Northern Research Basins Water Balance (Proceedings of a workshop held at Victoria, Canada, March 2004). IAHS Publ. 290, 2004, 65–77

Abstract Water balance studies in small watersheds are a means to solve theoretical and practical hydrological problems. Application of the water balance method is based on a combination of theoretical approaches and empirical methods, and is restricted by specific features of the study basin (i.e. climate, relief, landscapes). The Mogot experimental area is located in the southern mountain taiga in East Siberia, within the permafrost zone. Observations of water balance components during 1976–1985 make it possible to calculate water balances of catchments for different periods (year, season, month), in order to compare individual sources of moisture influx to the small watersheds and to analyse the reasons for possible errors during measurement and calculation of water balance components.

Key words East Siberia; methods of measurement and calculation; permafrost; representative and experimental watersheds; Russia; Water balance components