Hydrological Characteristics of the Chernobyl Catchment with Future Climate Projections

A hydrological model study of the Sakhan river catchment in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, with a total surface area of 186.9 km². The research, led by Yasunori Igarashi of Fukushima University, used long-term discharge data to project future trends in radionuclide wash-off under climate change. It found that 84% of annual water input is currently consumed as evapotranspiration, with discharge accounting for 16%.

Use Cases

• Projecting future radionuclide flux in river systems based on hydrological model outputs.
• Analyzing long-term water balance changes under climate scenarios based on precipitation and evapotranspiration data.
• Modeling shifts in seasonal discharge patterns based on projected changes in rainfall and snowfall.
• Assessing the impact of vapor pressure deficit on catchment-scale water recharge based on climate projections.

Strengths

• Focuses on a specific, high-interest geographical area: the 186.9 km² Sakhan river catchment in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
• Provides quantified water balance components, such as 84% evapotranspiration and 16% discharge under current climate.
• Integrates long-term discharge data with hydrological modeling for future projections.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Fukushima University

Collection Method

A catchment scale hydrological model was used with long-term discharge data.

Geography

Sakhan river catchment, Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine (51.41°N, 30.00°E)