Geography of the Bryansk region

The Bryansk region is part of the Central Economic Region and the Central Federal District of the Russian Federation. In the west, it borders with the Republic of Belarus ( Gomel and Mogilev regions), in the south - with Ukraine ( Chernihiv and Sumy regions), in the north - with the Kaluga and Smolensk regions, in the east - with the Oryol and Kursk regions. The total length of its borders is about 3366 km, of which with Belarus - 355 km ^[1] , with Ukraine - more than 350 km ^[2] .

The extreme points of the Bryansk region are the following coordinates: in the north (in the Rognedinsky district ) - , in the south (in the Sevsky region ) - , in the west (in the Krasnogorsk region ) - , in the east (in the Karachevsky district ) - The total area of ​​the region is 34 900 km ², the length from north to south is about 190 km, from west to east - about 270 km ^[3] .

According to meteorological indicators, the climate of the region is moderately continental with warm summers and moderately cold winters. The average annual air temperature gradually rises from north to south from + 4.5 ° ( Rognedino ) to + 5.9 ° ( Sevsk ).

Winter in the Bryansk region lasts an average of 155 days. This season can be divided into two periods: pre-winter and winter. The first period, characteristic of the climate of the more southern regions of Russia, lasts 20-30 days and is observed almost annually. It is characterized by an influx of warm air from the south or west and the temporary formation of snow cover, which is favorable for winter crops . Winter begins in the first half of November, at which time ponds freeze. A stable snow cover is formed in late November or early December, lasts an average of 100-120 days and reaches a maximum thickness of 20-40 cm at the end of February. Winter in the region is relatively mild, cloudy weather is predominant, accompanied by snowfalls. 160 mm of precipitation falls during the winter. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of −7 °, −9 °. The absolute minimum temperature reaches −37 ... −41 ° C.

In atmospheric circulation, western transport from the Atlantic Ocean predominates, which is characterized by a frequent change of waves of warm and cold air. This leads to instability of weather processes, as a result of which, in different years, spring can be early or late, long or short, warm or cold. The beginning of spring is considered to be the time when the average daily air temperature rises above +5 ° C (usually around April 8-15), however, frosts are still possible even in May. In the spring, about 100 mm of precipitation falls, which is 16% of the annual amount ^[4] .

Summer usually occurs on the 20th of May, when the average daily temperature exceeds +15 ° C, and lasts on average 105-110 days. The warmest month is July, the average air temperature is in the range + 18.8 ... + 19.5 ° С. The absolute maximum temperature in the region reaches + 36 ... + 37 ° С. On average, 220-230 mm of precipitation falls during the summer.

Autumn begins in early September and lasts about 70 days. The weather in September is usually clear and sunny, however, the second half of it falls on the average long-term periods of autumn frosts. In early October, heat returns are possible, the so-called “ Indian summer ”, which lasts 5-7 days. The end of autumn is characterized by cloudy weather with prolonged rains. During the autumn period, 120 mm of precipitation falls. The season ends in mid-November, when the average daily temperature drops below 0 ° C ^[4] .

By the amount of precipitation, the Bryansk region belongs to moderately humid areas. The average annual rainfall ranges from 560 to 640 mm. The greatest number of them falls in the northwest, and the smallest - in the area of ​​the narrow strip Trubchevsk - Novozybkov - Klintsy (500-550 mm). In the rest of the territory, precipitation falls in the amount of 550-600 mm. Most precipitation falls in July, and least in the winter months. The duration of the growing season is 180-200 days ^[5] .

The western part of the East European Plain, within which the Bryansk Region is located, consists of lowered and elevated spaces. The region combines flat moraine- sandy plains of the Dnieper and Polesskaya lowlands, as well as elevated, highly dissected erosion plains 200–250 m high (western part of Central Russian and southern part of Smolensk Uplands). In general, the relief of the region is a slightly wavy plain with a general gentle slope from the north-east and east to south-west. Within the region, the altitude above sea level varies from about 288 to 125 m ^[5] .

