Abstract: The most common natural hazards affecting the Bâsca River Catchment (extended over a surface of 785.1 sq. km in the Curvature Carpathians) are floods and flooding. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and analyze structural and non-structural measures for flood risk mitigating in this catchment. The study focuses on the main factors which generate and favour floods, as well as on flood characteristics (frequency, the largest floods and its consequences). The main methods are the statistical analyze hydrologic and climatic data, field observations, expeditionary mapping and spatial analyses using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In order to analyse flood potential, there were processes processed maximum instantaneous monthly and annual discharges of the Bâsca River at the Bâsca Roziliei hydrometric station (1953-2007), Varlaam I (1956-2005), Comandău h.s. (1968-2005) and of the Bâsca Mică River at the Brebu h.s. (1959-1974) and Varlaam II h.s. (1973-2005). Considerations on structural and non-structural measures for protection against floods are presented in the last part of the paper. An inventory of structural works in the middle and lower part of the catchment (hydrotechnical and erosion control works) and their condition was made.

Abstract: Every year, since 2002, the Brussels authorities organize a car free day on the third Sunday of September. This very interesting experience has revealed some valuable information concerning traffic-related gaseous pollutants and particulates. On the car free Sunday of 2006 very high PM10 and PM2.5 mass concentrations were measured, along with very low concentrations for nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and dioxide. The car free Sunday of 2009 also showed very interesting results. During the traffic ban hours, particulate mass concentration and particulate number concentration peaked to one of the highest values for the whole year 2009. Black Carbon however was the only measured particulate component whose concentration continued to decrease during the traffic ban period.

Abstract: The Bucharest Metropolitan Area (BMA) is undergoing a major and alert phase of reorganisation as a response to changes in the political, institutional, administrative, economic and social environment. Over the last 20 years land use has profoundly changed in the area under study, mainly by means of agricultural land conversion and the subsequent formation of residential and commercial areas. These two kinds of land uses were also expanded over industrial spaces in the Bucharest Metropolitan Area. Residential areas are showing a large quantitative increase and extremely non-concentrated dispersion, as well as complex and diverse typology. The present study analyses the possible direct and indirect consequences of land use change regarding the quality of the environment in the residential areas of the Bucharest Metropolitan Area (focusing on new residential districts). The results show that agricultural and forested areas are decreasing in surface and suffer from fragmentation, while residential areas are expanding in a chaotic manner, thus indicating the possible areas of conflict regarding the quality of the environment. The lack of coordination in the numerous institutional or private projects in real estate is the main cause of this situation. Public authorities administered the real estate projects between 1947 and 1990 (Communist Era) as the majority of the land and the constructed property were state-owned by law. After 1990, in the era of private property, in absence of legislation and convenient decision-making, the consequences of the privatization were difficult to manage (spreading of residential districts, overused and insufficient infrastructure in many areas, poor accessibility and waste management problems).

Abstract: The Romanian Subcarpathian space has been the subject of continuous transformation during the last 2 centuries under the double impact of human activities and disruptive natural factors. Time and spatial dynamics of land use and coverage determined a major impact on the structure and functionality of the Subcarpathian landscape. In the Subcarpathians between the Râmnicu Sărat and the Buzău, the main tendencies in land use changes are highlighted by the decrease of forestry areas and increase of agricultural terrains, especially pastures and orchards, a consequence of the deforestation undertaken to answer local human needs. The fragmentation and the pronounced decrease of forestry ecosystems has been quantified by calculating and analysing landscape metrics, using land use and coverage maps derived from the Corine Land Cover 1990 and 2006 database. In the Subcarpathians between the Râmnicu Sărat and the Buzău, there has been registered a deforestation rate of 10.09% in the analysed period, but also an increase in landscape fragmentation. Thus, the number of forest patches increased by 10.96% and their average size decreased by 13.73%, while the shape remained unchanged. Landscape patches became more isolated, as the value of the average proximity index decreased by 42.07%. The study underlines the necessity of elaborating a strategy of protection and preservation for these ecosystems, aimed at increasing the reforestation rate and decreasing the fragmentation degree. A sustainable planning system of land use must be enforced in order to increase forest productivity and the uniformity degree of the Subcarpathian landscape.

Abstract: By means of the Water Framework Directive methodology, the present study identifies the valid indicators used for evaluating the ecological status of two natural water bodies (the first located on the Jiu river between Bratovoieşti and the Danube confluence, and the second on the Motru river between the Jirov and the Jiu confluence): hydromorphological indicators, physico-chemical indicators and biological indicators. The quality parameters deviated from the norm are: Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index – 2.87 for the Motru WB and Functional groups index – 0.68 for the Jiu WB (biological Indicators); modified water-cross section coefficient (depth) (1.22) – the Motru WB, impoundment coefficient (0.91) – the Motru WB and Coefficient of major streambed reduction (1.24) – the Jiu WB (hydromorphological indicators). The quality parameters (physico-chemical indicators) of the water drainage systems deviated from the norm are: Biochemical Oxygen demand BOD5 (40.78 mg/l) and Ammonium Nitrogen N-NH4 + (6.96 mg N/l) for Strehaia settlement; Biochemical Oxygen demand BOD5 (33.70 mg/l), Ammonium Nitrogen N-NH4 + (19.66 mg N/l) and Total Phosphorus PT (8.96 mg/l) for Craiova settlement. The target is to validate the ecological status for the two water bodies, respectively „moderate status” for the lower Jiu and „good status” for the lower Motru, related to the Class II and Class III of the European process of intercalibration, ensuring thus the compatibility at European level. The relevance of the paper consists in the assessment of the ecological status of two natural water bodies located downstream with respect to a major punctiform polluting source (two major settlements, Craiova on the Jiu, respectively Strehaia on the Motru), impacting heavily the achievement of environmental objectives set by the Water Frame Directive.