Sources of alimentation and variability of their contribution to river runoff formation in European Russia

The genetic conditions of water runoff formation are studied for rivers in European Russia, whose basins are located in the zones of taiga, mixed forests, forest-steppe and steppe, and semi-deserts and deserts, as well as in the Northern Caucasus foothills. The genetic roles of rain, snowmelt, and subsurface waters are determined from results of the runoff hydrograph analysis based on the method developed by B. I. Kudelin. The effects of river dimensions, water abundance of the year, and local factors (the relative areas of forests and lakes and the elevation of watersheds) on the contribution of various sources of river alimentation to the formation of river water runoff are evaluated.