The Desna River divides the territory of the region into two different relief parts. The right bank of the Desna is elevated (in the Dubrovsky district near the village of Aleshnia there is the highest point of the region - 288.3 m above sea level), its slopes are cut with short, deep gullies and ravines, numerous streams and small rivers. The right bank of the Desna from Bryansk to Trubchevsk is particularly rugged. Near the village of Peretorgi, Vygonichsky District, there is the largest active ravine in the European part of Russia. During rains, streams carry a lot of fine earth from it into the Desna bed, accelerating its shallowing. In the Sevsky region , the ruggedness of the relief by rivers reaches a depth of 85 m.

The left bank of the Desna is a gently undulating lowland. Near the village of Belaya Berezka, Trubchevsky district, there is the lowest point in the region - 125 m above the Baltic Sea ^[6] .

Rivers

The territory of the region is covered by a rather dense river network - about 125 rivers with a total length of 9 thousand km. Almost all the rivers belong to the basins of the Black and Caspian Seas - the line of the Volga-Dnieper watershed is located 20 km northeast of Bryansk, near the village of Batogovo . About 99% of the region’s rivers belong to the Dnieper basin and have a southern or south-western direction, and only the upper reaches of the Resseta , Vytebet , Obelna , Lyutaya , Tson and Lubna rivers (1%) belong to the Oka basin and flow in a northeast direction. The main source of river nutrition is atmospheric precipitation (55%), about 24% falls on groundwater and 21% due to the influx of water from neighboring regions. In dry years, the role of soil nutrition is increasing.

The largest river in the Bryansk region is Desna. This is the first longest and second largest basin of the left-bank tributary of the Dnieper. Its length is 1130 km, the basin area is 89173 km² ^[5] . Desna originates from a swamp near the village of Nalety, 9 km northeast of the town of Yelnya, Smolensk region, and flows into the Dnieper River 6 km north of Kiev. Within the region, the Desna flows from the north-east to the south-west through the entire eastern part, taking a number of tributaries (the Sudost , Snov , Bolva , Snezhet , Navlya , Nerussa , Vetma rivers ). The length of the river within the region is about 500 km, the width of the floodplain is from 4 to 6 km, and the channels are from 50 to 180 m, the greatest depth is 12 m.

The Iput River is the second largest river in the region, flows along the western part of the region in a south-western direction, and belongs to the basin of the Sozh River . Its length is 437 km, the basin area is 10,900 km². The width of the floodplain reaches 2 km, and the channel (at low water ) - from 6 to 80 m. The depth of the river - from 1 to 3 m.

The third largest river is Besed , also a tributary of the Sozh. It crosses the western part of the Bryansk region (the village of Krasnaya Gora , 98 km from the mouth - the beginning of the navigable part of the river). It originates in the south of the Smolensk region, near the village of Nikulina. The length of the river is 260 km. The basin area is about 5.6 thousand km². There are many lakes and swamps in the floodplain.

The largest rivers of the Bryansk region:

Lakes

In the region there are 49 large lakes of various origins: floodplain, hollow and dammed. The largest is Lake Kozhan , with an area of ​​about 429 hectares. It is the remnant of a huge ancient reservoir, elongated from the northwest to southeast for 40 km, rich in peat, whose reserves are estimated at 38 million tons. At the moment, the lake is rapidly overgrown with swamp vegetation. At various stages of overgrowing are the most ancient of the karst lakes - the Big, Middle and Small Geron, located near Trubchevsk.

Floodplain lakes are located mainly in the Desna floodplain: Markovo, Horsetail, Hotnya, Boroven, Glukhoy, Interruption, and Escape. On the territory of Zhukovsky district are the largest of the floodplain lakes - Orekhovoe and Bechino. In the Trubchevsky district is Lake Solka, known for the series of stories by I. S. Turgenev “ Notes of the hunter ”.

Another large group of lakes is hollow . In the region they are represented by karst and relict forms. Among the karst lakes, one can distinguish the Svyatoye forest lake, with an area of ​​16 hectares, located between the Rzhanitsa railway station and the Trosna junction . The youngest of the forest karst lakes is Lake Endless, located near the village of Old Lavshino, Zhukovsky District. Its area is 22 hectares, and the depth reaches 20 meters or more. It is the largest in the northern part of the region ^[7] .

Artificial ponds

There are many artificial reservoirs in the region. Some of them cover a significant territory. So, the area of ​​Beloberezhsky lake is 300 hectares, Bytoshsky pond - 260 hectares. There are over 1000 ponds in the farms of the region ^[7] .

