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MSU hydrologists presented the results of economic activity consequences investigation in the basin of the transboundary Argun River in the form of a poster presentation at the 5th International Conference “Earth from space – most effective solutions” on December 1. The scientists came to the conclusion that if all water resource usage projects in Chinese part of the Argun River flow are implemented, the flooded area in the valley depressions will decrease by 40%.
Researches of the Land Hydrology Chair at the MSU geographic faculty have been carrying the investigation of the Argun basin for several years. The Argun is a transboundary river (669 km of downstream flow is a natural border between Russian federation and People’s Republic of China). There is an intensive economic development in the Chinese part of the Argun River, based on increased use of local water resources. At the same time, there is a work underway to upgrade the water level in Lake Dalaynoor.
According to researchers, hydro economic activities, mainly in Chinese national territory, will unavoidably affect the hydrological and environmental conditions at the Russian-Chinese section of the Argun River. A set of special surveys has been completed with the purpose of identifying the associated impact, in particular, interpretation and analysis of the satellite imagery. Processing of Landsat 4 satellite imagery acquired between 1993 and 2010 in combination with digital terrain model SRTM (2000) resulted in a quantitative correlation between the area of the Lake Dalaynoor and the level of water. This became the basis for calculating the evaporation rates from the water body surface and modelling the lake fill up rates based on various rates of irrecoverable runoff losses. It has been determined that the hydrological regime of the lake (as any other terminal lake in the region) has certain drying up and fill up cycles, each approximately 20-40 years long.
The research of the trends of changes in the floodplain flooding areas depending on the morphology of the river valley and the flow of river indicated that, in event of all the projected water resource usage projects in Chinese part of the Argun River flow are implemented, the flooded area in the valley depressions will reduce to 40%. The most affected will be the area of the environmental reserve “Swamps of Ergun” in China.
The anthropogenic changes to the hydrology will inevitably affect the channel reconfigurations. Changes in the river channel structure, activation of some and decline of other river channels not only pose a threat to the social and industrial facilities, but are also a critical factor in destabilization of the international boundary. Continuous satellite monitoring of the Argun channel branches status is critical to ensure the preventative program set up and implementation.
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5th International Conference “Earth from Space – the Most Effective Solutions” will be held on November 29 – December 1, 2011 in Moscow Region “Vatutinki” resort hotel. The conference is expected to be attended by over 400 specialists from 25 world countries – experts in space imagery, specialists in manufacturing and operation of Earth satellites, representatives of public authorities, scientific and educational entities, introducing modern technology of space monitoring into their practices. Conference organizers are ScanEx Research & Development Center, “Earth from Space” Association and NGO Transparent World.
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