Abstract
Abstract. Results of monitoring accumulated snow cover in upstream areas of the Transboundary Pyanj River (Central Asia) are presented. It is found that the formation of the snow cover and the spatial distribution of atmospheric precipitation in the Mountain Pamir is determined by the orography of the terrain. Orography influences air mass movement in mountain areas, which contributes in different climatic zones to a shift in periods when the maximum amount of snow is falling. Completely different scenarios for the development of meteorological variables in the western and eastern parts of the Gunt River Basin were found, due, firstly, to the influence of the mountainous area orography and, secondly, to the penetration of various air masses. It is observed that in the western part of the basin the average annual precipitation remained almost unchanged over the period 1944–2014, whereas there is a decreasing trend in the eastern part. Assessment of the climate change impact on the formation of the Gunt River water flow was made by comparing the trend in the change of discharge using data from two observation periods 1940–1970 and 1986–2016. Calculations show a decrease of the Gunt River discharge by 5 % over a period of more than 70 years. The influence of climate warming on the river flow is indicated by comparison of river hydrograph in two periods 1940–1970 and 1986–2016. The hydrograph of the Vanch River in the earlier-mentioned periods shows a shift in the maximum of the monthly discharge towards the left, indicating an earlier melting of snow and glaciers in the upstream regions of the river and a significant increase in discharge in the period 1986–2016.
Highlights
Mountain watersheds serve as important water sources by providing fresh water for downstream human activities (Viviroli et al, 2003; Langston et al, 2011)
The meteorological station Shaimak located at an altitude more 3800 m a.s.l. by the precipitation means differs little from the values typical to the Irkht of meteorological station at the height of 3276 m a.s.l
The spatial heterogeneity of atmospheric precipitation in mountain areas is primarily due to the influence of the terrain orography on the distribution of moist air masses at more moderate altitudes (Darvaz), the average annual temperature increase occurs at a more perceptible rate than at the headwaters (Normatov et al, 2017)
Summary
Mountain watersheds serve as important water sources by providing fresh water for downstream human activities (Viviroli et al, 2003; Langston et al, 2011). Melt runoff modeling in such regions faces two challenges: scarcity of meteorological data and uncertainty in parameters due to limited understanding of the complex hydrological processes. Geographic areas where the water cycle is dominated by snow and glacier melt hydrology in particular expected to be susceptible to climate change as it affects the seasonality of runoff (Adam et al, 2009). The reason for the uncertainty is not that people do not understand the regional importance, but it is the complexity of the processes and the terrain that is hard to access to carry out measurements/observations Long-term changes in global, regional, and local snow depth, snow water equivalent (SWE), and extent will have major ramifications for ecosystem functions, human utilization of snow resources, and the climate itself through feedback mechanisms like snow albedo (Barry, 1996). Mean monthly temperatures and precipitation of the Gunt River Basin were obtained from meteorological stations in the Khorog and Bulunkul regions for the period 1944–2014
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