The Impact of Climate Change on the Hydrological Characteristics and Water Availability of the Pamir Mountainrivers

The catchment area and the formation zone of most of Central Asia rivers are located in the high Pamir mountains; their water content depends on the irrigation state of large agricultural areas and the functioning of hydropower. Planning the development of agriculture and the hydropower industry in the region is largely dependent on the current state and prospects of the water resources of the formation zone. The research object is the climatic zones of the Southern, Western, Central, and Eastern Pamir. The data of atmospheric precipitation and snow depth from meteorological stations in the relevant climatic zones of the Pamir—Darvaz (Southern), Khorog and Rushan (Western), Irkht and Bulunkul (Central), and Shaimak (Eastern)—were used. To estimate the meteorological conditions of the Gunt river basin, mean monthly temperatures and precipitation data were used according to the meteorological stations Khorog and Bulunkul for the period 1944–2014. The atmospheric precipitation, the depth of snow cover heterogeneity spatial distribution on the Pamir climatic zones due to the orography of the mountainous terrain, and the peculiarity of air masses promotion were observed. Comparison of the Gunt river hydrograph for the periods 1940–1970 and 1986–2016 established the seasonal distribution of the river water flow. Comparison of the river water flow values for the periods 1940–1970 and 1986–2016 revealed an increase during the latter period, which is associated with the degradation of the ice sheet on the Vanch river upstream.