DEFINITION OF THE NATURALIZED FLOW OF THE DNIPRO USING THE RESTORATION METHOD

The issue of determining the quantitative characteristics of the Dnipro River's streamflow and bringing them to natural indicators is quite relevant today. However, the history of studying this issue is quite long. A short review at the beginning of the article is devoted to this. For large regulated rivers, natural, anthropogenic, and naturalized flow are distinguished. In the study, based on the available data of regular instrumental observations, the naturalization of the Dnipro River's average annual flow was conducted using the restoration method. Additionally, a comparison with the actual flow was provided using the example of 2023. The average long-term naturalized flow of the Dnieper along the Locsmanska Kamianka (1818-2020) was obtained, which is 1648 m3/s (±31 m3/s) with a maximum of 3040 m3/s in 1877 and a minimum of 687 m3/s in 2015. The reduction in the natural runoff of the Dnipro River in 2023 due to the influence of reservoirs ranged from 4.8% for the Kyiv Reservoir to 14.8% for the Dnipro Reservoir. Analyzing the series of naturalized runoff of the Dnipro River over 203 years, it is worth noting that in the modern period, a historical minimum of average annual flow was observed. This is quite a concerning sign, as if the likelihood of low-water years similar to 2015 persists, and with the absence of the Kakhovka Reservoir, it will have severe consequences for the entire south of Ukraine. This situation could become especially critical if low water levels persist for several consecutive years, similar to 2019-2020 (with 98% reliability in the naturalized series). In the future, it is advisable to compare the given results with the average annual water consumption determined by other methods of naturalization, for example, through the use of the water balance.