Edit filter log

'{{short description|Freshwater lake in Russia}} {{expand Russian|Ладожское озеро|topic=geo|date=August 2012}} {{More citations needed|date=May 2019}} {{Infobox lake |name = Lake Ladoga |image = Sortavalan saaristoa.jpg |caption = |image_bathymetry = La2-demis-ladoga.png |pushpin_map = European Russia |pushpin_label_position = none |pushpin_map_caption = Location in Russia |caption_bathymetry = Large-scale map |location = [[Northwestern Federal District|Northwestern Russia]] ([[Leningrad Oblast]] and the [[Republic of Karelia]]) |coords = {{coord|61|00|N|31|30|E|type:waterbody_region:RU_scale:2500000|display=inline,title}} |type = |inflow = [[Svir River|Svir]], [[Volkhov River|Volkhov]], [[Vuoksi River|Vuoksi]] |outflow = [[Neva River|Neva]] |catchment = {{convert|276000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} |basin_countries = [[Russia]]<br>[[Finland]] (minor) |length = {{convert|219|km|mi|abbr=on}} |width = {{convert|138|km|mi|abbr=on}} |area = {{convert|17700|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} |depth = {{convert|51|m|ft|abbr=on}} |max-depth = {{convert|230|m|ft|abbr=on}} |volume = {{convert|837|km3|cumi|abbr=on}} |residence_time = |shore = |elevation = {{convert|5|m|ft|abbr=on}} |islands = about 660 (including [[Valaam]]) |cities = ''see [[#Towns upon the Ladoga|list]]'' }} '''Lake Ladoga''' ([[English language|English]]: '''Idiot Lake'''; {{lang-rus|Ла́дожское о́зеро|r=Ladozhskoye ozero|p=ˈladəʂskəjə ˈozʲɪrə}} or {{lang-rus|Ла́дога|r=Ladoga|p=ˈladəgə}}; {{lang-fi|Laatokka}} [earlier in Finnish ''Nevajärvi'']; {{Lang-olo|Luadogu}}; {{lang-vep|Ladog, Ladoganjärv}}) is a [[Fresh water|freshwater]] [[lake]] located in the [[Republic of Karelia]] and [[Leningrad Oblast]] in northwestern [[Russia]], in the vicinity of [[Saint Petersburg]]. It is the largest lake located entirely in [[Europe]], the second largest lake after [[Lake Baikal|Baikal]] in Russia, and the [[list of lakes by area|14th largest freshwater lake by area]] in the world. ''[[Ladoga Lacus]]'', a [[methane]] lake on [[Saturn|Saturn's]] [[Moons|moon]] [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], is named after the lake. ==Etymology== In one of [[Nestor the Chronicler|Nestor's]] chronicles from the 12th century a lake called "the Great Nevo" is mentioned, a clear link to the [[Neva River]] and possibly further to [[Finnish language|Finnish]] ''nevo'' 'sea' or ''neva'' 'bog, quagmire'.<ref name="Geographical names of the world">[[:ru:Поспелов, Евгений Михайлович|Evgeny Pospelov]]: ''Geographical names of the world. Toponymic dictionary.'' Second edition. Astrel, Moscow 2001, pp. 106f.</ref> Ancient [[Norse sagas]] and Hanseatic treaties both mention a city made of lakes named [[Old Norse]] ''Aldeigja'' or ''Aldoga''.<ref name="Kirilovsky">S. V. Kirilovsky: ''Did you know?'' In: ''Gazetteer Leningrad region.'' Lenizdat, Leningrad 1974, pp. 79f.</ref> Since the beginning of the 14th century this hydronym was commonly known as ''Ladoga''. According to T. N. Jackson, it can be taken "almost for granted that the name of Ladoga first referred to the river, then the city, and only then the lake". Therefore, he considers the primary hydronym Ladoga to originate in the eponymous inflow to the lower reaches of the [[Volkhov River]] whose early [[Finnic languages|Finnic]] name was ''Alodejoki'' (corresponding to modern {{lang-fi|Alojen joki}}) 'river of the lowlands'.<ref name="Geographical names of the world" /> The Germanic toponym (''Aldeigja'' ~ ''Aldoga'') was soon borrowed by the Slavic population and transformed by means of the Old East Slavic metathesis ''ald- → lad-'' to {{lang-orv|Ладога}}. The Old Norse intermediary word between Finnish and Old East Slavic word is fully supported by archeology, since the Scandinavians first appeared in Ladoga in the early 750s, that is, a couple of decades before the [[Ilmen Slavs|Slavs]].