Small basins : a tool in scientific and operational hydrology / Pienet valuma-alueet tieteellisen ja sovelletun hydrologian tutkimusvälineenä

Research in small basins has been practised for half a cenrury in Finland. Statistical characteristics of hydrological quantities for designing hydraulic engineering works have especially been needed. This paper discusses recent studies carried out at four leveis of the utilization and the experiences gained. Frequency and regression analyses of various hydrological quantities were carried out, Iong-term and short-term hydrological effects of forestry drainage as well as those of sub-drainage were studied and in filtration experiments were made. The experiences obtained justify the conclusion that a network of small basins is a useful — and for certain purposes — an irreplaceable tool of practical importance, whose costs and benefits are in reasonable balance. From a scientific point of view a few basins in the network should serve as field laboratories, and be used for process studies at the scale of a basin. The relatively high costs of basin
research emphasize need for multidisciplinary studies.