Specific Features of the Groundwater Regime in the Central Forest Nature Reserve under Modern Climatic Conditions

Specific features of the spatial and temporal dynamics of groundwater characteristics are assessed taking into account the variability of the meteorological regime of warm seasons during 2007–2021. The variation range of groundwater depth was determined for waterlogged lowland and elevated areas (10–26 and 17–51 cm). The most statistically significant negative correlation is typical of the long-term dynamics of groundwater depth and precipitation variations, and some cases of their significant negative correlations with the snow depth in the preceding winter were noted (the correlation coefficients were –0.85…–0.65 and –0.63…–0.53, respectively). A tendency toward reducing groundwater depth in the absence of significant changes in groundwater and soil temperature has been revealed. It has been shown that the groundwater in waterlogged lowlands is characterized by an acidic environment (pH = 3.8–4.9), while it is neutral (pH = 6.8–6.9) for drained elevated areas with significant positive and negative long-term trends, respectively. Insignificant correlation was found between the changes in acidity and the variations in meteorological characteristics. It is advisable to take the obtained results into account when studying regional water exchange processes and assessing environmental consequences of the changes in the groundwater regime and water balance as a whole for regions with similar natural and climatic conditions.