THE MAIN RESULTS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH AT REȘCA-ROMULA (1869-2019) AND CONSIDERATIONS ON THE GEOPHYSICAL APPROACH – PART I

Book Chapter in INSIGHTS OF GEOSCIENCES FOR NATURAL HAZARDS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE, Editor: Florina CHITE

Farmed calcite δ13C at Ascunsă Cave, Romania, and its relation with CO2 outgassing and drip rate

When calcite precipitates in caves, its carbon stable isotope signature can be modified by the CO2 outgassing gradient between drip water and cave atmosphere. This effect is modulated by water residence time in the cave, from its emergence in the cave until the deposition of calcite. Moreover, CO2 solubility, calcite precipitation rate, and isotopic fractionation are controlled by temperature. Here, we present up to date results of an ongoing monitoring study at Ascunsă Cave (Romania), exploring the relationship between farmed calcite δ13C, drip rate, and CO2 outgassing. In addition to measuring CO2 concentration in cave air, we also measured the CO2 concentration in the headspace of a water-air equilibrator that collects drip water without exposing it to cave atmosphere, preventing outgassing. δ13C from calcite farmed at two neighboring stalagmites with different drip rates was also measured. Although caves have generally stable temperatures, we show here that temperature inside Ascunsă and Isverna caves has risen by more than 2°C over the course of a year, bearing important implications for stable isotopic fractionation equations and CO2 dynamics. Our results show that δ13C of farmed calcite has a strong relationship with drip rate at the slow dripping site, but no correlation at the faster dripping site. These two sites are also different when δ13C is compared to the outgassing gradient. At the slower drip site, δ13C and the outgassing gradient are directly correlated, whereas at the faster drip site their correlation is inverse. Our study brings new light onto speleothem δ13C behavior in general, and at Ascunsă Cave in particular, which is crucial for understanding the paleoclimate information captured by speleothems from this cave or elsewhere

Quaternary environmental evolution in the South Carpathians reconstructed from glaciokarst geomorphology and sedimentary archives

The Carpathian island-type glaciokarst has a great potential of preserving signals of past environments, archived in cave deposits like speleothems and clastic infills. We present here the geomorphology and structural control of several relict alpine caves and the surrounding glaciated marble karst in the Făgăraș Mountains. Four truncated and partially unroofed caves remained on the ridge-top of Mușeteica Mountain, above the glacial cirque, while a ponor cave that developed on the cirque bottom could be related to the Last Glacial Period. Structural measurements and cave morphology showed that the conduits formed at the intersection of foliation planes and tectonic fractures on the NE-SW and NW-SE directions. Cave development reflects three speleogenetic stages: 1) texture- and fabric-controlled dissolution and distension; 2) structurally-controlled breakdown; and 3) truncation, unroofing, and cave infilling with sediments. Slow diffuse dissolution was typical for the ridge-top caves, whereas M1 Cave developed by pressure flow

Ancient Faunal History Revealed by Interdisciplinary Biomolecular Approaches

Starting four decades ago, studies have examined the ecology and evolutionary dynamics of populations and species using short mitochondrial DNA fragments and stable isotopes. Through technological and analytical advances, the methods and biomolecules at our disposal have increased significantly to now include lipids, whole genomes, proteomes, and even epigenomes. At an unprecedented resolution, the study of ancient biomolecules has made it possible for us to disentangle the complex processes that shaped the ancient faunal diversity across millennia, with the potential to aid in implicating probable causes of species extinction and how humans impacted the genetics and ecology of wild and domestic species. However, even now, few studies explore interdisciplinary biomolecular approaches to reveal ancient faunal diversity dynamics in relation to environmental and anthropogenic impact. This review will approach how biomolecules have been implemented in a broad variety of topics and species, from the extinct Pleistocene megafauna to ancient wild and domestic stocks, as well as how their future use has the potential to offer an enhanced understanding of drivers of past faunal diversity on Earth

Permafrost response to the post Little Ice Age climate variability in the Romanian Carpathians

The geomorphological evidences along with the range of methods recently (since 2008) applied in the Romanian Carpathians indicate that most of the rock glaciers are relict or inactive in the present. Only a few cases of active or complex rock glaciers (active only across their upper parts) are supposed to exist in the highest granitic massifs of Southern Carpathians (Retezat and Parâng), but contemporary inactivation trends seem to take place as indicated by growth of vegetation (especially Pinus mugo) on their fronts. On the other hand, most of the inactive rock glaciers present distinct signs of activity in the recent past that followed the Little Ice Age colder period which in the Romanian Carpathians had its last maximum between 1820 and 1840 (Popa and Kern, 2008).</p

The Interplay of Environment and Biota in Assessing the Freshwater Quality in Karst

