Solovki Nature

«I very much would like, that in the future,
the grandiose sanatorium for entire North 
would be arranged here, on Solovki…»
M.Prishvin (1933)

In spite of the proximity of Polar circle and the medieval name of the White sea (it was called “Icy-Cold”), the rigid breath of the North is not felt here. Solovki microclimate is soft and pleasant. Absence of cold currents, the nearness of the surrounding land and the predominance of winds of western directions made Solovki microclimate more similar to the continental than, for example, the climate of Arkhangelsk or Murmansk. Average temperature during a year is +1,1°C, the coldest month — February, the hottest — July. The temperature changes within the limits of 11-12°C, and differs in winter and summer only in terms of mathematical sign. This fact, of course, does not mean the stable temperature each season: it can be 30°C both in summer and in winter. Anyway it is pleasant, interesting and useful to walk around Solovki both in summer and in winter.

The relief of the Solovki Islands is rough, it abounds in small lifts and slopes. G. Boguslavsky wrote: «It is possible to deal out three basic relief zones on Bol’shoy Solovki Island: the central part of the island with a hilly-elevated landscape and numorous lakes; the southern part representing a hollow, surrounded with the heights, filled with peat dogs and overgroun lakes; coast area». Between lifts and slopes of «hilly-elevated» landscape there are the cavities filled with water. These are well-known Solovki lakes, the exact amount of which it is not known even today.

There are no significant heights on the islands. But all hills existing overthere, are proudly called «mountains». Almost all these «mountains» are located in the central part of Bol’shoy Solovki Island. The sloping Khlebniye mountains are situated to the east from the Kremlin (according to the legend, monks carried out experiences of sowings of the spring grain crops here). There are the Valdai mountains to northwest from the monastery. The chain of Setniye, Gremyachiye and Volchiye mountains is located in the area of Red lake. The highest «mountain» of archipelago was mentioned above. The most well-known Solovki «mountains» are: the mountain Sekirnaja (the Bol’shoy Solovki Island), the mountain Favor (the Bol’shaya Muksalma Island) and the mountain Golgotha (the Anzer Island). The names of these mountains are connected with the monastery history.

The direction of all heights and lake hollows, obviously indicates the route of the last glacier. It moved from the north and northwest to the south and southeast, leaving after itself the heaps of boulders and rubble, laying the axes of future lakes. The Bol’shoy Solovki Island is extended in this direction. Then the glacier has changed its direction, having turned almost to 90?. This turning can explain the difference in the position of some elements of a local relief: quite often nearby lakes or lowlands may differ in to height above sea level.

Natural baring of morainal rock on the islands are few in spite of the explicit traces of the glacier. Thus the soil layer is thin: 3-25 centimeters. Soil scientists deal out podsolic, transitional from podsolic to semi-swamp, semi-swamp, transitional from semi-swamp to marsh, marsh and peat soil complexes on the islands. By the way, the reserves of peat on Solovki are huge — more than 80 million tons, and many Solovki swamps are the relicts which resemble about the long ago pasted geological epochs.

In spite of a thin soil blanket which cover the islands, practically all kinds of northern vegetation – from tundra carpets up to taiga thickets – flourish here. Conifers forests cover up to 90% of surface of archipelago (Solovki are in a crossing zone of two kinds of fur-trees — Siberian and European). Mixed woods occupies about 9 %. Only 1 % remains to the tundra vegetation growing, basically, in a coastal zone. The abundance of  berries on islands (cloudberry, cranberry, crowberry, bilberry, blueberry) reminds about wildness of this locality. At the same time the archipelago has an impress of culture: almost six centuries a man settled Solovki. The results of these works were crossed out within the Soviet power: today Solovki sometimes resemble neglected landscape park.

And above all Solovki beauties prevails the severe White Sea, which is:

a) the most southern gulf of the Arctic Ocean;

b) the most salt internal sea of Russia (salinity of the White Sea water is 27 g/l, the Black Sea water – 18 g/l);

c) the most pure among all internal seas of Russia.

The White Sea is a severe element. Storm can rise during 15 minutes and can be finished on the spot, or next week. Leaden-milky White Sea water is beaten on the islands, many of which, it seems, was simply invented by the sea – so unreal they are in the beams of northern sun. In the Middle Ages the White Sea was called Gandvik – the Magical Gulf. It is interesting, how then the islands in centre of Gandvik were called? May be, the Land of Sorcerers? The length of a shore line of the Bol’shoy Solovki Island, which is not more than 100 km roundobout, is approximatly 200 km. It meanes that the coast abounds with long capes, deep sea gulfs, outstanding far in the sea peninsulas.

More than 160 kinds of seaweed, many of which are endemic grow in the White Sea water areas (90 thousand km?, average depth 60 m.). Three kinds of seaweed (laminariya, fucus and anfel'tsiya) have trade value. The White sea ground fauna totals 720 kinds, ichthyfauna – more than 60 kinds, the fauna of sea mammals – 5 kinds (without incidentally coming kinds). Plenty of these mammals – seals and white whales – means the abundance of fish near Solovki coast.

Above all this magnificence the wind blows. It walks about the islands with average speed 4-7 m/sec. Constantly. All the year round. As a matter of fact the, solovki wind rose is a unique phenomenon, one of the main reasons of particular local microclimate. Wind rose, in its turn, is coordinated with the White Sea currents, which are the end of warm Gulf Stream, according to some hypotheses.

More than half of all European cyclones pass directly above Solovki, or near the islands. This causes frequent change of weather during one season or even a day. This is also the reason for formation of unique solovki ecosystem.

This is only the visible part of the iceberg called «Solovki». The part, which objectivly exist in the space. It is charming beautiful, but are there any words to express the essence of beauty? It is better to see once than to read about it hundred of times.