Changes of total annual runoff distribution, high and low discharges in Latvian rivers

Abstract

Changes of total annual runoff distribution, high and low discharges in Latvian rivers The paper examines climate change impacts on the hydrological regime of nineteen different river basins in Latvia. Hydrological data series for the period of 1951-2006 were analysed for river basins of four hydrological districts: Western, Central, Northern and Eastern. Climate change has influenced the temporal and spatial distribution of total annual river runoff and high and low flows in Latvia at the turn of century. The results confirm the hypothesis that the main tendency in the run-off change is a decrease in spring floods and increase in winter. Generally, statistically insignificant long-term trends were observed for summer and autumn.