Runoff trends in Sweden 1807-2002

Time series of annual runoff volumes and annual and seasonal flood peaks in Sweden were analysed. The study included a total of 61 discharge series, with emphasis on the period 1901-2002. Three wet decades stand out in the 20th century: the 1920s, 1980s and 1990s, with a runoff anomaly of +8%. The 1970s were very dry. In a short perspective, both runoff volumes and flood magnitude increased substantially between 1970 and 2002, but similar conditions were experienced in the 1920s. The linear regression line for the average runoff from all of Sweden increased by 5% over the past century, but the trend was not statistically significant. The runoff in the 19th century was in fact even higher than in recent decades, although temperatures were lower. Flood levels increased slightly more than annual runoff volumes in northern Sweden. However, flood peaks in old data are probably underestimated. The largest increase was consequently found in less reliable data series. It is therefore difficult to conclude that flood levels are actually increasing.