Changes in groundwater runoff under the effect of climate and anthropogenic impact

Quantitative relationships between groundwater runoff and other water balance components are obtained. These relationships enable the prediction of changes in groundwater nourishment in different natural-geographic zones on the Earth because of global climatic changes and intense anthropogenic impact on the water regime of different areas. Groundwater runoff values (natural groundwater resources) in individual river basins are estimated. Digital maps (grid-models) of the space and time distribution of water balance elements (based on GIS-technology) are constructed for major river basins in European Russia, and river runoff is calculated in each grid node in river basins with a step of 0.1° in geographic coordinates. The values of major water balance components, thus related with one another, serve as the basis for their spatial and temporal analysis and cartographic representation. The proposed method was tested against data on Volga basin where long-term observational data on water balance elements are available in a number of hydrometric sections. (PUBLICATION ABSTRACT)