The Lower Danube River

This book provides essential information and recent findings on hydro-environmental issues in the Lower Danube River, particularly its hydrological and hydromorphological processes; physico-chemical features; climate and water-related hazards; and not only the biodiversity and quality but also the sustainable management and governance of its hydro-environment. Accordingly, it presents a broad range of scientific information on the lower sector of the second-longest river in Europe, which holds major economic importance and has been severely impacted by human pressures, especially since the second part of the last century. The engineering works (e.g. dams, reservoirs, levees, channelization, etc.) on the Danube and its tributaries, despite their benefits to society, have altered its flow and significantly reduced its sediment load, with consequences for hydromorphological processes and aquatic ecosystems. These ecosystems have also been affected by pollution fromvarious sources. To promote sustainable management of the Danube River and its watershed, several strategies and measures have been developed by a number of institutions, from the European level to the national and regional levels (commissions, national authorities, non-governmental organizations, etc.).

Compared to the upper and middle sectors of the Danube, the lower sector has received less attention in the international scientific literature in terms of hydro-environmental issues. The book fills this gap and provides current and original insights and findings from recent studies conducted by scientists from three countries drained by the Lower Danube River and its tributaries: Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.

This unique book will be of great scientific interest to professional engineers, policy planners and policymakers in the three countries mentioned above, helping them to implement their own sustainable development plans. It also offers a valuable resource for graduatestudents, researchers and stakeholders.

Auteur

Prof. Negm is a Professor of Hydraulics (and Water Resources) at Zagazig University. His current domain of research is sustainable water resources and their management. He is a member of IAHR, ICWEES, EGU, IAH. He is the head of the Egyptian permanent scientific committee for Water Resources (Committee no. 115, Supreme Council of Egyptian Universities). He is a member of the editorial board of several scientific journals, including IJESD, AJES, JEST, JHGGM, ENRRJ .. etc, associate editor-in-chief for Scientific African Journal, EJRS, and IWTJ issued by IWTA and guest editor in AJGS and EMJEI (Springer) and Water Journal (MDPI). He published more than 350 papers, 100 book chapters, and published 35 contributed volumes during the years from 2017-2021 in Springer International Publishing House. He led several international projects and participated in some others. He was nominated for many awards by IBC and ABI. He is listed in (a) Marquis Who is Who? (b) IBC's 2000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 21st Century. Liliana Zaharia graduated the Faculty of Geology and Geography, University of Bucharest (Geography-French specialization) and the postgraduate cycle "Hydrology and Water Resources Management", jointly organized by EPF Lausanne, University of Neuchâtel and ETH Zürich. She received her Ph.D. in Geography in 1997. Since 2006 she is full Professor at the University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography and since 2007 she is thesis director. Her fields of interest are continental hydrology, water resources management and water related risks. Prof. Zaharia is director of the research center "Water Resources and Hydrological Risks Management". She authored 12 books/chapters and over 200 articles/abstracts (32 papers are published in ISI rated/indexed journals) and almost 250 presentations at scientific meetings. She coordinated 3 national research projects and 5 international projects (with France, Switzerland and Croatia). She was member of the research teams in 14 national projects and one international project. Since 2020 prof. Zaharia is vice president of the IGU Commission for Water Sustainability. She is/was member of many scientific associations and administrative structures. Dr. Gabriela Ioana-Toroimac is currently assistant professor at University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography in Romania and previously taught at University of Lille, UFR of Geography and Spatial Planning in France. She holds a doctoral degree in Geography since 2011. She works on river channel dynamics and interplay of various natural and human drivers on Danube River and its tributaries. The overall topic of her research is planning for healthy rivers, with a focus on a river's hydromorphological quality and consequent restoration priorities to achieve a good status in the context of the requirements of the European Union Water Framework Directive. She was part of 10 funded research and teaching grants and she authored 10 book chapters, 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and over 100 presentations in scientific meetings. She is member of the IGU Commission for Water Sustainability and Romanian Association of Limnogeography.

Contenu

Chapter 1. Introduction to "The Lower Danumbe delta" (Zaharia Liliana).- Part I: Hydrological and Hydromorphological Processess.- Chapter 2. General features of the hydro-sedimentary flows along the Lower Danube River (Zaharia Liliana).- Chapter 3. Comparative assessment of hydromorphological parameters in the context of riverbed morphology anthropic changes (Deák György).- Chapter 4. Dynamics of islands and Danube River channel in last 150 years (Vedea-Calarasi sector, Romania). Hydrogeomorphological approach (Florina Grecu).- Chapter 5. Analysis of Hydro-Sedimentary Processes and Fluvial Morphology along the Lower Danube River (Giurgiu-Calaräi Reach) (Daniela E. Gogoäe Nistoran).- Chapter 6. Hydro-environmental specifics of the Lower Danube Bulgarian tributaries (M. Chilikova-Lubomirova).- Part II: Physico-chemical Features, Biodiversity and Quality of the Hydro- environment.- Chapter 7. Water Temperature Variability in the Lower Danube Aquatic System (Daniel Dunea).- Chapter 8. Variability of nutrient concentrations along the Lower Danube River (Tuchiu Elena).- Chapter 9. Water and sediment quality in the Lower Danube River in relation to hydrological regime (Deák György).- Chapter 10. Assessment of the Anadromous Sturgeon Species` Migration Routes and Behavior in the Romanian Sector of the Lower Danube River (Deák György).- Chapter 11. Human impacts on water resources in the Lower Danube Basin in Serbia (Dejana Jakovljevic).- Chapter 12. Soil, water, plants, interactions in an unreliable environment (Maria Gavrilescu).- Part III: Climate and Water Related Hazards.- Chapter 13. Using Köppen climate classification like diagnostic tool to quantify climate variation in lower Danube valley for the period 1961 to 2017 (Hristo Popov).- Chapter 14. Changes observed in the temperature and precipitation regime along the lower Danube River (Dana Maria (Oprea) Constantin).- Chapter 15. Drought hazard and vulnerability in the in the Lower Danube Plain (Nina Nikolova).- Chapter 16. Diachronic analysis of the synoptic causes leading to historical discharges and floods along lower Danube (Lucian Sfîca).- Chapter 17. Assessment of soil erosion and torrential flood susceptibility: case study - Timok River basin, Serbia (Slavoljub Dragicevic).- Chapter 18. Hydrological extremes anomalies and trends in Lower Danube Basin (Ionu Minea).- Part IV: Sustainable Management and Governance of the Hydro-Environment.- Chapter 19. Danube multi-connectivity as a transdisciplinary approach in wetlands management of Danube Floodplain and Danube Delta (Lulian Nichersu).- Chapter 20. Protection and conservation actions for the Sturgeon Species of the Lower Danube to reduce the identified pressures and support sustainable development (Deák György).- Chapter 21. A…