Effects of Climate Change on Annual Streamflow of Kocabaş Stream (Çanakkale, Turkey)

Climate change due to global warming have effects upon sustainable use of natural resources. Climatic parameters such as temperature, evaporation and precipitation obtained from 3 meteorological observation stations, and streamflow data of Kocabaş Stream were used to understand the effects of global warming on annual streamflow of Kocabaş Stream. Change years were determined and trend analysis was applied for climatic parameters and streamflow of the river. As specified in the results of analyses it could be enunciated that there was a visible increase in temperature and evaporation, and that there was a decrease in precipitation and annual streamflow of the river. Change year was determined as 1981 for streamflow of the river and trend analysis results showed that the streamflow has a decreasing trend and the annual amount of this decrease is predicted to be 0.025005 m3 s-1. Trend analysis results for climatic parameters showed that there is a decreasing trend in precipitation and increasing trends in temperature and evaporation. The paper indicates that the effects of climate change on annual streamflow of the river could be variable and that many effects such as agricultural activities, anthropogenic effects, and geographical location should be considered in predicting of climate change effects on river systems.