molbev/m|doi-broken-date=1 July 2025 }}</ref> ''[[Lubomirskia baicalensis]]'', ''[[Lubomirskiidae|Baikalospongia bacillifera]]'', and ''[[Lubomirskiidae|B. intermedia]]'' are unusually large for freshwater sponges and can reach {{convert|1|m|ft|abbr=on}} or more.<ref name=Kaluzhnaya2005/><ref>Belikov; Kaluzhnaya; Schröder; Müller; and Müller (2007). Lake Baikal endemic sponge Lubomirskia baikalensis: structure and organization of the gene family of silicatein and its role in morphogenesis. Porifera Research: Biodiversity, Innovation and Sustainability, pp. 179–188.</ref> These three are also the most common sponges in the lake.<ref name=Kaluzhnaya2005/> While the ''Baikalospongia'' species typically have encrusting or carpet-like structures, ''L. baikalensis'' often has branching structures and in areas where common may form underwater "forests".<ref name=Kozhov1963>{{cite book| author=Kozhov, M. | year=1963 | title=Lake Baikal and Its Life | series=Monographiae Biologicae | volume=11 | pages=63–67 | isbn=978-94-015-7388-7}}</ref> Most sponges in the lake are typically green when alive because of [[symbiotic]] [[chlorophyte]]s ([[zoochlorella]]), but can also be brownish or yellowish.<ref>Müller; and Grachev, eds. (2009). ''Biosilica in Evolution, Morphogenesis, and Nanobiotechnology: Case Study Lake Baikal'', pp. 81–110. [[Springer Publishing]]. {{ISBN|978-3-540-88551-1}}.</ref>

==Relation to humans==
===History===
The Baikal area, sometimes known as [[Baikalia]], has a long history of human habitation. Near the village of Mal'ta, some 160&nbsp;km northwest of the lake, remains of a young human male known as "MA-1" or "Mal'ta Boy" are indications of local habitation by the [[Mal'ta–Buret' culture]] ca. 24,000 [[Before Present|BP]]. An early known tribe in the area was the [[Kurykans]].<ref>{{cite book| author=Lincoln, W.B. | title=The Conquest of a Continent: Siberia and the Russians | page=246 | year=2007 | publisher=Cornell University Press | isbn=978-0-8014-8922-8}}</ref>

Located in the former northern territory of the [[Xiongnu]] confederation, Lake Baikal is one site of the [[Han–Xiongnu War]], where the armies of the [[Han dynasty]] pursued and defeated the Xiongnu forces from the second century BC to the first century AD. They recorded that the lake was a "huge sea" (''hanhai'') and designated it the North Sea (''Běihǎi'') of the semimythical [[Four Seas]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Chun-shu|last=Chang|title=The Rise of the Chinese Empire: Nation, State, and Imperialism in Early China, ca. 1600 B.C.-A.D. 8|year=2007|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=978-0-472-11533-4|page=264}}</ref> The Kurykans, a Siberian tribe who inhabited the area in the sixth century, gave it a name that translates to "much water". Later on, it was called "natural lake" (''Baygal nuur'') by the Buryats and "rich lake" (''Bay göl'') by the Yakuts.<ref>{{cite book|first=W. Bruce|last=Lincoln|title=The Conquest of a Continent: Siberia and the Russians|year=2007|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-0-8014-8922-8|page=246}}</ref> Lake Baikal was under the [[Anbei Protectorate]] of the [[Tang dynasty]] from 647 CE to 682 CE.

Little was known to [[Europe]]ans about the lake until Russia expanded into the area in the 1600s.

====As part of Russia====
[[File:Letts-Popular-Atlas-1883-Russia-in-Asia-Chinese-Empire-etc.jpg|thumb|An 1883 British map using the ''[[wikt:море|More]] Baikal'' (Baikal Sea) designation, rather than the conventional ''Ozero Baikal'' (Lake Baikal).]]
Russian expansion into the Buryat area around Lake Baikal in 1628–1658 was part of the [[Russian conquest of Siberia]].<ref>George V. Lantzeff and Richard A. Price, 'Eastward to Empire', 1973</ref> It was done first by following the Angara River upstream from [[Yeniseysk]] (founded 1619) and later by moving south from the Lena River. Russians first heard of the Buryats in 1609 at [[Tomsk]]. According to folktales related a century after the fact, in 1623, [[Demid Pyanda]], who may have been the first Russian to reach the Lena, crossed from the upper Lena to the Angara and arrived at Yeniseysk.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.randewy.ru/karta/geogr24.html |script-title=ru:Открытие Русскими Средней И Восточной Сибири |publisher=Randewy.ru |access-date=2 January 2012|language=ru}}</ref>

