MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES OF THE ROMANIAN BLACK SEA ACCUMULATION COAST

Petre Gîştescu, “Hyperion” University, Bucharest, Romania
Basarab Driga, Institute of Geography, Bucharest, Romania

Abstract

From a genetic and morphological viewpoint, the Romanian Black Sea Coast (245 km) is devided in two sectors: one of accumulation in the north (166 km), and the other of abrasion (in the south – 79 km). The accumulation coast which extends between the mounth of the Chilia Arm and Cape Midia, corresponding to the Danube Delta forefront and the Razim-Sinoie lagoon complex. It is largely the outime of accumulation processes that closed up the Danube and the Halmyris gulfs. The long-term variation in the regime of sea currents and wave, as well as the Danube’s water regime and the great many human interventions have regreated in the development of several sectors of coast line accretion and withdrawal. The main accretion sectors are the mouth of Chilia Arm, Sulina-South, the mouth of Sfântu Gheorghe Arm, Perişor-Periteaşca, and Chituc-South levee, average gradient 6-10 m/year. Coast line withdrawal sectors are Împuţita-Câşla Vădanei, Ciotica-Perişor and Leahova-Portiţa-Chituc, maximum gradient ca 25 m/year for the first sector. At present, as the level of the Black Sea tends to rise (1.8-2 mm/year) and the Danube’s sediment load to decrease, erosion processes have become more and more greater intensity pact, that has negative effects on the natural and man-made ecosystems.

Keywords: accumulation coast, accretion sector, withdrawal sector