Change in the Hydrological Regime of Siberian Rivers as an Indicator of Changes in Cryological Conditions

Abstract

A new phenomenon, an increase in the winter and early spring streamflow of Siberian rivers, has been studied. Based on the assumption that the increased discharge may be due to permafrost degradation in the river basins, the rate of degradation of the different zones of permafrost distribution is estimated by modeling. A mathematical model that takes into account the typification of the permafrost zones and reflects the dependence of the streamflow on the cryological conditions of the drainage basins has shown rapid degradation of sporadic permafrost and expansion of discontinuous permafrost owing to the intense transition of continuous permafrost to this state.