Water Scarcity and the Role of Groundwater in Salinization of the Don Avandelta

Abstract

This paper reports on the seasonal changes in the regimes of mineralization in the Don delta. This study was based on the database of the automatic hydrometeorological stations located in the Don delta and on the pre-estuarine coastal waters of Taganrog Bay. The ionic composition of the water samples showed that the ratio of the groundwater flow increases during cold seasons in the girlos connecting the delta channels of the Don and Kagalnik rivers. The ingress of less mineralized waters from the Don River almost ceases during the negative surges, and stream flows are filled with saline groundwater. This is another consequence of the water scarcity in the Don River Basin.