Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Black Sea Environmental Status Improvement Through the Restoration of Wetlands Along the Danube River

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Environmental Security in Watersheds: The Sea of Azov

Abstract

The Black Sea is heavily impacted by human activities, and a large contribution is made by the rivers. The Danube River provides almost 70% of the river inflow to the Black Sea and changes within the river basin are having an important contribution to the status of the sea. The once extensive floodplain of the Danube was severely diminished during the last two centuries. The Danube Delta is the largest wetland left along the Danube and acts as a buffer zone between the river basin and the sea, regulating the sediment and water transfer. The river, delta and marine basin function as a single geosystem. Restoration of the former wetlands will improve the quality of the aquatic resources, both freshwater and marine. Re-establishing the hydrological dynamics and connectivity is essential, since all other processes are influenced by the flow regime. The restored wetlands along the Danube floodplain and delta will then limit the carrier effect of the river and reduce the load of pollutants and nutrients transported to the sea.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Antonidze E (2010) ICZM in the Black Sea region: experience and perspectives. J Coast Conserv 14:265–272. doi:10.1007/s11852-009-0067-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Bethemont J (1975) Le Delta du Danube et son integration dans l’espace economique roumain. Rev Géogr Lyon 50:77–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Bondar C (1994) Regarding the inflow and transit of Danube’s waters through the delta. Anal ICPDD 3:259–261 (In Romanian)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Bondar C, State I, Cernea D, Harabagiu E (1991) Water flow and sediment transport of the Danube at its outlet into the Black Sea. Meteorol Hydrol 21:21–25

    Google Scholar 

  5. Cioacă E (2002) Ecological reintegration of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve degraded ecosystems into the natural ones. Scientific Annals of the DDIRD, Tulcea Romania, pp 38–41

    Google Scholar 

  6. Costanza R, d’Arge R, De Groot R, Farber S, Grasso M, Hannon B, Limburg K, Naeem S, O’Neill RV, Paruelo J, Raskin RG, Sutton P, Van den Belt M (1997) The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature 387:253–260

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Gâştescu P, Driga B, Anghel C (1983) Morphological characteristics of the Danube Delta. Hidrobiologia, 17th edn. Romanian Academy, Bucharest (In Romanian)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Gomoiu MT, Alexandrov B, Shadrin N, Zaitsev Y (2002) The Black Sea – a recipient, donor and transit area for alien species. In: Leppäkoski E et al (eds) Invasive aquatic species of Europe. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht/Boston/London, pp 341–350

    Google Scholar 

  9. Gren IM, Groth KH, Sylven M (1995) Economic values of Danube floodplains. J Environ Manage 45:333–345. doi:10.1006/jema.1995.0080

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Hsu KJ (1978) When the Black Sea was drained. Sci Am 238(1978):52–563

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Humborg C, Ittekkot V, Cociaşu A, Bodungen BV (1997) Effect of the Danube River dam on Black Sea biogeochemistry and ecosystem structure. Nature 386:385–388

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Iordache V, Bodescu F, Dumitru M (2005) Elements sustaining the lobby for the restoration of Big Island of Brăila, Danube floodplain. Arch Hydrobiol Suppl 155:677–692

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Kideys AE (2002) Fall and rise of the Black Sea ecosystem. Science 297:1482–1483

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Kiknadze AG (1995) Technologies of coastal restoration in the Eastern Black Sea. Bull Inst Océanogr Monaco 15:43–52

    Google Scholar 

  15. Konsulov A (1998) Black Sea biological diversity, Bulgaria. United Nations Publications, New York

    Google Scholar 

  16. Langmead O, McQuatters-Gollop A, Mee LD, Friedrich J, Gilbert AJ, Gomoiu MT, Jackson EL, Knudsen S, Minicheva G, Todorova V (2008) Recovery or decline of the northwestern Black Sea: a societal choice revealed by socio-ecological modeling. Ecol Model 220:2927–2939. doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2008.09.011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Large ARG, Petts GE (1993) Rehabilitation of river margins. In: Callow P, Petts GE (eds) The rivers handbook, 2nd edn. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford, pp 401–418

