ИСТИНА

In arid environment Volga-Akhtuba floodplain (VAF) wetland ecosystems are very sensitive to Volga runoff and particularly to spring flood, that currently depend on Volzhskaya Hydropower plant (HPP) downstream water discharge. In Summer 2015 there were many reports on ecosystems breakdown and lack of water supply in settlements in VAF. In the present work VAF land cover changes based on satellite and field data and the impact of Volga runoff parameters on inland water bodies and wetland plant communities are discussed. The study is focused mainly on dry years, including 2015, that belong to different periods of Volga runoff, to evaluate the backgrounds and implications of the disastrous events in Summer 2015.