Variability in temperature, precipitation and river discharge in the Baltic States

• Main Authors: Kriaučiūnienė, Jūratė, Meilutytė-Barauskienė, Diana, Reihan, Alvina, Koltsova, Tatjana, Lizuma, L., Šarauskienė, Diana
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Baltic States; Water resources; Temperature; Boreal Environment Research
• Online Access: http://lei.lvb.lt/LEI:ELABAPDB5938523&prefLang=en_US

The climate change impact on water resources is observed in all the Baltic States.These processes became mo0re evident in the last decadeės. Although the territory of the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia0 is not large (175000 Km2), theclimatic differences are quite consioderable. We performed a regionalization of the territory of the Baltic States depending on the conditions of river runoff formation which can be defined according to percentages of the river feeding sources (precipitation, snowmelt, groundwater). Longterm series of temperature (40stations), precipitation ( 59 stations) and river discharge (77 stations) were used to compose ten regional series. This paper addresses : (1) variability in long-term regional series of temperature, precipitation and river discharge over a long period (1922-2007); (2) changes in regional series, comparing the periods 1991-2007 and 1931-1960 with the reference period ( 1961-1990), and (3) the impact of temperature and precipitation changes on regional river discharge.