Changes in the stream discharge in the forest-steppe zone in the XXI century under the environmental regime (based on the research of the dynamics of the length of the channel network of elementary watercourses on the territory of the “Sengileevskie Mountains” National Park Ulyanovsk region, Russia))

Abstract

The article presents the results of researching changes in the stream discharge in the forest-steppe zone in the XXI century in the conditions of the environmental regime. Due to the lack of data on the stream discharge within the researched area in previous years, the length of the channel network is considered as an indicator of water content – an indicator that generally correlates with the value of the length of the channel network. Elementary watercourses are taken as the object of research, since in short periods they are able to show high variability under the influence of external conditions, especially if it is necessary to establish the influence of specific local factors. The research was conducted on the territory of the “Sengileevskie Mountains” National Park, which lies within the Volga landscape region and the Low Volga region in the forest-steppe zone. This territory exists in the conditions of the nature protection regime and has a high forest cover. The research was based on the materials of the expedition work carried out in the summer of 2022. and the results of geoinformation analysis of topographic maps reflecting the position of the sources of elementary watercourses in 2001. As a result of the expedition work, the length of the channels of elementary watercourses as of 2022 has been established, the indicator of the change in the length of their channels in the XXI century – from 2001 to 2022 has been calculated. The fact of the multidirectional dynamics of the length of the channel network of elementary watercourses is established. In the conditions of the nature protection regime established at the beginning of the XXI century, against the background of the restoration of the landscapes of the researched territory, there is an increase in the length of the channel network of elementary watercourses, which has a correlation with the areal indicators of the restoration of natural plant communities – forests and meadows.