Characteristics of Lake Baikal:

Abiotic factors: 

4. Water chemistry

A large amount of water chemical data was collected for different regions and depths (Votintsev, 1961,1985; Falkner et al. 1991). The water is low mineralized. The amount of HCO₃, which is needed by gastropods to build the shells is only 63-64 mg/l. The affluxes have in average higher hydro-carbonate. The content of Ca²⁺ amounts only 15.2 mg/l (Votincev, 1961).  The transparence of the water allows, to see a secchi-disk in depths of 20-30m in June-July and in November. In phases with higher development of phytoplankton the transparency decreases to 5-10m.

Berezova

Littoral of southwestern part of Lake Baikal