The [[Russian explorers]] Vikhor Savin (1624) and [[Maksim Perfilyev]] (1626 and 1627–28) explored [[Evenks|Tungus]] country on the lower Angara. To the west, [[Krasnoyarsk]] on the upper Yenisei was founded in 1627. A number of ill-documented (poorly recorded) expeditions explored eastward from Krasnoyarsk. In 1628, [[Pyotr Beketov]] first encountered a group of Buryats and collected ''[[yasak]]'' ([[tribute]]) from them at the future site of [[Bratsk]]. In 1629, Yakov Khripunov set off from Tomsk to find a rumored [[silver mine]]. His men soon began plundering both Russians and natives. They were joined by another band of rioters from Krasnoyarsk, but left the Buryat country when they ran short of food. This made it difficult for other Russians to enter the area. In 1631, Maksim Perfilyev built an ''[[ostrog (fortress)|ostrog]]'' at Bratsk. The pacification was moderately successful, but in 1634, Bratsk was destroyed and its [[garrison]] killed. In 1635, Bratsk was restored by a punitive expedition under Radukovskii. In 1638, it was besieged unsuccessfully. In 1638, Perfilyev crossed from the Angara over the Ilim portage to the [[Lena River]] and went downstream as far as [[Olyokminsk]]. Returning, he sailed up the [[Vitim River]] into the area east of Lake Baikal (1640) where he heard reports of the Amur country. In 1641, Verkholensk was founded on the upper Lena.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

In 1643, [[Kurbat Ivanov]] went further up the Lena and became the first European to see Lake Baikal and [[Olkhon Island]].<ref>Raymond H. Fisher, The Voyage of Semon Dezhnev, The Haklyut Society, 1981, p. 246, {{ISBN|0904180123}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irkutsk.org/baikal/research.htm |title=Research of the Baikal |publisher=Irkutsk.org |date=18 January 2006 |access-date=2 January 2012}}</ref> Half his party under Skorokhodov remained on the lake, reached the [[Upper Angara]] at its northern tip, and wintered on the [[Barguzin (river)|Barguzin River]] on the northeast side.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

In 1644, Ivan Pokhabov went up the Angara to Baikal, becoming perhaps the first Russian to use this route, which is difficult because of the [[rapids]]. He crossed the lake and explored the lower [[Selenge River]]. About 1647, he repeated the trip, obtained guides, and visited a 'Tsetsen Khan' near [[Ulan Bator]]. In 1648, Ivan Galkin built an ''ostrog ''on the Barguzin River which became a center for eastward expansion. In 1652, Vasily Kolesnikov reported from Barguzin that one could reach the Amur country by following the Selenga, Uda, and Khilok Rivers to the future sites of [[Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai|Chita]] and [[Nerchinsk]].{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

In the past, the Baikal was referred to by many Russians as the "Baikal Sea" ({{lang|ru|море Байкал}}, ''More Baikal''), rather than merely "Lake Baikal" ({{lang|ru|озеро Байкал}}, ''Ozero Baikal'').<ref name=tooke>{{Cite book|first=William |last=Tooke|author-link=William Tooke|publisher=Printed by A. Strahan, for T. N. Longman and O. Rees|year=1800|title=View of the Russian empire during the reign of Catharine the Second, and to the close of the eighteenth century|url= https://archive.org/details/viewrussianempi01conggoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/viewrussianempi01conggoog/page/n241 203]}}</ref> This usage is attested already in the ''Life of Protopope [[Avvakum]]'' (1621–1682),<ref>"On the Baikal Sea I was in a shipwreck again" (На Байкалове море паки тонул), in the ''Life of Protopope Avvakum, Written by Himself'' ([[:ru:s:Житие протопопа Аввакума|Житие протопопа Аввакума, им самим написанное]])</ref> and on the late-17th-century maps by [[Semyon Remezov]].<ref>{{Cite book|author=L. Bagrov|title=Imago mundi|editor-last=International Society for the History of Cartography |publisher=Brill Archive |year=1964|volume= 1|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=2zZCAAAAIAAJ|page=115}}</ref> It is also attested in the famous song, now passed into the tradition, that opens with the words ''Славное море, священный Байкал'' (Glorious sea, [the] sacred Bajkal). To this day, the strait between the western shore of the Lake and the [[Olkhon]] Island is called "Maloye More" (''Малое море''), i.e. "the [[Small Sea Strait|Little Sea]]". Lake Baikal is nicknamed "Older sister of Sister Lakes (its sister being [[Lake Khövsgöl]])".<ref>''Lake Baikal: Siberia's Great Lake'', {{ISBN|978-1-84162-294-1}}, p. 4.</ref>

