The Great Arctic Reserve

The Great Arctic Reserve is the largest in terms of area not only in Russia, but also in the whole of Eurasia. There are seven sections: Dikson-Sibiryakovsky, “Islands of the Kara Sea”, Pyasinsky, “Middendorf Bay”, “Nordenskjold Archipelago”, “Lower Taymyra” and “Polar Deserts”. The last section, otherwise known as the “Chelyuskin Peninsula,” contains the world’s largest continental Arctic deserts. Snow falls at the end of August, and only completely descends at the end of June. At Cape Chelyuskin the snow cover lasts about 300 days a year. The Medusa and Efremova Bays are the famous places of the Reserve. Its main areas are occupied by Arctic tundras, and to the north – Arctic deserts, but nature paints everything around not only white paint. Algae and lichens transform the tundra in summer, and it becomes red, yellow, green and even black.

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Icebergs of the Great Arctic Reserve

Icebergs – fragments of ice shelves that slide into the seas and oceans – are rightfully considered a true natural wonder of the Greater Arctic Reserve. Up to 90% of their volume may be under water. Why? This mystery was first solved by Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov. He pointed out that the density of ice is 920 kg/m², and seawater -1025 kg/m². There are icebergs that are more than 1000 years old (they have a characteristic dark blue color). Over time, the shape of these ice giants changes, taking more and more bizarre shapes. In the waters of the Arctic Ocean the height of icebergs does not exceed 25 meters, their length – 500 meters. It is estimated that during one year alone, an average of 26,000 icebergs break off from the Arctic ice sheet.

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‘ Rocks in the Great Arctic Refuge
‘ The main natural landscapes in the Large Arctic Reserve are Arctic tundras and Arctic deserts

General information

  • Full name: Bolshoi Arctic State Nature Reserve
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  • IUCN category: la (strict nature reserve).
    • Full name: Bolshoi Arctic State Nature Reserve.
    • Date of foundation: May 11, 1993.
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    • Region: Krasnoyarsk Krai, Taimyrsky District.
    • Area: 4,169,222 hectares
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    • Relief: mountainous.
    • Climate: arctic.
    • Climate: Arctic.
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    • Official website: http://www.bigarctic.ru/.
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    • E-mail: master@bigarctic.ru.

History of creation

‘ Polar poppy, which prefers stony soils, blooms almost immediately after the snow cover comes down

Among shrubs, the most common species is the polar willow (Salixpolaris). The average length of its branches is 3-5 cm. In the North, the leaves of this plant are used to make tea.

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Among lichens, forest and reindeer cladonia (Cladina arbuscula and C. rangiferina), Icelandic cetraria (Cetraria islandica) are the most common. An interesting find was green corisci-um (Coriscium viride). Do you think that real flowers grow in the Arctic tundra? Yes, they do! Among them – Novosieversia glacialis, or Arctic rose (Novosieversia glacialis), Armeria maritima (Armeria maritima), pillow poppy (Papaverpulvinatum) and Arctic poppy (Papaver radicatum). The flowers of the North are a true wonder! In the Arctic, many of them, including the Arctic poppy, prepare to bloom from the fall. Flower buds overwinter under a thick snow cover, which reliably protects them from severe frosts.

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Animal World

‘ The polar bumblebee pollinates most flowering plants in the Greater Arctic Reserve

Siberian and hoofed lemmings (Lemmus sibiricus and Dicrostonyx torquatus) are widespread here. These are small rodents of the vole family, which are the main food of such predators as blue foxes (Alopex lagopus).

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Lapland bunting (Calcarius lapponicus), dunlin (Calidris alpina), white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons), sea sandpiper (Calidris maritime), white gull (Pagophila eburnea) and other bird species nest on the territory of the reserve. The white gull is the only representative of its genus. It lives only within the Arctic Circle. Eggs are incubated by both parents, and in a month a wonderful chick (or several) appears, which is well protected from the cold by warm downy plumage. So far, white gulls are not listed in the Red Book of Russia, but their numbers are small.

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Surprisingly enough, the Arctic is home to insects. One of them is the polar bumblebee (Bombus polaris), which pollinates most flowering plants, including the polar willow and polar poppy mentioned above.

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Information for visitors

Reserve regime

The reserve is open to the public, but permission from the administration is required. All details can be obtained by phone or email. The reserve has developed a number of interesting ecological routes. For example, fishing and research tours “Fishing at the End of the Earth” and “Hutuda-Biga – a river rich in life”. Not far from the village of Dickson is the Willem Barents Biostation, whose staff regularly conduct Birdwatching tours. There is also an interesting tour “Taimyr labyrinth”. More information can be found on the official website of the reserve.

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How to get there

First – to the city of Dudinka, Siberia’s largest seaport on the Yenisei and the northernmost city on Earth. From there, a helicopter provides communication with the reserve. From Murmansk and Arkhangelsk you can get to Dudinka by sea or by airplane.

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Where to stay

There are several hotels in Dudinka: “Northern Lights” (Matrosova St., 14, tel.: 8-(39191) 3-30-79, 3-30-73), “Yenisei Ogny” (Sovetskaya St., 41, tel.: 8-(39191) 5-19-53, 3-18-01, 5-14-32). You can stay at the hotel at the administration of the village of Karaul or the hotel at the business center in Khatanga.

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