Relation of the observed water level decrease and morphological changes of the river channel in the middle Danube

Abstract

This work is a continuation of works by Goda et al. (2007) and Tamás et al. (2021) that were prompted by the drying of floodplains and problems in the water supply of irrigation and drainage canal networks in the whole middle Danube region. Previous works focused on hydrology and showed a constant lowering of water levels, which indicated the deepening of the riverbed. In the present study, the relationship between indicators of morphological changes and the decrease in low water levels at gauging stations (GS) is sought. At this stage, results confirm a continuous deepening of the riverbed. Despite smaller correlation coefficient values between low water levels (Zmin) and percentage increase in the cross-sectional areas in the sand bed part of the investigated reach, the linear decreasing trend in Zmin is evident.