The [[Trans-Siberian Railway]] was built between 1896 and 1902. Construction of the scenic [[Circum-Baikal Railway|railway around the southwestern end of Lake Baikal]] required 200 bridges and 33 tunnels. Until its completion, a [[train ferry]], the [[SS Baikal]], transported railcars across the lake from [[Port Baikal]] to [[Mysovaya]] for a number of years. As the railway was built, a large hydrogeographical expedition headed by F.K. Drizhenko produced the first detailed [[contour map]] of the lake bed.<ref name="touchstone"/>

The lake became the site of the minor [[Battle of Lake Baikal|military engagement]] between the [[Czechoslovak legion]] and the [[Red Army]] in 1918. At times during winter freezes, the lake could be crossed on foot, though at risk of [[frostbite]] and deadly [[hypothermia]] from the cold wind moving unobstructed across flat expanses of ice. In the winter of 1920, the [[Great Siberian Ice March]] occurred, when the retreating [[White movement|White Russian Army]] crossed frozen Lake Baikal. The wind on the exposed lake was so cold, many people died, freezing in place until spring thaw. Beginning in 1956, the impounding of the [[Irkutsk Dam]] on the Angara River raised the level of the lake by {{Convert|1.4|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="his">{{cite web|title=Irkutsk Hydroelectric Power Station History|url=http://en.irkutskenergo.ru/qa/1008.2.html|publisher=Irkutskenergo|access-date=7 September 2010|archive-date=25 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325234405/http://en.irkutskenergo.ru/qa/1008.2.html}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Khagdaev 02.jpg|[[Buryats|Buryat]] [[shaman]] on [[Olkhon Island]]
File:Baikal sea.png|Russian map ''circa'' 1700, Baikal (not to scale) is at top
File:КБЖД 17.jpg|Steam locomotive on the [[Circum-Baikal Railroad]]
File:Ledokol Angara.jpg|''{{ill|Angara (icebreaker)|lt=Angara|ru|Ангара (ледокол)}}'' was launched in 1900 and is one of the oldest surviving [[icebreaker]]s
File:DEM Baikal lake.png|A [[digital elevation model]] of the Lake Baikal region, [[NOAA]] 2006
</gallery>

===Research===
[[File:Vladimir Putin about his descent to the bottom of Lake Baikal.jpeg|thumb|[[Vladimir Putin]] giving an interview after completion of the dive aboard [[Mir (submersible)|Mir-1]]]]
Several organizations are carrying out natural research projects on Lake Baikal. Most of them are governmental or associated with governmental organizations. The [[Baikalian Research Centre]] is an independent research organization carrying out environmental, educational and research projects at Lake Baikal.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200218031450/http://www.baikal-research.org/ Байкальский исследовательский центр]}} (Baikal Research Centre; in Russian). www.baikal-research.org</ref>

In July 2008, Russia sent two small [[submersible]]s, [[Mir-1 (sub)|Mir-1]] and [[Mir-2 (sub)|Mir-2]], to descend {{convert|1592|m|abbr=on}} to the bottom of Lake Baikal to conduct geological and biological tests on its unique ecosystem. Although originally reported as being successful, they did not set a world record for the deepest freshwater dive, reaching a depth of only {{convert|1580|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Dive">{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7530230.stm |work=BBC News |title=Russians in landmark Baikal dive |date=29 July 2008 |access-date=4 April 2010}}</ref> That record is currently held by [[Anatoly Sagalevich]], at {{convert|1637|m|ft|abbr=on}} (also in Lake Baikal aboard a [[Pisces-class deep submergence vehicle|Pisces]] submersible in 1990).<ref Name="Dive"/><ref>Gallant, Jeffrey (29 July 2008) {{cite web|url=http://www.divingalmanac.com/records_baikal.html |title=Russian submersible dives in Lake Baikal do not establish new freshwater depth record |access-date=4 June 2009 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922195516/http://www.divingalmanac.com/records_baikal.html |archive-date=22 September 2008 }}. DivingAlmanac.com</ref> Russian scientist and federal politician [[Artur Chilingarov]], the leader of the mission, took part in the Mir dives alongside Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Submarines to plumb deepest lake |date=19 July 2008 |url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/53147/Submarines-to-plumb-deepest-lake|author=PA News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=A Rugged Guys' heart to heart|last=Barry|first=Ellen|date=23 May 2011|work=International Herald Tribune}}</ref>

Since 1993, [[neutrino]] research has been conducted at the [[Baikal Deep Underwater Neutrino Telescope]] (BDUNT). The Baikal Neutrino Telescope NT-200 is being deployed in Lake Baikal, {{convert|3.6|km|abbr=on}} from shore at a depth of {{convert|1.1|km|abbr=on}}. It consists of 192 optical modules.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://baikalweb.jinr.ru/|title=Baikal Lake Neutrino Telescope|publisher=Baikalweb|date=6 January 2005|access-date=30 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831210755/http://baikalweb.jinr.ru/|archive-date=31 August 2010}}</ref>