    Google Scholar 

  18. Ludwig W, Dumont E, Meybeck M, Heussner S (2009) River discharges of water and nutrients to the Mediterranean and Black Sea: major drivers for ecosystem changes during past and future decades? Prog Oceanogr 80:199–217. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2009.02.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Mant J, Janes M (2006) Restoration of rivers and floodplains. Ch. 11. In: van Andel J, Aronson J (eds) Restoration ecology: the new frontier, Blackwell Science, Malden, Mass, pp 141–157

    Google Scholar 

  20. Mee LD (2006) Reviving dead zones. Sci Am 295:54–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) Ecosystems and human well-being: wetlands and water synthesis. World Resources Institute, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  22. Mitsch WJ, Gosselink JG (2000) The value of wetlands: importance of scale and landscape setting. Ecol Econ 35:25–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Nachtnebel HP (2000) The Danube river basin environmental programme: plans and actions for a basin wide approach. Water Policy 2:113–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Panin N (1996) Impact of global changes on geo-environmental and coastal zone state of the Black Sea. Geo Eco Marina 1:1–11

    Google Scholar 

  25. Panin N, Jipa DC, Gomoiu MT, Secrieru D (1999) Importance of sedimentary processes in environmental changes: lower River Danube-Danube Delta-Western Black Sea system. In: Beşiktepe S et al (eds) Environmental degradation of the Black Sea: challenges and remedies. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht/Boston/London, pp 23–41

    Google Scholar 

  26. Robinson AG, Rudat JH, Banks CJ, Wiles RLF (1996) Petroleum geology of the Black Sea. Mar Pet Geol 13:195–223

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Ross DA, Degens ET, MacIlvaine J (1970) Black Sea: recent sedimentary history. Science 170:163–165

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Ryan WBF, Pitman WC III, Major CO, Shimkus K, Moskalenko V, Jones GA, Dimitrov P, Gorür N, Sakinç M, Yüce H (1997) An abrupt drowning of the Black Sea shelf. Mar Geol 138:119–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Schiemer F, Baumgartner C, Tockner K (1999) Restoration of floodplain rivers: the “Danube restoration project”. Regul Rivers Res Manage 15:231–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Schneider E, Tudor M, Staraş M (eds) (2008) Evolution of Babina polder after restoration works. Agricultural polder Babina, a pilot project of ecological restoration. WWF/DDNI, Frankfurt am Main/Tulcea

    Google Scholar 

  31. Ştiucă R, Staraş M, Tudor M (2002) The ecological restoration in the Danube Delta. Int Assoc Danube Res 34:707–720

    Google Scholar 

  32. Stoiculescu CD (2008) Ecological reconstruction from the easily flooded region of the Romanian Danube. WWF, Bucharest

    Google Scholar 

  33. Tockner K, Schiemer F, Ward JV (1998) Conservation by restoration: the management concept for a river-floodplain system on the Danube River in Austria. Aquat Conserv Mar Freshw Ecosyst 8:71–86

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Ungureanu VG, Stanica A (2000) Impact of human activities on the evolution of the Romanian Black Sea beaches. Lakes Reserv Res Manage 5:111–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Natural Sciences, University Ovidius Constanţa, Aleea Universităţii 1, corp B, 900470, Constanţa, Romania

    Dan Cogălniceanu

Authors
  1. Dan Cogălniceanu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dan Cogălniceanu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Modelling Laboratory, Central European University, Nador ut. 9, Budapest, 1051, Hungary

    Viktor Lagutov

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this paper

Cite this paper

Cogălniceanu, D. (2012). Black Sea Environmental Status Improvement Through the Restoration of Wetlands Along the Danube River. In: Lagutov, V. (eds) Environmental Security in Watersheds: The Sea of Azov. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2460-0_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation