Changes in the water level in rivers are of great importance for the economic activities of society. And it is important not only for agriculture, but also for hydropower and construction. In Russia, water levels in a river or lake are measured relative to the surface of the Baltic Sea off the coast of Kronstadt. The same technology is used for various types of reservoirs.
River water level: seasonal variations
The drainage of any river is influenced by many factors related to the region in which the river is located, as well as seasonal changes that are possible in any climate. If the river flows through various climatic zones, the number of factors contributing to the change in water level only increases.
Water levels in the river can rise markedly at different times of the year. For example, in the hot season, characteristic of arid regions, the river may become shallow or even dry out, forming the so-called wadi. At the same time, during the rainy season, rivers overrun, creating flood zones that could harm economic facilities and infrastructure. The water level in rivers can also rise in winter, when ice makes it difficult to drain water.
Anthropogenic factors
The most important and ubiquitous factor affecting how river water levels change is the construction of dams and dams for power plants.
The creation of dams of large hydropower plants significantly changes the natural watercourse. Accordingly, the level rises above the dam, which creates a height difference necessary for generating electricity.
On the other hand, the construction of barriers along the rivers helps to protect people living along the banks of the rivers. After all, water rises can be so significant that they harm homes, and sometimes completely destroy settlements.
By controlling the water levels in the river, a person protects his property from the elements, receives electricity, but at the same time inflicts irreparable damage on nature, causing death to entire populations of living creatures, whose range is in the flood zone of the dam. Environmentalists regularly raise the question of the feasibility of building reservoirs around the world.
Despite the fact that the water levels in a river or lake can vary from season to season, from region to region, there is always a certain conditional reference point. In Russia, the point in such a frame of reference is an ordinary located in St. Petersburg.
Summarizing, it is worth saying that many areas of human activity depend on the water content of rivers. But the most sensitive to the regime of flooding is, of course, agriculture, on which, in turn, the direct survival of people depends.