===Economy===
[[File:Fishermen in the Katun, Baikal.jpg|thumb|Baikal fishermen fish for 15 commercially used species. The [[omul]], found only in Baikal, accounts for most of the catch.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalgreatlakes.org/baikal/ |title=Lake Baikal |work=Global Great Lakes |access-date=23 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227001822/http://www.globalgreatlakes.org/baikal/ |archive-date=27 February 2014  }}</ref>]]

The lake, nicknamed "the Pearl of Siberia", drew investors from the tourist industry as energy revenues sparked an economic boom.<ref name="Esslemont">{{cite news|author=Tom Esslemont |date=7 September 2007 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6982271.stm|title="Pearl of Siberia" draws investors|work=BBC News |access-date=4 December 2007}}</ref> Viktor Grigorov's Grand Baikal in [[Irkutsk]] is one of the investors, who planned to build three hotels, creating 570 jobs. In 2007, the Russian government declared the Baikal region a [[special economic zone]]. A popular resort in [[Listvyanka, Irkutsky District, Irkutsk Oblast|Listvyanka]] is home to the seven-story Hotel Mayak. At the northern part of the lake, Baikalplan (a German NGO) built together with Russians in 2009 the [[Frolikha Adventure Coastline Track]], a {{convert|100|km|abbr=on|adj=on}}-long [[long-distance trail]] as an example for sustainable development of the region. Baikal was also declared a UNESCO [[World Heritage]] site in 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Lake Baikal |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/754/ |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}</ref> [[Rosatom]] plans to build a laboratory near Baikal, in conjunction with an international [[uranium]] plant and to invest $2.5&nbsp;billion in the region and create 2,000 jobs in the city of [[Angarsk]].<ref name="Esslemont"/>

Lake Baikal is a popular destination among tourists from all over the world. According to the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, in 2013, 79,179 foreign tourists visited Irkutsk and Lake Baikal; in 2014, 146,937 visitors. The most popular places to stay by the lake are Listvyanka village, Olkhon Island, Kotelnikovsky cape, Baykalskiy Priboi, [[resort Khakusy]] and Turka village. The popularity of Lake Baikal is growing from year to year, but there is no developed infrastructure in the area.

The ice road to Olkhon Island is the only legal ice road on Lake Baikal. The route is prepared by specialists every year and it opens when the ice conditions allow it. In 2015, the ice road to Olkhon was open from 17 February to 23 March. The thickness of the ice on the road is about {{convert|60|cm|in|abbr=on}}, maximum capacity allowed – {{convert|10|t|abbr=on}}; it is open to the public from 9&nbsp;am to 6&nbsp;pm. The road through the lake is {{convert|12|km|abbr=on}} long and it goes from the village Kurkut on the mainland to Irkutskaya Guba on Olkhon Island.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianblogger.me/lake-baikal-in-the-winter-driving-on-frozen-lake-baikal/|title=Driving on frozen Lake Baikal in the winter|last=Daniil|first=Timin|website=Russian blogger}}</ref>

===Ecotourism===
[[File:Лёд Байкала.jpg|thumb|Cracks in Baikal ice]]
Baikal has a number of different tourist activities, depending on the season. Generally, Baikal has two top tourist seasons. The first season is ice season, which starts usually in mid-January and lasts till mid-April.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.56thparallel.com/lake-baikal-travel-guide/ | title=Lake Baikal Travel Guide – Top Ten Attractions on Lake Baikal| date=23 November 2017}}</ref> During this season ice depth increases up to 140 centimeters, that allows safe vehicle driving on the ice cover (except heavy vehicles, such as tourist buses, that do not take this risk). This allows access to the figures of ice that are formed at rocky banks of [[Olkhon Island]], including Cape Hoboy, the Three Brothers rock, and caves to the north of [[Khuzhir, Irkutsk Oblast|Khuzhir]]. It also provides access to small islands like [[Ogoy Island]] and Zamogoy.

The ice itself has a transparency of one meter depth.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} That is why this season is popular for hiking, ice-walking, ice-skating, and bicycle riding.<ref>{{cite web|date=2020-05-18|title=A Winter Bikepacking Journey Across Lake Baikal|url=https://bikepacking.com/plog/bikepacking-lake-baikal/|access-date=2021-01-18|website=BIKEPACKING.com|language=en}}</ref> An ice route around Olkhon is around 200&nbsp;km.

The ice season ends in mid-April. Owing to increasing temperatures ice starts to melt and becomes shallow and fragile, especially in places with strong under-ice flows. A range of factors contribute to an increased risk of falling through the ice towards the end of the season, resulting in multiple deaths in Russia each year, although exact data for Baikal are unknown.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sharma|first1=Sapna|last2=Blagrave|first2=Kevin|last3=Watson|first3=Simon R.|last4=O'Reilly|first4=Catherine M.|last5=Batt|first5=Ryan|last6=Magnuson|first6=John J.|last7=Clemens|first7=Tessa|last8=Denfeld|first8=Blaize A.|last9=Flaim|first9=Giovanna|last10=Grinberga|first10=Laura|last11=Hori|first11=Yukari|date=2020-11-18|title=Increased winter drownings in ice-covered regions with warmer winters|journal=PLOS ONE|language=en|volume=15|issue=11|article-number=e0241222|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0241222|issn=1932-6203|pmc=7673519|pmid=33206655|bibcode=2020PLoSO..1541222S|doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Viktor Viktorovych Yanukovych]], son of former Ukrainian President [[Viktor Yanukovych]], reportedly died after his car fell through the ice while driving on Baikal in 2015.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2015-03-22|title=Ukraine ex-President Yanukovych's son 'drowns in lake'|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32009480}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150324180642/http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/03/22/7062301/ Yanukovych junior perished]. ''[[Ukrayinska Pravda]]''. 22 March 2015</ref>
[[File:Great-baikal-trail.jpg|thumb|[[Great Baikal Trail]] goes from Listvyanka to Bolshoe Goloustnoye along Lake Baikal coast]]
The second tourist season is summer, which lets tourists dive deeper into virgin Baikal nature. Hiking trails become open,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://greatbaikaltrail.org/en/tropi/ |title=Trails - Great Baikal Trail &#124; GBT |work=Great Baikal Trail &#124; GBT |access-date=10 March 2019 |archive-date=27 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327101121/https://greatbaikaltrail.org/en/tropi/  }}</ref> many of them cross two mountain ranges: [[Baikal Mountains|Baikal Range]] on the western side and [[Barguzin Range]] on the eastern side of Baikal.

Small tourist vessels operate in the area, availing bird-watching, animal-watching (especially [[Baikal seal]]), and fishing. Water in the lake stays extremely cold in most places (does not exceed 10 C most of the year), but in a few gulfs like Chivirkuy, it can be comfortable for swimming.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://prospekt-desires.ru/samyj-teplyj-zaliv-na-bajkale-chivyrkujskij-zaliv/ |title = Самый теплый залив на Байкале – Чивыркуйский залив !|date = 17 December 2017}}</ref>

Olkhon's most-populated village [[Khuzhir, Irkutsk Oblast|Khuzhir]] is an ecotourist destination.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://geohistory.today/siberia-ecotourism-olkhon-island/|title=Ecotourism in Siberia: Development and Challenges on Olkhon Island|last=McGee|first=Rylin|date=2018-04-17|website=GeoHistory|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-26}}</ref> Baikal has always been popular in Russia and CIS-countries, but in 2014 Baikal saw an influx of visitors from China and Europe.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rbth.com/business/2015/03/18/chinese_tourists_eager_to_visit_baikal_44579.html | title=Chinese tourists eager to visit Baikal| date=18 March 2015}}</ref>

===Environmental concerns===
Environmentalists have previously acknowledged pollution at Lake Baikal.<ref>{{cite web|date=2019-04-01|title=Russian Scientists Ring the Alarm on Lake Baikal's Pollutants|url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/04/01/russian-scientists-ring-the-alarm-on-lake-baikals-pollutants-a65038|access-date=2021-02-14|website=The Moscow Times|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Stewart|first=John Massey|title='The great lake is in great peril': Siberia's sacred sea, bigger than Belgium and older than any other lake, Baikal is threatened by pollution from industry and agriculture|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg12617234-600-the-great-lake-is-in-great-peril-siberias-sacred-sea-bigger-than-belgium-and-older-than-any-other-lake-baikal-is-threatened-by-pollution-from-industry-and-agriculture/|access-date=2021-02-14|website=New Scientist|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> It faces a series of detrimental phenomena including the disappearance of the omul fish, the rapid growth of putrid algae and the death of endemic species of sponges across its area.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/19/lake-baikal-russia-crippled-algae-fish-poaching-pollution|title=World's deepest lake crippled by putrid algae, poaching and pollution|agency=Agence France-Presse|date=2017-10-19|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-12-17|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Environmental advocacy for the lake began in the late 1950s.<ref>{{cite book| author=Brown, Kate Pride | title=Saving the Sacred Sea: The Power of Civil Society in an Age of Authoritarianism and Globalization | year=2018 | publisher=Oxford University Press | isbn=978-0-19-066094-9}}</ref> Since 2010, more than 15,000 metric tons of toxic waste have flowed into the lake.{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}}

