|prof. Nikolay I. Alekseevky |
Founded in 1943 by Sergey D. Muraveysky. First name – department of hydrology and hydrography.
The department was headed by prof. Sergey D. Muraveysky (1943–1950), Å.V. Bliznyak (1950–1958), V.R. Orlov (1959–1963), G.P. Kalinin (1963–1975), prof. B.D. Bykov (1975–1982), Vadim N. Mikhalov (1982–1988), prof. Valery M. Evstigneev (1988–1995).
Headed by prof. Nikolay I. Alekseevky since 1995.
Teaching and research staff:
Current Faculty of the Department consists of 6 professors, 7 associate professors and more than 20 full-time research associates.
Studying at the Hydrology Department
Hydrology Department presents one of the largest educational programs in Hydrology. It offers you a unique blend of water-related subjects. Broadly-based subjects prevail during first year of studying, but greater specialisation in branches of hydrology increase in later years.
Main accomplished research:
River hydrology, limnology, hydrometry, water quality, flow hydraulics, hydrological predictions, fluvial processes, hydrophysics, hydrogeology, water management, water ecology.
Studying at Hydrology Department gives unique possibility to get involved into various hydrological programs at various rivers and lakes of the vast territory of Russia during the field training. 2-nd year students have the general summer field practice on hydrology at vivid Oka river (Volga basin), Mojaisk lake (Moscow river basin) and rivers of Caucasus of Altai ranges (mountain hydrology). 3-r and 4-th year students work for 2-3 months at various hydrological organizations, national parks at different places of Russia – from Kamchatka peninsula and Amur river basin till Baikal lake and Kolsky peninsula.
Students work with up-to-date computer equipment, hydrometric and water quality field measurement devices, hydrochemical laboratory. Introduction to the special hydrological software for hydrodynamic modeling, hydroinformatics, channel morphology analysis is the core in studying.
Fields of Research:
Research is implemented at many river basins and lakes of Russia.
During the implementation of Federal special-purpose programme “Volga conservation“ the detailed studies of small rivers of Volga basin were carried out. Changes of state and regime of small rivers were linked to natural and technogenical fluctuations of river runoff (water and sediment runoff). The structure of electronic data base was developed. It helped to solve various hydrological and ecological problems in different entities of Russian Federation. Results of investigation were published in the book “Small river of Volga basin” (1997) (edited by Nikolay I. Alekseevsky).
Important practical and theoretical results were drawn at Federal special-purpose programme “World Ocean” under studying forming and mechanisms of mouth processes in the lower reaches of the largest rivers of South of Russia (Volga, Terek, Sulak, Don, Kuban). To compare the intensity and amount of disasters in the mouths of southern regions of Russia and their impact on population safety, efficacy of water management, mouths community’s evolution the special methodology was developed (Alekseevsky, 2003). On this base the river mouths with the maximal social, economic and ecological damages were found. The special data bases to characterize spatial and temporal variability of water, sediment, dissolved particles, heat and biological components runoff were developed.
To support water resource assessment in the Arctic regions during the implementation of the state contract (project of Ministry of industry, sciences and technologies “Water runoff estimation and coastal processes in the Arctic region of Russia under the global change”) regional hydrometeorological data bank was created. We compared different regions of Russia by structure and danger of various hydrological events. The results were published in the book “Geoecological condition of the Arctic coast of Russia and safety of nature management”. Desalination, defrosting and other impacts of some large rivers of Russia on Arctic seas were estimated.
In recent years the hydrologists of MSU prepared a series of electronic thematic maps to characterize spatial variability of hydrological restrictions to nature management. Several of these maps formed a part of “Ecological Atlas of Russia” (2002). These works were carried out in the context of RFBR project “Climatic changes of dangerous hydrological processes” and they are continued now in the framework of Federal special-purpose programme “Investigations and elaborations over priority direction of scientific-technological complex development of Russia for 2007–2012 years”.
Scientists of the Department take part in the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) and UNECSO core programs. Few people of faculty are the members of International Associations – IAHS (International Association of Hydrological Sciences), WASER (World Association for sedimentation and erosion research) etc. Large international conferences were organized by Hydrology Department for the last years – for example X Symposium on River Sedimentation (2007).
In the sphere of international research the hydrologists of MSU developed mainly scientific problems concerning river estuaries and estuarial processes. Main scientific contacts connect Russian specialists with Holland scientists from the Delpht technical university and the Utrekht university. During the cooperation with the scientists of the Utrekht university the international project NOW – RFFI ¹ 047.014.010 “The reaction of large river systems on global changes and local anthropogenic influences: the Volga and the Rein rivers” (2002–2006 yy.) was established. Also department of Hydrology was involved into the several international projects on World Wild Fund, Unesco, UNDP programs. Many of scientists received grants from distinguished international organizations (such as UNDP, World Bank etc).