Because of high level of swamping in West Siberia and a sparse network of hydrometeorological stations, monitoring of hydrological regime is hindered. In such a situation, it is necessary to involve model reanalysis and satellite altimetry data that ensure the regular coverage of the whole West Siberian Plain, making it possible to supplement field studies and to considerably expand the area of research. This determines the relevance of the thesis. Chapter 1 describes the physic and geographic factors that determined the evolution of the West Siberian Plain; chapter 2 is devoted to methods used in the study; the analysis of trends of air temperature and precipitation is presented in the 3rd chapter as well as the estimation of temporal variability of moisture regime of watersheds from satellite altimetry. The originality of the thesis is to apply satellite altimetry data for estimation of spatiotemporal variability of flooded zones based on the analysis of a reflected signal.
Hydrological and climatic variability in the river basins of the West Siberian Plain (from meteorological stations, model reanalysis and satellite altimetry data)