RUNOFF AS AN INDICATOR OF LANDSCAPE-ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONSIN BASINS OF SMALL RIVERS

Abstract

Aim. The aim is to substantiate the indicative role of runoff at the level of geosystems of small river basins. Methodology. The analysis is based on published materials about such aspects, as functional features of small river geosystems and relations between runoff and its formation factors, including human impact and possibilities of using data about runoff variability as part of environmental monitoring. Results. Runoff is considered as a geoecological indicator. This is due to functional features of small river basin geosystems. Here runoff is highly dependent on basin landscape conditions, which are influenced by human activity. This has a direct and indirect impact on runoff. Direct impact is manifested largely due to soil and vegetation transformations that affect the ratio of surface and subterranean runoff. Indirect impact is related to channel siltation as a result of sediment excess from the basin. An important consequence of this is an increase in an intra-annual runoff amplitude. Research implications. The results of the research show that analysis of small river runoff spatial and temporal variation is an actual geoecological task. Solving this task for different landscape-ecological conditions can help formulate some practical recommendations for basins management.

Keywords

• runoff
• small rivers
• river basin
• catchment area
• landscape-ecological conditions