Neva Bay is the water area located in the east of the Gulf of Finland. The branches of the Neva River are directed to the top of the bay. They feed the shallow bay, desalinating its waters. The Neva Bay is characterized by specific features that determine a special hydrochemical and hydrobiological regime.
The second name of the Neva Bay
At the beginning of the 19th century, the sailors who served in the B altic Fleet ironically called the bay the Marquis Puddle. The Maritime Ministry of the Russian Empire was then run by the Marquis I. I. de Traversay. He imposed a ban on long sea voyages. The fleet, cruising, did not leave the limits of Kronstadt. B altic officers, who scoffed at the official's policies, used his title to nickname the bay.
Geographic location
From the east, the Neva Bay is outlined by the outskirts of the sand bar formed by the Neva. In the west, it is limited by the outline line Lisiy Nos - Kronstadt - Lomonosov. The northern side of the water area adjoins the Northern Coast of the Neva Bay nature reserve.
With the rest of the Gulf of Finland (not yetdefensive structures appeared) the bay was connected by straits located in the area of Kotlin Island and bearing the name of the Northern and Southern Gates. Now the Gulf of Finland is separated from the bay (according to the outline of Gorskaya - Kronstadt - Bronka) by a monolithic complex formed by dams designed to protect St. Petersburg from floods. In its current state, the Neva Bay is an isolated flowing reservoir.
Description of the Neva Bay
Before the construction of the dams, the water surface of the bay covered an area of 329 km2. Now, taking into account the fact that the western boundary of the reservoir runs along the line of a protective complex formed by dams, the area of the bay is close to 380 km2. The water area with a sandy flat bottom is filled with a water mass of 1.2 km³.
The Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland stretches for 21 kilometers from east to west - this is the largest length of the reservoir. The maximum width of the water area is about 15 kilometers, and the depth varies from three to five meters.
The approaches to the defensive complex from the western and eastern sides are framed by barriers of natural and artificial origin. Due to obstacles and monolithic structures, water exchange between the saline waters that fill the Gulf of Finland and the desalinated water area of the bay is difficult. Obstacles do not allow the wind waves walking along the bay to invade the bay.
The western line of the Lomonosovskaya shoal, which is outlined by the protective complex, rests against the South Gate. Thanks to this shipping channel, the Gulf of Finland and the Nevalip. The South Gate area is not too wide, only 200 meters. The average depth of the passage reaches 16 meters.
The mouth of the Neva is connected to the lip by a navigable Sea Canal. In the Nevsky seashore, which occupies the eastern water area of the bay, a whole system of shoals and fairways has formed, interspersed with longitudinal hollows. The fairways are represented by the channels: Elaginsky, Petrovsky, Galerny, Ship, Rowing and Morskoy. The minimum depth of the shallows is 1.5 meters. The length of the bar from west to east is 3-5 km, from south to north - 12-15 km.
Coastal characteristics and weather conditions
The coast, which frames the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland from the north, is low, swampy in some places or raised by alluvium. The shores here are overgrown with woodlands and shrubs. The southern coast, stretching from Strelna to the mouth of the Neva, is also low. The coast extending to the west of Strelna is elevated and covered with forests. Coasts in surf zones are littered with boulders.
Neva Bay is filled with fresh water. Only in the west of the water area is the water brackish. In the coastal zone, water exchange is slowed down. In summer, at depths, the water warms up to 16-19 °С, in the shallows - up to 21-23 °С. The duration of the bathing season varies from 50 to 70 days.
Ice regime of the Neva Bay
With the approach of mid-November, ice in the form of sludge and fat appears on the water surface of the lips. Complete freezing of the reservoir is observed by the end of December. Fully ice cover is established at different times. The duration of the period depends on the weather conditions in the bay. Into the cold roomand calm weather, the ice rises in 2-3 days. With winds and light frost, the process takes about a month.
Under typical conditions, the ice thickness at the end of winter grows to 30-70 centimeters (in the fairway area it does not exceed 20 cm). In extremely cold winters, the ice thickness approaches 80-100 cm in the coastal zone, 60-80 cm in the central part of the reservoir, and 20-30 cm in fairways. The ice mass begins to break up in the twentieth of April. And by the end of the month, the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland is completely free of ice shackles.
The ice sheet is crumbling gradually. Through cracks cut through the ice everywhere, gullies gape in the fairways. The ice breaks in two directions: from the central part of the bay to the coastlines and from the east to the west.
Fauna of the Neva Bay
The ichthyofauna of the reservoir is represented by 27 species of freshwater fish: perch, roach, pike, ruff, dace and others. Within the boundaries of the Gulf of Finland, marine species are noted: cod, eelpout, flounder, herring, B altic sprat. About 3,000 tons of fish are caught here every year. Of the commercial species, smelt is especially significant.
Neva Bay is a wonderful habitat for birds. The composition of the avifauna here is diverse. Numerous species of waterfowl and shorebirds nest here. During the period of migration, migratory birds organize camping in the area of the bay. Within the water area there are representatives of woodpeckers and crayfish, charadriiformes and passerines, anseriformes and falconiformes.
