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Evaluation of Water Balance Components in the Kuban River Basin
https://doi.org/10.7868/S2412376526020035
Abstract
The objectives of this study are to establish physico-statistical model of river runoff and glaciation regime factors, develop a calculation method, and identify the long-term changes in the main components of the annual water balance equation within the Kuban basin. These components include river runoff, precipitation, evaporation, groundwater runoff, and glacial runoff Vgl, as well as an assessment of Vgl impact on the volume and level of the Sea of Azov. To determine in the Fgl glaciation area, where the main components of glacial runoff are formed, the study includes an annual calculation of the maximum ELA (Equilibrium Line Altitude) based on the annual accumulation and ablation balance index IB. To assess the components of the local balance index, multi-year sums and average values of air temperature and precipitation over characteristic time intervals, were derived from representative weather stations. The sources forthe glaciological and hydrological calculations were: a) cataloged morphometric data on glaciers and remote measurements of glaciation parameters; b) long-term monthly averages: air temperatures at weather stations within the Kuban basin and the surrounding area; water runoff at gauging stations the Don and Kuban basins. For the Teberda River basin (a tributary of the Kuban), long-term and average values for 1960–2000 were determined for annual precipitation, river runoff, evaporation, glacial runoff, and groundwater runoff. The annual volume of Vglin the Fgl area in the Kuban basin varied from 0.5424 to 1.1432 km3. The relative volume Vin of Vgl inflow into the Sea of Azov, calculated at the mouth of the Kuban in 1966–2017, varied in the range of 1.3–41.6% of the total annual balance of the Sea of Azov. The results of calculations of the hydrological regime of the Kuban are intended for water management and hydro-design organizations.
About the Author
V. G. KonovalovRussian Federation
Moscow
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Supplementary files
For citation: Konovalov V.G. Evaluation of Water Balance Components in the Kuban River Basin. Ice and Snow. 2026;66(2):254-268. https://doi.org/10.7868/S2412376526020035
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