====Baykalsk Pulp and Paper Mill====
[[File:Bajkal'sk paper.jpg|thumb|left|Baykalsk Pulp and Paper Mill in 2008, 5 years before its 2013 closure]]
The [[Baykalsk Pulp and Paper Mill]] was constructed in 1966, directly on the shoreline of Lake Baikal. The plant bleached paper using [[chlorine]] and discharged waste directly into Lake Baikal. The decision to construct the plant on Lake Baikal resulted in strong protests from Soviet scientists; according to them, the ultra-pure water of the lake was a significant resource and should have been used for innovative chemical production (for instance, the production of high-quality viscose for the aeronautics and space industries). The Soviet scientists felt that it was irrational to change Lake Baikal's water quality by beginning paper production on the shore. It was their position that it was also necessary to preserve endemic species of local biota, and to maintain the area around Lake Baikal as a recreation zone.<ref>Sobisevich A. V., Snytko V. A. [https://www.academia.edu/35660969 Some aspects of nature protection in the scientific heritage of academician Innokentiy Gerasimov] // Acta Geographica Silesiana. 2018. Vol. 29, # 1. pp. 55–60.</ref> However, the objections of the Soviet scientists faced opposition from the industrial lobby and only after decades of protest, the plant was closed in November 2008 due to unprofitability.<ref>{{cite news|author=Tom Parfitt in Moscow |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/nov/12/pollution-water-russia-deripaska |title=Russia Water Pollution |work=The Guardian |date= 12 November 2008|access-date=2 January 2012 |location=London}}</ref><ref name=test>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacredland.org |title=Sacred Land Film Project, Lake Baikal |publisher=Sacredland.org |access-date=2 January 2012}}</ref>

On 4 January 2010, production was resumed. On 13 January 2010, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin introduced changes in legislation legalising the operation of the plant; this action brought about a wave of protests from ecologists and local residents.<ref name=Levy-IHT-11092010>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/world/europe/12raids.html?_r=2&ref=europe|title=Russia Uses Microsoft to Suppress Dissent|author=Clifford J. Levy|work=International Herald Tribune|date=11 September 2010|access-date=10 December 2011}}</ref> These changes were based on the determination Prime Minister Putin made through a visual verification of Lake Baikal's condition from a miniature submarine, where he said: "I could see with my own eyes – and scientists can confirm – Baikal is in good condition and there is practically no pollution".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126609485 |title=Russians Debate Fate of Lake: Jobs Or Environment? |publisher=Npr.org |date=10 May 2010 |access-date=2 January 2012}}</ref> Despite this, in September 2013, the mill underwent a final bankruptcy, with the last 800 workers slated to lose their jobs by 28 December 2013.<ref>[http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/30/21547148-tide-of-discontent-sweeps-through-russias-struggling-rust-belt Tide of discontent sweeps through Russia's struggling 'rust belt' – NBC News] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215174302/http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/30/21547148-tide-of-discontent-sweeps-through-russias-struggling-rust-belt |date=15 December 2013 }}. Worldnews.nbcnews.com (30 November 2013). Retrieved on 15 May 2014.</ref> The mill has since shut down, though its reservoirs of [[lignin]] sludge remain an environmental hazard.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Panin |first1=Alexander |title=Polluting Baikal Paper Mill Finally Shuts Down |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2013/10/13/polluting-baikal-paper-mill-finally-shuts-down-a28543 |access-date=13 August 2022 |work=The Moscow Times |date=13 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Khurshudyan |first1=Isabelle |title=This Siberian town lost everything when the mill closed. It's now struggling to find a future. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/05/13/russia-industrial-mill-closed-siberia/ |access-date=13 August 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=13 May 2021}}</ref>

====Cancelled East Siberia–Pacific Ocean oil pipeline====
[[File:Frozen Lake Baikal. (32419140034).jpg|thumb|The lake in winter, its ice thick enough to support a 2004 [[Mitsubishi Pajero]]]]
{{Main|Eastern Siberia–Pacific Ocean oil pipeline}}

Russian oil pipelines state company [[Transneft]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transneft.ru/Default.asp?LANG=EN|title=Transneft|publisher=Transneft|access-date=21 October 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061004021120/http://www.transneft.ru/Default.asp?LANG=EN <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 4 October 2006}}</ref> was planning to build a trunk pipeline that would have come within {{convert|800|m|ft|abbr=on}} of the lake shore in a zone of substantial seismic activity. Environmental activists in Russia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baikalwave.eu.org/Eng/index-e.html|title=Baikal Environmental Wave |access-date=21 October 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060825011926/http://www.baikalwave.eu.org/Eng/index-e.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 25 August 2006}}</ref> Greenpeace, Baikal pipeline opposition<ref>{{cite web |url=http://baikal-pipe.net/?page_id=64 |title=Baikal pipeline |access-date=21 October 2006  |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723022331/http://baikal-pipe.net/?page_id=64 |archive-date=23 July 2011}}</ref> and local citizens<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baikalwave.eu.org/Eng/news.html#a2 |title=The Right to Know: Irkutsk Citizens Want to be Consulted |access-date=7 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711115354/http://baikalwave.eu.org/Eng/news.html |archive-date=11 July 2007  }}</ref> were strongly opposed to these plans, due to the possibility of an accidental oil spill that might cause significant damage to the environment. According to the Transneft's president, numerous meetings with citizens near the lake were held in towns along the route, especially in Irkutsk.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spb.ecology.net.ru/enwl/2006/03/15_16.htm|title=Тема: (ENWL) Власти Иркутской обл. выступили против прокладки нефтепровода к Тихому океану|access-date=3 August 2007|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070928094910/http://spb.ecology.net.ru/enwl/2006/03/15_16.htm|archive-date=28 September 2007}}</ref> Transneft agreed to alter its plans when Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the company to consider an alternative route {{convert|40|km|mi|sp=us}} to the north to avoid such ecological risks.<ref>{{cite news|date=26 April 2006 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4945998.stm |title=Putin orders oil pipeline shifted |work=BBC News |access-date=21 October 2006}}</ref> Transneft has since decided to move the pipeline away from Lake Baikal, so that it will not pass through any federal or republic natural reserves.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rbcnews.com/free/20060907165225.shtml|title=Transneft charged with Siberia-Pacific pipeline construction|publisher=BizTorg.ru |access-date=21 October 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.transneft.ru/press/Default.asp?LANG=EN&ATYPE=9&ID=11661|title=New route|publisher=Transneft Press Center |access-date=21 October 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061004021848/http://www.transneft.ru/press/Default.asp?LANG=EN&ATYPE=9&ID=11661 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 4 October 2006}}</ref> Work began on the pipeline two days after President Putin agreed to changing the route away from Lake Baikal.<ref>{{cite news |date=28 April 2006|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4954554.stm|title=Work starts on Russian pipeline|work=BBC News |access-date=4 December 2007}}</ref>

====Proposed uranium enrichment center====
In 2006, the Russian government announced plans to build the world's first international uranium enrichment center at an existing nuclear facility in [[Angarsk]], a city on the [[Angara River|river Angara]] some {{convert|95|km|abbr=on}} downstream from the lake's shores. Critics and environmentalists argued it would be a disaster for the region and are urging the government to reconsider.<ref name=critic>{{cite web |url=http://www.newint.org/columns/currents/2008/05/01/environment/ |title=Saving the Sacred Sea: Russian nuclear plant threatens ancient lake |publisher=Newint.org |access-date=2 January 2012 |date=2 May 2008 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224211745/https://newint.org/columns/currents/2008/05/01/environment/ }}</ref>

After enrichment, only 10% of the uranium-derived radioactive material would be exported to international customers,<ref name=critic/> leaving 90% near the Lake Baikal region for storage. [[radioactive waste|Uranium tailings]] contain radioactive and toxic materials, which if improperly stored, are potentially dangerous to humans and can contaminate rivers and lakes.<ref name=critic/>

An enrichment center was constructed in the 2010s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eng.iuec.ru/|title=The International Uranium Enrichment Center {{!}} JSC IUEC|website=eng.iuec.ru|access-date=19 June 2018}}</ref>

====Chinese-owned bottled water plant====
Chinese-owned AquaSib had been purchasing land alongside the lake and in 2019 started building a [[bottling plant]] and pipeline in the town of [[Kultuk, Slyudyansky District, Irkutsk Oblast|Kultuk]]. The goal was to export 190 million liters of water to China even though the lake had been experiencing historically low water levels. This spurred protests by the local population that the lake would be drained of its water, at which point the local government halted the plans pending analysis.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/03/15/siberian-authorities-halt-construction-of-lake-baikal-bottling-plant-after-backlash-a64818|title=Siberian Authorities Halt Construction of Lake Baikal Bottling Plant After Backlash|date=15 March 2019}}</ref>{{Update inline|date=May 2025}}

====Other pollution sources====
According to ''[[The Moscow Times]]'' and ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]'', an increasing number of an [[invasive species]] of [[algae]] thrive in the lake from hundreds of tons of liquid waste, including fuel and excrement, regularly disposed into the lake by tourist sites, and up to 25,000 tons of liquid waste are disposed of every year by local ships.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stephenmbland.com/#!earths-deepest-lake-is-seriously-ill/cbfp|title=StephenMBland|website=StephenMBland}}</ref><ref>[http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russias-baikal-biggest-lake-in-the-world-becoming-a-swamp/506641.html Russia's Baikal, Biggest Lake in the World, 'Becoming a Swamp']. 8 September 2014 19:35. ''[[The Moscow Times]]''.</ref>