<ref>T. N. Jackson: [http://altladoga.narod.ru/newsarh/2006/ald.htm ''Альдейгья. Археология и топонимика.''] Памятники средневековой культуры: Открытия и версии. Saint-Petersburg, 1994. pp. 77—79.</ref> Other hypotheses about the origin of the name derive it from {{lang-krl|aalto}} 'wave' and {{lang-krl|aaltokas}} 'wavy', or from the Russian dialectal word алодь, meaning 'open lake, extensive water field'.<ref name="Toponymy of Ladoga Karelia">N. Mammoth: [https://web.archive.org/web/20070322002516/http://www.laatokka.info/articles/laatokka_mamontova_01.htm ''Топонимика Приладожья''].</ref> [[Eugene Helimski]] by contrast, offers an etymology rooted in [[German language|German]]. In his opinion, the primary name of the lake was {{lang-non|*Aldauga}} 'old source', associated to the open sea, in contrast to the name of the [[Neva River]] (flowing from Lake Ladoga) which would derive from the German expression for 'the new'. Through the intermediate form ''*Aldaugja'', {{lang-non|Aldeigja}} came about, referring to the city of Ladoga.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Helimski | first = Eugene | author-link = Eugene Helimski | date = 2008 | title = LADOGA AND PERM REVISITED | url = http://www.ejournals.eu/sj/index.php/SEC/article/viewFile/1072/1068 | journal = [[Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia]] | publisher = [[Cracow University]] | volume = 13 | issue = 1 | pages = 75–88 | access-date = 5 May 2020 }} </ref> ==Geography== [[Image:Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary b33 242-0.jpg|thumb|left|Lake Ladoga, as illustrated in the [[Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary]] (1890—1907)]] The lake has an average surface area of 17,891&nbsp;km² (excluding the islands). Its north-to-south length is 219&nbsp;km and its average width is 83&nbsp;km; the average depth is 51&nbsp;m, although it reaches a maximum of 230&nbsp;m in the north-western part. Basin area: 276,000&nbsp;km², volume: 837&nbsp;km³<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Sorokin | first1 = Aleksander I. | display-authors = etal | year = 1996 | title = New morphometrical data of Lake Ladoga | journal = [[Hydrobiologia]] | volume = 322 | issue = 1–3| pages = 65–67 | doi = 10.1007/BF00031806 | s2cid = 28835088 }}</ref> (earlier estimated as 908&nbsp;km³). There are around 660 islands, with a total area of about 435&nbsp;km². Ladoga is, on average, 5&nbsp;m above sea level.<ref>Калесник С.В. Ладожское озеро. Л.: Гидрометеоиздат, 1968.</ref> Most of the islands, including the famous [[Valaam]] archipelago, [[Kilpola]] and [[Konevets]], are situated in the northwest of the lake. Separated from the [[Baltic Sea]] by the [[Karelian Isthmus]], it drains into the [[Gulf of Finland]] via the [[Neva River]]. Lake Ladoga is navigable, being a part of the [[Volga-Baltic Waterway]] connecting the [[Baltic Sea]] with the [[Volga River]]. The [[Ladoga Canal]] bypasses the lake in the south, connecting the Neva to the Svir. The basin of Lake Ladoga includes about 50,000 lakes and 3,500 rivers longer than 10&nbsp;km. About 85% of the water inflow is due to tributaries, 13% is due to [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]], and 2% is due to underground waters. ==Geological history== {{see also|Geology of the Baltic Sea|Svecofennian orogeny}} [[Image:Baltic History 7500-BC.svg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Ancylus Lake]] around 7,000 BC.]] Geologically, the Lake Ladoga depression is a [[graben]] and [[syncline]] [[structural geology|structure]] of [[Proterozoic]] age ([[Precambrian]]). This "Ladoga–Pasha structure", as it known, hosts [[Jotnian|Jotnian sediments]]. During the [[Quaternary glaciation|Pleistocene glaciation]]s the depression was partially stripped of its [[sedimentary rock]] fill by glacial [[overdeepening]].