The detection of changes in the upper Váh river basin according to a decadal analysis

Year, pages: 2020, 39 - 47

In changing climate conditions, hydrometeorological data analysis is an option for determining identifiers for changes in runoff. Various methods are used for the analysis of hydrometeorological elements, e.g., statistical tests or various hydrological analysis. The aim of the article is to analyse hydrological time data series by comparing their averages over decades. The time data series used were mean monthly, seasonal, and annual discharges; the average total monthly rainfall in a river basin, and the average air temperatures in the river basin. The decadal analysis was applied at 16 stage-discharge gauging stations that are located in the upper section of the Váh river basin in Slovakia. The total monthly rainfall and air temperatures were calculated as the average values for the various catchments. The results show the lowest discharge occurred in the 1980s and the highest in the 2000s. Comparing the winter and summer season discharges, stations located in the eastern part of the area have a higher summer season discharges, while other stations have higher discharges in the winter season. The results of the air temperature analysis indicate an apparent upward trend in all the stations. Between the warmest and the coldest decades, the average difference in each river basin is 1.5°C. The precipitation regime in the earlier decades had a variable or decreasing character. Since the 1980s, there has been a slight increase. The increase in air temperature appears to affect the decreasing flow rate due to increasing evapotranspiration. The increase in precipitation in recent decades has been reflected in some stations by an increase in discharges.

Ďurigová, M., Hlavčová, K. 2020. The detection of changes in the upper Váh river basin according to a decadal analysis. In Acta Hydrologica Slovaca, vol. 21, no.1, pp. 39-47. 2644-4690. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/ahs-2020-0021.01.0005

Ďurigová, M., Hlavčová, K. (2020). The detection of changes in the upper Váh river basin according to a decadal analysis. Acta Hydrologica Slovaca, 21(1), 39-47. 2644-4690. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/ahs-2020-0021.01.0005

Publisher: Institute of Hydrology SAS, Dúbravská cesta 9, 841 05 Bratislava, Slovakia

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