Baikal Web World - Fogs on lake Baikal


Origin & Development
Legends & Fairy tales • Earth's Crust Thickness • Underwater Relief • Landscapes • History & Formation • Seismic Activity •
History of Lake Baikal
History of Explorations • Inhabitants & Settlers • First maps of Baikal • Archaeological Sites •
Lake Baikal Climate
Introduction • Fogs • Winds & Waves • Ice Conditions •
Fauna & Vegetation
Mammals • Baikal seal - Nerpa • Ichthyofauna • Invertebrates • Vegetation •
Water of Lake Baikal
Colour • Transparency • Temperature • Pressure • Depth • Currents • Budget • Chemical Composition • Pollution •
Recreational Areas
Circumbaikal Railway • Peschanaya Bays • Olkhon Island • Chivirkuysky Gulf • Wooden Irkutsk • Trans-Siberian Railway •
People of Lake Baikal
People of Siberia • Buryat nation in Baikal • Russians in Baikal •

Explanation of the local terms and geographical names at lake Baikal

Fogs on Lake Baikal

A considerable discrepancy in the temperature of the water and the air is a serious reason for fog formation. In summer the warm air from the dry land descends over the cold surface of the water, in late autumn and in winter the water evaporates from the surface. It is explained by the fact that cooled air masses from the dry land blanket the lake hollow. The fog stays mostly on the shoreline bends, coves, bays and at the open inlets of the rivers. And then one can see "a wonderful

fairy-tale: now, a sailer with a flowing snow-white sail is sliding at full speed to meet you; now, a handsome castle of the Middle Ages hangs poised in the air, smoothly descending as if adapting itself where to land better; now, swans, their proud heads high, are flowing close up to you..." Quite a number of legends and beliefs are connected with the Baikal mirages. From the scientific point of view there is nothing unique about the fogs on lake Baikal. Baikal fogs are just Baikal fogs.

Mists are often frequent in June when they appear while moisture condensation which is brought to cold Baikal with heated air. Usually they are observed while the little wind weather. Average number of misty days in June is 13-20 days in the northern part and 6-12 days in the southern part of the lake.