Hydrography of Mongolia

In the first section of the chapter, the overview of Mongolian hydrological research is introduced. The geographical background of the surface water is introduced in the second part, describing the morphological, hydrological and ecological characteristics of rivers and lakes, including the description of the genetic lake types. Detailed analysis is given on the Tuul and Ulz River, Lake Khuvsgul, and Shargaljuut mineral spa. The surface water body, such as rivers, streams and lakes cover 10,560 sq. km or 0.67% of the total territory. Mongolia is divided into three hydrological basins, such as Northern Arctic Ocean Basin, Pacific Ocean Basin and Central Asian Internal Drainage Basin, in the Central and Eastern Asia. The total surface water resource of Mongolia is estimated at 599 km3/year. The main water resource is stored in lakes (500 km3/year) and glaciers (62.9 km3/year). Water resource in the rivers is shared only 5.8% of the total surface water resources, that is, 34.6 km3/year. The third section introduces groundwater resources and its geographical distribution. The amount of water resources in the renewable groundwater (i.e., groundwater with a smaller residence time that can be replenished relatively quickly) is estimated at 10.8 km3/year. Groundwater is the main source for drinking, agricultural and industrial usage in Mongolia.