Wildfires have been lighting up along areas surrounding the world's largest lake, greatly affecting tourism and the ecology along one of Russia's visited jewels. Tourists and locals alike can just stop and stare.
Lake Baikal is the world's largest freshwater lake, making up about 20 percent of the unfrozen surface freshwaters across the planet. Known to be one of the clearest lakes, Lake Baikal is also the deepest in the world. The waters of Lake Baikal make up a bigger mass of water than that of the American Great Lakes. Even with its enormous surface water area, Lake Baikal unfortunately can't put out the wildfires that have been surrounding the area.
The lack of rainfall during the hot summer has led to a reported 36 wildfires throughout 77,000 hectares across the region.
"Fires near the lake's shores actually kill the water arteries, thus damaging the water balance in the lake," said the Russian parliament's natural resources and ecology committee deputy head Mikhail Slipenchuk.
Apart from a lack of rainfall, the soil composition throughout the area has contributed to the uncontrollable wildfires, giving high levels of carbon up into the atmosphere and further adding up to the growing problem of global warming.
Since April this year, wildfires have been making a scene along the Lake Baikal area. Traditionally, farmers burn dried grass as a means of fertilizing the soil. This year, however, the agricultural fires have grown so big and out of control, causing the death of over a couple dozen people and causing damage across several villages. These massive wildfires even ran through to the Pacific Ocean which has been reported to be suffering "through its own wildfire calamity."
In July, Lake Baikal was said to be among the most unusually milder regions across the globe, according to NASA and NOAA.
The wildfires, which have caused smoke to cloud the Lake Baikal area and led to fiery red sunsets, if not put to a stop, is a threat to not only the community and tourism but more importantly, to the lake itself, majorly impacting the freshwater lake's ecological system, according to Slipenchuk.
