MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. Scientists at the Lomonosov Moscow State University created the world's biggest database on average monthly water temperatures in the Russian Arctic's rivers, the university's press service said.

Thermal studies of rivers in Russia and the world have been active only in recent decades, while scientists experience a shortage of data, especially on temperature of river waters in the Arctic. The University's specialists have collected the data and analyzed peculiarities of this indicator's variability in light of climate change and anthropogenic impacts.

"The hydrological database accumulates data from 287 hydrology posts between 1961 to 2022" the press service quoted the university's Head of the Land Hydrology Department Natalia Frolova as saying. "Such an array made it possible to statistically assess trends, to calculate differences in average values, and also to evaluate trends in different time periods."

Having used obtained results, the scientists created maps of temperature changes in rivers for the entire Russian Arctic, specifying fluctuation reasons.

"We've managed to show that air temperature is the leading factor in formation of water temperature, which was expected, but its role is significantly <...> [complemented] by various physical and geographical factors and, first of all, the spread of permafrost," the scientist said.

Results of the work, supported by the Russian Science Foundation's grant, were published in the Applied Sciences Journal.