Formed as a result of the confluence of two Altai rivers - Biya and Katun, the Ob river actually continues Katun. At the confluence of these fairly powerful bodies of water, an even more turbulent flow forms. Moreover, each river has its own color.
Biya has a white or dirty gray hue, and Katun is greenish. Combined into one common stream, the water does not mix for some time, as a result of which a multi-colored striped water stream is formed. This phenomenon is especially well observed in summer and autumn. Falling into the Kara Sea, the Ob forms a large bay with a length of about 800 kilometers, which is called the Gulf of Ob.
Together with its tributary Irtysh, the Ob River is in first place in terms of length in Russia (5410 km.) And in second place in Asia. The area of its basin is almost 3 million square meters. km According to how the nature of the river network, feeding conditions, and the water regime of the river change, the Ob can be divided into three large sections: the upper (from the source to the mouth of the Tom River), the middle (to the mouth of the Irtysh River) and the lower (to the Gulf of Ob). The filling of the river with water occurs mainly due to melting snow, with the main part of the runoff falling during the spring-summer flood.
In the upper reaches, the flood usually occurs in early April, on average in the middle of the month, and in the lower reaches in late April and early May. The rise in water level begins even during freezing. During the opening of the river, intense short-term rises in water level are possible as a result of ice jams. Moreover, it is even possible to change the direction of the flow in some tributaries of the Ob. In the upper reaches, the flood can last until July, the summer low-water period is characterized by instability, and in September-October there is a rain flood. The decrease in floods in the middle and lower reaches can continue until ice formation. The Ob has many large (Irtysh, Charysh, Anuy, Alei, Chumysh, Berd, Chulym, Tom, etc.) and small tributaries.
There are several versions of the name of this reservoir. So, from the Komi language the word "Ob" is translated as "snow" or "snowdrift." Another version says that the river got its name from the Persian “ob” (“water”). There is also a version that the name is based on the Russian word “both”, since the source of the Ob River is formed by the confluence of two reservoirs. Every theory has a right to exist.
The Ob River is important for the entire West Siberian region. It is used as a natural transport route, especially for summer deliveries of fuel and food to the northern regions, which can only be reached by river. In the southern part there is the Novosibirsk reservoir (also called the Ob Sea), formed by the one built in 1950-1961. Dam of the Novosibirsk hydroelectric station. About fifty different species and subspecies of fish live in the Ob waters, almost half of which are fishery targets (mostly part-time ones - pike, burbot, bream, pike perch, ide, roach, etc.). Also in the river there are sterlet, sturgeon, nelma, muksun and others. The Ob River, especially in its upper reaches, is traditionally used as a resting place. There are many sanatoriums and camp sites (especially in the area of the Novosibirsk reservoir), known not only in the country, but also abroad.
