Health Risk Assessment in Southern Carpathians Small Rural Communities Using Karst Springs as a Drinking Water Source

The chemical quality of waters from eight karst springs from the Southern Carpathians and the health risk of small rural communities using these springs as a drinking water source were assessed. The results indicated that the spring waters in the studied area are chemically suitable to be used as drinking water and pose no health risks for adults and children. The spring water can be generally described as having circumneutral pH, Ca-Mg-HCO3− facies, excellent to good palatability, and low trace metal and nitrate content. The variation of chemical parameters between spring and autumn was low. These springs could become appropriate drinking water sources for the neighboring rural communities after the assessment of their microbiological status and, if it is the case, proper water treatment. Moreover, periodic monitoring of the water’s chemical parameters, mostly nitrates, as well as the establishment of a protected area near the springs to prevent the negative impact of anthropogenic sources on water quality is recommended.

Structural Characteristics of the Main Resinous Stands from Southern Carpathians, Romania

The purpose of this study, which contains historical data recorded over a period of 40 years, was to identify the main factors that influence and control the level of wood mass production. The main reason was to optimize the management of forest areas and was driven by the necessity to identify factors that can influence most of the volume produced by coniferous forests located in southeast Europe. The data was collected between1980 and 2005 at the National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry, for forests located in the Southern Carpathians, Romania. The studied data refer to the parameters that model forest structure for spruce, fir, pine, and larch. These are the main resinous species found in the Southern Carpathians. The total area covered by these forests is 143,431 ha. At the forest species level, the analysis consists of 16,162 records (corresponding to the elements of the trees), covering an area of 45,008 ha for fir, 4711 ha for larch, 81,995 ha for spruce, and 11,717 ha for pine. The aim of this research has been to investigate and to assess the impact and magnitude of abiotic factors such as altitude and field aspect on forest structures from the main resinous stands located in the Southern Carpathians. Taking into account the size of the database as well as the duration for collecting data, a complete statistical and systematic approach was considered optimum. This resulted from our wish to emphasize and evaluate the influence of each analysed factor on the wood mass production level. The relationship between abiotic factors and forest structure has been analysed by using a systematic statistical approach in order to provide a useful theoretical reference for the improvement of forest management practices in the context of multiple climatic, environmental, and socio-economic challenges. These common characteristics have been found by applying ANOVA and multivariate statistical methods such as PCA and FA methods. A series of parameters were considered in this investigation, namely altitude (ALT), forest site type (TS), forest type (TP), consistency (CONS) etc. In order to obtain a complete image, we have also applied multivariate analysis methods that emphasize the effect size for each database parameter. At such a level of recorded data, the statistical approach ensures a factor level of p <0.001 while the accuracy in evaluating effect size is increased. As such, they influence the spreading and structure of the studied resinous stands to a higher degree, regardless of species.

Commons as Traditional Means of Sustainably Managing Forests and Pastures in Olt Land (Romania)

The compossessorates in Transylvania (Romania) are traditional varieties of commons. During the inter-war period two types of compossessorates were most common in the Olt Land, between the Olt River and the Southern Carpathians: those of the former boyars and the ones owned by the former serfs. An analysis of the 1904 Austro-Hungarian Regulation on the organization and management of the commons, of the 1910 Romanian Forest Code that was implemented in Transylvania after 1918, and of the by-laws of compossessorates, derived from the aforementioned documents, unveils the concern of both legislators and members of compossessorates for the preservation, balanced exploitation and regeneration of the forest fund and their focus on sustainable management of forests. The compossessorates were disbanded upon the instauration of the communist regime in Romania and re-established after 1989. Nowadays, compossessorates in the Olt Land continue the local tradition of sustainably managing the forests and the pastures. Their activity in this regard can be improved. Collaboration of the communal schools and the university with the compossessorates, the use of the Internet to promote their image and the involvement of NGOs in their support would be effective in this respect.

Land use in a Subcarpathian Depression – Sălătrucel commune, Vâlcea County

The use of the lands from Sălătrucel Commune located in the Jiblea – Berslăvești Depression, at the contact between the Southern Carpathians – Cozia Massif and the Vâlcea Subcarpathians, bears the characteristics of the physical-geographical particularities, especially those of the relief configuration with the specific lithological structure. The Jiblea – Berislăvești Depression was a favourable geographical area for early settlement, which also attracted important changes in the natural landscape reflected in the current structure of land use

Episode with strong downslope wind in the Southern and Curvature Carpathians in the period 5-6 february 2020

The phenomenon that occurred during the blizzard from February 5-6 in the mountains and especially on the southern slopes of the Southern Carpathians, is known in the literature as "strong downslope winds". This phenomenon occurred in a typical blizzard configuration, in which the differentiated advection of temperature led to the formation of a very stable air layer, with thermal inversion approximately between the levels of 850 and 700 hPa; and it also contributed in this layer to the change of wind direction to vertical. Thus, the existence in the same air layer of two factors favorable to the formation of a critical level, created the ideal conditions for generating strong downslope winds.

Episode with strong downslope wind in the Southern and Curvature Carpathians in the period 5-6 February 2020

The phenomenon that occurred during the blizzard from February 5-6 in the mountains and especially on the southern slopes of the Southern Carpathians, is known in the literature as "strong downslope winds". This phenomenon occurred in a typical blizzard configuration, in which the differentiated advection of temperature led to the formation of a very stable air layer, with thermal inversion approximately between the levels of 850 and 700 hPa; and it also contributed in this layer to the change of wind direction to vertical. Thus, the existence in the same air layer of two factors favorable to the formation of a critical level, created the ideal conditions for generating strong downslope winds.

