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Climate change impact on river discharge in Eastern Romania

May 10, 2015

Climate change impact on river discharge in Eastern Romania

In Eastern Romania, the river discharge regime is characterized by a maximum in the spring (snowmelt) and a minimum in the autumn.

An analysis of weather data in the region over the period 1950–2006 showed a statistically significant increase of annual and summer precipitation at three out of six weather stations (an increase by 0.1 – 18% annually, and by 13 - 38 % for the summer). No significant trends were observed for spring and autumn. Four out of six weather stations showed statistically significant decreasing precipitation for the winter (a reduction by 25 - 46 %).

An analysis of discharge data over the same period for small rivers that flow into either the Prut River or the Siret River (tributaries of the Danube) showed a statistically significant increasing trend for 23 % of the analyzed rivers on an annual basis and for all seasons separately. The number of rivers with significantly increasing trends was highest (47 %) for autumn, followed by summer (29 %). Only one river showed a statistically increasing discharge trend in spring.  

Source: Croitoru and Minea, 2015. Theoretical and Applied Climatology 120: 563–573.

Photo: lucianf (www.flickr.com)

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