The contribution of climatic and anthropogenic factors to changes in the runoff of plain rivers

Abstract

The changes in the annual runoff of plain rivers are estimated on the method that based on the restoration of the natural runoff of the last decades, during which significant anthropogenic changes took place. For these purposes, we used data on the runoff of rivers (tributaries of the considered rivers and their upper parts), the water regime of which is relatively slightly changed by anthropogenic impact. Data on restored river flow were compared with anthropogenic-altered flow for this period and for the base period preceding it, when anthropogenic impact can be neglected. It is shown that climatic and anthropogenic factors act on the runoff both unidirectionally, increasing or decreasing it, and in opposite directions. At the same time, the influence of anthropogenic factors, mainly reservoirs and water consumption, they are commensurate with the influence of climatic factors, and in many cases exceeds it.