A New Species of Isoperla (Plecoptera: Perlodidae) from the Southern Carpathians, and Further Contributions to the Fauna of the Ţarcu Mts

Isoperla nagyi sp. n. is described on the basis of morphology of male and female adults and eggs. The new species is classified as an isolated species within the West Palaearctic Isoperla. It was found in the lower elevations of the Ţarcu Mts that is forming a high range of the westernmost Southern Carpathians. Further contributions are given on the stonefly fauna of the Ţarcu Mts, including notes on the Romanian distribution of Brachyptera bulgarica Raušer, and the taxonomy and distribution of Isoperla pusilla (Klapálek).

Tree-ring reconstruction of snow avalanches in Şureanu Mountains (Southern Carpathians, Romania)

&lt;p&gt;Snow avalanches (SAs) are a widespread natural hazard in the Carpathians, damaging forests and threatening properties, tourism infrastructures and people. In &amp;#350;ureanu Mountains (Southern Carpathians), SA activity is not documented in the historical archives and consequently information regarding the SA frequency and their spatial extent is lacking. Along the forested avalanche paths, disturbed trees record selectively in their annual rings evidence of past events. Tree rings represent therefore a natural archive which can provide valuable information about the past SA activity. The aim of the present study is to reconstruct the occurrence and spatial extent of past SA activity with tree rings in &amp;#350;ureanu Mts. For this purpose, two avalanche paths adjacent to a ski area located in the central part of &amp;#350;ureanu Mts., have been investigated. Samples (cores and discs) collected from 121 and 141 Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) trees damaged by SAs along both paths have been analyzed. Tree-growth anomalies (e.g. scars, callus tissues, onset sequences of tangential rows of traumatic resin ducts, compression wood and growth suppression sequences) associated with the mechanical impact produced by SAs on trees were identified and used to reconstruct the SA history. Within the investigated paths, the reconstructed SA chronology spans the period of the last century. The minimum SA frequency and maximum extent reconstructed served to define the return periods within the two paths investigated. Tree-ring derived records provided the most consistent SA chronology in the study area, and can further be integrated in the avalanche hazard zoning assessment.&lt;/p&gt;

Late Pleistocene ice field on Jakupica Mt. (North Macedonia): extent and timing glaciation

&lt;p&gt;Since the 19&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; century, geomorphological studies in the currently mainly unglaciated central Balkan Peninsula described extended glacial landforms and repeated glaciations. With the growing number of numerical ages an ambiguous picture has formed concerning the timing of the most extended glaciation and also on the glacier response to the cooling phases (e.g. Younger Dryas) during the last deglaciation of these mountain ranges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This study provides &lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt;Be cosmic ray exposure ages of a succession of glacial landforms in the Jakupica Mt. (North Macedonia), aiming to improve the understanding of Late Pleistocene glacier development in the area [1].&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the Jakupica Mt. (~41.7&amp;#176; N, ~21.4 E; Solunska Glava, 2540 m asl) a large plateau glacier was reconstructed (max. area ~45 km&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;, max thickness: ~300 m), where three main ice accumulation areas could be delineated [2]. The study area comprises six northeastward facing, formerly glaciated valleys. Two of these valleys emerge from the plateau, one stands separate, and the remaining three are topographically separated by a relatively flat NNW-SSE oriented ridge. During the most extensive glacial stages, these three valleys were fed by ice overflowing above this ridge from the plateau. The lowest mapped moraines are descending down to 1550-1700 m asl suggesting the former existence of glacier tongues of ~3 km length. The large plateau ice and the complicated system of confluences makes glacier reconstructions and equilibrium line altitude (ELA) calculations challenging. Thus, the ELAs were preliminary estimated based on the maximum elevation of the lowermost lateral moraines, leading to ELA values of 1800&amp;#177;50 m a.s.l. for the most extended phase.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The maximum ice extent outlined by the lowest mapped moraines descending down to 1550-1500 m asl. occurred around ~24-19 ka (n=5), in agreement with the timing of the Last Glacial Maximum. During the Lateglacial, the exposure ages are getting younger by the glacier recession up to the moraines at ~1820 m asl (~19-14 ka, n=15). However, the highest sampled landforms (~2200 m asl) provided ages with a large scatter between ~25 and ~5 ka (n=6). This large scatter and the observed bias towards old ages are most probably the result of inherited cosmogenic nuclide concentrations within the rock. Consequently, &lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt;Be exposure ages alone are apparently not suitable to determine the age of final deglaciation of this mountain. Similar conditions have been observed in the Retezat Mts (Southern Carpathians, Romania) [3].&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This research was supported by the NKFIH FK124807 and GINOP-2.3.2-15-2016-00009 projects and by the Radiate Transnational Access 19001688-ST.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[1] Ruszkiczay-R&amp;#252;diger et al., 2020. Last deglaciation in the central Balkan Peninsula: Geochronological evidence from Jablanica Mt. (North Macedonia). Geomorphology 351: 106985&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[2] Temovski et al., 2019. Glacial geomorphology of the northeastern part of the Jakupica Mountain, Macedonia, Central Balkan Peninsula. GRA 21, EGU2019-7822&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[3] Ruszkiczay-R&amp;#252;diger et al., 2018. Glacier reconstruction, deglaciation chronology and paleo-environment reconstruction, Retezat Mountains, Southern Carpathians, Romania. Geologica Balcanica; Abstracts of the XXI. CBGA Congress, Salzburg, 10-13 September; p. 240-241.&lt;/p&gt;