The Influence of Reservoirs on Water Temperature in the Downstream Part of an Open Watercourse: A Case Study at Botovo Station on the Drava River

Abstract

The air temperature trends measured at the central meteorological station Varaždin and the water temperature measured at the Botovo station on the Drava River were analyzed from 1 January 1969 to 31 December 2021. Analyses were performed for three different time scales: year, month, and day. Mann–Kendall testing statistically determined the significant trends over the analyzed period and found increasing air and water temperatures. From 1975 to 1989, three reservoirs of different volumes and water surface areas were built. The Botovo water measuring station is 11 km from the third largest reservoir and 28 km from the mouth. Applying the day-to-day (DTD) method, we determined that the variations in the daily air temperatures are significantly higher than the simultaneous variations in the daily water temperatures. Also, the rise in water temperatures at the downstream water measuring station Botovo was influenced by the construction of reservoirs. The commissioning of the second reservoir in 1982 caused a significant rise in water temperature at the Botovo station. Trends in water temperature increase during all months of the year were statistically significant, while air temperature trends were statistically significant during the warm parts of the year.