Karst aquifers are both a valuable resource for humankind and a habitat for unique biota. The quality of freshwater sources may be easily affected by natural (e.g., geology, climate, and vegetation) and anthropogenic (e.g., agriculture, livestock, and tourism) changes, particularly in karst landscapes with highly vulnerable groundwater reservoirs. We seasonally monitored nine representative freshwater sources (i.e., six springs, a well, a surface stream, and a cave stream resurgence) in the karst system of the Runcuri Plateau (KSRP) (Western Romanian Carpathians) during seven sampling campaigns in 2019–2021. We assessed how these natural and anthropogenic factors influenced the water quality based on the European and national standards for drinking water. The geological structure (i.e., tectonics and lithology) of the KSRP was reassessed, and the environmental variables of the freshwater sites were investigated in order to evaluate their impact on the physicochemical profile, the microbial contamination, and on the meiofauna presence. Multivariate statistics were performed to gain insights into the interplay among all these factors and to evaluate the self-purification capacity of the KSRP for chemical and microbial pollutants. The most relevant drivers shaping the microbial content of the freshwater sources were the altitude of the sampling sites, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and air temperature, followed by the physicochemical profile of the waters (i.e., calcium hardness, magnesium hardness, nitrites, nitrates, conductivity, phosphates, total dissolved solids, and iron concentrations). The meiofauna presence was influenced mostly by precipitation, air temperature, and NDVI. Our results reflected the effect of the geological structure and environment on water chemistry and biota assemblages. A pollutant attenuation trend was observed in discharging waters, even though the self-purification capacity of the studied karst system was not statistically supported. More investigations are needed to comprehend the processes developed in the black box of the KSRP

The Interplay of Environment and Biota in Assessing the Freshwater Quality in Karst

Karst aquifers are both a valuable resource for humankind and a habitat for unique biota. The quality of freshwater sources may be easily affected by natural (e.g., geology, climate, and vegetation) and anthropogenic (e.g., agriculture, livestock, and tourism) changes, particularly in karst landscapes with highly vulnerable groundwater reservoirs. We seasonally monitored nine representative freshwater sources (i.e., six springs, a well, a surface stream, and a cave stream resurgence) in the karst system of the Runcuri Plateau (KSRP) (Western Romanian Carpathians) during seven sampling campaigns in 2019&ndash;2021. We assessed how these natural and anthropogenic factors influenced the water quality based on the European and national standards for drinking water. The geological structure (i.e., tectonics and lithology) of the KSRP was reassessed, and the environmental variables of the freshwater sites were investigated in order to evaluate their impact on the physicochemical profile, the microbial contamination, and on the meiofauna presence. Multivariate statistics were performed to gain insights into the interplay among all these factors and to evaluate the self-purification capacity of the KSRP for chemical and microbial pollutants. The most relevant drivers shaping the microbial content of the freshwater sources were the altitude of the sampling sites, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and air temperature, followed by the physicochemical profile of the waters (i.e., calcium hardness, magnesium hardness, nitrites, nitrates, conductivity, phosphates, total dissolved solids, and iron concentrations). The meiofauna presence was influenced mostly by precipitation, air temperature, and NDVI. Our results reflected the effect of the geological structure and environment on water chemistry and biota assemblages. A pollutant attenuation trend was observed in discharging waters, even though the self-purification capacity of the studied karst system was not statistically supported. More investigations are needed to comprehend the processes developed in the black box of the KSRP

A Cost-Effective and Straightforward Approach for Conducting Short- and Long-Term Biomonitoring of Gold Mine Waters

Gold mining pollution has long-lasting effects on the environment, particularly through acid mine drainage (AMD) and heavy metal contamination. Monitoring and assessing the impact of this pollution is crucial, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of remediation efforts. In our study, conducted in the gold mining area of Zlatna (GMAZ), western Romania, we utilised on-site measurements of water temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, and dissolved oxygen, along with the quantification of culturable aerobic bacteria and microfungi using ready-to-use media plates. We also examined the taxonomic richness of water invertebrates (TRWI) and the environmental features of the sites. Our study found significant negative impacts on the water biota in mining areas, with microbial abundance proving to be a reliable indicator of AMD pollution. While water invertebrates can also serve as indicators of mining effects, their abundance alone may not always accurately reflect pollution levels at every site. This multiple-factor analysis highlights the influences of water type, geological characteristics, air temperature, and precipitation on the structure of the aquatic biota. We observed a natural attenuation of mining pollution in the GMAZ in the last seven years. This study demonstrates that the quantification of microbiota, along with TRWI and basic physicochemical parameters, can offer a cost-effective alternative to expensive monitoring methods for assessing mining pollution