For everyone and about everything. Wrangel Island - a nature reserve shrouded in mystery Islands In what climatic zone is Wrangel Island located?

The largest island is Wrangel Island. It is located at the intersection of the 180 degree meridian, which separates the western and eastern hemispheres. To the east of it, sixty kilometers away, is Herald Island. The area of ​​Wrangel Island is only eight square kilometers. The Long Strait separates these islands from the mainland; this strait is covered with a thick layer of ice throughout the year. For this reason, the island remained unknown to people for a long time. By the way, the island itself was discovered in the forties of the 19th century. It happened when the famous geographer F.P. Wrangel, on the north coast of Chukotka, watched the flights of bird flocks. Later he suggested that there was an unknown land between the Chukchi and East Siberian seas. Gradually, Wrangel carefully studied and tested his assumption, then accurately indicated on the map the location of a large island, which was named in his honor. In 1976, a nature reserve was founded on the territory of this island. Since 1968, the Soviet people have established a complex reserve regime here. This reserve also includes Herald Island. The natural world of Wrangel Island leaves a huge impression on eyewitnesses. Where they are, look here.

Features of Wrangel Island

Interestingly, on the island the sun does not appear above the horizon at all from November 18th, and the phenomenon continues until January 25th. For many, this time is known as the polar night. It is also impossible to say exactly where the sea begins and the land ends. Some things are only visible under the aurora or moonlight. As the moonlight reflects off the ice, the landscape takes on many shades. However, for many, the best time on the island is during the northern lights period. At this time, everything around changes beyond recognition. Suddenly appearing light rays in the dark sky illuminate numerous crystals of ice and snow. This results in the formation of arches, fans and banners. Where to find .

During the polar day, the reserve takes on a completely different look. At this time, the sun does not go below the horizon from May to July. By the way, this does not make the climate very hot, but it noticeably revives animals and some plants. In other words, they develop more vigorously. A particularly amazing sight is the variety of birds that fly to the island to nest. Traditionally, during this period the snow melts and the Arctic islands are more reminiscent of blooming oases in the ice kingdom. Wrangel Island has a unique nature. Some species of animals and plants can be seen here. Visit. You will not regret.

The island's climate is gradually softening. The Pacific Ocean is also contributing to global warming. The average annual temperature is -11 degrees, slightly lower than the sea water temperature. Wrangel Island is more characterized by cloudy, windy weather, which is often accompanied by fog. The reserve is rich in a large number of lakes, shallow rivers and streams. Since all water bodies freeze in winter, there is practically no fish here. There are approximately 310 plant species, among which lichens and mosses can often be seen growing on mountain slopes and plains.

Flora of Wrangel Island

Most of the island's plants are dwarf. After all, their average height reaches only ten centimeters. True, there is a meter-long shrub willow - the tallest plant. Since many plants do not have time to go through all their life cycles, they are perennials. In other words, they store immature seeds, flowers and leaves under the snow. This is an amazing phenomenon: evergreens grow in the Arctic desert. For example, these are crowberry, lingonberry and dryad. Unique plants of Wrangel Island include: Ushakov poppy, Wrangel cinquefoil and Lapland poppy. The island has a region with peculiar tundra and steppe vegetation, this place is called mammoth prairie.

Many local animals generally prefer the sea to the land. This can be explained by several reasons. After all, there is more food for animals and birds on the shore, and no one bothers them here. Note that the protected island is surrounded by a security zone. Scientists from various fields work in the island's natural laboratory. They conduct observations of unstudied plants and animals. Therefore, it should not be surprising that Wrangel Island has become a complex nature reserve.

According to some evidence, musk oxen lived on the island in the past. Today twenty heads were brought here from the island of Nunivak, in America. Wrangel Island is also known for the largest walrus rookery in Russia. By the way, Wrangel Island is included in the list of paleontological monuments of the earth.

Map of Wrangel Island.

Wrangel Island is a fairly large island, located almost at the junction of the East Siberian and Chukchi Seas of the Arctic Ocean, located approximately 150 kilometers northwest of the Chukotka Peninsula by the Long Strait. The island received its name from the American whaler Thomas Long in honor of the Russian statesman and traveler Wrangel Ferdinand Petrovich. The locals, the Chukchi, called the island Umkilir, which in Russian means “island of polar bears.”

The total area of ​​the island exceeds 7,600 square kilometers.

Wrangel Island is territorially part of the Iultinsky district of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and is subject to the sovereignty of the Russian Federation.

Photo of Wrangel Island from space.

Story.

According to archaeologists, ancient people, namely the Paleo-Eskimo tribes, appeared on the island more than 1700 BC. Most likely, they did not have settled settlements on the island, but visited it only for the purpose of hunting.

At the beginning of 1849, the British explorer Henry Kellett, who had previously discovered, discovered an island previously unknown to Europeans in the Chukchi Sea, which he named Kellett's Land.

In the middle of 1866, the first European landed on this island - the German captain Eduard Dallmann, who traded with the inhabitants of Chukotka and Alaska.

In August 1867, the captain of the American whaling expedition, Thomas Long, having no information about Kellett's discovery, named it in honor of Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel, who had been looking for this island for a long time, but never found it.

In the summer of 1879, not far from Wrangel Island, the route of the American polar expedition of George Washington De Long, who tried to reach the North Pole on the schooner Jeannette, lay. Naturally, this expedition ended unsuccessfully and in June 1881, the steam cutter Thomas Corwin was sent to search for it under the command of Calvin Hooper, who landed on Wrangel Island and, raising the US national flag over it, proclaimed it the territory of this state.

At the beginning of September 1911, crew members of the Russian icebreaker Vaygach landed on Wrangel Island, carried out a hydrographic survey of the island and raised the Russian flag over it.

Typical landscape of Wrangel Island.

In the fall of 1913, members of the Canadian Arctic expedition landed on Wrangel Island, traveling on the brigantine Karluk, which was sandwiched by ice near the island. Several members of the expedition died; the survivors were rescued only in September 1914 by the Canadian schooner King and Wing.

Canadian polar explorer Vilhjalmur Stefanson founded settlements on the island in 1921, and declared it territorial property of Great Britain. The settlement existed on the island with varying success until July 20, 1924. It was on this day that it was practically forcibly evacuated by the Soviet gunboat "Red October", whose task was to liquidate the settler camp and establish the jurisdiction of the USSR on the island.

In August 1926, a polar station was founded on Wrangel Island under the leadership of the Soviet polar explorer G. A. Ushakov, where 59 people lived at that time.

In September 1928, an expedition from the Soviet icebreaker Litke landed on Wrangel Island. The expedition at that time included the outstanding Ukrainian prose writer and journalist Nikolai Trublaini (Mikola Trublaini), who colorfully described Wrangel Island in several of his works, in particular “To the Arctic - through the Tropics.”

In 1960, according to the decision of the Magadan Regional Executive Committee, a long-term reserve was founded on Wrangel Island, which in 1968 was transformed into a reserve of republican significance.

At the beginning of 1992, the radar station on Wrangel Island was liquidated, while only one settlement remained on the island - the village of Ushakovsky, which was also deserted by the end of 2003.

Western coast of Wrangel Island in spring.

Origin and geography of the island.

Wrangel Island is significant in area, so its geographic coordinates are usually determined by its geographic center, namely: 71°14′ N. w. 179°24′W d.

The coastline of Wrangel Island in the south is quite flat, but forms several bays and bays, the largest of which include Yuzhny and Krasina bays. In the north, the coastline forms several spits and peninsulas. The Adrianova and Bruch spits are considered the largest, and the Mushtakov spit with Nakhodka Island form the largest bay in the north of the island - Pestsovaya Bay.

The relief of Wrangel Island is quite diverse. In the north of the island lies the Tundra Academy lowland. The southern coast of the island is also low-lying. But closer to the center, the low-lying terrain turns into small mountains and plateaus. Among the mountain ranges of Wrangel Island, the Central Mountains, the Evsifeev Mountains, the Nameless and Northern Mountains, as well as the Eastern and Western Plateaus should be noted. The highest point of the island is Mount Sovetskaya, located in the group of Central Mountains, reaching a height of 1096 meters above sea level.

Controversy still rages regarding the origin of the island. According to one version, the island should be classified as tectonic, according to the second - as an island of continental origin.

The geological structure of Wrangel Island consists mostly of basalts and granites interspersed with quartzites. Among the mineral resources, small deposits of coal and marble have been explored here, the development of which is extremely unprofitable due to the distance of the island and climatic conditions.

There are quite a lot of rivers and lakes on Wrangel Island. The largest rivers of the island in terms of their length are the Mammoth and Kler. The lakes of Wrangel Island are mostly classified as glacial in origin; the largest of them are lakes Kmo, Gagachye, Komsomol and Zapovednoye.

Mountain areas of Wrangel Island in winter.

Climate.

The climate on Wrangel Island is quite harsh and very typical for Arctic latitudes. For most of the year, masses of arctic cold, dry air pass over the island. In summer, sometimes more humid and warm air comes from the Pacific Ocean. Dry and moderately heated air masses arrive less frequently from Eastern Siberia.

Winters on the island are long and characterized by rather frosty weather associated with strong and gusty northern winds. The average air temperature in January is approximately −22–25 °C, with the coldest months being February and March. At this time, the temperature can drop even to −30–35 °C, accompanied by frequent and strong snowstorms with strong and gusty winds of 40 meters per second and higher.

Summer on the island is quite cool with frequent frosts and snowfalls. July is considered the warmest month of the year. During this period, the average air temperature is +2 °C to +4 °C. In the mountainous areas of the island, protected from piercing winds, the climate is slightly warmer and drier.

The average relative humidity on the island is approximately 83 percent, and annual precipitation in the form of snow, light rain and drizzle is approximately 135 millimeters.

Panorama from the sea to the deserted village of Ushakovsky.

Population.

Currently, Wrangel Island is uninhabited. The last resident of the island, living in the village of Ushakovsky, was eaten by a polar bear at the end of 2003.

During the Soviet Union, several settlements were founded on the island, the largest of which was the village of Ushakovsky. At the beginning of 1980, about two hundred people lived in Ushakovsky, among whom were meteorologists, geologists, research scientists, fishermen, military personnel and border guards. Local authorities, a small boarding school, a kindergarten, a boiler room, a post office, a hospital, shops, a local club-cinema, and even a natural history museum functioned here. For a long time, the Rogers Bay polar station and Rogers Airport operated here, where AN-2, MI-6, MI-2 and MI-8 planes and helicopters could land. It is noteworthy that the houses of local residents had electricity from a small diesel power plant.

During the 90s of the last century, the island was deserted. All polar government programs were curtailed, and people began to be transported to the continent.

In 1987, a book by the famous Russian political prisoner Moshinsky was published, in which for some reason he talks about a correctional camp on Wrangel Island. The fact is that there have never been correctional facilities on the island, if only because it is almost impossible to deliver special forces here.

Polar bears against the background of the foothills of the Central Mountains of Wrangel Island.

Flora and fauna.

The vegetation of Wrangel Island is very typical for these geographical and climatic places classified as Arctic deserts. In addition to mosses and lichens, a fairly large number of vascular herbaceous plants are found here, of which 135 are classified as rare. Many endemic (Ushakov's poppy, Wrangel's bluegrass, Lapland poppy and Wrangel's cinquefoil) and sub-emdemic (Gorodkov's poppy, grasshopper, Wrangel's grass) plants also grow here. In the intermountain region of the central part of the island small shrubs grow, among which a certain amount of Richardson's willow stands out.

The island's fauna is extremely rich and diverse, from insects to large mammals, even despite the harsh climate.

Insects are represented by several species of bumblebees, mosquitoes, butterflies, flies and gadflies.

More than 20 species of polar birds regularly nest on Wrangel Island, and about 20 more species fly here to nest from other places. Among the permanent inhabitants of the island are snow geese, Icelandic sandpipers, eiders, tules, ragged gulls, glaucous gulls, snowy owls and long-tailed skuas. Among the migratory birds, sandhill cranes should be highlighted, as well as Canada geese and small American passerines - finches.

Among the island's mammals, the Vinogradov's lemming, which is considered endemic in these places, the Siberian lemming and the Arctic fox should be highlighted. The polar bear lives here in significant numbers, the population of which has especially increased recently; wolves, ermines, wolverines, and foxes are also found here, as well as wild dogs, which were brought here by people as sled dogs. In Soviet times, reindeer and musk ox were brought to Wrangel Island. Currently, their population has grown significantly. In the coastal areas of the island, seals and walruses, the largest population of which in the Russian Arctic, set up their rookeries.

There was previously no fish in the rivers and lakes of the island due to their shallowness, but recently there have been cases of large numbers of salmon entering the rivers to spawn, including pink salmon and chum salmon.

Vegetation of Wrangel Island in July.

Tourism.

Tourism is an alien word for Wrangel Island. Until recently, the island remained forgotten by the Russian authorities, and only in August 2011 the polar ship “Mikhail Somov” approached it, which landed an expedition on the island to clean the coast of the island from barrels of spent fuel. Perhaps this is the first step in reviving the island’s former infrastructure after many years of neglect.

Eastern coast of Wrangel Island.

Federal State Institution "State Nature Reserve "Wrangel Island".

Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation.

Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources. (Rosprirodnadzor). Department of State Policy and Regulation in the Field of Environmental Protection and Environmental Safety.

The specially protected natural area includes the Federal State Institution “Wrangel Island State Nature Reserve” and its protective zone.

The Wrangel Island Nature Reserve includes:

Wrangel Island (geographical coordinates of the extreme points: 70 28"12"" - 71 21"02""N; 178 45"59""E - 177 15"52""W);

Herald Island (71 12"53"" - 71 15"08""N; 175 19"16"" - 175 27"47""W);

The coastal waters of the Chukchi and East Siberian seas are 12 nautical miles wide around each of the islands (Wrangel and Herald).

The protection zone includes a water area 24 nautical miles wide around the water area that is part of the reserve.

Fig.1 Physical map of Wrangel Island.

The total area of ​​the reserve is 56,616 km2, including:

land - 7620 km2 (7608.7 km.sq. - Wrangel Island, 11.3 km.sq. - Herald Island);

sea ​​area - 48996 sq. km. (11,543 sq. km. - part of the reserve, 37,453 sq. km. - security zone).

The reserve and its protective zone are located entirely within the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

Even in Quaternary times (about 50 thousand years ago), the Wrangel and Herald Islands were part of Beringia - a vast landmass that once connected Asia with America. According to existing ideas, it was a slightly hilly plain with a group of low mountains in the center and several wide river valleys. Then the sea separated the islands from the mainland. Subsequently, uplifts and fractures of the earth's crust occurred here, the islands were subjected to weathering, the influence of sea waters and coastal ice, and repeatedly experienced glaciations, although the glaciers on them did not reach large sizes and did not cover their entire surface. Currently, about ten accumulations of dense ice have been discovered on Wrangel Island - glaciers of atmospheric origin, which owe their existence to snowstorm transport of snow (Gromov, 1960; Svatkov, 1962; Kiryushina, 1965).

The modern topography of the island is highly dissected. Occupying most of the land, the mountains form three parallel chains, each of which ends in coastal rocky cliffs in the west and east. The lowest ridge is the Northern one. It consists of isolated hills and gentle hills, gradually turning into a wide swampy plain called the Academy Tundra. The middle ridge is the most powerful, it is crowned by Mount Sovetskaya with a height of 1096 m above sea level. seas. The southern ridge is relatively low and runs close to the sea coast. Between the ridges stretch wide valleys, cut by quite numerous rivers. Herald Island is a granite gneiss outlier; above sea level it rises 380 m.

The islands are composed mainly of metamorphosed sedimentary rocks - quartz, shales, limestones. Among them, igneous rocks are located in the form of individual layers up to several hundred meters thick. The loose sediments are cemented by ice and are relatively thin.

Climatic features of Wrangel Island.

The climate of the protected islands is extremely harsh. For most of the year, masses of cold arctic air with low moisture and dust content move over this area. In summer, warmer and more humid Pacific air reaches here from the southeast. Dry and highly heated masses of air from Siberia are periodically heard.

Fig. Photo from space.

The local winter, the longest season of the year, is characterized by persistent frosty weather, strong winds predominantly from the north, and shallow and uneven snow cover. The average January temperature is -21.3°. But it is especially cold on the islands in February - March, when the air temperature does not rise above -30° for weeks. At this time, the wind every now and then creates a blizzard: hurricane whirlwinds, reaching 40 m/s or more, carry snow dust, expose the peaks, and in the lowlands they create snowdrifts, through which an all-terrain vehicle can drive without falling through - they are so strong, compacted by frost and the wind.

Table 1.

Summer is cool. And at this time of year, frosts and snowfalls are common. The average temperature in July is from 2 to 2.5°. Inland from the western coast of Wrangel Island and especially in the center of the island, fenced off from the sea by mountains, due to better heating of the air and, to an even greater extent, due to hair dryers - strong, gusty relatively warm winds blowing from the mountains into valleys and intermountain basins, summer warmer and drier than in the eastern part of the island and even more so on the coast.

The average relative humidity on the islands is 88%, the annual precipitation is about 120 mm (Rogers Bay). Thunderstorms do not occur here every year, more often in July - August. On the coast, the number of days with fog reaches 80-88. The polar day lasts from the second ten days of May to the twentieth of July, the polar night - from the second ten days of November to the end of January. There are more than 140 rivers and streams more than 1 km long on Wrangel Island. There are, however, only five relatively large rivers (more than 50 km long). Most rivers and streams belong to the Chukchi Sea basin. Island rivers, as a rule, are full of water only in spring and summer, when the snow melts. By the end of summer they become very shallow, and by autumn they turn into low-water streams. The only exceptions are the largest rivers - Mamontovaya (west of the island) and Kler (east of the island), which remain high-water even in autumn. There are about 900 lakes on the island, of which only six are larger than 1 km2. The vast majority of lakes are located in the Academy Tundra. The depth of lakes, as a rule, does not exceed 2 m; By origin they are divided into thermokarst (most lakes), oxbow lakes - in the valleys of large rivers, glacial, dammed and lagoon - the largest.

The coasts of the islands are covered with an ice shell most of the year and surrounded by chaotic piles of hummocks. The ice usually moves away from the coast in late July - early August, but closes again in September - October. However, there are often years when the sea off the coast does not open at all.

Some scientists attribute the soils of Wrangel Island to the arctic-tundra subzone of the tundra soil zone (Targulyan, Karavaeva, 1964), others to the arctic zone (Mikhailov, 1960). In general, there is a set of gley, turf, bog and mountain soils.

Flora and fauna of Wrangel Island.

The vegetation of Wrangel Island is rich in species and is characterized by great antiquity. The number of species of vascular plants here exceeds 310, while, for example, on the New Siberian Islands, over a much larger area, there are only about 135, on the Severnaya Zemlya islands - a little more than 60, and on Franz Josef Land - less than 50. Flora The island contains a number of relics, and, conversely, plant species common in other subpolar regions are relatively rare. The original Arctic vegetation on this “splinter” of ancient Beringia, therefore, was not destroyed by glaciers, and at the same time, the sea prevented the flow of later migrants from penetrating here from the south.

About 3% of the flora of Wrangel Island is made up of subendemic species, for example, Gorodkov poppy, Wrangel's holly, and endemic species - Wrangel's bluegrass, Ushakov's poppy, Wrangel's cinquefoil, Lapland poppy. In addition, another 114 plant species grow on Wrangel Island, classified by botanists as rare and very rare.

Rice. Typical landscape of Wrangel Island.

The modern vegetation cover of the islands is almost everywhere open and stunted. In the southern and central parts of Wrangel Island, upland vegetation is represented mainly by sedge-moss tundra. Cobresia and sedge communities of cryoxerophytic and phyomesophytic meadows are confined to well-drained habitats on the slopes, and unique tundra-steppe communities have been identified and described on dry areas of the southern slopes. In the central part of the island, in mountain valleys and intermountain basins under the influence of foen, there are areas with thickets of willows (mainly Richardson's willow) up to 1 m high; in other places, shrubby willows spread along the ground. Bogs both in the mountainous regions and on the northern plains are represented mainly by sedge-hypnum communities with the participation of sphagnum. On the tops of the mountains, large areas are occupied by rocky placers, in places overgrown with lichens and mosses; The middle and lower zones of the mountains are covered with grass-lichen, and in some places shrub-forb tundra with a variety of flowering plants.

The invertebrate fauna in the water bodies of the islands is characterized by low species diversity. It shows a predominance of amphibiotic insects, mainly chironomids. For the zoobenthos of the river. The mass development of stoneflies, chironomids and the absence of more heat-loving caddisflies and mayflies are characteristic of doubtful features. In general, the fauna of aquatic invertebrates on the island is characterized by species that also live on the Chukotka Peninsula and the coast of Eastern Siberia. Living organisms in the waters washing the island are relatively monotonous and few in number, which is primarily due to the lifelessness of the littoral zone at depths of up to 5 m (the influence of ice). Algae are found within 5-20 m; only benthos is found deeper. On average, the density of biomass in the waters of the reserve does not exceed 100 g/m2. However, at Cape Blossom, where the streams of coastal currents converge and where the walrus rookery is located, it reaches 500 g/m2.

The fish that live in the coastal waters of the islands have not been studied enough. They are absent in freshwater bodies of water; Not a single species of amphibian or reptile lives in the reserve. It can only be noted that cod, the most widespread and widespread species of Arctic ichthyofauna, is found near the coasts of the islands. In addition, large shoals of capelin approach the islands not every year and for a short time, and the common species of coastal fish also include the Arctic Sea slingshot.

At least twenty species of birds regularly nest on the islands. Together with vagrant and irregularly nesting species, there are much more of them - over forty, and every year with the development of ornithological research in the reserve, this list expands.

Rice. White goose.

White geese are among the most numerous feathered inhabitants of the local land. They form one main nesting colony, located in the center of the island, in the valley of the river. Tundra, as well as several small colonies; Some pairs also nest here and there. Small passerine birds - buntings and Lapland plantains - are numerous on Wrangel Island. Their total number is difficult to determine; one can only note that where conditions permit, they nest at a density often exceeding one pair per hectare of area. Until recently, the usual birds nesting here included the Arctic species of geese - brent geese, which fly here for nesting and in even greater numbers only for molting (their numbers have noticeably decreased in recent years); eider (Pacific subspecies of the common eider); from waders - Icelandic sandpipers and tules; from gulls - glaucous gulls, or great polar gulls, fork-tailed gulls; long-tailed skuas, as well as white owls. More rare on the island, but also regularly nesting are dunlin and pouting sandpipers, Arctic terns, skuas, red-throated loons, and crows; of small passerine birds - tap dancers. Obviously, from time to time, pintail ducks, Siberian eiders, combed eiders breed on Wrangel Island, and among predators are gyrfalcons, short-eared owls, and some other birds. Pink gulls are regularly seen here in autumn.

The peculiarities of the geographical location of the reserve and the local weather conditions create the preconditions for relatively frequent flights and wind-blown birds from the North American continent. These are large birds, such as sandhill cranes (they come here regularly) and Canada geese, but mainly small passerines, especially American finches. Of these, myrtle warblers, savannah and black-browed buntings, juncos, and white-crowned zonotrichia were encountered on Wrangel Island.

Rice. Bowhead whale.

The fauna of mammals is much poorer in species. Two species of lemmings (ungulate and Siberian) and the Arctic fox live permanently on the island. Polar bears appear here periodically, but in significant numbers. Wolves, wolverines, stoats and foxes penetrate the island. The coastal waters of the islands are inhabited by seals - the ringed seal, bearded seal, or bearded seal, and less common are the spotted seal and lionfish, or striped seal. In the sea you can sometimes see fountains of whales, including representatives of the now rarest species on the globe - bowhead whales, predatory whales - killer whales and Arctic dolphins - beluga whales. Along with people, sled dogs settled on Wrangel Island; A house mouse has appeared and lives in residential buildings. Two species of mammals - domestic reindeer and musk ox - were also brought here by humans relatively recently.

Wrangel Island is washed by the East Siberian Sea on the western side and the Chukchi Sea on the eastern side. Herald Island is a mountain outcrop located 60 km east of Wrangel Island in the Chukchi Sea.
Wrangel Island is located north of Chukotka, between 70-71° N latitude. and 179° W. - 177°E An important feature of the island's geographical location is the fact that it is the only large landmass located at high latitudes in the northeastern sector of the Asian Arctic, in the continental shelf zone, the boundary of which ends approximately 300 km north of the island. At the same time, Wrangel Island is located close not only to Asia, but also to North America, and to the Bering Strait separating these continents, which serves as the only highway connecting the Pacific and Arctic oceans and a breeding ground for many species of marine animals.

The island is separated from the mainland by the Longa Strait, whose average width is 150 km, which ensures reliable isolation from the mainland. At the same time, the area of ​​Wrangel Island is large enough to provide biological and landscape diversity. Other Arctic islands and archipelagos are separated from Wrangel Island by hundreds of kilometers.

Until the last rise in the level of the world's oceans, Wrangel Island was part of a single Beringian landmass.

The greatest length diagonally from northeast to southwest (between Capes Waring and Blossom) is about 145 km, and the maximum width from north to south (traverse Pestsovaya Bay - Krasina Bay) is slightly more than 80 km. Approximately 2/3 of the island's area is occupied by mountain systems with the highest altitude being 1095.4 m above sea level. (Sovetskaya).
Wrangel Island is one of the highest islands in the Euro-Asian sector of the Arctic and the highest island without glaciation in the Arctic in general. The island is characterized by highly dissected relief and a wide variety of geological and geomorphological structures.
Wrangel and Herald Islands, due to climatic conditions, landscape characteristics and vegetation cover, belong to the arctic tundra subzone (the northernmost subzone of the tundra zone).

GEOGRAPHY OF WRANGEL ISLAND
Wrangel Island (Chuk: Umkilir - “island of polar bears”) is a Russian island in the Arctic Ocean between the East Siberian and Chukchi seas. Named in honor of the Russian navigator and statesman of the 19th century Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel.

It is located at the junction of the western and eastern hemispheres and is divided by the 180th meridian into two almost equal parts.
Administratively it belongs to the Iultinsky district of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
It is part of the reserve of the same name. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2004).

Archaeological finds in the area of ​​the Devil's Ravine site indicate that the first people (Paleo-Eskimos) hunted on the island as early as 1750 BC. e.
Russian pioneers knew about the existence of the island since the middle of the 17th century from the stories of local residents of Chukotka, but it appeared on geographical maps only two hundred years later.

Opening
In 1849, British explorer Henry Kellett discovered a new island in the Chukchi Sea and named it Herald Island after his ship Herald. To the west of the island, Gerald Kellett observed another island and marked it on the map. The island received its first name: “Kellett's Land”.

In 1866, the first European visited the western island - Captain Eduard Dallmann (German: Eduard Dallmann), who conducted trade operations with the residents of Alaska and Chukotka.
In 1867, American whaler by profession and explorer by vocation Thomas Long - perhaps unaware of Kellett's previous discovery, or having misidentified the island - named it in honor of the Russian traveler and statesman Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel.
Wrangel knew about the existence of the island from the Chukchi and during 1820-1824 unsuccessfully searched for it.

In 1879, near Wrangel Island, the route of the expedition of George De Long lay, who tried to reach the North Pole on the ship USS Jeannette. De Long's voyage ended in disaster, and in search of him in 1881, the American steam cutter Thomas Corwin, under the command of Calvin L. Hooper, approached the island. Hooper landed a search party on the island and declared it US territory.
In September 1911, the icebreaking steamship Vaygach from the Russian hydrographic expedition of the Arctic Ocean approached Wrangel Island. The Vaygach crew filmed the coast of the island, landed and raised the Russian flag over it.

Herald Island, a satellite of Wrangel Island

Canadian Arctic Expedition 1913-1916
On July 13, 1913, the brigantine of the Canadian Arctic expedition “Karluk”, led by anthropologist V. Stefanson, left the port of Nome (Alaska) to explore Herschel Island in the Beaufort Sea. On August 13, 1913, 300 kilometers from its destination, the Karluk was caught in ice and began a slow drift to the west. On September 19, six people, including Stefanson, went hunting, but due to ice drift they were no longer able to return to the ship. They had to make their way to Cape Barrow. Later, accusations were made against Stefanson that he deliberately abandoned the ship under the pretext of hunting in order to explore the islands of the Canadian Arctic archipelago.
25 people remained on the Karluk - the crew, members of the expedition and hunters. The brigantine's drift continued along the route of George De Long's barque Jeannette until it was crushed by ice on January 10, 1914.
The first batch of sailors, on behalf of Bartlett and under the command of Bjarne Mamen, set out for Wrangel Island, but mistakenly reached Herald Island. The first mate of the Karluk, Sandy Anderson, remained on Herald Island with three sailors. All four died, presumably due to food poisoning or carbon monoxide poisoning.
Another party, including Alistair McCoy (participant of Shackleton's Antarctic expedition in 1907-1909), undertook an independent trip to Wrangel Island (a distance of 130 km) and went missing. The remaining 17 people under the command of Barlett managed to reach Wrangel Island and went ashore in Draghi Bay. In 1988, traces of their camp were found here and a memorial sign was erected. Captain Bartlett (who had experience participating in the expeditions of Robert Peary) and the Eskimo hunter Kataktovik together set off across the ice to the mainland for help. Within a few weeks they successfully reached the Alaskan coast, but ice conditions prevented an immediate rescue expedition.

The Russian icebreaking steamships Taimyr and Vaigach tried twice in the summer of 1914 (August 1-5, then August 10-12) to break through to help, but were unable to overcome the ice. Several attempts by the American cutter “Bear” were also unsuccessful.

Of the 15 people remaining on Wrangel Island, three died: Mallok from a combination of reasons such as overwork, hypothermia, gunren and eating spoiled pemmican; Mamen as a result of kidney failure, apparently caused by the same pemmican; Braddy, according to some members of the group, was killed by Williamson, who staged an accident while cleaning a revolver. The reason is the difficult psychological atmosphere in the group’s camp. The murder was never proven; Williamson denied all charges. The survivors earned their living by hunting and were rescued only in September 1914 by an expedition on the Canadian schooner King & Wing.

Northern Lights over Wrangel Island

Stefanson's expeditions of 1921-1924
Inspired by the survival experience of the Karluk crew and the prospects for marine fishing off Wrangel Island, Stefanson launched a campaign to colonize the island. To support his enterprise, Stefanson tried to obtain official status from first the Canadian and then the British government, but his idea was rejected. The refusal, however, did not prevent Stefanson from declaring support for the authorities and then raising the British flag over Wrangel Island. This ultimately led to a diplomatic scandal.

On September 16, 1921, a settlement of five colonists was founded on the island: 22-year-old Canadian Alan Crawford, Americans Halle, Maurer (participant of the Karluk expedition), Knight, and an Eskimo woman, Ada Blackjack, as a seamstress and cook. The expedition was poorly equipped, as Stefanson relied on hunting as one of his main sources of supply.
Having successfully survived the first winter and having lost only one dog (out of seven), the colonists hoped for the arrival of a ship with supplies and a replacement in the summer. Due to severe ice conditions, the ship was unable to approach the island and the people remained for another winter.

In September 1922, the White Army gunboat Magnit (a former messenger ship armed during the Civil War) under the command of Lieutenant D.A. von Dreyer tried to reach Wrangel Island, but the ice did not give it such an opportunity. Opinions differ about the purpose of Magnit's campaign to Wrangel Island - it is to suppress the activities of Stefanson's enterprise (expressed by contemporaries and participants in the events), or, on the contrary, to provide assistance to him for a fee (expressed in the newspaper of the FSB of Russia in 2008). Due to the military defeat of the White movement in the Far East, the ship never returned to Vladivostok, and the Magnit crew went into exile.
After the hunt failed and food supplies ran low, on January 28, 1923, three polar explorers went to the mainland for help. Nobody saw them again. Knight, who remained on the island, died of scurvy in April 1923.
Only 25-year-old Ada Blackjack survived. She managed to survive alone on the island until the ship arrived on August 19, 1923.

In 1923, 13 settlers remained on the island for the winter - American geologist Charles Wells and twelve Eskimos, including women and children. Another child was born on the island during the wintering period. In 1924, concerned by the news of the creation of a foreign colony on the Russian island, the USSR government sent the gunboat Red October (the former Vladivostok port icebreaker Nadezhny, on which guns were installed) to Wrangel Island.

"Red October" left Vladivostok on July 20, 1924 under the command of hydrographer B.V. Davydov. On August 20, 1924, the expedition raised the Soviet flag on the island and removed the settlers. On the way back, on September 25, in the Long Strait near Cape Schmidt, the icebreaker was hopelessly jammed by ice, but a storm helped it free. Overcoming heavy ice led to excessive fuel consumption. By the time the ship dropped anchor in Providence Bay, there was only 25 minutes of fuel left, and there was no fresh water at all. The icebreaker returned to Vladivostok on October 29, 1924.

Soviet-American and then Chinese-American negotiations on the further return of the colonists to their homeland through Harbin took a long time. Three did not live to see their return: the expedition leader, Charles Wells, died in Vladivostok from pneumonia; two children died along the subsequent journey.

DEVELOPMENT OF WRANGEL ISLAND
In 1926, a polar station was created on Wrangel Island under the leadership of G. A. Ushakov. Together with Ushakov, 59 people landed on the island, mostly Eskimos who had previously lived in the villages of Providence and Chaplino.
In 1928, an expedition was made to the island on the icebreaker “Litke”, on which the Ukrainian writer and journalist Nikolai Trublaini worked as a boiler room attendant, who described Wrangel Island in a number of his books, in particular “To the Arctic - through the Tropics”. In 1948, a small group of domesticated reindeer was brought to the island and a branch of the reindeer-breeding state farm was organized. In 1953, administrative authorities adopted a resolution on the protection of walrus rookeries on Wrangel Island, and in 1960, by decision of the Magadan Regional Executive Committee, a long-term reserve was created, which was transformed in 1968 into a reserve of republican significance.

LIES ABOUT THE GULAG
In 1987, former prisoner Efim Moshinsky published a book in which he claimed that he was in a “corrective labor camp” on Wrangel Island and met Raoul Wallenberg and other foreign prisoners there. In reality, contrary to legend, there were no Gulag camps on Wrangel Island.

Wrangel Island (reserve)
In 1975, musk oxen from the island of Nunivak were introduced to the island, and the executive committee of the Magadan region allocated the lands of the islands for a future reserve. In 1976, to study and protect the natural complexes of the Arctic islands, the Wrangel Island Nature Reserve was founded, which also included the small neighboring Herald Island. In connection with the reserve, a reserve protection zone 5 nautical miles wide was established around the islands. The total area of ​​the reserve was 795.6 thousand hectares. In 1978, the Scientific Department of the reserve was organized, whose employees began a systematic study of the flora and fauna of the islands.
In 1992, the radar station was closed, and the only settlement left on the island was the village of Ushakovskoye, which was deserted by 2003.
In 1997, at the proposal of the governor of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and the State Committee for Ecology of Russia, the area of ​​the reserve was expanded to include the water area surrounding the island with a width of 12 nautical miles, by order of the Russian government No. 1623-r dated November 15, 1997, and in 1999, around the already protected water area, by decree of the governor of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug No. 91 dated May 25, 1999, a protective zone 24 nautical miles wide was organized. Wrangel Island

Modernity
Various military exercises are regularly held on the island.
In 2014, the Eastern Military District, as part of the northern delivery, will for the first time deliver more than 2.5 thousand tons of various cargo to Cape Schmidt and Wrangel Island.
On August 20, 2014, sailors of the Pacific Fleet under the command of Captain 3rd Rank Evgeniy Onufriev, who arrived on Wrangel Island to carry out hydrographic work on the ship "Marshal Gelovani", raised the Naval Flag over the island, thus establishing the first base of the Russian Pacific Fleet on it.

NATURE OF WRANGEL ISLAND
The island's area is about 7670 km², of which about 4700 km² is mountainous. The shores are low, dissected by lagoons, separated by sand spits from the sea. In the central part of the island the terrain is mountainous. There are small glaciers and medium-sized lakes, arctic tundra.

Climate
The topography of Wrangel Island determines significant thermal differences within its boundaries. Thus, at different points on the southern coast, the average July temperature ranges from 2.4 to 3.60C, which corresponds to the range of the Arctic tundra subzone; on the northern coast, a similar indicator fluctuates around 10C (as in the polar deserts), and in the intermountain basins of the central part of the island, it reaches 8-100C, which is typical for the southern edge of the tundra zone.

The climate in the area of ​​the islands is arctic with a significant influence of cyclonic activity. For most of the year, cold arctic air masses dominate here, which are characterized by low temperatures and low moisture and dust content. In summer, they are displaced by warmer and more humid air masses from the Bering Sea. Dry, dusty or continental air masses from Siberia are also not uncommon here. The average annual air temperature is - 11.3°C. The coldest month is February (- 24.9°C), the warmest month is July (2.5°C).

The frost-free period on the islands usually does not exceed 20-25 days, often lasting only about 2 weeks. An average of 152 mm of precipitation falls here annually, about half of which occurs in the snowy months. The winter period is characterized by strong and prolonged north-easterly winds, the speed of which often exceeds 40 m/s. At the same time, the snow precipitation is significantly redistributed depending on the shape of the relief and the direction of the wind, forming a very uneven snow cover - from its absence in windy areas to multi-meter thicknesses in the lowlands and on leeward slopes. A significant portion of snow precipitation is blown into the sea by the wind.

Meso-climatic differences are well expressed on the territory of Wrangel Island. The central sector of the island is characterized by a more continental climate compared to the coastal (western and eastern sectors), which are characterized by lower summer temperatures, later snow melting and a much greater frequency of cloudy weather and fog.

Relief
Approximately 2/3 of the island's territory. Wrangel is occupied by mountains. In the central part of the island, to the north and south of the Central Mountains, two longitudinal wide (up to 3 km) valleys can be traced in the latitudinal direction. The highest point of the island is Mount Sovetskaya 1096 m. The central mountainous part of Wrangel Island is a mid-mountain area, towering above the entire island.
The mid-mountain massif is strongly dissected by numerous valleys. The peaks of the mountains, with the exception of a few of the highest ones with alpine-type outlines, have a predominantly plateau-like shape. From the west, north and south, the middle mountains are surrounded by a strip of low mountains and hillocks, which are strongly dissected peneplains with altitudes from 200 to 600 m. The low mountains are also densely dissected by valleys, among which there are several particularly large ones, forming extensive intermountain basins. The mountain structures of the island from the north and south are bordered by accumulative plains, composed mainly of alluvial deposits, with ridges and ridges rising 10-15 m above the general level.

The northern valley is confined to a large latitudinal fault, and the southern valley is confined to the boundary of strata of different ages and different facies. The northern and southern parts of the island are occupied by low-lying tundra. The northern lowland Tundra of the Academy is a slightly hilly lowland with absolute elevations from 5-10 to 30-50 m. The flat tundra in the southern part of the island is identical in surface character to the Tundra of the Academy. The absolute heights of its heights at the foot of the Central Mountains reach 100 m. On the western side of the island there is a narrow coastal plain.

The flat shores of the island are predominantly of the lagoon type and are characterized by an abundance of sand and pebble spits and bars. Where mountain structures reach the sea, various types of abrasion coasts develop, characterized by rocky cliffs up to several tens of meters high. Herald Island is a high outlier composed of granites and gneisses, ending on all sides in the sea with steep rocky ledges up to 250 m high. Both islands are characterized by various cryogenic forms of nano- and micro-relief, among which various polygonal and spotted forms predominate. In the low-lying areas of the plains of Wrangel Island, thermokarst basins are also developed, and in the intermountain valleys there are complexes of bayjarakhs, formed as a result of the melting of polygonal ice wedges.

In accordance with the landscape-ecological zoning of the territory of Russia (Isachenko, 2001), Wrangel Island is part of the Chukotka-Koryak group of provinces of the Far Eastern sector of the subarctic zone. However, most researchers (Alexandrova, 1977; Khromov, Mamontova, 1974, etc.) attribute it to the Arctic zone. The island as a whole is characterized by the development of arctic-type landscapes, including polar-desert and arctic-tundra subtypes. In accordance with the botanical and geographical zoning of the Arctic (Alexandrova, 1977), Wrangel Island belongs to the Wrangel subprovince of the Wrangel-Western American province of the Arctic tundra. All main types of Arctic landscapes are represented on Wrangel Island. Plains, abrasive and accumulative in origin, provide a wide range of morphological types, including lowland and elevated, flat, hilly and sloping.
On the territory of the island, Markov (1952) and V.V. Petrovsky (1985) identified 5 areas characterized by relatively homogeneous geological and geomorphological conditions and characteristics of plant communities: the Academy tundra, the Southern region, the Western region, the Central region and the Eastern region.

Wrangel Island, Chukchi Sea coast

Hydrology and hydrography
In total, the island has more than 140 rivers and streams with a length of more than 1 km and 5 rivers with a length of more than 50 km. All watercourses are fed by snow. Of the approximately 900 lakes, most of which are located in the Academy Tundra (north of the island), 6 lakes have an area exceeding 1 km². On average, the depth of lakes is no more than 2 m. Based on their origin, lakes are divided into thermokarst lakes, which include the majority, oxbow lakes (in the valleys of large rivers), glacial, dammed and lagoon lakes. The largest of them are: Kmo, Komsomol, Gagachye, Zapovednoye. The entire surface of the island is dissected by an intensively developed river network. All more or less large rivers originate within large mountain ranges, where their valleys are usually narrow, with steep slopes and canyons in some areas. Mountain streams and rivers have a relatively shallow depth with a small channel width. Their valleys are deeply incised and differ in an equilibrium profile that has not yet been established. Mountain rivers that flow across the strike of the structures have steep rocky banks almost throughout their entire length. With access to the plains, the channels of watercourses expand sharply: the streams are divided into several branches, meanders, reaches, and rifts appear. The watercourses of the Academy Tundra are characterized by a calm flow in winding channels. The erosion incision in them is weakly expressed. There is an abundance of oxbow lakes, especially in the floodplain area.

The water area of ​​the East Siberian and Chukchi seas adjacent to the Wrangel and Herald islands is distinguished as a separate Wrangel chemical-oceanographic region, characterized by special types of surface waters with low salinity, high oxygen saturation and a high content of nutrients. A flow of warm Pacific waters comes here from the Bering Sea, forming a clearly defined layer at a depth of 75-150. Warm Atlantic waters also penetrate into the northern part of the water area, at a depth of about 150 m.

The ice regime of the water area adjacent to the islands is characterized by the almost constant presence of ice in the summer. The edge of drifting ice, during the period of its minimum distribution, is located in the immediate vicinity of the islands, or slightly to the northwest (in exceptional cases, far to the north). In the Long Strait, throughout the warm period, an ice mass known as the Wrangel ice mass remains. In the East Siberian Sea, not far from Wrangel Island in the summer, there is a spur of the Aion oceanic ice massif. In winter, to the north or northwest of the island, the Zavrangelskaya stationary polynya operates.

East-Siberian Sea. Due to shallow depths, the temperature is characterized by a uniform distribution from the surface to depth. In winter it is -1-20C, in summer +2+50C, in bays up to +80C. The salinity of water is different in the western and eastern parts of the sea. In the eastern part of the sea at the surface it is usually about 30 ppm. River flow in the eastern part of the sea leads to a decrease in salinity to 10-15 ppm, and at the mouths of large rivers to almost zero. Near ice fields, salinity increases to 30 ppm. With depth, salinity increases to 32 ppm in the Chukchi Sea. The temperature in winter is -1.70C, in summer it rises to +70C. From the southern part of the island, the tides are small, about 15 cm. In winter, increased salinity (about 31-33 ‰) of the under-ice layer of water is characteristic. In summer, salinity is less, increasing from west to east from 28 to 32 ‰. At the melting edges of the ice, salinity is lower; it is minimal at river mouths (3-5 ‰). Typically, salinity increases with depth.
The Chukchi Current running from west to east from the East Siberian Sea and the Heraldovskaya and Longovskaya branches of the Bering Sea Current running north, northwest and west into the Long Strait are described.

Geology
The island is composed of various sediments (metamorphic, sedimentary, igneous, etc.) of a wide age range - from the late Precambrian to the Triassic, which are overlain by Neogene-Quaternary sediments, filling depressions in the north and south. Excellent exposure, easy passage of the tundra and in most cases moderate elevations, good decipherability of objects make the island convenient for geological study. In addition, contacts between strata of different ages are in most cases well expressed in the relief.

Wrangel Island is composed of two main complexes: metamorphic formations and deposits of the Paleozoic-Mesozoic cover.

METAMORPHIC FORMATIONS are exposed in the axial part of the Central and Mammoth Mountains. Sedimentary and volcanic rocks, strongly dislocated and metamorphosed in greenschist and epidote-amphibolite facies, intruded by dikes and small intrusions of mafic and felsic composition, are distinguished as the Wrangel complex [Ivanov, 1969], the lower part of the Berry Formation [Tilman et al., 1970; Ganelin et al., 1989; Bogdanov, 1998], Gromovskaya and Inkalinskaya formations [Kameneva, 1975]. The total thickness is estimated at 2000 m. G.I. Kameneva, based on microfossil finds, attributed the Gromov Formation to the Middle and Upper Riphean, and the Inkalin Formation to the Vendian. ON THE. Bogdanov, S.M. Tilman and V.G. Ganelin and co-authors are inclined to consider these formations as the result of dynamometamorphism of Devonian or Early Paleozoic rocks, which is confirmed by K-Ag dating of 457 ± 25 million years. During the work of the Soviet-Canadian expedition, determinations of zircons were obtained indicating a Late Proterozoic age: 699 ± 1 million years (zircons from mafic rocks), as well as 609 ± 10, 633 ± 21 and 677 ± 163 million years (zircons from granites). Our field observations (2006) most likely indicate that the metamorphic complex contains both ancient and Paleozoic formations.

The PALEOZOIC-MESOZOIC COVER is composed of Silurian-Devonian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian and Triassic deposits. The contact of the Wrangel complex with the non-metamorphosed cover is most likely tectonic. In the upper reaches of the river. Predators, it is clearly expressed in relief by a ledge and a conjugate saddle, covered with vegetation with numerous outcroppings of black shales.

Silurian-Devonian. Terrigenous and carbonate deposits of this age are known only in the northern part of the island. The total thickness is 400-500 m.

Devonian. It is represented by sandstones, often quartzites and shales with horizons of conglomerates, gravelites and limestones. M.K. Kosko et al describe an unconformable Devonian stratigraphic contact with conglomerates at the base on rocks of the Wrangel Complex. Thickness 600-2000 m.

Lower Carboniferous. In the upper reaches of the river. Predator, the lower part of the section is composed of dark gray and black shales with interlayers of dark organogenic limestones. Above is a unit of alternating greenish-gray and brown calcareous sandstones, siltstones and shales. Gradational layering is clearly visible. Along the strike there are marly-calcareous packs, interlayers and lenses of carbonate rocks and dolomites with gypsum. This part of the section is characterized by variegated brown, yellow, gray, green and pinkish colors.

Carbon. Pelitomorphic and organogenic limestones with horizons of terrigenous rocks, the number of which increases in the northern direction. The total thickness of sediments is 500 -1500 m. In the middle reaches of the river. Unknown there are outcrops of volcanic rocks of acidic and basic composition with relics of spherical separation and lenses of jasperoids.

Permian. Shales with interlayers of bituminous limestones and sandstones. The southern part is dominated by shales, while the northern, shallower part contains lens-shaped conglomerate horizons. The thickness of the deposits is 800 m in the southern part and 1200 m in the northern part [Kosko et al., 2003].

Triassic. Terrigenous deposits, distributed mainly in the southern part, where they can be traced in a wide strip from Cape Ptichiy Bazar to the eastern coast. The Triassic is characterized by turbidites and an internal folded-scale structure.

Triassic turbidites overlie various horizons of Paleozoic sediments. Some researchers tend to consider these relationships as an unconformable stratigraphic contact, others as a thrust. In the places studied by the authors (Khishchnikov River, Somnitelny Creek, Zanes Cape) the contact is tectonic. At the same time, a long history of contact formation cannot be ruled out.

Initially, stratigraphic relationships could exist, then a thrust with a general northern vergence typical of Wrangel was formed, and at the very later stages faults could arise, including along the thrust plane, caused by general extension and the formation of young sedimentary basins on the shelf south of the island.

Soil cover
The entire territory of the reserve is located in the permafrost zone. The soil cover of the islands is relatively well formed. Arctic-tundra turf and tundra or arctic gley soils predominate. In the most continental central regions of the island, soils that are completely uncharacteristic of the Arctic islands are also common - steppe cryoarid and tundra-steppe, characteristic of the sharply continental regions of Siberia and the north of the Far East. Typical salt marshes of lithogenic origin, i.e., are also described on the island under the name arctic-tundra saline soils. Owing their existence to the exudate water regime, which is typical for arid territories and completely atypical for the Arctic. In the central regions of the island, the type of carbonate arctic-tundra soils, which is endemic to Wrangel Island, is quite widespread.

On Herald Island, seabird colonies at an altitude of 100-200 m have well-formed peat-humus zoogenic soils, on which the vegetation cover is unusually lush.

Flora
The first researcher of the vegetation of Wrangel Island, B. N. Gorodkov, who studied the eastern coast of the island in 1938, classified it as a zone of arctic and polar deserts. After a complete exploration of the entire island from the 2nd half of the 20th century. it belongs to the arctic tundra subzone of the tundra zone. Despite the relatively small size of Wrangel Island, due to the sharp regional characteristics of its vegetation, it stands out as a special Wrangel subprovince of the Wrangel-Western American province of the Arctic tundra.

The vegetation of Wrangel Island is distinguished by a rich ancient species composition. The number of species of vascular plants exceeds 310 (for example, on the much larger New Siberian Islands there are only 135 such species, on the Severnaya Zemlya islands there are about 65, on Franz Josef Land there are less than 50). The flora of the island is rich in relics and relatively poor in plants common in other subpolar regions, of which, according to various estimates, there are no more than 35-40%.
About 3% of plants are subendemic (silver grass, Gorodkov poppy, Wrangel's cinquefoil) and endemic (Wrangel's bluegrass, Ushakov's poppy, Wrangel's cinquefoil, Lapland poppy). In addition to them, another 114 species of rare and very rare plants grow on Wrangel Island.

This composition of the flora allows us to conclude that the original Arctic vegetation in this area of ​​​​ancient Beringia was not destroyed by glaciers, and the sea prevented the penetration of later migrants from the south.
The modern vegetation cover on the territory of the reserve is almost everywhere open and low-growing. Sedge-moss tundra predominates. In the mountain valleys and intermountain basins of the central part of Wrangel Island there are areas of willow thickets (Richardson's willow) up to 1 m high.

bird market, Wrangel Island

Quite often, birds from North America fly or are blown into the reserve, including sandhill cranes that regularly visit Wrangel Island, as well as Canada geese and various small American passerines, including finches (myrtle warblers, savannah buntings, gray and Oregon juncos, black-browed and white-crowned Zonotrichia).
The mammal fauna of the reserve is poor. The endemic Vinogradov's lemming, previously considered a subspecies of the hoofed lemming, the Siberian lemming and the arctic fox live here permanently. Periodically, and in significant numbers, polar bears appear, whose maternity dens are located within the boundaries of the reserve. At times, wolves, wolverines, stoats and foxes enter the reserve. Along with people, sled dogs settled on Wrangel Island. A house mouse has appeared and lives in residential buildings. For acclimatization, reindeer and musk ox were brought to the island.

Reindeer lived here in the distant past, and the modern herd comes from domestic reindeer brought from the Chukotka Peninsula in 1948, 1954, 1967, 1968, 1975. The deer population is maintained at up to 1.5 thousand heads.
There is evidence that musk oxen lived on Wrangel Island in the distant past. In our time, a herd of 20 heads was brought in April 1975 from the American island of Nunivak.
The island has the largest walrus rookery in Russia. Seals live in coastal waters.

In the mid-1990s, in the journal Nature, one could read about a stunning discovery made on the island. Reserve employee Sergei Vartanyan discovered here the remains of woolly mammoths, whose age was determined to be from 7 to 3.5 thousand years. Despite the fact that, according to popular belief, mammoths went extinct everywhere 10-12 thousand years ago. Subsequently, it was discovered that these remains belonged to a special, relatively small subspecies that inhabited Wrangel Island back in the days when the Egyptian pyramids had long stood, and which disappeared only during the reign of Tutankhamun and the heyday of the Mycenaean civilization. This places Wrangel Island among the most important paleontological monuments on the planet.

remains of the village of Domnitelny

Settlements
Ushakovskoe (non-residential)
Zvezdny (non-residential)
Perkatkun (non-residential)

Population
Officially, the village of Ushakovskoye on Wrangel Island was declared uninhabited in 1997. However, several people refused to leave him.
The last 25-year-old female islander, Vasilina Alpaun, was killed by a polar bear in 2003.
After her, the only civilian left on the island was the man Grigory Kaurgin, who practices shamanism. The presence of people on the island was again ensured by the Russian military from the troops of the Eastern Military District (VMD), who on October 1, 2014 settled in the military town created for them.

WRANGEL ISLAND RESERVE
“Wrangel Island” is a state nature reserve, occupies the most northern position (located mainly north of 71° N) of the protected areas in Russia.
The Wrangel Island State Nature Reserve was established by Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR dated March 23, 1976 No. 189. The total area is 2,225,650 hectares, including the water area of ​​1,430,000 hectares. The area of ​​the protected zone is 795,593 hectares. It occupies two islands of the Chukchi Sea - Wrangel and Herald, as well as the adjacent water area, and is located in the Shmidtovsky district of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
This northernmost of the reserves of the Far East occupies two islands of the Chukchi Sea - Wrangel and Herald, as well as the adjacent water area, and is located in the Eastern region of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

Landscape
Approximately 2/3 of the island's territory. Wrangel is occupied by mountains. Arctic tundra and mountains are the dominant landscape. The hydrographic network of Wrangel Island consists of about 150 relatively small rivers and streams, only 5 of which have a length of over 50 km, and about 900 medium-sized shallow lakes.

The flora of Wrangel Island has no analogues in the Arctic in its richness and level of endemism. To date, 417 species and subspecies of vascular plants have been identified in the reserve. This is more than is known for the entire Canadian Arctic Archipelago and is 2-2.5 times higher than the number of species in other Arctic tundra areas of similar sizes. About 3% of the flora of Wrangel Island consists of subendemic species. Among the vascular plants, 23 taxa are endemic to the island. In terms of the number of endemics, Wrangel Island has no equal among the Arctic islands, including Greenland. A number of endemic plants (Oxytropis ushakovii, Papaver multiradiatum and Papaver chionophilum) are common on the island. Endemics also include a variety of anthrax, a subspecies of Lapland poppy, Gorodkov and Ushakov poppies, and Wrangel's cinquefoil. The number of known species of mosses (331) and lichens (310) on Wrangel Island also exceeds other areas in the Arctic tundra subzone.
Sedge-moss tundras predominate; the middle and lower zones of the mountains are occupied by grass-lichen and shrub-forb tundras. There are swamps with sphagnum, low and creeping willow thickets. In the upper belts of the mountains there are extensive rocky areas.
Natural conditions are not conducive to the richness of the fauna.

There are absolutely no amphibians or reptiles in the reserve; fish (cod, capelin and some others) can only be seen in coastal waters. But on the island there are 169 species of birds, most of which are vagrants; nesting is registered for 62 species, of which 44 species nest on the islands regularly, including 8 species of seabirds. For example: gulls, guillemots, etc. Among birds, we must first of all mention the white goose, which forms its only large autonomous nesting colony of several tens of thousands of pairs preserved in Russia and Asia. Brent geese nest regularly (moreover, non-breeding geese fly here in the thousands to molt from mainland Chukotka and Alaska), common eider and crested eider, and in very small numbers Siberian eider, pintails and waders. On the steep seashores there are bird colonies, which in the 60s, according to the famous explorer of the North S.M. Uspensky, numbered 50-100 thousand thick-billed guillemots, 30-40 thousand kittiwakes, 3 thousand cormorants. V.V. Dezhkin in his book “In the World of Reserved Nature,” published in 1989, writes “Now there are fewer of these birds,” and on the official website of the reserve the total number of seabird colonies is estimated at 250-300 thousand nesting individuals.

The bulk of the bird population consists of tundra species, most of which have circumpolar ranges and are common throughout the Arctic tundra. These are the Lapland plantain, the snow bunting, the tule, the turnstone, the Icelandic sandpiper and a number of other species. At the same time, there are known cases of nesting of species uncharacteristic for the Arctic, such as the turukhtan, ruby-throated sandpiper, mottled puffin and puffin, and the common warbler, for which Wrangel Island is the northernmost nesting point. In recent years, the mottled moth has begun to nest regularly on the seabird colonies of Wrangel Island, and its numbers are growing.

The world of mammals is poorer, and its most typical representatives are the Siberian lemming and Vinogradov’s lemming, which in years of high numbers are very important in the ecosystems of the reserve. Arctic fox, ermine, wolverine, wild reindeer, wolves live, and red foxes wander in. But a particularly famous resident of both islands is the polar bear. Wrangel and Herald Islands are known as the world's largest concentration of polar bear maternity dens. V.V. Dezhkin writes: “In some years, up to 200-250 bears had dens in the reserve.” On the reserve’s website there is information that “every year from 300 to 500 bears lie in dens on the islands. Approximately 100 ancestral dens from this number are located on a small island. Herald." In the spring, with slightly stronger offspring, they set off on a journey through the expanses of the Arctic.

Ungulates are represented in the reserve by two species - reindeer and musk ox. Reindeer were brought to Wrangel Island in the late 40s and early 50s: they were brought in two batches of domesticated reindeer from the coast of Chukotka. Currently, they represent a unique island population of wild reindeer in terms of history and biological characteristics, the number of which in certain periods reached 9-10 thousand individuals. In 1975, a year before the establishment of the reserve, 20 musk oxen captured on the American island of Nunivak were brought to Wrangel Island. The period of adaptation of musk oxen on the island and their development of the entire territory passed with difficulties and was extended for several years, after which the survival of the original herd was no longer in doubt and the population began to actively grow. Currently, the number of musk oxen on the island is about 800-900 individuals, according to the situation in the fall of 2007 - possibly up to 1000. According to paleontological data, both species of ungulates lived on the territory of Wrangel Island in the late Pleistocene, and reindeer much later - only 2 -3 thousand years ago.

Finally, walruses, the most interesting and valuable sea animals, set up rookeries on the coasts of the reserve. Their protection and study are the tasks of local scientists. The Pacific walrus lives here, for which this water area is the most important summer feeding area. In certain years, during the summer-autumn period - from July to the end of September-beginning of October - most of the females and young animals of the entire population accumulate near the islands. Walruses stay near the edge of the ice and prefer to crawl out onto the ice floes to rest, as long as they are in the water area. When ice disappears near the most feeding shallow areas, walruses approach the islands and form the largest coastal rookeries in the Chukchi Sea on certain spits. At the same time, a total of up to 70-80 thousand animals were recorded in the coastal rookeries of walruses on Wrangel Island, and taking into account the animals swimming in the water, up to 130 thousand walruses gathered here. Walruses migrate to the Bering Sea for the winter.

Ringed seals and bearded seals are common in coastal waters throughout the year. The ringed seal is the main food for polar bears throughout the year, providing the complete life cycle of the predator.
In the summer-autumn period, the water area adjacent to Wrangel and Herald islands is a feeding and migration area for cetaceans. The gray whale is the most numerous here. In recent years, the number of gray whales in the summer-autumn period off the coast of Wrangel Island has noticeably increased. Every year large herds of beluga whales pass along the shores of Wrangel Island during their autumn migration. Based on satellite tagging data, it was established that beluga whales approach Wrangel Island in the fall and gather to give birth in the Mackenzie River delta (Canada).
The purpose of creating the reserve is to preserve and study the typical and unique ecosystems of the island part of the Arctic, as well as such animal species as the polar bear, walrus, the only breeding population of the white goose in Russia, and many other species of Beringian flora and fauna with a high level of endemism. In 1974, the musk ox was acclimatized on the island.

Particularly valuable natural objects

Thomas Creek Valley with Adjacent Slopes
high concentration of polar bear birth dens, high density of family groups and female polar bears in the autumn

Cape Blossom area
walrus rookery on the spit; high concentration and activity of polar bears in autumn; concentrations of pink and white gulls on autumn migration; area where walruses and gray whales feed in coastal waters

Scythe Doubtful
walrus rookery; a place of high activity and concentration of polar bears in autumn

Southern coast near Domnitelnaya Bay
cryophyte-steppe and tundra-steppe plant communities; rare and endemic plant taxa; yellowjacket nesting sites; area of ​​concentration for migration of pink and white gulls; area of ​​high polar bear activity in autumn

Mouth area of ​​the Mammoth River and Jack London Lake
high concentrations of molting brent geese; concentrations of waders on autumn migration; a large colony of Sabine-tailed Gull; area of ​​high polar bear activity in autumn

Middle reaches of the Mamontovaya River
cryophyte-steppe and tundra-steppe plant communities; relict communities of Arctic continental halophytes; high density of snowy owl nests and Arctic fox reproductive burrows; numerous small colonies of snow goose and other lamellar-billed birds around the nests of snowy owls; nesting sites of yellow shank and Baird's sandpiper; high density and diversity of lemming settlement types

Gusinaya River Valley
relict tundra-steppe communities, willow growths; high nesting density of snowy owls; numerous colonies of white goose around the nests of snowy owls; Baird's sandpiper nesting sites; high concentration and diversity of lemming settlement types

Whale mountain range
nesting area of ​​Baird's sandpiper, yellow shank, concentration of molting brent geese; a large colony of Sabine-tailed Gull; high diversity of lemming settlements

West coast (section from Cape Thomas to the mouth of the Sovetskaya River)
high concentration of polar bear maternity dens on the coastal slopes of the mountains, high activity of polar bears in the autumn; large colonies of seabirds (kittiwakes, thick-billed guillemots, Bering cormorants, mottled guillemots); Baird's sandpiper nesting sites; unique and highly aesthetic geological structures (I-VI); arctic continental halophytes

