Changes in the summertime atmospheric circulation over East Asia and formation of long-lasting low-water periods within the Selenga river basin

Abstract

We examine the formation patterns of the low-water periods 1976–1982 and 1996–2011 for the Selenga river. One of the immediate reasons for the low-water periods under consideration is the attenuation of the circulation in the zone of convergence of monsoon flows and mid-latitude flows over Mongolia and North China. Unlike the low-water periods of the preceding decades, a decrease in precipitation amounts during the current low-water period is taking place concurrently with large-scale climatic changes.