The Ural River Basin: Hydrology, Characteristics and Water Use

Abstract

The Ural river is a unique ecosystem with a mostly undisturbed hydrological regime and is crucial for the preservation of the Caspian Sturgeon species. This is the third longest river in Europe and the last large river in Europe unaffected by river regulation or damming. Nevertheless, this fact is not well known to the broader scientific and environmental communities (UNEP 2002). The present paper gives an introduction to the Ural river's hydrology, climate, land use types and other basin characteristics. An analysis of the river flow statistics, human activities' influence and regional climate change is undertaken. The administrative watershed division and the problems of transboundary water management are also discussed.