Transformation of estimated characteristics of the annual and maximal runoff in the major tributaries of Lake Baikal

Abstract

Hydrometric data of recent years were used to evaluate the parameters of distribution of the annual and maximal runoff in the major tributaries of Lake Baikal: the Selenga, Upper Angara, and Barguzin. The estimates of the mean water content, maximal water discharges of spring flood and rain freshets were obtained. The comparison with analogous data of an earlier period often shows significant difference. Variations of the characteristics under consideration are taking place against the background of warming in the region since the early 1970s. The results of the current transformation of river runoff variations is a change in Baikal water regime, which determines the restructuring of hydrological processes in the lake.