<ref name=amantovetal>{{cite journal |last1=Amantov |first1=A. |last2=Laitakari |first2=I. |last3=Poroshin |first3=Ye |date=1996 |title=Jotnian and Postjotnian: Sandstones and diabases in the surroundings of the Gulf of Finland |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259459569|journal=[[Geological Survey of Finland|Geological Survey of Finland, Special Paper]] |volume=21 |pages=99–113 |access-date=27 July 2015}}</ref> During the [[Last Glacial Maximum]], about 17,000 years [[before present|BP]], the lake served likely as a channel that concentrated ice of the [[Weichselian glaciation|Fennoscandian Ice Sheet]] into an [[ice stream]] that fed glacier lobes further east.<ref name=Stroevenetal2016>{{cite journal|author-last=Stroeven|author-first=Arjen P. |author-last2=Hättestrand|author-first2=Clas |author-last3=Kleman|author-first3=Johan|author-last4=Heyman|author-first4=Jakob |author-last5=Fabel|author-first5=Derek |author-last6=Fredin|author-first6=Ola |author-last7=Goodfellow|author-first7=Bradley W. |author-last8=Harbor|author-first8=Jonathan M. |author-last9=Jansen|author-first9=John D. |author-last10=Olsen|author-first10=Lars |author-last11=Caffee|author-first11=Marc W. |author-last12=Fink|author-first12=David |author-last13=Lundqvist|author-first13=Jan |author-last14=Rosqvist|author-first14=Gunhild C. |author-last15=Strömberg|author-first15=Bo |author-last16=Jansson|author-first16=Krister N. |author-link13=Jan Lundqvist |date=2016|title=Deglaciation of Fennoscandia|journal=[[Quaternary Science Reviews]] |volume=147|pages=91–121|doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.09.016 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Deglaciation following the [[Weichselian glaciation]] took place in the Lake Ladoga basin between 12,500 and 11,500 [[Before Present|radiocarbon years BP]]. Lake Ladoga was initially part of the [[Baltic Ice Lake]] (70–80 m. above present [[sea level]]), a historical [[freshwater]] stage of [[Baltic Sea]]. It is possible, though not certain, that Ladoga was isolated from it during [[regression (geology)|regression]] of the subsequent [[Yoldia Sea]] [[brackish]] stage (10,200–9,500 BP). The isolation threshold should be at [[Heinjoki]] to the east of [[Vyborg]], where the [[Baltic Sea]] and Ladoga were connected by a strait or a river outlet at least until the formation of the River Neva, and possibly even much later, until the 12th century AD or so.<ref>{{Cite journal | author = Ailio, Julius | year = 1915 | title = Die geographische Entwicklung des Ladogasees in postglazialer Zeit | journal = Bull. Comm. Géol. Finlande | volume = 45 | pages = 1–159 }}</ref><ref name="davydova">{{cite journal | last1 = Davydova | first1 = Natalia N. | display-authors = etal | year = 1996 | title = Late- and postglacial history of lakes of the Karelian Isthmus | journal = [[Hydrobiologia]] | volume = 322 | issue = 1–3| pages = 199–204 | doi = 10.1007/BF00031828 | s2cid = 9631019 }}</ref> At 9,500 BP, [[Lake Onega]], previously draining into the [[White Sea]], started emptying into Ladoga via the [[River Svir]]. Between 9,500 and 9,100 BP, during the transgression of [[Ancylus Lake]], the next freshwater stage of the Baltic, Ladoga certainly became part of it, even if they hadn't been connected immediately before. During the Ancylus Lake subsequent regression, around 8,800 BP Ladoga became isolated.