WATER LEVELS AND THEIR CHANGE IN THE INLAND WATERWAY E-41

Abstract

The use of inland waterway transport can contribute to the strategic objective of establishing an environmentally and socially friendly transport system. The article analyzes long-term data series of water levels by calculating the design levels of the inland waterway E-41. Changing water levels are an indirect indicator of the formation of climate change, which can have a significant impact on the design water levels. The methodology for determining water levels described in the Blue Paper was used for the analysis. Long-term data series of water levels were analysed using non-parametric tests and the results were assessed in relation to climate change. Test analysis has shown that data on 70-year-old water levels are significantly affected by the degradation of the riverbed and climate change and do not meet the tests set by the WMO, and have a very marked downward trend, so that the entire series cannot be used in hydrological calculations. Therefore, a shortened data series was used to meet the independence, stationary and homogeneity tests. The study found that the change in the maximum water levels of the waterway against the background of climate change leads to the conclusion that they will not increase. Meanwhile, minimum water levels may increase.