Assessment of Climate Driven Changes in Flow Series of Alpine Basin: A Case Study of Danube River Basin

A N Laghari,N B Jalbani,A Rajper,G D Walasai,H Soomro,A R Jatoi

doi:10.48084/etasr.2171

Abstract

This study was carried out in order to analyze the climate change driven influence on mean monthly flow series of Danube River and its tributaries during the last century. The study confirms some signs of climate driven alterations in monthly river flow series along with change in flow seasonality during the last century. In spite of this, man-made interference in the basin like i.e. groundwater extraction, irrigation, river regulation, land use alteration and urbanization, has significantly changed Danube flow regime in most areas of the catchment. The analysis of Achleiten station demonstrates that average annual flow regime is a little bit increased. Major increase is observed in winter and autumn months and decrease in summer months. These seasonal alterations clearly signal a future glimpse of reduced water availability in alpine basins. This will mainly occur due to the change in the form of precipitation in winter, from snow to rain and the consequent less snow accumulation, and the early melt of snow storage, less precipitation and high evaporation rate in summer.

Highlights

Earth’s atmosphere has experienced an extraordinary warming over the 20th century
IPCC reported that many river basins in mountain regions would suffer a massive decrease in water resources due to climate change
These seasonal tendencies point the future, when the water availability might be affected during summer months like it did in the summer draught of 2003

Summary

Rajper

Abstract—This study was carried out in order to analyze the climate change driven influence on mean monthly flow series of Danube River and its tributaries during the last century. The study confirms some signs of climate driven alterations in monthly river flow series along with change in flow seasonality during the last century. Major increase is observed in winter and autumn months and decrease in summer months These seasonal alterations clearly signal a future glimpse of reduced water availability in alpine basins. This will mainly occur due to the change in the form of precipitation in winter, from snow to rain and the consequent less snow accumulation, and the early melt of snow storage, less precipitation and high evaporation rate in summer

INTRODUCTION

STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION