Changes in the water level in rivers is of great importance for the economic activity of society. And this 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 B altic Sea off the coast of Kronstadt. The same technology is being used for different types of reservoirs.
River water levels: seasonal fluctuations
The flow of any river is affected 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 different climatic zones, then the number of factors contributing to the change in water level only increases.
River levels can rise noticeably at different times of the year. For example, during a hot period, characteristic of arid regions, the river can become shallow or completely dry up, forming the so-called wadis. While during the rainy season, rivers overflow their banks, creating flood zones that can harm economic facilities and infrastructure. Water levels in rivers can also rise in winter, when ice makes it difficult for water to drain.
Anthropogenicfactors
The most important and ubiquitous factor influencing how water levels change in a river is the construction of dams and dams for power plants.
The creation of large hydroelectric dams significantly changes the natural flow. Accordingly, the level rises above the dam, which creates a height difference necessary to generate electricity.
On the other hand, the construction of barriers along the rivers helps to protect the 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 causes irreparable damage to nature, causing the death of entire populations of living beings, whose habitat 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 water levels in a river or lake may vary from season to season, from region to region, there is always a certain conditional reference point. In Russia, the point in such a reference system is the ordinar, located in St. Petersburg.
Summarizing, it is worth saying that many spheres of human activity depend on the water content of rivers. But the most sensitive to the watering regime is, of course, agriculture, on which, in turn, the direct survival of people depends.
