Khingan Reserve. "Peculiarities of the Far Eastern birdwatching"

There is one in the state of Louisiana in the USA creepy place- Manchak swamps.

People go missing here all the time. locals as well as tourists. Hurricanes often appear in the areas surrounding Manchak, the origin of which is difficult to explain - because the area is located on a plain.

Birds are not heard here at all, animals are not found, and living trees are practically invisible - only dry remains.

There are several dark legends associated with the Manchak swamps. Firstly, from time to time facts emerge that centuries-old corpses are found in this area.

Secondly, strange and terrible sounds are constantly heard in the swamps. These howls and groans are unlike the sounds made by any creature known on Earth, and the locals speak of a werewolf living in the swamp.

And thirdly, many who visited these places saw incomprehensible shadows, the appearance of which still has no explanation. These are some ghostly creatures, sometimes resembling people, sometimes animals.

Also in the swamps they see strange light reflections - wandering lights that carry inexperienced tourists into the very jungle. According to some reports, it was here that once the locals imprisoned a priestess of the voodoo clan, who cursed the swamps, which became her prison. And it was from this moment that the swamps acquired their notoriety. In fact, any swamps have always been quite dangerous. Unsteady lands, strange-looking trees, constant fogs - all this adds to their strangeness.

The myths about the Manchak swamps became the embodiment of mystical ideas in the movie "Interview with the Vampire", because it was here that Louis and Claudia drowned the remains of the most important vampire Lestat. Of course, any swamps are associated with danger - people often die in the bog.

Today is World Wetlands Day! Therefore, it's time to find out why swamps are unique, why it is so important not to disturb their ecosystem, and many more interesting facts, as well as look at beautiful photographs. The facts are borrowed from the AiF.

1) The largest swamp of Russia and Europe

Photo: etosibir.ru
The largest swamp in Russia and Europe is Vasyuganskoye. It occupies 53 thousand square meters. km between major rivers Siberia - the Irtysh and the Ob, and is located on the territory of three regions - Tomsk, Novosibirsk and Omsk. Vasyugan swamp was formed about 10 thousand years ago. The process of swamping the territory continues and, perhaps, the land will soon become the largest in the world. In the meantime, the Pantanal in the center is considered the largest swamp on the planet. South America, total area which is 150 thousand square meters. km.

In total, there are 35 swamps on the territory of Russia today - their total area is 10.7 million hectares. All of them, according to the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of September 13, 1994 No. 1050, are of international importance and are located on the territory of 21 subjects Russian Federation.

2) Swamps are storage pure water.

Contrary to popular belief, the water in swamps is not stagnant: if in lakes the water is completely renewed on average in 17 years, then in swamps - in five years. Swamp moss (sphagnum) is an excellent antiseptic, it does not allow even those bacteria that can exist without oxygen to develop. In addition, peat in the bog binds harmful substances into insoluble compounds, thanks to which the bog system is a natural filter. fresh water. Today, swamps around the world retain a reserve of 11.5 thousand km³ of fresh water - five times more than in all the rivers of the world.

3) Wetlands reduce Greenhouse effect

Wetlands are a climate regulator. The only ecosystem on the planet that counteracts the accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere and, accordingly, the greenhouse effect, is swamps. One hectare of such land is 10 times more efficient carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than a forest of the same area. Bogs accumulate peat, which consists mainly of carbon, and bogs, removing it from the atmosphere and accumulating, are natural "traps" for this gas. Thus, bogs protect the atmosphere from overheating, reduce the greenhouse effect and cool the planet.

Small bubbles constantly appear on the surface of the swamp. This comes out swamp gas, which accumulates under the silt. It is formed as a result of rotting plants that do not have access to oxygen at the bottom of the swamp. The swamp gas mainly contains methane. The formation of methane is continuous and its presence can be proved by touching the swamp silt with a stick - gas bubbles immediately float to the surface of the water.

6) Swamps prevent floods

Wetlands maintain water balance. By accumulating water, they prevent floods and save money on the construction of expensive dams and reservoirs. Unlike mineral soils, peat deposits have a higher water capacity and water-holding capacity.

