About
Lake Baikal in central Asia has long been recognized as one of the world’s most remarkable freshwater ecosystems for scientific study. Research endeavours have been on-going since early last century, but while the literature is vast, there is still a considerable amount of uncertainty with respect to the long-term history of the lake, and how its ecosystem is structured and functions.
Since the 1960s Lake Baikal has faced several environmental threats, including effluent from the Baikal Paper and Pulp Mill situated in the south basin, multiple sources of pollution being released into the Selenga River and uncontrolled logging in the lake’s catchment. While these threats remain real, Lake Baikal has displayed remarkable resilience, in the main due to its sheer size and volume. However, new threats are continually appearing, most notably the construction of Transneft’s Trans Siberian pipeline, on-going pollutant release into the Selenga River, rapid increases in tourist numbers, and global warming, which is already impacting on the lake’s biota.
I have several reasons for wanting to set up this website / forum. I have been carrying out scientific research on Lake Baikal since 1992, but when i talk to people about the lake, including other scientists, there is invariably the preception that Baikal has either suffered ecological catastrophe, or worse has shrunk drastically! While both these claims are certainly true for the Aral Sea, straddling Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Lake Baikal is in relatively good health.
The aim of this website therefore is to provide a source of scientific information, where recent ecological and environmental research on Lake Baikal and its catchment is highlighted and main points summarised. I welcome any comments and contributions, including detail on important publications that i may have missed.