GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF CLIMATE OSCILLATIO NS OVER THE PAST CENTURY AND 50 LARGE RIVER DISCHARGE FLUCTUATIONS

Discharge fluctuations of 50 large rivers in the world have been consi dered and the trends have been studied at different time scales: 10, 2 0, 30 and 80 years. At a secular scale, river discharges tend to incre ase in northern and eastern parts of North America, in the eastern par ts of Asia and Africa as well as in southern parts of Africa and South -America. They tend to decrease in the other regions. At shorter time scales, regional trends could be reverse. These results compared with predictive models are discussed.