7) After draining the swamps, rivers disappear

Drainage of swamps disrupts the feeding of small rivers flowing from the swamp. As a result of the massive drainage of swamps, many rivers have dried up. One of the properties of the quagmire is the collection of rain and melt water. Spending it gradually during the dry season, the swamps do not allow the rivers flowing through them to become shallow, and they also feed streams through groundwater.

8) The myth of fertile land

At the beginning of the 20th century, swamps were considered completely unnecessary and, if possible, they tried to drain them in order to use the vacated lands for arable land, pastures and hayfields. However, it soon became clear that the drained swamps were completely unsuitable for Agriculture without long-term tillage and application a large number mineral fertilizers.

9) Swamps are a great preservative

The swamp environment slows down the growth of bacteria, which is why organic bodies drowned in the swamp are not destroyed. For hundreds of millions of years, peat layers have preserved various outlandish animals and plants. If there were no swamps, people would hardly have known that magnolias and palm trees once grew in Greenland and Svalbard a very long time ago. Over the past 300 years, well-preserved human bodies have been discovered in abandoned peat bogs in Britain and Ireland. Most of these mummies date from the 1st century BC. BC e. - IV century. n. e.

10) Swamps Preserved Ice Age Plant

Thanks to the marshes on earth, the only relic of the Ice Age has survived to this day - the fat plant (Pinguicula vulgaris). It grows in the Northern Hemisphere in the tundra and forest zones on wet rocky slopes and swamps. In Russia it is found in Western Siberia, in Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands.

The leaves of the oilseed prevent rotting, so the plants are widely used for the manufacture of bactericidal agents that stop the growth of harmful microflora. Shepherds have long applied the plant to the wounds of a large cattle to prevent the development of infections.

Stories about swamps evoke different feelings - some are afraid of the bog, others see dirt in front of them, but everyone agrees on one thing - these are difficult places where it is better not to go. The swampy area has one advantage - since there are few people here, animals and plants are relatively safe. There is a special nature here - there is a lot of vegetation in the north, in the southern humid places there is less vegetation, but there are many animals, among which there are dangerous ones - anacondas, crocodiles. We present interesting facts about swamps.

Interesting information

Peat is highly flammable. Sometimes the peat bog can be up to 20 meters thick. Peatland fires are very dangerous, the fire can spread to great depths. Sometimes the surface looks intact, and fiery cavities can form under the turf layer, into which people and equipment can fall. Due to the fact that a peat bog can burn at a depth of several meters, it is very difficult to extinguish such a fire.

Large swamps are not at all like a dirty puddle. The water in them, as a rule, is clean, being renewed approximately every five days, which is five times faster than the average in lakes. Sphagnum - swamp moss has antiseptic properties, even those bacteria that exist without oxygen do not develop near it. Peat filters the water, it binds harmful substances, so the water in the swamp can be cleaner than in some lakes (of course, you can’t drink it without disinfection, the water is still stagnant).

Wetlands are an ecosystem that counteracts the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air. One hectare of swamps takes as much carbon dioxide from the air as ten hectares of forest takes from the air. Thus, this ecosystem, which in the minds of some people is associated with the presence of a large amount of dirt, can purify and cool the air (the more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the warmer the climate, this is the so-called greenhouse effect).

Swamp gas bubbles can be seen on the surface of the water. It is formed as a result of decay of plants, accumulates under silt. The main constituent of this gas is methane.

There is no air in the swamp, the swamp environment slows down the growth of bacteria, because of this, plants, animals and human bodies are well preserved in the swamp environment. Ancient plants, animal mummies and mummified human bodies are found in swamps. Preserved ancient clothes, wooden tools. These finds are studied by paleontologists, biologists, historians, and archaeologists.

In the swamps grows a plant that grew on Earth in the Ice Age - zhiryanka. In Russia, this plant can be seen in Western Siberia, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands. The leaves of the oilseed have bactericidal properties, they are applied to wounds so that they heal faster.

Peat is a good fuel, in areas where there is little other fuel, houses are heated with it. Coal was formed from this fossil over millions of years under the influence of great pressure. In the coal you can see the imprints of animals and plants.