Groundwater

In the Bryansk region, there are three main groundwater horizons . The first is in the chalks and marls of the Cretaceous system, the second is in the sands of the Cretaceous system, and the third, the deepest, in the aquifers of the Devonian system is the Devonian artesian horizon. Drinking, household, and industrial water supply to the greater southern part of the Bryansk region is based on chalky aquifers. The northern part of the region, including the city of Bryansk, consumes artesian waters of the Upper Devonian horizon. The thickness of fractured dolomites and limestones with a thickness of 100-125 m provides the construction of single and group borehole water intakes (with a well flow rate of 1-3.5 thousand m³ / day). In total, about 100 artesian wells of large capacity operate in Bryansk, and there are more than 2000 in the region. Local funnels for the depression of water intakes in the cities of Novozybkov , Unecha , Klintsy and others are limited to the local hydrographic network ^[5] . Calcium-magnesium fresh hydrocarbonate waters. The waters of the Cretaceous aquifers are characterized by moderate hardness , low salt content (0.2-0.4 g / l). As deepening into Devonian limestones, water hardness increases, mineralization increases (up to 0.6 g / l).

The region is also rich in mineral medicinal-table waters, waters of high salinity and brine, as a rule, bromine waters. They are confined to the Middle Devonian, Upper Proterozoic, and Archean-Proterozoic sediments ^[8] . Not far from Bryansk artesian waters flow with a salinity of 8.4 g / l. The most mineralized waters are confined to the Unecha Depression, in which the blocks of the crystalline basement are omitted. Near Klintsy, a number of artesian aquifers give water with a salinity of 5 to 45 g / l ^[9] .

Most of the minerals in the Bryansk region lie at a shallow depth or directly on the surface of the earth, which greatly facilitates their extraction and development.

One of the main minerals of the Bryansk region is peat . Peatlands within the region occupy an area of ​​82 thousand hectares. If we take into account forest peat deposits, the total area is 125 thousand ha. In 1875, the first peat plant in Russia was built on the peat deposit Palco of the Bryansk region. The largest peat deposits in the region are Kozhanovskoye, Rekta in the Klintsovsky district , Chistoe, Teploye in Bryansk , Vyazovskoye in Zhukovsky. For a long time, peat was used mainly as fuel, including at the largest power plants in the region: Bryansk State District Power Plant , Klintsovskaya , Surazhskaya TPP, and at a number of enterprises in Klintsy, Surazh , and Trubchevsk.

In the Klintsovsky district, at the bottom of the lakes of Kozhan and Dragotimel, there is a large sapropel deposit. Its power reaches 9 meters. Sapropel deposits are also found in Novozybkovsky , Pochepsky , Starodubsky and Trubchevsky districts.

Phosphorite deposits are located in the region. They are located mainly on the left bank of the Desna. Their reserves amount to over 150 million tons. In 1883, the first phosphoritomol production of Russia appeared near the village of Seshcha in the Dubrovsky district . The largest deposits of phosphorites are Polpinskoye, Batagovskoye, Steklyanoraditskoye, Seltsovskoye, Beloberezhskoye, Seshchinskoye and Khotmirovskoye. Currently, only the Polpinskoye field is used, located on the northeastern outskirts of Bryansk. Its reserves are estimated at 62 million tons ^[10] .

In the 1990s, a promising new type of deposits, phosphate titanium-zircon placers, was identified and evaluated in the region. They are confined to sediments of the Campanian stage of the Upper Cretaceous and traced to a distance of 140 km in the vicinity of Unecha, where the horizon reaches the surface. The width of the placer zone varies from 20 to 40 km. This area is called the Unecha-Krapivensky zone. Sands contain ilmenite , leucoxene , rutile , zircon and other minerals. The content of phosphorus pentoxide within the horizon varies from 3 to 16%, an average of 8-9%. The total forecast resources of the P1-3 categories of the entire Unecha-Krapivensky zone are estimated at 4416.4 million tons (283.6 million tons of P ₂ O ₅ ) ^[11] .

In the Bryansk region, a large number of chalk deposits. The largest are: Fokinskoye, Oryol courtyards, Bezhitskoye, Bryansk, Seltsovskoye, Smolevichskoye, Sokolovskoye, Lopatinskoye, Knyazhskoye. Most deposits are complex, that is, stocks of chalk can be used for various purposes (as raw materials for the glass industry, for the production of building lime, silicate brick, as well as for the production of fertilizers). South of Pogar , in the vicinity of Markovsk and Lukin villages, there is a large natural marl deposit - Markovsko-Lukinskoye. Vygonichsky marl deposit is of great importance ^[10] .

The balance of mineral reserves in the Bryansk region took into account one large - Fokinsky (Bryansk) cement deposit in the Dyatkovo region . The deposit is complex, serves as a source of chalk, clay and tripoli . The Navlinskoye Tripoli field is also known. The thickness of the reservoir in these areas ranges from 2 to 30 meters. In the Brasov district, the Pogreb tripoli field has been explored, from which raw materials are suitable for the production of thermolith.

On the territory of the region there are deposits of quartz sand (Kozlovskoye and Snezhetskoye); integrated deposit of titanium , zirconium , glass and molding raw materials (Novozybkovskoye); refractory clays (Blue Well); expanded clay raw materials (Beloberezhskoye, Polpinskoye, Tulichevskoye, Pilshinskoye); brick-and-tile raw materials (Balakhonovskoye, Fokinskoye, Klintsovskoye, Chubarovskoye, Grishina Sloboda, Gukalinskoye, Besedskoye, Alymovskoye, Surazhskoye, Pokrovshchinskoye, Seletskoye, Glubochkinskoye, Krivoy Sad, Starodubskoye, Dobrechskoye, Byakovskoye, Kokorevskoye); sand for construction work and the production of silicate products (Barsukova Griva, Mostovoy, Navlinskoye, Bezhitskoye, Smolevichskoye, Perevozskoye, Dybovskoye, Poluzhskoye, Floodplain of the Desenka River); sand and gravel raw materials (Borozninskoe) ^[11] .

На территории области преобладают подзолистые , дерново-подзолистые и серые лесные почвы. На зандровых равнинах севера и запада, в условиях более влажного климата и более глубокого промывания, преобладают подзолистые и дерново-подзолисто-глеевые почвы. На юге и востоке, где осадков меньше, — серые лесные. В долинах рек Десны, Судости, Ипути — дерново-аллювиальные почвы. Подзолистые почвы занимают примерно 65 % площади области, серые лесные — около 25 %. Менее распространены аллювиальные , торфяно-болотные и перегнойно-карбонатные почвы ^{[12] [13]} .

The Bryansk region is located in the southern taiga and subtaiga natural zones, only the extreme south-eastern part is part of the forest-steppe . This situation determines the uniqueness of the vegetation cover. Forest cover is 32.4% (about 1 million ha), forests are unevenly distributed. The largest forests stretch almost 30-kilometer strip along the left bank of the Desna (see Bryansk forests ), somewhat smaller along Sudost and Iput. Sparse areas - near Surazh, Pogar, Red Mountain, Starodub and Gordeevka . As a rule, there are no forests along the right bank of rivers. The transitional character from taiga coniferous forests to broad-leaved forests is typical. Coniferous forests account for 46%, deciduous forests - 54%. The most valuable are pine forests , which occupy 41% of the forested area; a significant part is occupied by birch (23%) and aspen (15%). Spruce , oak , black alder , ash , maple , linden , hornbeam and others are also common. The undergrowth is formed by hazel , euonymus , mountain ash , viburnum , buckthorn , juniper . In total, there are about 80 species of trees and shrubs in the forests. Total wood reserves are about 100 million m³ ^[12] .

Mosses and shrub-herbaceous plants are developed in the ground cover: pear grass, ortilia , lingonberry , blueberry , chickweed , perennial perennial , European ungulate , clowns , horsetails and ferns . In some places lies a litter of fallen needles ^[14] .

A large role in the natural landscape of the region is played by meadows . Under them, 18% of the entire territory is occupied. More than half of them are upland meadows, the rest of the area is evenly distributed between flood and swampy meadows in the floodplains of the rivers. In the meadow vegetation, cereals , forbs, legumes, and grasses and grasses for grass ( meadowsweet , leotard , meadow bluegrass , goose cinquefoil , cuff , cervical neck , meadow , etc.) prevail ^[5] .

