HYDROCHEMISTRY OF THE MOUNTAIN RIVERS WITH FOREST-GRASSLAND TYPES OF THE VERTICAL ZONING

Abstract

The article analyzes the spatial-temporal characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM), pH, and salinity (∑m) natural river water of provinces and countries of mountains with forest-grassland types of the vertical zoning of the CIS. The work is based on the results of many years experimental studies and observations in the network of hydrometeorological service. The reaction of river water of forest-meadow mountains during the year is neutral and slightly alkaline, in a few provinces it is weak-acid and alkaline, and in the Amur-Primorye country it is slightly acidic and neutral. The salinity of the water changes dramatically from very low in the Amur-Primorye country, Pribaikalia and Transbaikalia (40–100 mg/ dm 3 ), small in the Alpine-Carpathian country and in the Altai-Sayan mountains (120–200 mg/dm 3 ) to the average values (200–400 mg/dm 3 ) on the rest of the territory. The color of river water varies from small (15–20°) in the mountains of Western and Central Asian types of zoning to average values (30–45 o ) in the mountains of Central and Far Eastern types of zoning. The magnitude of the permanganate oxidizability of water ranges from small (4–5 mg/dm 3 ) to the average (7–8 mg/dm3 ), the bichromate oxidizability has mostly average values (14–20 mg/dm 3 ); for forest-meadow mountains of the CIS they are equal to 7 and 18 mg/dm3 , PO/BO – 41%, DOM/∑m – 10%. Extreme average concentrations of humic (HA) and fulvic (FA) acids in the water of the rivers of forest-meadow mountains vary from 0.005–0.035 in winter and 0.015–0.055 in summer low-water periods up to 0.090–0.230 mg/dm 3 of carbon in high water, FA – respectively from 0.150–0.350 and 0.460–0.620 to 0.930–1.29 mg/dm 3 . Hydrochemical zoning of river water is developed very well in mountains with forest-grassland types of vertical zoning with optimally formed geomorphological and landscape storeyed structure.