Considerations regarding the evolution of extreme temperatures in the Banat Plain in the last six decades

During cold winter nights we often hear the question "where is the global warming, should it not be warmer?". Low temperatures that can still be recorded in the Banat Plain during winter or media reports of cold waves affecting various regions worldwide seem to the common man to be in total contradiction with the concerns of the scientific community about global warming. With this article we are trying to follow the evolution of some meteorological parameters that can affect the population in one way or another, namely number of tropical days, number of winter days, number of tropical nights, number of frosty nights, absolute maximum and minimum temperatures. Thus, the data obtained from the three national meteorological services (Romanian, Hungarian, and Serbian) operating on the territory of the Banat Plain were grouped in a common database and analyzed both in Excel and with the help of the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test, obtaining a series of conclusions on the evolution of the abovementioned parameters, as well as on the way how the increase in the risk of high temperatures is compensated (or not) by the decrease in the risk of low temperatures

Temporal relationship of increased palaeodischarges and late glacial deglaciation phases on the catchment of river Maros/Mureş, Central Europe

River Maros/Mureş has one of the largest alluvial fans in the Carpathian Basin. On the surface of the fan several very wide, braided channels can be identified, resembling increased discharges during the Late Glacial. In our study we investigated the activity period of the largest channel of them, formed under a bankfull discharge three times higher than present day values. Previous investigations dated the formation of the palaeochannel to the very end of the Pleistocene by dating a point bar series upstream of the selected site. Our aim was to obtain further data on the activity period of the channel and to investigate temporal relationships between maximum palaeodischarges, deglaciation phases on the upland catchment and climatic amelioration during the Late Pleistocene. The age of sediment samples was determined by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). The investigation of the luminescence properties of the quartz extracts also enabled the assessment of sediment delivery dynamics in comparison to other palaeochannels on the alluvial fan. OSL age results suggest that the activity of the channel is roughly coincident with, but slightly older than the previously determined ages, meaning that the main channel forming period started at 13.50±0.94 ka and must have ended by 8.64±0.82 ka. This period cannot directly be related to the major phases of glacier retreat on the upland catchments, and in terms of other high discharge channels only the activity of one overlaps with a major deglaciation phase at ~17-18 ka. Based on these, high palaeodischarges can be rather related to increased Late Glacial runoff, resulted by increasing precipitation and scarce vegetation cover on the catchment. Meanwhile, the quartz luminescence sensitivity of the investigated channel refers to fast sediment delivery from upland subcatchments. Therefore, the retreat of glaciers could affect alluvial processes on the lowland by increasing sediment availability, which contributed to the development of large braided palaeochannels

Temporal Relationship of Increased Palaeodischarges and Late Glacial Deglaciation Phases on the Catchment of River Maros/Mureş, Central Europe

River Maros/Mureş has one of the largest alluvial fans in the Carpathian Basin. On the surface of the fan several very wide, braided channels can be identified, resembling increased discharges during the Late Glacial. In our study we investigated the activity period of the largest channel of them, formed under a bankfull discharge three times higher than present day values. Previous investigations dated the formation of the palaeochannel to the very end of the Pleistocene by dating a point bar series upstream of the selected site. Our aim was to obtain further data on the activity period of the channel and to investigate temporal relationships between maximum palaeodischarges, deglaciation phases on the upland catchment and climatic amelioration during the Late Pleistocene. The age of sediment samples was determined by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). The investigation of the luminescence properties of the quartz extracts also enabled the assessment of sediment delivery dynamics in comparison to other palaeochannels on the alluvial fan. OSL age results suggest that the activity of the channel is roughly coincident with, but slightly older than the previously determined ages, meaning that the main channel forming period started at 13.50±0.94 ka and must have ended by 8.64±0.82 ka. This period cannot directly be related to the major phases of glacier retreat on the upland catchments, and in terms of other high discharge channels only the activity of one overlaps with a major deglaciation phase at ~17-18 ka. Based on these, high palaeodischarges can be rather related to increased Late Glacial runoff, resulted by increasing precipitation and scarce vegetation cover on the catchment. Meanwhile, the quartz luminescence sensitivity of the investigated channel refers to fast sediment delivery from upland subcatchments. Therefore, the retreat of glaciers could affect alluvial processes on the lowland by increasing sediment availability, which contributed to the development of large braided palaeochannels

Comparative Grain-Size Measurements for Validating Sampling and Pretreatment Techniques in Terms of Solifluction Landforms, Southern Carpathians, Romania

Grain-size distribution has become in the last years an important indicator in the analysis of periglacial processes and landforms. However, as they exhibit a complex sedimentology, careful sampling is required to draw meaningful conclusions. The aim of the present study was therefore to validate the sampling procedure carried out on solifluction forms and to evaluate the effect of sampling pretreatment during grain size analysis. A comparison between multiple measurements of grain size distribution using the laser diffraction method (LDM) was performed on 54 sediment samples collected from different solifluction landforms at different depths in the alpine area of the Southern Carpathians. The results of parallel measurements were compared using textural and statistical indicators. The received distributions reinforced the properness of field sampling procedure in most of the cases. The results of textural classification and fractional composition showed a high consistency between the two parallel measurements made on untreated and pretreated samples. An overall fining as a matter of etching was identified. Relative deviation increased and correlation decreased as pretreatment advanced. HCl etching resulted a greater deviation and variability in case of the sand fraction, H2O2 rather affected the silt fraction. The greatest deviations were experienced in case of landforms developed on crystalline limestone. Pretreatment of samples introduced a major uncertainty to further comparison and interpretation. Thus, multiple LD measurements on a representative group of samples from the entire sample set were suggested before the geomorphological or environmental interpretation of results to decrease the uncertainties and to validate the processes

The Potential Use of Osl Properties of Quartz in Investigating Fluvial Processes on the Catchment of River Mureş, Romania

To understand the functioning of fluvial systems it is important to investigate dynamics of sediment transport and the source of sediments. In case of reconstructing past processes these studies must be accompanied by the numerical dating of sediment samples. In this respect optically stimulated luminescence is a widely used technique, by which the time of sediment deposition can be directly dated. Recently, in various fluvial environments it has been shown that certain luminescence properties of minerals, and especially that of quartz, can be applied as indicators of fluvial erosion and/or sediment provenance. These properties are residual luminescence (or residual dose) and luminescence sensitivity of quartz grains. However, the values of the parameters above are affected by various factors, the importance of which is under debate. The present study therefore aims to assess these factors along a ~560 km long reach of River Mureş (Maros) a relatively large river with a compound surface lithology on its catchment. The research focused on the sandy fraction of modern sediments, collected from the main river and from three tributaries alike. This way not only longitudinal downstream changes, but the influence of tributaries could also be studied. Based on the data, both investigated parameters show a great variation, which can be attributed to the lithological differences of subcatchments and geomorphological drivers, such as erosional activity and potential number of sedimentary cycles, and human activity. However, relationships are not entirely clear and are influenced by the maximum grain size of the samples investigated, and the recycling of previously laid deposits with different properties. Still, when performing detailed dating studies, and tracing sediments from certain parts of the catchment luminescence properties can be a useful tool in the future

The potential use of osl properties of quartz in investigating fluvial processes on the catchment of river Mureş, Romania

To understand the functioning of fluvial systems it is important to investigate dynamics of sediment transport and the source of sediments. In case of reconstructing past processes these studies must be accompanied by the numerical dating of sediment samples. In this respect optically stimulated luminescence is a widely used technique, by which the time of sediment deposition can be directly dated. Recently, in various fluvial environments it has been shown that certain luminescence properties of minerals, and especially that of quartz, can be applied as indicators of fluvial erosion and/or sediment provenance. These properties are residual luminescence (or residual dose) and luminescence sensitivity of quartz grains. However, the values of the parameters above are affected by various factors, the importance of which is under debate. The present study therefore aims to assess these factors along a ~560 km long reach of River Mureş (Maros) a relatively large river with a compound surface lithology on its catchment. The research focused on the sandy fraction of modern sediments, collected from the main river and from three tributaries alike. This way not only longitudinal downstream changes, but the influence of tributaries could also be studied. Based on the data, both investigated parameters show a great variation, which can be attributed to the lithological differences of subcatchments and geomorphological drivers, such as erosional activity and potential number of sedimentary cycles, and human activity. However, relationships are not entirely clear and are influenced by the maximum grain size of the samples investigated, and the recycling of previously laid deposits with different properties. Still, when performing detailed dating studies, and tracing sediments from certain parts of the catchment luminescence properties can be a useful tool in the future