Climate change impact on hydrological characteristics and water availability of the Mountain Pamir Rivers

A 70-year decline in the Gunt River’s discharge by 5% and an earlier peak in monthly flow—indicating accelerated snow and glacier melt—reveals climate warming’s profound impact on Pamir hydrology. Orography-driven precipitation shifts and contrasting trends between western (stable) and eastern (declining) basin regions underscore the complex, region-specific consequences of climate change. The study compared discharge data from 1940–1970 and 1986–2016, alongside snow-cover monitoring, to quantify these changes in Tajik National Park’s transboundary Pyanj River basin.

Normatov, I., & Normatov, P. (2020). Climate change impact on hydrological characteristics and water availability of the Mountain Pamir Rivers. Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, 383, 31–41. https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-383-31-2020