what’s the problem with danube delta?

liviu giosan

- largest wetland in Europe

- 2nd largest compact reedbed

in the World

-species: ~300 birds; ~90 fish

Established as Biosphere

Reserve in 1998 – shared by

Romania (~80%) and Ukraine

Black Sea

Populated since Neolithic

Exploited by Greeks, Romans,

Byzantines, Ottomans

what’s important

what’s important

NIDD, 2005

the delta - evolution

Giosan et al., 2006

the delta - morphology

Giosan et al., 2005

global influences

sea level

climate

van der Hoeven et al., 2006 Cazenave et al., 2002

sea level (subsidence)

Giosan et al., 2006

climate - river

Giosan et al., in prep.

climate - basin

Vespremeanu-Stroe et al., 2007

regional influences

upstream:

discharge

deforestation

dam

irrigation

pollution

basin:

morphodynamics

salinization

the river

Water and Suspended Sediment Discharge

1945-2005, CEATAL IZMAIL

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

1945

1948

1951

1954

1957

1960

1963

1966

1969

1972

1975

1978

1981

1984

1987

1990

1993

1996

1999

2002

2005

Q (

m3/s

)

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

R (k

g/s

)

the river – water and sediment discharge

the river – dams

the basin – ecosystems

Humborg al., 1997

the basin – waves, currents sediment transport

Giosan et al., 2005

the basin – shelf morphodynamics

Giosan, Constantinescu et al., in prep.

the basin – river mouth morphodynamics

Giosan et al., 2005

the basin – river mouth morphodynamics

Time 1

Time 2

Time 3

the basin – coast morphodynamics

Ashton and Giosan, in prep.

2003

the basin – coast morphodynamics

Giosan et al., in 2005

human perspective:

urbanization

agriculture-fishing

tourism

transport

population

property issues

hazards:

inundation

erosion

shoaling (sediment routing across delta)

local

Chilia

the delta – water and sediment routing

Sulina

St. George

Bondar, 2003

the delta – fishing

NIDD, 2005

the delta – water and sediment routing

NIDD, 2005

the delta – transport

DD evolved in stable sea level regime –

now sea level rise accelerated

DD evolved in stable? sediment regime –

now sediment less than half

DD evolved in a natural coastal regime –

now engineered

DD escaped heavy development –

now at the horizon

the problems

indus delta: what do we know?

liviu giosan

climate

Bookhagen et al., 2006

evolution (climate, sea level, subsidence)

Giosan et al., in prep.

largest irrigation system

Inam et al., in press

salinization, desertification

the shelf

Giosan et al., 2006

-200

-150

-100

-50

0

50

100

150

200

1 11 21 31 41 51 61 71 81 91 101 111 121 131 141 151 161

Profile Number

Sh

orelin

e C

han

ge R

ate

(m

/year)

1855-1954

1978-2000

Advance

Retreat 1

36

115 145

the coast

Giosan et al., 2006

Thank You !