Statistical picture of climate changes in Central Asia: Temperature, precipitation, and river flow

The research presented in this paper is dedicated to the temperature, precipitationand rivers runoff observations in Central Asia. Conclusions about the current situation andthe impact of future climate change in the region based on observations from more than 600meteorological stations during the last hundred years. Special interest was paid to theclimatic changes that occurred in the region during the first seven years of the 21 century.The changes in runoff of major Central Asian rivers, such as Naryn, Karadarya, Zerafshan,Amu Darya and its tributary Vakhsh, since the beginning of the last century were studied.Trends in the climatologic and hydrologic data were analysed. The research results provideimportant insight into climate change and its impacts in Central Asia. The rules of wateruse and resource-management in the region were developed before the appearance ofsignificant climatic changes in the region. These rules cause growing tension in therelations between countries using water from the same rivers. Adaptive actions based on theresearch results will be required to reduce water problems and conflicts betweenneighbouring countries of the Central Asian region.