Dan Bălteanu

Recent Landform Evolution in the Romanian Carpathians and Pericarpathian Regions

In the Romanian Carpathians, developed on crystalline and volcanic rocks, the main geomorphological processes are rockfalls, debris flows, and topples. In the eastern part of the Eastern Carpathians, built up of Cretaceous and Paleogene flysch, landslides and mudflows are of major significance. High and middle mountain karst features and cave systems are also widespread. In the alpine area of the Southern and Eastern Carpathians, avalanches are common on the steep slopes of glacial cirques and valleys. Landslides also develop on high quarry slopes, waste dumps and tailing dams characteristic of the mining sites of the Apuseni Mountains. High discharges along the Carpathian rivers cause intense erosion and the undercutting of slopes, favoring landslides and flooding. Although in fluvial erosion channel incision is predominant (for half of all river sections studied), riverbed aggradation is also observed locally. On the agricultural lands of the Subcarpathians and in the Transylvanian Depression slopes are degraded by sheet and gully erosion, landslides, and mudflows. On the Moldavian Plateau soil erosion, gullying, and landslides are major exogenous geomorphic processes. The country-wide spatial distribution of these geomorphological hazards has been evaluated by several authors (e.g., Geografia României I. 1983; Bălteanu 1997).

A morphogenetic insight into a multi-hazard analysis: Bâsca Mare landslide dam

Slope–channel coupling in geomorphologically active regions represents a topic with numerous implications, from both fundamental and applied perspectives. Landsliding and erosion combine under the influence of the morphostructural and lithological, seismic, climatic, and anthropic factors, and their interaction may materialize in landslide dams, forms which are conditioning the future slope and river morphology and morphodynamics. The proper understanding of the predisposition and preparing and triggering factors in case of landslide dams could provide significant information in the risk analysis, assessment, and management. The occurrence in July 2013 of a landslide dam in the Buzău Mountains (along the Bâsca Mare river), caused by the partial reactivation of a dormant deep-seated landslide, allowed the outlining of the entire agents–forms–processes framework, offering in the meantime the background data for a future multi-hazard assessment. Since the Vrancea seismic region (area that comprises the Curvature Carpathians of Romania) represents one of Europe’s most slope/channel/seismically active regions, the case–study offers important insight information that allows in the meantime the analysis of multi-hazard at a regional scale.

Geomorphic services for landslide risk evaluation in the RO-RISK Project

The paper presents the steps undertaken within the RO-RISK (Disaster Risk Evaluation at National Level) project with the aim of achieving landslide hazard and risk evaluation at the national level, as well as the close interand transdisciplinary collaboration through the involvement of specialists and stakeholders during the whole research process, the results of which can be assigned to geomorphic services. A common methodology to analyze all the selected risks has been followed within the project, mainly focusing on hazard and impact analyses. At the end, three national and two local scale landslide scenarios have been analyzed into detail in order to provide risk figures as estimations on the location and magnitude of possible physical impacts on the population, the built-up environment and the transportation network, as well as economic and sociopsychological impacts, all of which were needed to finally estimate risk acceptability. Keywords— landslides; risk assessment; geomorphic services; environmental changes; RO-RISK; Romania

Climate Change Projections for a Medium-Size Urban Area (Baia Mare Town, Romania): Local Awareness and Adaptation Constraints

Numerous studies worldwide emphasize the impacts that cities now face due to increasing variability of weather extremes associated with climate change, exacerbating the urban heat island effect, air pollution and health impacts. In this respect, cities need to cope with these new threats and get prepared. One way of doing this is to develop climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, focusing on local vulnerabilities in relation to the current societal development needs and adaptation options. There are many recent initiatives and examples for climate change adaptation strategies and plans for large cities, but only a few examples for small and medium-size cities. This paper investigates the mid-(2021–2050) and far-future (2071–2100) climate change signals in an urban area located in northern Romania (Baia Mare town), with around 200,000 inhabitants, exploring the results of some CORDEX GCMs under the new IPCC RCPs (RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). The study analyzes these signals in relation to the local awareness of key institutional stakeholders, as well as to the current social and economic constraints towards considering the climate change adaptation. The findings, based on a survey, highlight how the local authorities perceive and include climate change aspects in their activities as an important step towards real implementation of specific climate-based decisions, as well as their needs in terms of climate information and data. The study provides useful scientific insights about future climate and expected impacts in the Baia Mare Urban System to stakeholders, which could increase their awareness and knowledge in terms of climate change.

Environmental Changes in the Maramureş Mountains Natural Park

Maramures Mountains Natural Park (MMNP) is the biggest protected area in the Romanian Carpathians, located in the north of the Eastern Carpathians along Romania’s border with Ukraine. The Park displays a complex of richly forested mountain summits, a great diversity of ecosystems, and unique landscapes, which have led to its declaration as a protected area, under the Category V IUCN – Protected Landscape-Natural Park, in 2004. This chapter provides an update of the environmental changes related to the main human-induced pressures characteristic for this natural protected area. Although MMNP was declared later than other similar protected areas in the Romanian Carpathians (e.g. Apuseni Natural Park and Bucegi Natural Park, declared in 1990), its rich biodiversity, outstanding landscapes, and cultural heritage are no less significant and valuable. Therefore, the authors are seeking to identify and assess the historical and current human-induced driving forces encountered in MMNP (e.g. settlements expansion, deforestation, overgrazing, mining activities, touristic activities) that have driven the most significant environmental changes in the area (e.g. habitat, fragmentation, biodiversity loss, land use/land cover changes) to prevent their intensification and reduce their negative impact.

Human Pressure on the Environment in the “Munţii Maramureşului” Natural Park

In order to protect the natural environment in the Romanian Carpathians, 22 major protected areas totalling approximately 1 million hectares, as well as some 600 reserves and natural monuments totalling 50,000 ha, were declared. The chapter is aiming to point out the main human-related pressures characteristic for the mountain natural landscapes, by selecting as case study “Munţii Maramuresului” Natural Park (MMNP). This protected area can be considered as a landmark in the Romanian Carpathians protected areas assessment, taking into account both its environmental stressors and its landscape qualities for acceding to UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status. Although MMNP was declared in 2004, later than other similar protected areas in Romanian Carpathians (Apuseni Natural Park and Bucegi Natural Park in 1990 etc.), its landscape and biodiversity features are no less significant and valuable. The authors are aiming to identify and assess the main present-day human impact categories encountered in MMNP: deforestation and over-grazing, mining activities, poaching, waste deposits, etc. in order to prevent their expansion and diminish their negative impact upon the environment.