Ob

Ob
The Ob in Novosibirsk
Map of the Ob River watershed
Native nameОбь (Russian)
Location
CountryRussia
RegionAltai Krai, Novosibirsk Oblast, Tomsk Oblast, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Yamalia
CitiesBiysk, Barnaul, Novosibirsk, Nizhnevartovsk, Surgut
Physical characteristics
SourceKatun
 • locationBelukha Mountain, Altai Republic
 • coordinates49°45′0″N 86°34′0″E / 49.75000°N 86.56667°E / 49.75000; 86.56667
 • elevation2,300 m (7,500 ft)
2nd sourceBiya
 • locationLake Teletskoye, Altai Republic
 • coordinates51°47′11″N 87°14′49″E / 51.78639°N 87.24694°E / 51.78639; 87.24694
 • elevation434 m (1,424 ft)
3rd sourceMost distant source: Ob-Irtysh system
 • locationnear Mang-tai-ch’ia-ta-fan pass, Altai Mountains, Xinjiang, China
 • coordinates47°52′39″N 89°58′12″E / 47.87750°N 89.97000°E / 47.87750; 89.97000
 • elevation2,960 m (9,710 ft)
Source confluenceNear Biysk
 • locationAltai Krai
 • coordinates52°25′54″N 85°01′26″E / 52.43167°N 85.02389°E / 52.43167; 85.02389
 • elevation195 m (640 ft)
MouthGulf of Ob
 • location
Ob Delta, Yamalia
 • coordinates
66°32′02″N 71°23′41″E / 66.53389°N 71.39472°E / 66.53389; 71.39472
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length3,700 km (2,300 mi)
Basin size2,972,497 km2 (1,147,688 sq mi) to 2,994,238 km2 (1,156,082 sq mi)
Width 
 • minimum140 m (460 ft)
 • average3,000 m (9,800 ft)
 • maximum19,000 m (62,000 ft)[1]
Depth 
 • average9 m (30 ft)
 • maximum40 m (130 ft)[1]
Discharge 
 • locationSalekhard[2] (Basin size: 2,917,508 km2 (1,126,456 sq mi)[3])
 • average12,889 m3/s (455,200 cu ft/s)[3]
(Period of data: 1971–2015)

12,475.1 m3/s (440,550 cu ft/s)[2]
(Period of data: 1930–1984)

13,500 m3/s (480,000 cu ft/s)[4]
(Period of data: 1999–2008)
 • minimum2,360 m3/s (83,000 cu ft/s)[2]
 • maximum40,200 m3/s (1,420,000 cu ft/s)[2]
Discharge 
 • locationOb Estuary, Gulf of Ob (Kara Sea), Russia
 • average402 km3/a (12,700 m3/s)[4]
(Period of data: 1940–2017) 414 km3/a (13,100 m3/s)[4]
(Period of data: 1984–2018)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftKatun, Anuy, Charysh, Aley, Parabel, Vasyugan, Irtysh, Severnaya Sosva
 • rightBiya, Berd, Inya, Tom, Chulym, Ket, Tym, Vakh, Pim, Kazym
Map

The Ob (/ˈɒb/)[5] is a major river in Russia. It is in western Siberia, and with its tributary the Irtysh forms the world's seventh-longest river system, at 5,410 kilometres (3,360 mi). The Ob forms at the confluence of the Biya and Katun which have their origins in the Altai Mountains. It is the westernmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean (the other two being the Yenisei and the Lena). Its flow is north-westward, then northward.

The main city on its banks is Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia, and the third-largest city in Russia. It is where the Trans-Siberian Railway crosses the river.

The Gulf of Ob is the world's longest estuary.

  1. ^ a b "Ob River". Archived from the original on 2022-10-22. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  2. ^ a b c d "Ob River at Salekhard". River Discharge Database. Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment. 2010-02-13. Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
  3. ^ a b "Changing freshwater contributions to the Arctic | Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene | University of California Press". Archived from the original on 2021-11-26. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  4. ^ a b c "River Discharge". Archived from the original on 2007-02-10. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  5. ^ "Ob". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.