The wetlands role in generating blizzards. Blizzards in Dobrogea

Abstract

Dobrogea (the south-eastern part of Romanian) is characterized by an excessive temperate-continental climate with blending aridity. It is a geographical zone with a specific feature: the polar air interference or transformation into tropical air and vice-versa. This can be a good reason to explain the high frequency in the occurrence of climatic risks. In this part of Romania, during the cold season, the most frequent climatic risk phenomenon is blizzard – a complex phenomenon with negative impact on the environment, and especially on the society. In Dobrogea, blizzards are amplified by the interference of the Arctic air masses from North or North-East with the tropical-wet air masses from the South. Another feature is given by the position of Dobrogea between the Black Sea basin – thermal moderation role, and the Curvature of the Carpathians – the “orographic wall”. The area between, represents the low pressure corridor where the moderate or strong cold dry winds – crivăţ – is concentrated. The Danube Delta is the particularity of Dobrogea, that respond differently to the total radiation received and the general atmospheric circulation resulting in a mosaic of microclimates. Analyzing the blizzard from the climatologically point of view, this paper presents the important role of the wetlands in generating and developing the blizzards in Dobrogea. The databases used in this study are the synoptic and climatic data from the meteorological stations in Dobrogea.

Keywords

• blizzard
• wetlands
• risk phenomena
• Dobrogea
• Romania