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Saarnisto|first1=Matti|last2=Grönlund|first2=Tuulikki|last3=Ekman|first3=Ilpo|date=1995-01-01|title=Lateglacial of Lake Onega — Contribution to the history of the eastern Baltic basin|journal=Quaternary International|volume=27|issue=Supplement C|pages=111–120|doi=10.1016/1040-6182(95)00068-T}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} Ladoga slowly [[transgression (geology)|transgressed]] in its southern part due to uplift of the [[Baltic Shield]] in the north. It has been hypothesized, but not proven, that waters of the [[Litorina Sea]], the next brackish-water stage of the Baltic, occasionally invaded Ladoga between 7,000 and 5,000 BP. Around 5,000 BP the waters of the [[Saimaa Lake]] penetrated [[Salpausselkä]] and formed a new outlet, [[River Vuoksi]], entering Lake Ladoga in the northwestern corner and raising its level by 1–2 m.<ref>Saarnisto, Matti (1970). The Late Weichselian and Flandrian history of the Saimaa Lake complex. ''Societas Scientiarium Fennicae. Commentationes Physico-Mathematicae'' 37.</ref> The [[River Neva]] originated when the Ladoga waters at last broke through the threshold at Porogi into the lower portions of [[Izhora River]], then a tributary of the [[Gulf of Finland]], between 4,000 and 2,000 BP. Dating of some sediments in the northwestern part of Lake Ladoga suggests it happened at 3,100 [[Before Present|radiocarbon years BP]] (3,410–3,250 calendar years BP).<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Saarnisto | first1 = Matti | last2 = Grönlund | first2 = Tuulikki | year = 1996 | title = Shoreline displacement of Lake Ladoga – new data from Kilpolansaari | journal = [[Hydrobiologia]] | volume = 322 | issue = 1–3| pages = 205–215 | doi = 10.1007/BF00031829 | s2cid = 42459564 }}</ref> <gallery perrow="3" widths="250px" heights="150px"> File:Lake Ladoga as part of Baltic Ice Lake.jpg|Lake Ladoga as part of the [[Baltic Ice Lake]] (between 11200 and 10500 yr BP). The light blue line marks the margin of the ice sheet by 13300 cal yr BP. File:Lake Ladoga as part of Ancylus Lake.jpg|Lake Ladoga as part of the [[Ancylus Lake]] (between 9300 and 9200 yr BP). The dark green line marks the southern shoreline of Lake Ladoga during the [[Yoldia Sea|Yoldia stage]] of the Baltic basin. </gallery> ==Wildlife== The Ladoga is rich with fish. 48 forms (species and infra specific taxa) of fish have been encountered in the lake, including [[Rutilus|roach]], [[carp bream]], [[zander]], [[European perch]], [[ruffe]], endemic variety of [[smelt (fish)|smelt]], two varieties of ''[[Coregonus albula]]'' (vendace), eight varieties of ''[[Coregonus]] lavaretus'', a number of other [[Salmonidae]] as well as, albeit rarely, endangered [[Atlantic sturgeon]] (formerly confused with [[European sea sturgeon]]). Commercial fishing was once a major industry but has been hurt by overfishing. After the war, between 1945–1954, the total annual catch increased and reached a maximum of 4,900 tonnes. However, unbalanced fishery led to the drastic decrease of catch in 1955–1963, sometimes to 1,600 tonnes per year. [[Trawling]] has been forbidden in Lake Ladoga since 1956 and some other restrictions were imposed. The situation gradually recovered, and in 1971–1990 the catch ranged between 4,900 and 6,900 tonnes per year, about the same level as the total catch in 1938.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Kudersky | first1 = Leonid K. | display-authors = etal | year = 1996 | title = Fishery of Lake Ladoga — past, present and future | journal = [[Hydrobiologia]] | volume = 322 | issue = 1–3| pages = 57–64 | doi = 10.1007/BF00031805 | s2cid = 43547080 }}</ref> Fish farms and recreational fishing are developing. <ref>[http://ladoga.krc.karelia.ru/resources/fish/index.shtml Ladoga]</ref> It has its own [[endemic (ecology)|endemic]] [[ringed seal]] subspecies known as the [[Ladoga seal]]. Since the beginning of the 1960s Ladoga has become considerably [[eutrophic]]ated.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Holopainen | first1 = Anna-Liisa | display-authors = etal | year = 1996 | title = The tropic state of Lake Ladoga as indicated by late summer phytoplankton | journal = [[Hydrobiologia]] | volume = 322 | issue = 1–3| pages = 9–16 | doi = 10.1007/BF00031799 | s2cid = 30122757 }}</ref> [[Nizhnesvirsky Natural Reserve]] is situated along the shore of Lake Ladoga immediately to the north of the mouth of the [[River Svir]]. The Ladoga has a population of [[Arctic char]] that is genetically close to the [[Sommen charr|chars of Lake Sommen]] and [[Vättern|Lake Vättern]] in southern Sweden.<ref name=Hammar2014>{{cite journal |last1=Hammar |first1=J. |date=2014 |title=Natural resilience in Arctic charr ''Salvelinus alpinus'': life history, spatial and dietary alterations along gradients of interspecific interactions |journal=[[Fish Biology]] |volume=85 |issue=1 |pages=81–118 |doi= 10.1111/jfb.12321 |pmid=24754706}}</ref> == History == [[File:Konevets Cathedral from east.JPG|thumb|Konevsky monastery]] In the [[Middle Ages]], the lake formed a vital part of the [[trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks | trade route from the Varangians to the Eastern Roman Empire]], with the Norse emporium at [[Staraya Ladoga]] defending the mouth of the Volkhov since the 8th century. In the course of the [[Swedish–Novgorodian Wars]], the area was disputed between the [[Novgorod Republic]] and [[Sweden]]. In the early 14th century, the fortresses of [[Korela Fortress|Korela]] (Kexholm) and [[Oreshek]] (Nöteborg) were established along the banks of the lake. The ancient [[Valaam Monastery]] was founded on the island of [[Valaam]], the largest in Lake Ladoga, abandoned between 1611–1715, magnificently restored in the 18th century, and evacuated to Finland during the [[Winter War]] in 1940. In 1989 the monastic activities in the Valaam were resumed. Other historic cloisters in the vicinity are the [[Konevets Monastery]], which sits on the [[Konevets]] island, and the [[Alexander-Svirsky Monastery]], which preserves fine samples of medieval Muscovite architecture. During the [[Ingrian War]], a fraction of the Ladoga coast was occupied by [[Sweden]]. In 1617, by the [[Treaty of Stolbovo]], the northern and western coast was ceded by Russia to Sweden. In 1721, after the [[Great Northern War]], it was restitutioned to Russia by the [[Treaty of Nystad]]. In the 18th century, the [[Ladoga Canal]] was built to bypass the lake which was prone to winds and storms that destroyed hundreds of cargo ships.<ref name="nezhikhovsky">Нежиховский Р.А. Река Нева. 3-е изд. Leningrad: Гидрометеоиздат, 1973. P. 158.</ref> Later, from around 1812–1940 the lake was shared between Finland and Russia. According to the conditions of the 1920 [[Treaty of Tartu (Russian–Finnish)|Tartu Peace Treaty]] militarization of the lake was severely restricted. However, both Soviet Russia and Finland had flotillas in Ladoga (see also [[Finnish Ladoga Naval Detachment]]). After the [[Winter War]] (1939–40) according to the [[Moscow Peace Treaty]], Ladoga, previously shared with Finland, became an internal basin of the Soviet Union. During [[World War II]] not only Finnish and Soviet, but also German and Italian vessels operated there (see also [[Naval Detachment K]] and [[Regia Marina#Lake Ladoga|Regia