1. The Data of the Observations at the Kolyma Water Balance Station: the Potential of their Application in Academic and Applied Problems and the Need for the Resumption of Special Surveys
O.M. Semenova
State Hydrological Institute; Gidrotehproekt Ltd, St. Petersburg, Russia
L.S. Lebedeva
St. Petersburg State University; Nansen Centre, St.Petersburg, Russia
I.N. Beldiman
"Khotugu Oruster" (the North Rivers), Yakutsk, Russia

2. Water balance stations of the former USSR
29 water balance stations covered main natural zones of USSR but the only one was situated in the permafrost environments
Kolyma water balance station
(KWBS)

3. Natural conditions Mean air temperature is -11,40С
Mean annual precipitation 320 mm
Elevation ranges m
Variety of landscapes
Continuous permafrost with the thickness up to 400 m
Representative for the vast territories of Upper Kolyma River Basin

4. Scheme and instrumentation
31 cryopedometers; 25 precipitation gauges; 8 discharge gages; 3 experimental plots; 2 meteorological stations; 5 transects of snow surveys…

5. List of the measurements
Measured parameters
Observation period
Temporal
resolution
Number of
stations
Stream flow
1948–cont.
Minute
Daily 7
Meteorological observations 3h 2
Precipitation
1948–1997
Pentad, decade in winter, daily in summer
Decade
Month 10 5
Snow surveys
Monthly (October – March), decadely (April…)
Evapotranspiration
1958–1997
Pentade 4
Snow evaporation
September – October, March – April (12-hourly) 1
Pan evaporation
1970–1997
Energy balance
Soil freezing/thawing
Once in 5 days 31
Soil temperature at depths 0.1 – 3.2 m
1974–1981
Flow water chemistry
Event based

6. Variety of the landscapes
Bare rocks
Bush tundra
Deep active layer,
Subsurface runoff
Larch forest
Shallow active layer,
surface runoff
Riparian vegetation

7. Typical soil profiles
Soil horizons:

8. Brief station history (from the heroic start in 1947 to the pity finish in 1997)
1947 – watershed Kontaktovy was chosen as a suitable one for organization of observations on the basis of extensive field studies of the several regions in the Upper Kolyma River basin
1948, May - beginning of the meteorological (2 sites) and hydrological (3 gages) observations
– development of precipitation gages network (20 gages). Extension of hydrological observation up to 6 gages. Start of measurements of evaporation from soil and snow, soil thawing/freezing, observation in experimental plots.
1957 – arrival of modern equipment, staff increase, construction of dwellings, partial electrification
1968 – start of the measurements in the Morozova Creek basin, that is covered by bare rock entirely

9. Brief station history (from heroic start in 1947 to pity finish in 1997)
1969 – renaming from “Runoff station” to “Water Balance station” that means increasing and deepening goals and objectives – comprehensive experimental studies of land hydrological cycle
1978 – snow observations in surrounding avalanche catchments; snow stratigraphy, temperature and mechanical properties at the 4 sites
ice blister dynamics measurements
1982 – observations at the agricultural hydrological plots including soil moisture measurements
By 1989 there are:
30 issues of observational material and archive;
more than 100 scientific papers and books;
dozens of Phd thesis

10. USSR – USA collaboration
In May, 1977 American scientists Charles Slaughter and Michael Bilello from Fairbanks visited KWBS. Their impressions:

11. Article in the famous Soviet newspaper “Pravda” (“True”)

12. Photos and text from:

13. United States – Soviet Scientific Exchange Visit, 1977

14. United States – Soviet Scientific Exchange Visit, 1977

15. United States – Soviet Scientific Exchange Visit, 1977
United States – Soviet Scientific Exchange Visit, Signed agreement about future cooperation

16. Current state of the KWBS
According to information provided by Evgeniy Bojarintsev, former director of KWBS, who till now is in contact with people from Magadan: “KWBS in itself have not existed for many years, since There are just three hydrologists for the whole Kolyma district – and they are in administration. Only shortcut meteorological observations are conducted. Data repository burned in the fire in the station, its copy in local administration is lost after the building repair... There is a catastrophic situation in the station: the nearest village was liquidated 10 years ago and there is no transport in the station…
What is the next?
Are we able to continue the mission of our predecessor?
Who will continue the series of observations?

17. Studies that have been conducted in the KWBS
Water balance components, rainfall runoff formation (Bojarintsev, Nikolaev , Suschansky, Nasybulin, Kuznetsov, Glotov, Glotova)
Contribution of ground condensation in the water balance (Bojarintsev, Kuznetsov , Bantsekina)
Vegetation its connection with hydrological regime (Korolev, Pugachev)
Thermal and water regime of macrofragmental deposits (Bantsekina , Mikhailov )
Surface-ground water interaction (Glotov, Glotova)
Modelling studies (Shmakin, Kuchment, Gelfan, Gusev, Nasonova, Semenova, Lebedeva)
And others

18. Modelling studies
Kuchment et al., 2000: Comparison between measured (squares) and calculated (lines) snow depths
Shmakin, 1998: Measured (solid
line) and modeled (dashed line)
Soil Temperature.1976–1977 m
Semenova&Lebedeva; Simulated (pink and green) and observed (black) thawing depths

19. Prospects of use of the KWBS data
Developing and testing of different models: runoff formation, climatic, environmental and vegetation dynamics
Climate change studies and assessment of its impact on the permafrost state and the hydrological regime of rivers for the last 50 years
Experimental studies of specific permafrost processes
Developing and testing of calculation methods for the needs of construction as KWBS is representative for vast territories

20. Conclusions
The unique observational data collected at the KWBS are still not used enough and require further researches.

21. Thank you for attention!
The authors acknowledge the support of the TICOP’s organizers, sponsors and PYRN for the provided opportunity to attend the Conference.
Thank you for attention!