The main characteristics of slope and river runoff transformations under the conditions of degradation of natural complexes on the catchment

Bashkir State University, 32 Z. Validi St., 450076, Ufa, Russia

^* Corresponding author: mansur5701@mail.ru

Abstract

The article shows that conducting hydrological calculations in the basins of very small and small rivers and their catchments is associated with significant errors, which is accounted for not only by the drastic limitations of the observational materials, but is also due to significant slope and river runoff transformations depending on the impact of natural complexes degradation (plant communities, soil cover, etc.). In the meantime, it should be noted that the emergence of a number of adverse processes, such as the propagation of erosion and channel processes, floods, environmental and economic damage inflicted on natural and economic systems, etc. is largely associated with the slope and river runoff transformations. This predetermines the necessity of investigating the processes in question. Given the above-mentioned, the article serves to reflect the results of research conducted within the mountain forest area of the Southern Urals and the Cis-Urals by the academic staff of the Department of hydrometeorology and geoecology of the Bashkir state university from 1955 to 2012. The main factors contributing to the increased maximum water discharge during the spring flood are confined to an increase in the modules of runoff coefficients as the scale of anthropogenic load on natural complexes increases, and, consequently, to a decrease in the natural water-regulating capacity of the catchments. The above-mentioned processes have resulted in the increasing maximum values of slope and river runoff and account for the adverse effects observed in the natural, economic and ecological systems.