Marina]]). Under these circumstances, during much of the [[Siege of Leningrad]] (1941–44), Lake Ladoga provided the only access to the besieged city as a section of the eastern shore remained in Soviet hands. Supplies were transported into [[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]] with trucks on winter roads over the ice, the "[[Road of Life]]", and by boat in the summer. After World War II, Finland lost the [[Karelia]] region again to the USSR, and all Finnish citizens were [[Evacuation of Finnish Karelia|evacuated from the ceded territory]]. Ladoga became an internal Soviet basin once again. The northern shore, [[Ladoga Karelia]] with the town of [[Sortavala]], is now part of the [[Republic of Karelia]]. The western shore, [[Karelian Isthmus]], became part of [[Leningrad Oblast]]. ==Lists== ===Tributaries=== :''(incomplete list)'' * [[Svir River]] from [[Lake Onega]] (south-east, discharge: 790 m³/s); * [[Volkhov River]] from [[Lake Ilmen]] (south, discharge: 580 m³/s); * [[Vuoksi River]] (and [[Burnaya River]]) from [[Saimaa|Lake Saimaa]] in [[Finland]] (west, discharge: 540 m³/s). * [[Syas River]] (south, discharge: 53 m³/s). * [[Olonka River]] from [[Lake Utozero]] ===Towns upon the lake=== * [[Shlisselburg]] (at {{coord|59|56|N|31|02|E|name=Shlisselburg}}) * [[Novaya Ladoga]] (at {{coord|60|06|N|32|18|E|name=Novaya Ladoga}}) * [[Syasstroy]] (at {{coord|60|08|N|32|34|E|name=Syasstroy}}) * [[Pitkyaranta]] (at {{coord|61|34|N|31|28|E|name=Pitkyaranta}}) * [[Sortavala]] (at {{coord|61|42|N|30|41|E|name=Sortavala}}) * [[Lakhdenpokhya]] (at {{coord|61|31|N|30|12|E|name=Lakhdenpokhya}}) * [[Priozersk]] (at {{coord|61|02|N|30|08|E|name=Priozersk}}) ==Image gallery== <gallery widths="200" heights="160"> File:Ладожское озеро.Мыс Рихиниеми.jpg|Rocky shore File: The archipelago in Ladoga Lake with the Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour..jpg|The archipelago in Ladoga Lake with the Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour File:Gorskii 04417u.jpg|Rafts on the Peter the Great Canal. City of Shlisselburg Image:Konevets Sand beach.JPG|[[Konevets Island]] File:Sortavala harbour.jpg|Sortavala harbour, Karelia File: St. Nicholas Skete on island Valaam on Ladoga lake and little ship..jpg|Saint Nicholas Skete on island Valaam on Ladoga lake and little ship Image:Priroda Valaamskogo arhipelaga.jpg|[[Valaam Archipelago]] File:Валун у Видлицы.jpg|Boulder on Vidlitsa, west shore </gallery> <gallery widths="450" heights="170"> Image:Lake Ladoga - superior mirage 2.jpg|[[Superior mirage]] on Lake Ladoga Image:Shlisselburg.jpg|Oreshek Fortress on Ladoga shore in Shlisselburg </gallery> <gallery widths="900" heights="180"> File:Sortavalan saaristoa-2.jpg|View </gallery> ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons category|Lake Ladoga}} {{NIE Poster|Ladoga|{{PAGENAME}}}} * Simola, Heikki et al. (eds), [http://www.springerlink.com/content/qkqm32886q58 Proceeding of The First International Lake Ladoga Symposium]{{dead link|date=February 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}. Special issue of ''[[Hydrobiologia]]''. Vol. 322, Issues 1–3. / April 1996. * [http://www.ladoga-lake.ru/translate/eng_photos.html Ladoga Lake (photos)] * [http://heninen.net/laatokka-war/english.htm War on Lake Ladoga, 1941–1944] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070819224922/http://www.clubneva.ru/lib.htm Maps] {{portalbar|Lakes}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Lakes of Leningrad Oblast|Ladoga]] [[Category:Neva basin|LLadoga]] [[Category:Karelian Isthmus]] [[Category:Lakes of the Republic of Karelia|Ladoga]] [[Category:Mesoproterozoic rifts and grabens]] [[Category:Glacial lakes|Ladoga]]'