LAKES OF KALMYKIA – FEATURES OF DISTRIBUTION AND TRANSFORMATION

Abstract

The Republic of Kalmykia is the most arid region of the Southeastern European part of Russia, characterized by extremely low water availability and a specific genesis of surface water bodies. The density of the hydrographic network is only 0.05 km/km², and a significant part of the territory belongs to the drainless regions of the Western Caspian basin with a total area of 49.2 thousand km². Based on the analysis of cadastral data covering more than 400 lakes and ponds and their comparison with literary sources, the classification of reservoirs by origin was carried out. Three main genetic types have been identified: relict-estuarine (the dominant type inherited from the paleohydrographic network), artificial (ponds and reservoirs created to regulate runoff) and residual-delta (Volga delta). The distinct association of various types of reservoirs with large geomorphological structures has been established: the Manych hollow, the Caspian lowland, the Sarpinskoy system and the Ergeninsky upland. It is shown that the modern appearance of the hydrographic network of Kalmykia is formed by the interaction of paleogeographic factors and anthropogenic transformation of the 20th century. The systemic problems of cadastral accounting that require verification of field data have been identified. The purpose of this work is to perform a typification of Kalmykian reservoirs by origin based on the analysis of the original cadastral data and their comparison with published materials, establish patterns of their spatial distribution and determine the geomorphological association of various genetic types. The current stage is characterized by a deep anthropogenic transformation: a multiple increase in the water content of natural reservoirs due to the transfer of runoff, the creation of artificial reservoirs, and the integration of lakes into hydraulic engineering systems. Kalmykia is a unique testing ground for studying limnogenesis in arid conditions under intense anthropogenic influence.