Changes in the key hydrological factors of the lower reaches of the dnieper water ecosystems functioning after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam was destroyed

Abstract

The detonation of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station (HEPS) on June 6, 2023, which was the main factor regulating the hydrological regime in the lower reaches of the Dnieper and the Dnieper-Buh mouth region in general, had an extremely negative impact on all aspects of the water ecosystems functioning of the region. Violation of the regulated fresh water inflow, which caused this man-made disaster, had a negative impact on the condition of all elements of the hydrographic network located below of Nova Kakhovka city with a total area of about 1,440 km2. If we also take into account the water ecosystem of the now completely drained Kakhovka reservoir, the total area of the damage zone from the explosion of the Kakhovka dam for freshwater ecosystems can be estimated at 3,600 km2.