Research of individual components of hydrological and hydrochemical regimes of the Danube River within the Ukrainian interval from Reni to Izmail
Authors: Shakirzanova Zh. R. , Kichuk N. S. , Romanova Yе. О. , Kichuk I. D. , Medvedieva Iu. S. 
Published: December 2020

Introduction. This investigation aims at studying the individual components of the hydrological and hydrochemical regimes of the Danube River (within Ukraine) in connection with the widespread use of the river's water for water supply and irrigation in the southern region, as well as to ensure more effective regulation of water-salt regime of the Danube lakes using the Danube River as a main source for their water renewal. One of important aspects includes the study of the regime of the Danube River's suspended sediments brought to its delta due to their impact on the formation of the delta at the river's mouth of as well as due to the impact on siltation of deltaic and pre-delta lakes and canals connecting the lakes with the Danube River.

Purpose. The purpose of the work is to study long-term and current trends related to changes in hydrological (water levels and discharges, suspended sediments runoff) and hydrochemical (mineralization) regimes of the Danube River within the Ukrainian interval from Reni to Izmail, internal annual distribution of water runoff, as well as suspended sediments runoff and mineralization during the years of varying water content.

 Results. The statistical analysis of long-term series of observations over the Danube River within the interval from Reni to Izmail resulted in discovering that time trends of average, maximum and minimum water levels (1921-2015) and discharges (1840-2015) indicate the presence of a weak increase in their growth over time, with a more pronounced increase in maximum water levels or discharges. The annual distribution shows the general synchronicity of fluctuations in runoff characteristics, and the maximum monthly values of water discharge differ have more pronounced seasonal fluctuations.

The study shows the presence of a pronounced trend to reduction of suspended sediments runoff of the Danube River at Reni (for the period of 1840-2015), with their most intensive decrease over the period of 1990-2015. Annual distribution of average monthly suspended sediments runoff of the Danube River for the years with typical water content (for the period of 1978-2015) showed that they have seasonal fluctuations. At the same time, there is a decrease in the suspended sediments runoff along the length of the river from Reni to Izmail.

The long-term course of average annual mineralization values of the Danube River at Izmail (1981-2015) is characterized by their decrease against the background of a small increase in average annual discharges. As per the annual distribution of mineralization values associated with all water content groups there are the periods related to the phases of the river's yearly water regime during and the economic use of water.

Conclusion. Thus, the increase in the long-term period of the Danube River runoff within the interval from Reni to Izmail will contribute to the development of the region's economy and water supply, irrigated farming, regulation of the Danube Lakes filling with weakly mineralized river water. At the same time, the reduction of the suspended sediments runoff will restrain the siltation of the inlet canals connecting the lakes with the Danube River, which will improve the water renewal of the lakes with the river's fresh waters.