Shchuchya River

BW

Position of Schtuschtschja ( Щучья ) in the catchment area of the Ob

The Schtschutschja (Russian Щучья, Nenets Пыряяха / Pyrjajacha ) is a 565 km long left tributary of the Ob, beyond the Arctic Circle in the north-western Siberia (Russia).

Course

The Schtschutschja entfließt on the eastern flank of the Polar Urals to the south-eastern end of the Great Shchuch'ye Lake ( Bolschoye Shchuch'ye ), approximately 130 line kilometers north of Labytnangi and 100 kilometers northeast of Vorkuta. The lake represents a 13 km long, 1 km wide and about 150 meters deep Fjordsee, rise above the water level at 185 m above sea level, the mountains on both sides steeply to over 1200 m. Both the name of the lake and the river are derived from the Russian word " schtschuka " for " pike ", so mean as well as the Nenets name " Hechtsee " and " Pike River ".

The Schtschutschja flows first several dozen kilometers through the flattening mountains to the east. In this section until reaching the level of the river Bolshaya Schtschutschja ( " Great Schtschutschja " ) is called; the Malaya Schtschutschja ( " Small Schtschutschja " ) flows to him a few kilometers below the lake from the right. At the edge of the mountain, from which the Jamal peninsula extends to the northeast, the flow in a southerly to southeasterly directions used. It flows through strongly meandering mostly flat, marshy and lake-rich tundra landscape. In a large curve to the north, the Schtschutschja flows around the ridge Bolshoi Sopkei ( " Big Sopkei " ) and thereafter at its eastern foot back to the south.

In the lower reaches, the river in several large and a variety of small arms branched. The right of the big arms is further called Schtschutschja ( Pyrjajacha ); he finally flows about 100 kilometers east of Labytnangi to the left arm of the Ob, the little Ob ( Malaya Ob), which despite its name has a width of up to one kilometer there and at the mouth of the Schtschutschja through the island Tobolko again in two arms is divided. The left of the big arms, Jamburinskaja, flows almost 20 km downstream near the eponymous village Jambura in the reunified, there about 3.5 km wide Ob. The two large arms of the Schtschutschja are at the mouth about 200 meters wide and up to four feet deep; The flow rate is 0.2 m / s

The most important tributaries of the Schtschutschja are Bolschaja Chadyta ( " Great Chadyta " ) and Bolschaja Charuta ( " Great Charuta " ) from the right and Junjacha, Chejacha, Tarsedajacha and Tanlowajacha from the left.

Hydrology

The catchment area of ​​12,300 km ² comprises Schtschutschja. It freezes from October to late May / early June, while from late February to April to reason through. With the snow melts in June to September ongoing flood begins. The mean river discharge ( MQ ) is at Shchuch'ye, 141 kilometers above the mouth of 104 m / s ³, at a minimum of 0.9 m / s ³ in April and a maximum of 486 m / s ³ in June.

Fauna

The Schtschutschja is spawning ground for various salmon fish of the genus Coregonus, including whitefish (C. nasus, Russian Chir ), vendace (C. albula, Russian Rjapuschka ) and other (Russian Sig or " Belaya ryba ", " white fish ").

Economy and infrastructure

The lower reaches of the Schtschutschja with right and left estuary is navigable; 22 km of the right arm from Beloyarskaya are excellent as inland waterways.

The area is traversed by Schtschutschja sparsely populated. Riverside are just the small towns Laborowaja, Shchuch'ye and Beloyarskaya belonging to Rajon Priuralski of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, whose territory it flows through its entire length. As part of the early development of the oil and natural gas deposits Jamal by Gazprom, the railway Obskaya - Karskaja stands before its completion, the construction of which had begun already in the 1980s. It crosses as well as in this section yet parallel road south of the Schtschutschja Laborowaja. Other infrastructure is lacking.

In particular, the upper reaches of the river with the Great Shchuch'ye Lake is a popular trekking destination because of its relative accessibility for Siberian conditions.