Comparative mountain hydrology: A case study of Wisłok River in Poland and Chaohe River in China.

Hydrological processes in river basins of similar size and morphology may differ significantly due to different climatic conditions. This paper presents a comparative analysis of hydrological characteristics of two river basins located in different climatic zones: the Wisłok River Basin in the south-eastern Poland and the Chaohe River Basin in the northern China. The criteria of their choice were similarities in the basin area, main river length and topography. The results show that climate plays a key role in shaping fluvial conditions within the two basins. It is concluded that: 1) precipitation in the Wisłok River Basin is more evenly distributed in the yearly cycle, while in the Chaohe River Basin it is highly concentrated in the few summer months; 2) spring snowmelt significantly contributes to runoff in the Wisłok River Basin, while its role in the Chaohe River Basin is negligible; 3) in the Wisłok River Basin, besides the peak flow in spring, there is also a period of high water in summer resulting from precipitation, while in the Chaohe River Basin there is only one high water period in summer; 4) the Wisłok River Basin shows relatively higher stability in terms of the magnitude of intra- and inter-seasonal discharges; 5) during the multi-year observation period, a decrease in both precipitation and runoff was recorded in the two river basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]