This study is focused on the comparison of streamflow composition simulated with three well-known rainfall–runoff (RR) models (ECOMAG, HBV, SWAT) against hydrograph decomposition evaluated with End-Member Mixing Analysis (EMMA). In situ observations at two small mountain testbed catchments located in the south of Pacific Russia are used. All applied RR models and EMMA analysis demonstrate that two neighboring catchments disagree significantly on the mutual dynamics of the runoff sources. The RR models' benchmark test is based on proximity to EMMA hydrograph composition. Different aggregation intervals (season, month, and pentad) were applied to find a reasonable generalization period ensuring the clarity of results. ECOMAG is most conformable to EMMA outcome; HBV reflects flood events well enough; SWAT exhibits distinctive behavior compared to the other models. It is shown that, along with standard efficiency criteria of simulated and observed runoff proximity, EMMA analysis might provide useful auxiliary information for the validation of modelling results.

This paper considers the main principles and technologies used in developing the operational modeling system for the Ussuri River Basin of 24,400 km² based on the automated system of hydrological monitoring and data management (ASHM), the physical-mathematical model with distributed parameters ECOMAG (ECOlogical Model for Applied Geophysics) and the numerical mesoscale atmosphere model WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting Model). The system is designed as a freely combined tool that allows flexible changing of the forecasting and informational components. The technology of inter-model and cross-platform interoperability is based on the use of the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) web services and the Open Geospatial Consortium Open Modelling Interface (OGC OpenMI) standard. The system demonstrates good performance in short-term forecast of rainfall floods and reproduces complex spatio-temporal structure for the runoff formation during extreme rainfall.

The research describes the experience of using digital models (of terrain, soil, and vegetation) for the underlying surface of the catchment for developing the spatial structure of the open-source...

This paper describes the conceptual framework and software components of the automated hydrological monitoring system (AHMS), developed as a part of the project aimed at recovery, modernization, and...

A brief geographical description is provided for Lake Khanka and its drainage basin where the Russian part accounts for more than 90% of the area. Sixteen rivers on the Russian territory and eight rivers on the Chinese territory flow into the lake. Only one river, Sungacha, flows out of the lake; it is a border river and connects Lake Khanka with the Ussuri river. A historical analysis of the water level dynamics in Lake Khanka for the last 10 thousand years showed that rises of the lake water level, shore erosion, an increase in flood frequency and duration, and an increase of the degree of waterlogging of the valleys corresponded to warm climatic phases. The cold phases showed a decrease in hydraulicity of the rivers and in the lake level, and an enhancement in aeolian processes in the coastal zone of the lake and its river valleys. Seismic processes and changes in groundwater flow can also be responsible for changes in the lake water level. Morphostructural analysis indicates a potentially high seismic activity of this territory and risks of magnitude 8 earthquakes. In the 20^th century, the natural processes of water level fluctuations in the lake began to be influenced by anthropogenic factors, such as the water withdrawal for irrigation of paddy fields and streamflow control. The territory of China within the Lake Malaya Khanka drainage basin is the home for extensive paddy systems which are supplied with water from the Muling river basin. The water is then directed to Lake Malaya Khanka, and through the drain facilities it enters Lake Khanka. In fact, an inter-basin transboundary water transfer is carried out, which can affect significantly the water level in the lake. Characteristics of the existing nature management practices in the Russian portion of the lake drainage basin, and also lake pollution assessments are given. The main geo-ecological problems in the Lake Khanka transboundary drainage basin associated with water level fluctuations, geodynamic processes and environmental pollution are identified. Geo-ecological problems are considered to mean changes in natural processes accompanied by the transformation of separate natural components and landscapes in general, and causing, as a rule, negative consequences for humans and for various forms of nature management. The primary and related components of the geo-ecological problems highlighted. The main directions of comprehensive research within the framework of cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation in order to work out the plan for governance of sustainable nature management in the transboundary drainage basin of Lake Khanka are suggested.

A digital elevation model and a soil map of the basin of the Komarovka River (the Far East region of Russia) were developed using the methods of digital mapping on a scale of 1: 50000. The legend to the soil map was based on the regional soil classification system developed by G.I. Ivanov, in which the character of the water exchange of the soils serves as one of the major differentiating criteria. The analysis of the territory was consecutively performed for its mountain and plain parts and for floodplain landscapes. The morphometric parameters of the relief (height, slope steepness, and slope curvature) were analyzed with the help of overlay functions of geographic information systems for the areas of the main soils of the studied territory and compared with the major soil cover characteristics in order to find stable combinations of the factors explaining the spatial distribution of the soil areas. As a result, we determined the major elements of the relief controlling the spatial differentiation of the soil cover.