Climate Change Impacts on Hydrology in the Mediterranean Part of Slovenia

Abstract

Although Slovenia has only 47 km of coastline in the northern Adriatic, the natural and social influences of the Mediterranean extend much further inland, into the southeastern Alps and northern Dinaric Mountains. Temperature measurements in the Mediterranean part of Slovenia show climate changes similar to those observed in most parts of Europe. The average air temperature is rising, and the increase has been most noticeable in recent decades. Climate change is also reflected in the hydrological characteristics because minimum, mean, and maximum discharges are decreasing at most gauging stations. This chapter examines the trends in average annual temperature, annual precipitation, days with precipitation over 0.1 mm, and days with snow cover, and the trends in minimum annual discharges, mean annual discharges, maximum annual discharges, and absolute maximum annual discharges, using the Mediterranean part of Slovenia as an example. Changes in the monthly discharge regimes are also presented. The period studied is from 1961 to 2018.