Factors affecting variations in the hydrological cycle at different temporal and spatial scales

Bonacci, Ognjen (author)

The climate is changing intensively, causing major variations in the local, regional, and eventually global hydrological cycle. Furthermore, climate changes strongly affect individual components of the hydrological cycle. The prevailing present-day opinion is that climate change is primarily caused by anthropogenic production of CO2. This assumption is automatically accepted as the main reason or at least a contributory cause of changes in the hydrological cycle. However, changes in hydrological cycle appear to be a significantly more complex problem. At the same time, various other processes take place on different temporal and spatial scales. The article discusses numerous natural and human-caused factors that can affect changes in the hydrological cycle. When considering the factors that affect the planetary hydrological cycle on any temporal or spatial scale, it is necessary to consider many potential causes and understand their interactions. The natural factors discussed in this paper are Milanković cycles, Wolf number, Hurst phenomenon, earthquakes, volcanoes, and meteorite impacts. Among the anthropogenic influences, the role of dams and reservoirs is emphasized.

• Language: English
• Keywords: hydrological processes, Milanković cycles, volcanoes, El Niño, La Niña, earthquakes, Wolf number, Hurst phenomenon, dams, reservoirs
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: Str. 1-15
• Numbering: Vol. 36, no. 64
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-163207
• UDC: 502.131.1:551.583
• ISSN on article: 0352-3551
• DOI: 10.15292/acta.hydro.2023.01
• COBISS.SI-ID: 210285315
• Publication date in RUL: 04.10.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Acta hydrotechnica
• Publisher: Fakulteta za gradbeništvo in geodezijo
• ISSN: 0352-3551
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3664386

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
• Description: A Creative Commons license that bans commercial use and requires the user to release any modified works under this license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Dejavniki, ki vplivajo na spremembe v hidrološkem krogu v različnih časovnih in prostorskih merilih

Abstract

Podnebje se intenzivno spreminja, kar povzroča velike spremembe v lokalnem, regionalnem in navsezadnje globalnem hidrološkem krogu. Podnebne spremembe močno vplivajo tudi na posamezne dele hidrološkega kroga. Danes prevladuje mnenje, da podnebne spremembe povzroča predvsem antropogena proizvodnja CO2. Ta predpostavka je samodejno privzet kot poglavitni ali vsaj prispevajoči vzrok za spremembe v hidrološkem krogu. A zdi se, da so spremembe hidrološkega kroga bistveno bolj zapleten problem. Hkrati se na različnih časovnih in prostorskih ravneh odvijajo različni procesi. V članku so obravnavani številni naravni in človeški dejavniki, ki lahko vplivajo na spremembe hidrološkega kroga. Pri obravnavi dejavnikov, ki vplivajo na planetarni hidrološki krog v katerem koli časovnem ali prostorskem merilu, je treba upoštevati številne možne vzroke in razumeti njihovo medsebojno delovanje. Naravni dejavniki, obravnavani v tem prispevku, so Milankovićevi cikli, Wolfovo število, Hurstov pojav, potresi, vulkani in padci meteoritov. Med antropogenimi vplivi je poudarjena vloga jezov in zadrževalnikov.

• Keywords: hidrološki procesi, Milankovićevi cikli, vulkani, El Niño, La Niña, potresi, Wolfovo število, Hurstov pojav, pregrade, zadrževalniki