| Popis: |
Runoff in polar areas is strongly influenced by rising air temperature because these regions experience the largest air temperature increases in the world. Rising air temperatures affect permafrost, snow cover and glaciers which are the main components of runoff in high latitude regions. Warming is also causing the shift in precipitation phase from solid (snow) to liquid (rain) as well as changes in annual precipitation its distribution. With reducing extent of the snow and ice cover, the energy balance of the Earth's surface is fundamentally affected as the albedo is reduced, which leads to further warming of the Earth's surface. Changes in snow and ice cover lead to significant positive feedback loops in the climate cycle. This study includes analyses of meteorological and hydrological data measured in James Ross Island during the 2018 austral summer. Meteorological data were measured at eight automatic weather stations, and hydrological data were measured in seven catchments. However, in this thesis the analyses are focused on two selected catchments: the partly glaciated Triangular and the glacier-free Bohemian catchments. The influence of different meteorological variables on the catchment runoff was analysed using correlation and regression analyses. The analyses showed the highest... |