About 3.6% of the region’s territory is occupied by swamps . Basically, these are low-lying bogs of ground feeding, however, upland bogs are also found. Cretaceous deposits contribute to the appearance of calcium-rich waters. Therefore, there are plants that are more demanding on minerals. The grass cover characteristic of lowland marshes consists of sedges , horsetails, reeds , etc. They give peat of high calorific value.

The vegetation of the reservoirs is represented by lake reeds , cattail and reeds; yellow capsules and white water lilies . The surface of the water is covered by clusters of duckweed , multicore, and individual plants of the aquaculture (or frog). There are a large number of Canadian Elodea in the lakes, and in some places there are clusters of rdests ^[14] .

Wild animals have been preserved in the forests of the Bryansk region. From ungulates there are elk , roe deer , and wild boar . Sika deer and European doe are acclimatized. Of the fur - brown bear , wolf , fox , raccoon dog , lynx , marten , ermine , weasel , forest ferret , European mink , otter , badger , squirrel , ground squirrel , hamster , common beaver , white hare , brown hare , mole and etc.

More than 200 species of birds live in the region. Grouse , woodcocks , and black grouse are found in all forest regions. In the group of spruce-aspen forests and in moss swamps, as well as in pine forests, capercaillie survived. A permanent inhabitant of the Bryansk forests is a woodpecker . Through the region lies the path of autumn and spring migrations of many waterfowl: goose, goose , white-fronted goose , less often whooper swan . Five species of ducks nest in the regions: mallard , teal-cracker , teal-whistle , broad-nosed and pintail , which arrive at the time of opening of the rivers. Of sandpipers , lapwing , snipe , and hollow are common. Settled birds are owls . Representatives of the steppe strip also nest in the region - meadow harrier , field harrier , partridge , quail , and the widespread gray crow , magpie , black crow , sparrows , migratory rooks , starlings , and swallows . Among the insectivorous birds, one can distinguish the Oriole , the lark , the tit , the flycatcher , the finch , the froth and the nightingale .

Of the amphibians, the most common are grass and green frogs. In forest areas, gray and green toads are occasionally found. Reptiles are represented by a live-bearing , quick-moving lizard and a legless snake-shaped lizard spindle . Two types of snakes live in the region: common snake and common viper ^[15] .

Ichthyofauna

The fishery fund of the region is constituted by the rivers: Desna, Sudost, Navlya, Iput. The ichthyofauna is represented by 44 species of fish belonging to 10 families. Widespread bream , silver bream , pike , perch , crucian carp , roach , tench , rudd . Less common are asp , ide , pikeperch , catfish , dace . The cyprinid family is represented by seventeen species ^[5] .

As a result of the Chernobyl accident , 30% of the total forest area of ​​the region is contaminated with radionuclides. In this territory, 42 forestries are located, which are part of 15 leshozes. Taking into account the level of radioactive contamination of forests, changes were made to the forest management regime. All activities in forests with a density of pollution of 15 and above Ci / km² are discontinued.

Today in the region there are 128 specially protected natural territories of regional significance ^[16] . In total, the nature reserve regime includes 297 territories and objects with a total area of ​​almost 206 thousand ha, which is 5.9% of the region’s territory, including the Bryansk Forest state natural biosphere reserve with an area of ​​12.2 thousand ha, 20 state reserves an area of ​​116.3 thousand ha, 288 state nature monuments of regional significance, as well as medical and recreational areas with an area of ​​4478 ha. The flora of the Bryansk Forest reserve includes 4 species included in the Red Book of Russia ( real venus slipper , long-leaved palmwort, red pollen cape and leafless chin ) and 45 protected and rare plants of the region. Also on the territory of the reserve are the Red Book black stork , serpent eater , osprey , golden eagle , great spotted eagle , lesser spotted eagle , and white-tailed eagle ^[17] .

• Bryansk region // Great Soviet Encyclopedia : [in 30 vol.] / Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov . - 3rd ed. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
• Bryansk region (Neopr.) . Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation. Date of appeal April 16, 2016.