Contemporary Climatic and Hydrological Changes in the Belgorod Region and Their Consequences

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to assess contemporary changes in air temperature and precipitation, other the water balance elements and their ecologic consequences for different sectors of the economy, mainly for agriculture. Materials and methods: long-term data of hydrometeorological observations, geographical-hydrological and statistical methods. Results and discussion. While the amount of precipitation varies slightly, there is a noticeable increase in air temperature in all seasons of the year, the greatest – in the cold period. These changes lead to the transformation of hydrological processes in the Belgorod region. Surface runoff during snow flood and annual runoff are reduced. The share of underground runoff is increasing. All this affects the size and intra-annual distribution of water resources, their quality, the intensity of erosion processes and water availability of agricultural crops, the state of the ecological network of the region. Conclusion. The ongoing climatic and hydrological changes require the implementation of some complex of water protection, water-saving measures. The prospects of using nature-like technologies in agriculture are noted.