For the life support of all living organisms, fresh water is necessary. On our planet, the main resources are natural sources. There are many water systems on the territory of the Russian Federation. Most of Russia's rivers are powered by groundwater and seasonal precipitation.
River basins
The distribution of water bodies across Russian regions is uneven. The river network in the central part of our country runs through plains and plateaus, reaching a maximum in the Siberian taiga and decreasing towards the north and south. The lowest density of the river system is observed in the Caspian lowland. Territorial affiliation is an important factor determining what kind of food most Russian rivers have.
The rivers located on the vast territory of our country mainly belong to the Arctic Ocean basin. The largest water arteries of the Ural mountain range, the Russian Plain and the western part of Siberiaheading for the northern seas. To the east is the Pacific Ocean. The channels pass through mountainous areas, therefore they have a small length and a high flow rate. The rivers of the western part of Russia are located in the Atlantic Ocean basin, flow into the B altic Sea, and in the south of the country - into the Black and Azov Seas.
Climatic features
The length of most Russian rivers is less than 10 km. Only about two hundred of them have a length of more than 500 km. The hydrological and temperature balance of water bodies depends on the features of the relief, the average annual temperature, the presence of groundwater, and nutrition. Most of the rivers in Russia are fed by a mixed type, so the ice regime has a huge impact on the water level.
Feeding water bodies
What type of food do most Russian rivers have? Our country occupies rather vast territories in temperate and high latitudes. This arrangement is of great importance in determining the power sources. There are several main types:
- snow,
- rain,
- ground,
- glacial,
- mixed.
Most of the Russian rivers are fed by snow. Rivers in this category are subdivided:
- with spring flood - due to the melting of the snow cover after winter;
- with overflow in summer - depends on precipitation and melting of glaciers in the mountains;
- with a flood regime - a flood can be caused by a sharp rise in the water level due to heavy rains.
Rain feeding is typical for the western and eastern regions of Russia.
Rivers with a predominance of groundwater are most often found in Kamchatka. All reservoirs are partially fed from groundwater.
Mountain rivers mainly in the North Caucasus region are fed by glacial waters.
Most of Russia's rivers are powered by three sources: melt and groundwater, rain. A small number of currents are fed by four possible sources. Full-flowing river systems are of significant national economic importance. They are used for water supply of settlements, industry, fishing, as transport routes and energy supply.