===In culture===
According to 19th-century traveler [[T. W. Atkinson]], locals in the Lake Baikal Region had the tradition that Christ visited the area:<blockquote>
The people have a tradition in connection with this region which they implicitly believe. They say "that Christ visited this part of Asia and ascended this summit, whence he looked down on all the region around. After blessing the country to the northward, he turned towards the south, and looking across the Baikal, he waved his hand, exclaiming 'Beyond this there is nothing.{{'}} Thus they account for the [[Soil fertility|sterility]] of [[Daouria]], where it is said "no corn will grow."<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/travelsinregion00atkigoog |title=Travels in the Regions of the Upper and Lower Amoor |page=[https://archive.org/details/travelsinregion00atkigoog/page/n406 385] |author=T. W. Atkinson |year=1861 |publisher=Hurst and Blackett}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Lake Baikal has been celebrated in [[Russian folk song]]s. Two of these songs are known in Russia and its neighboring countries, such as Japan.
* "[[Glorious Sea, Sacred Baikal]]" ({{lang|ru|Славное мope, священный Байкал}}) is about a ''[[katorga]]'' fugitive. The lyrics as documented and edited in the 19th century by Dmitriy P. Davydov (1811–1888).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.karaoke.ru/song/3422.htm |title=The Glorious Sea, Sacred Baikal |publisher=Karaoke.ru |access-date=2 January 2012}}</ref> See "Barguzin River" for sample lyrics.
* "[[Po dikim stepyam Zabaikalya|The Wanderer]]" ({{lang|ru|Бродяга}}) is about a convict who had escaped from jail and was attempting to return home from [[Transbaikal]].<ref>[http://www.karaoke.ru/song/692.htm «По диким степям Забайкалья», Русланова Лидия]. karaoke.ru {{in lang|ru}}</ref> The lyrics were collected and edited in the 20th century by [[Ivan Kondratyev]].

The latter song was a secondary [[theme song]] for the Soviet Union's second color film, ''[[Ballad of Siberia]]'' (1947; {{lang|ru|Сказание о земле Сибирской}}).
{{Clear}}

==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed caption="Shores of Baikal" >
File:Lake Baikal in winter.jpg|Frozen lake Baikal near [[Olkhon Island]]
File:Olkhon Island and Lake Baikal.jpg|Cliffs on Olkhon Island
File:Побережье Байкала в Сухой.jpg|A sandy beach in the [[Kabansky District]]
File:26 swiatoinos.jpg|Mountains on the [[Svyatoy Nos Peninsula, Buryatia|Svyatoy Nos Peninsula]], [[Zabaykalsky National Park]]
File:Turka ibaia bokaletik gertu.JPG|The river [[Turka (Lake Baikal)|Turka]] at its mouth before joining Lake Baikal
</gallery>

==See also==
{{portal|Lakes|Siberia}}
* [[Cryptodepression]]
* [[Russian Far East]]
* [[Seven Wonders of Russia]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== Further reading ==
* Detlev Henschel, ''Kayak Adventure in Siberia: The first solo circumnavigation of Lake Baikal''. Amazon {{ISBN|978-3737561020}}
* [[Colin Thubron]] (2000), ''In Siberia'', {{ISBN|978-0060953737}}, Harper Perennial.
* [[Leonid Borodin]] (1988), ''Year of Miracle And Grief'', Quartet Books {{ISBN|978-0704300866}}
* Martin Cruz Smith (2019), ''Siberian Dilemma'', Simon & Schuster {{ISBN|9781439140253}}
* {{cite EB9 |wstitle = Baikal |volume= III | page = 241 }}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Baikal | volume= 3 |last1= Kropotkin |first1= Peter Alexeivitch |author1-link= Peter Kropotkin| last2= Bealby |first2= John Thomas| pages = 215–216 |short= 1}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Lake Baikal}}
* [http://www.lakebaikal.org/ Lake Baikal Information]
* [https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2019/05/lake-baikal-ice-formations-photos/590374/ Lake Baikal Ice Formations in Photos]
* {{Vimeo|157246628|Lake Baikal}}

{{World Heritage Sites in Russia|state=uncollapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Lake Baikal| ]]
[[Category:Ancient lakes]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Biosphere reserves of Russia]]
[[Category:Extreme points of Russia]]
[[Category:Freshwater ecoregions]]
[[Category:Geography of the Russian Far East]]
[[Category:Lakes of Buryatia|Baikal]]
[[Category:Lakes of Irkutsk Oblast|Baikal]]
[[Category:Lakes of Russia|Baikal]]
[[Category:Landforms of Siberia]]
[[Category:Natural history of Siberia]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Siberia]]
[[Category:Rift lakes|Baikal]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Buryatia]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Irkutsk Oblast]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Russia]]
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