If the meadow has excessive moisture, and the peat layer is less than 30 centimeters, such an area is called not a swamp, but a wetland, the swamps here are of insignificant depth, but you still need to be careful, when passing through such an area you need to have a long stick with you, feel out the road and it is advisable to go with a companion who could help in difficult times. In swampy areas, one should not underestimate the potential danger, you never know how deep it is underfoot in an area with excess moisture.

Wetlands occupy two percent of the earth's land area. In South America, about 70 percent of the territory is occupied by swamps, here is the largest swamp in the world - Pantanal (area - 150 thousand square kilometers). Russia has 37 percent of all the swamps in the world, especially a lot of swampy places in Western Siberia. The largest swamp on the territory of the Russian Federation is Vasyuganskoye (53 thousand square kilometers).

In Northern Greece, there is the deepest peat bog in the world, the thickness of the peat layer is about 70 meters.

Wetlands accumulate excess water, this property helps to prevent floods. The draining of swamps can lead to the disappearance of many of the rivers that flow from them. The Volga and the Dnieper originate from swamps.

Danger

Some swamps have bogs. They can drag a careless person into them. Since a person is lighter from the water, he has buoyancy, so if you do not move in the bog, it will not drag. People are drowning due to the fact that they are floundering a lot. A person under the influence of gravity gradually sinks down, and a viscous swamp does not allow water to push the careless traveler out.

The most dangerous time to pass the swamp is from early spring until late autumn. In winter, the swamp freezes over and you can often walk through it safely (but you still need to be on the alert, and it’s better not to go here unless absolutely necessary).

The most dangerous are fens that feed on ground and surface water. They are formed from a deep reservoir, overgrown with peat from above, often the surface is covered with dense vegetation. The bogs are liquid and deep, a person can quickly go under water, it is very difficult to get out on his own, it is desirable that someone help, and you need to help someone who has fallen into a quagmire very quickly. If there is a feeling that the vegetation can tear under your feet, you need to slowly lie down and crawl back. If a person has failed, he needs to be given a stick or a rope, means of rescue must be prepared in advance, before entering the swamp, since in case of danger there may be very little time for help. The force with which the quagmire holds its legs can be very great, sometimes even two people with difficulty pull out a failed traveler. You need to pull a person out sharply, without a break, because during a rest, albeit a small one, the failed one will plunge back into the quagmire.

Also very dangerous raised bogs. These swampy places feed precipitation. The most dangerous places are the edges into which water flows from the entire swampy reservoir. Sometimes vegetation, which should indicate the presence of a hard tussock, grows over deep places, so you always need to probe the path, even if it seems reliable from the outside. And, of course, you need to be ready to save yourself and your companion, because it’s impossible to foresee everything and you can fall through the swamps at any moment, dangerous places are inconspicuous, disguised by lush vegetation, like solid ground.

Movement

Safe movement rules:

You need to think carefully whether it is worth going through the swamp, whether it might be better to go a few extra tens of kilometers than to expose yourself to unnecessary (often fatal) risk.
Take a long and strong stick with you, you can lean on it if necessary. It would be nice if one end had a strong knot hook, if necessary, this hook could catch on something (for example, a tree or a strong bump). With a stick, you can probe the bottom, determining the depth and hardness of the path in front of you. In especially dangerous places every step should be felt.
It is imperative to pass in a group, keep a distance between each other so as not to fall through all together, and at the same time, you need to go close enough so that in case of danger you could have time to help each other.
It is advisable to tie each other's wrists with a long strong rope (at a considerable distance from each other). You need to tie the rope tightly enough so that it does not slip out under the influence of a slippery swamp, and at the same time it is impossible for the rope to rub your hand or pass on the blood vessels.
It is advisable to use bogshoes, which increase the foot area and thereby reduce the pressure on the soil. Boot shoes should be removed quickly, as the foot can be sucked in with this device and in case of danger it must be quickly removed.

It should be borne in mind that you can get out of a shallow swamp on your own, and if the depth of the bog is large, a person can dive very quickly, so extreme caution is needed when passing through such dangerous terrain.

How to get out

If you find yourself in a swamp, you need to remain calm and act quickly (without making sudden movements). The algorithm of actions when falling into a quagmire is approximately as follows:

If the legs began to sink into the quagmire, you should immediately increase the area of contact with the ground - sit down or lie down (perhaps the quagmire is just beginning, and you can put your back on a hard surface). Then you need to slowly stretch your legs, without making sudden movements, if you need to sacrifice shoes for this, leave your shoes in the ground, it is easier for your foot to slip out of the swamp.
A backpack, outerwear should be removed and thrown near you in order to use them as an additional support. If you have a stick (and it must be in a swampy area), you need to put it horizontally in front of you and try to transfer your weight to it. To the stick, which serves as an additional support, you need to smoothly pull yourself up, but if you press hard on it, it can also go into a quagmire, and with it will tighten your hands. That's why you need calmness - so as not to take actions that can harm in an already difficult situation.
Try to think logically about what you need to do to get out. Use third-party help and improvised means.
We must not forget that the body, even in a viscous swamp, keeps around - there may be branches of trees, bushes, grass nearby, which you can grab onto. If there is something to grab onto, you need to pull the saving branch carefully so that it does not break off. The swamp holds well to get out, you need a lot of strength, take into account buoyancy, so if you do not make sudden movements, the puddle should not tighten. You can't make sudden movements.
Look around this, and try not to get tired, get out with the help of smooth, but constant movements (during the rest you can fall back, so try not to rest).
If there is nothing to grab onto, you need to try to lie horizontally, spread your arms to the sides, so the contact area will increase and it is easier for the body to stay on the surface. Next, you need to transfer the weight to your back and try to pull your legs out.
If you are helping another person who is in a quagmire, you need to throw a rope, which the person in trouble must wrap around his wrist. You can also submit a stick. You can use any handy tool- a jacket, belt, scarf, if the length is not enough, you need to quickly and tightly tie several items of clothing.
If a person falls dancing (usually face down), and not just falling through with his feet, he should not get up, he should carefully crawl away, remaining in a lying position.

16.06.2016

Among the people, swamps are not as popular as meadows, mountains, lakes and rivers; many see in them only damp places with rusty water squelching under their feet, unsteady ground, annoying mosquitoes and snakes successfully hiding in the vegetation. This place is not suitable for rest and walking. "Yes, you go to the swamp!" (where there is nowhere worse), they say when all the arguments in the dispute have already been exhausted. Using the example of interesting facts about swamps, let's take a closer look at these misunderstood waterlogged land areas.

Areas with excessive moisture and a layer of peat less than 30 centimeters thick or without it at all are only wetlands, not swamps. In swamps, the peat layer is determined by a value of 30 centimeters or more.
Bogs appear both on land with excessive moisture and some other reasons, and when water bodies are overgrown.
Peat bogs occupy 2 percent of the Earth's land area. They contain 0.02 percent of the world's purest fresh water. Swamps of all types occupy more extensive areas of land. The most swampy continent is South America. It is 70 percent occupied by swamps. The second place in this indicator is occupied by Eurasia.
37% of all swampy areas of the world are concentrated in Russia. Western Siberia stands out especially here.
Due to the antiseptic properties of peat, swamps are natural water filters, here it is the purest. Because of this, they conserve those that have fallen into them organic matter. Therefore, in the swamp, the bodies of animals and people do not decompose.
The bubbles that appear on the surface of the swamps are the outlet of swamp gas, which mainly includes methane.
Wetlands are one of the main regulators of carbon dioxide. Due to the incomplete decomposition of organic matter, which leads to an open circulation of substances, they help fight the greenhouse effect of the planet.
The Volga and Dnieper, like many other rivers of the Earth, originate from swamps.
The largest swamp in the world is located in South America in the deltas of the Paraguay and Cuiaba rivers. The area of the Pantanal is 230,000 km².
The deepest peat bog in the world is in Northern Greece. It's called Philippi. The thickness of its peat layer is 70 meters or more, it is located in a tectonic depression with a depth of more than 250 m.
Vasyuganskoye, in Western Siberia, is recognized as the largest peat bog in the world in terms of area. Previously, there were 19 separate swamp formations on its territory, which have now merged into one swamp.
Frogs and toads don't live in swamps.

Wetlands are not like other ecosystems. Swamps have their own color, their own smell and their own sound. Plants and animals also live here - this is an integral and necessary part of the nature of the world.

Why swamps "gurgle" and burn: 10 facts

Editorial response

On February 2, 1971, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance was signed in the Iranian city of Ramsar. AiF.ru has collected interesting facts about such lands.

The largest swamp of Russia and Europe

The largest swamp in Russia and Europe is Vasyuganskoye. It occupies 53 thousand square meters. km between the major rivers of Siberia - the Irtysh and the Ob, and is located on the territory of three regions - Tomsk, Novosibirsk and Omsk. Vasyugan swamp was formed about 10 thousand years ago. The process of swamping the territory continues and, perhaps, the land will soon become the largest in the world. In the meantime, the Pantanal in the center of South America is considered the largest swamp on the planet, with a total area of 150 thousand square meters. km.

Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Wetlands are reservoirs of clean water

Wetlands are repositories of clean water. Contrary to popular belief, the water in swamps is not stagnant: if in lakes the water is completely renewed on average in 17 years, then in swamps - in five years. Swamp moss (sphagnum) is an excellent antiseptic, it does not allow even those bacteria that can exist without oxygen to develop. In addition, peat in the bog binds harmful substances into insoluble compounds, thanks to which the bog system is a natural filter for fresh water. Today, swamps around the world retain a reserve of 11.5 thousand km³ of fresh water - five times more than in all the rivers of the world.

Wetlands reduce the greenhouse effect

Wetlands are a climate regulator. The only ecosystem on the planet that counteracts the accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere and, accordingly, the greenhouse effect, is swamps. One hectare of such land is 10 times more efficient at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than a forest of the same area. Bogs accumulate peat, which consists mainly of carbon, and bogs, removing it from the atmosphere and accumulating, are natural "traps" for this gas. Thus, bogs protect the atmosphere from overheating, reduce the greenhouse effect and cool the planet.

Photo: www.globallookpress.com Small bubbles constantly appear on the surface of the swamp. This comes out swamp gas, which accumulates under the silt. It is formed as a result of rotting plants that do not have access to oxygen at the bottom of the swamp. The swamp gas mainly contains methane. The formation of methane is continuous and its presence can be proved by touching the swamp silt with a stick - gas bubbles immediately float to the surface of the water.

Swamps can burn due to underground flames

Peat in wetlands is a flammable material. When air replaces water in its thickness, the peat layer after some time acquires the ability to burn throughout the entire depth of occurrence. The depth can be two, 10 and even 20 meters in size. Therefore, pouring a flame from above is useless - water stops the fire only on the surface, and in the depths the peat continues to smolder, burning out huge voids. Only nature itself can put out the underground fire, when, after prolonged rains, the groundwater level rises and the swamps are filled with moisture again.

Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Wetlands prevent floods

After draining the swamps, the rivers disappear

Photo: www.globallookpress.com

The myth of fertile land

At the beginning of the 20th century, swamps were considered completely unnecessary and, if possible, they tried to drain them in order to use the vacated lands for arable land, pastures and hayfields. However, it soon became clear that the drained swamps were completely unsuitable for agriculture without long-term tillage and the application of large amounts of mineral fertilizers.

Swamps are an excellent preservative

A relic of the Ice Age - a plant zhiryanka (Pinguicula vulgaris) Photo: www.globallookpress.com

The swamps preserved the Ice Age plant

Thanks to the marshes on earth, the only relic of the Ice Age has survived to this day - the fat plant (Pinguicula vulgaris). It grows in the Northern Hemisphere in the tundra and forest zones on wet rocky slopes and swamps. In Russia, it is found in Western Siberia, Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands.

Adventures of Pinocchio 1975
Mary the Artisan 1959 Gorky Studio