ABSTRACT
In spite of the high amount of precipitation, there are only a few surface streams on the Dinaric karst, mainly on impermeable terrain (flysch), or in karst poljes. However there are a few large rivers, with enough water to cut canyons through limestone belts: the Dalmatian Krka, Cetina, Neretva and Morača in the Adriatic basin, and the Kolpa, Una, Vrbas, Bosna, and Drina in the Black Sea basin. The canyon of the Tara River, a tributary of the Drina, is 78 km long and up to 1300 m deep. Sinking rivers, flowing underground from one polje to another, are very common. A typical example is the Ljubljanica River, draining 1100 km2 of karst, which has a mean discharge of 56 m3 s−1 and crosses five poljes with eight surface sections between caves.
