Glacier regime of the Drakhtik River (Lake Sevan basin) in the conditions of climate change
Abstract
Formulation of the problem. River ice plays a significant role in biological, chemical, and physical processes occurring in freshwater bodies of temperate latitudes. In high latitudes and at high elevations, one of the main factors controlling hydrological and biogeochemical processes is river and lake ice formation and breakup. In the context of contemporary climate change, the importance of systematic studies of river ice regimes has increased.
The aim of the study is to investigate the ice regime of the Drakhtik River and to analyze and evaluate the patterns of temporal distribution and changes in ice phenomena.
Methods. The study is based on observational data on the water and ice regime of the Drakhtik River, as well as data on air and water temperature and atmospheric precipitation.
Results. The paper presents the results of a study of the spatio-temporal features of the ice regime of the Drakhtik River, which belongs to the Lake Sevan basin. The research is based on long-term meteorological, climatic, and hydrological observations for the period 1956–1957 to 2024–2025, obtained from the Center for Hydrometeorology and Monitoring of the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia for the Drakhtik River near the Drakhtik settlement.
The temporal analysis of ice regime characteristics indicates a tendency toward a reduction in the duration and intensity of ice cover. A decrease in both the duration of ice phenomena and the period of stable ice cover has been recorded. At the studied hydrological stations, the dates of freeze-up and ice breakup remain relatively stable. A clear relationship between air temperature fluctuations and ice formation parameters was identified, particularly during the winter period. Ice growth throughout the winter depends on hydrometeorological conditions – air temperature, amount of precipitation, thickness of snow cover on ice, its density, etc. Ice growth in the studied area occurs throughout the winter until the river opens up. Over the studied time interval, the maximum ice thickness has a decreasing trend at the studied posts – k linear trend coefficient thickness of ice makes up - 3.4 cm/10 years. The thickness of the snow cover on the ice also has a downward trend. The maximum thickness of the snow cover on the ice was 23-24 cm.
Changes in river ice phenomena are directly related to climatic dynamics, primarily air temperature. Under current climatic conditions, freeze-up dates tend to shift to later periods, while ice breakup dates occur earlier, resulting in a shorter ice-cover duration. The maximum ice thickness shows a consistent decreasing trend, similar to that observed on other rivers. Snow depth on the ice also tends to decrease.
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