Cape Warring area
high concentration of polar bear birth dens; high activity of polar bears in autumn; large colonies of seabirds (kittiwakes, thick-billed guillemots, Bering cormorants, mottled guillemots); highest densities of Baird's Sandpiper, Ringed Sandpiper; location of rock crystal and calcite; unique geological structures

Upper reaches of the Unknown River (key section “Upper Unknown”)
the most stable and densely populated breeding colony of snowy owls known in the species' range; mixed reproductive populations of snowy owl and arctic fox; very high concentration of lamellar-billed colonies around snowy owl nests; high concentration of micropopulations and communities of relict, endemic and rare plant taxa; willow growth

The main breeding colony of the white goose in the upper reaches of the Tundravaya River
the only large colony of snow geese remaining in Eurasia; with an accompanying unique ecosystem formed in a given habitat under the influence of zoogenic factors

Herald Island
the highest concentration of polar bear natal dens known in the species' range; walrus rookery; the largest colonies of seabirds with a community of associated species in this sector of the Arctic; unique and highly aesthetic geological structures

Drem Head mountain ranges, Western Plateau, Warring, part of the Eastern Plateau in the area of ​​​​Cape Pillar
the main areas of concentration of polar bear birth dens on Wrangel Island, areas of high concentration and activity of polar bears in the autumn

Lower reaches of the Tundra River
high concentration of white geese with chicks during the molting period; the most stable and densely populated reproductive colony of arctic foxes known in the species' range; high-density nesting area for the common gull; high concentration and diversity of lemming settlement types

Lake basins in the Academy Tundra from the Medvezhya River to the Hydrographs River and the lower reaches of the Neizvestnaya, Pestsovaya, Krasny Flag and Hydrographs rivers
areas of concentration of white geese with chicks during the post-breeding molt period; main nesting sites for the ragged gull

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads
Leontyev V.V., Novikova K.A. Toponymic dictionary of the north-east of the USSR. - Magadan: Magadan Book Publishing House, 1989, p. 384.
Wikipedia website.
Magidovich I. P., Magidovich V. I. Essays on the history of geographical discoveries. - Enlightenment, 1985. - T. 4.
Shentalinsky V. The shore of non-random meetings. Magazine "Around the World" (September 1988). Retrieved March 2, 2010. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012.
Krasinsky G.D. On a Soviet ship in the Arctic Ocean. Hydrographic expedition to Wrangel Island. - Publication of Litizdat N.K.I.D., 1925.
Klimenko I. N. Expedition to Wrangel Island, or two lives of the icebreaker “Reliable”. Primorsky State United Museum named after V.K. Arsenyev.
Wiese V. Yu. Seas of the Soviet Arctic: Essays on the history of research. — Ed. Glavsevmorputi, 1948. - 416 p.
Shentalinsky V. A. Home for man and wild beast. - Thought, 1988. - 236 p.
Shentalinsky V. A. Ice captain. - Magadan Book Publishing House, 1980. - 160 p.
Vitaly Shentalinsky. Reserved autumn on Wrangel // Around the world. - 1978. - No. 9 (2635).
Vitaly Shentalinsky. Shore of non-random encounters // Around the world. - 1988. - No. 9 (2576).
Gromov L.V. A fragment of ancient Beringia. - Geographgiz, 1960. - 95 p.
Mineev A.I. Five years on Wrangel Island. - Young Guard, 1936. - 443 p.
Mineev A.I. Wrangel Island. - Glavsevmorput Publishing House, 1946. - 430 p.
Gorodkov B.N. Polar deserts about. Wrangel // Botanical Journal. - 1943. - T. 28. - No. 4. - P. 127-143.
Gorodkov B.N. Soil and vegetation cover of Wrangel Island // Vegetation of the Far North of the USSR and its development. - L.: Nauka, 1958. - V. 3. - P. 5-58.
Gorodkov B.N. Analysis of the Arctic desert zone using the example of Wrangel Island // Vegetation of the Far North of the USSR and its development. - L.: Nauka, 1958. - V. 3. - P. 59-94.
http://www.photosight.ru/
photo: S. Anisimov, V. Timoshenko, A. Kutsky.

Wrangel Island is a natural reserve located in the vast Arctic. This is the only territory that Russia managed to conquer from America and England. But there was no power as such here. During the reforms on the island, its last inhabitant left this world. Since there are no more people left, the development of flora and fauna here began to develop at a rapid pace. A large number of polar bears could be found on the territory, which migrated to the island to spend the winter. Numerous herds of musk oxen also lived here.

Name

Why is Wrangel Island called that? Locals call it Umkilir, which means the island of polar bears. But it owes its official name to the Russian navigator Ferdinand Wrangel.

Nature

The area of ​​Wrangel Island is approximately 7670 square meters. km. Most of it (about 4,700 sq. km) is occupied by mountain ranges. The shores are dissected by lagoons and sand spits. The central part of the island is mountainous. There are small lakes and glaciers on the territory. A description of Wrangel Island will be incomplete without identifying the relief features of this area.

Relief

The area is highly dissected. Mountains line up in parallel chains - ridges. Conventionally, they are divided into three parts - the Northern, Middle and Southern ridges, the ends of which are rocky cliffs on the western and eastern sides. The most thorough is the middle part. Here is Sovetskaya Mountain, which is the highest point of the island. The northern ridge smoothly transitions into marshy areas and is considered the lowest. This plain is called the Academy Tundra. The southern ridge is closest to the sea coast. In the center of the island there is a mountain named after Leonid Gromov.

Rivers and lakes

The main area of ​​Wrangel Island is mountains. But at the same time there are a large number of rivers and lakes. In total, there are more than 140 rivers and small streams on the island, the length of which is about 1 km. There are approximately 900 lakes on the island, most of them located in the Academy Tundra. Several of them occupy an area exceeding 1 km. sq. The lakes are not deep, on average no deeper than 2 m. Where is Wrangel Island?

Location

The island experiences the bitter cold of the Arctic. This climate is practically unsuitable for human habitation.

The geographical location of Wrangel Island influences its history. It is located 140 km from the northern coast of Chukotka. That is why the island was discovered very late. In the mid-19th century, large states were not interested in developing the Arctic desert.

History of discovery

But already at the beginning of the 20th century, interest in this area grew sharply. In 1911, the Russian flag was raised on the island. But Great Britain and Canada also became interested in this territory. At that time, there was a Civil War in the Far East. The Canadians took advantage of this circumstance and raised the British flag on the island in 1921. The Canadian government declared with full confidence that its territory belonged to Great Britain. A year later, migrants from the United States began arriving on the island. Now the American flag flew there too.

Feathered

Another striking representative of the fauna of Wrangel Island is the snowy owl. The density of nesting sites is considered the highest in the country. The reserve houses the largest bird colony on the entire Chukotka Peninsula. The majority are sea birds.

The birds of Wrangel Island are represented by 169 species. But not all of them nest in this territory.

In summer, more than 50 species of birds are permanent inhabitants of the island. Many of them cannot be seen anywhere else. Most species live exclusively in northern latitudes. For example: gulls, guillemots, etc. Among birds, we must first of all mention the white goose, which forms its only large autonomous nesting colony of several tens of thousands of pairs preserved in Russia and Asia. Brant geese nest regularly (moreover, non-breeding geese fly here in the thousands from mainland Chukotka and Alaska to molt), common eider and crested eider, and in very small numbers Siberian eider, pintails and waders.

Birds fly to the reserve in May and make nests in inconspicuous, hard-to-reach places. They can often be found on rock ledges. Here they lay eggs and feed the chicks until they learn to fly on their own. After which the birds gather in flocks and fly south in winter, and in the spring they return to their homeland with a harsh climate.

Many people know Wrangel Island as the last refuge of mammoths. Scientists testify that it was in the reserve that the dwarf form of these animals was discovered. This species lived together with normal individuals. Excavations have established that more than 3 thousand years ago mammoths lived in the Arctic.

Flora

The island is home to unique plants that are perfectly adapted to local conditions. For the most part, all these species can be found in the tundra of other regions; they differ only in their size. Mostly dwarf plants grow on Wrangel Island. Strong northern winds prevent them from growing. Therefore, their height often reaches no more than 10 cm. At the same time, plants of ancient origin can be found here. Over time they have not changed. The reserve is home to more than 114 species of plants, the composition of which is perfectly preserved due to the climate and remoteness of the island.

The reserve is home to dwarf Ivyanka trees, no more than 1 meter high. You can meet them in mountain gorges, well protected from the wind.

Tourism

Despite the harsh climate and remoteness from civilization, Wrangel Island annually receives tourists from all over the world. Ecotourism is developing at a rapid pace. People want to touch the splendor of nature and see its rare representatives with their own eyes. Wrangel Island is one of the best places for this. Today, several excursion routes are available to tourists. Unforgettable adventures await brave travelers here. If you are tired of the hot resorts of Asia, feel free to come to Wrangel Island for a thrill. This, of course, is not a Turkish resort, but nevertheless a very interesting place.

It is very difficult to get to where Wrangel Island is located. As a rule, people travel by tourist ships. This usually happens from August to September. At other times, visiting the reserve is dangerous due to glaciers. Tourists travel around the reserve on all-terrain vehicles.