An important step in the conservation of old paper documents is the analysis of both the medium and the ink, in an attempt first to determine the extent of deterioration and degradation and then to choose the best preservation and restoration solutions. Our paper focuses on the analysis of three old documents displayed at the ‘Poni-Cernătescu’ Museum in Iaşi City, Romania by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), micro-FTIR spectroscopy and FT-Raman. Thus, the morphology and chemical composition of the paper media and the type of ink, as well as the cellulose crystallinity index were determined. PCA (Principal Component Analysis) was also used while relying on spectra collected by FTIR spectroscopy. We were able to determine the extent of degradation of the documents by corroborating all these findings.

The current study aims to portray the specific weather patterns associated with hail falls in north-eastern Romania. This was done using multiple hail records data covering a long period of time (1981–2020). COST733 software enabled us to assess objectively the atmospheric circulation classification types for the middle troposphere (500 hPa) and also for the ground level (sea level pressure) over the study region. Based on these, we have identified 5 major weather patterns (MPs) which explain up to 85% of the recorded hail events over the region. In terms of wind vector direction and speed, driving the hailstorm cells, these MPs are represented by two main groups of synoptic patterns. The first one is characterized by weak advective patterns (cut-off lows, north-easterly anticyclonic flow), while the second one is characterized by strong advective patterns (westerly, south-westerly, and north-westerly atmospheric flows). Further, these major patterns are split into 16 combined circulation types (CCTs), as indicated by the atmospheric circulation at the ground level. Our analysis showed that in May and June hailstorms are determined especially by weak advective patterns over north-eastern Romania, while from June to August the strong advective patterns are more common for these extreme weather events. The atmospheric environment associated with these synoptic conditions, as indicated by instability parameters, is also described using a series of atmospheric parameters: sea pressure level, 500 hPa geopotential field, 700 hPa wind vector, and precipitation amount at the continental scale. This analysis indicates that hail occurs in a regional atmospheric environment characterized by a MUCAPE >500 J/kg and high wind shear in the lower troposphere. The results obtained are meant to become a useful tool in regional hail forecast.

In the actual context of climate change and increased multiannual climate variability, rainfall erosivity is one important topic linking geomorphological and climatological studies. Rainfall modeling is specific for a large part of the Romanian territory, and the estimation of rainfall erosivity is very important because it supports a better management of the arable land. The study is spatially focused on the extra-Carpathian region of Moldova, located in the northeastern part of Romania. Two rainfall erosivity indices were used: Fournier Index and Modified Fournier Index. To complete this analysis, we also used hourly data from two meteorological stations located over the most critical area of soil erosion in Romania (Cârja and Mădârjac). Our results reconfirm the extension of the critical season for soil erosion from May to July over the analyzed region, with its peak clearly defined during June. Based on the maximum hourly rainfall intensities, the synoptic aspects which led to the fall of significant amounts of precipitation in a short time interval were discussed. This analysis outlines the prevalent role of convective systems during summer, developed either within westerly flow or blocking conditions, seconded by the action of deep Mediterranean cyclones in late spring or early autumn. The results could be helpful in a very necessary attempt to develop and implement arable land management policies aiming to limit soil erosion in northeastern Romania, which is very necessary for the next decades when climate change is expected to increase this soil degradation process.

Drought and related climate features (aridity, water balance) in Romania since 1961 are well documented, but studies spanning longer periods are limited and typically rely on modelled or sparse observational data. This study presents an analysis of drought, water balance and aridity in Romania over 123 years (1901–2023), using monthly data from 156 weather stations included in the RoCliHom dataset. Drought evolution is analyzed using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). Aridity is examined with the De Martonne Aridity Index. The non-parametric Mann–Kendall test is used for trend detection, which allows a fair comparison with previous studies on drought and aridity in Romania. Trend magnitude is calculated with Sen’s slope estimator. Our results show a clear increase in evapotranspiration as a sign of climate warming over the country since the beginning of the 20th century. Annual precipitation amount presents no major changes. Water balance has decreased in July and August at 40% and 85% of the locations, respectively. During the growing season, drought has intensified within the last seven, six and five decades, but there are no significant changes over the full period of study in this respect. We found strong negative correlations between SPEI and North Atlantic Oscillation, Northern Annular Mode and Arctic Oscillation teleconnection indices. The evolution over the 123-year period shows that the drought episodes that occurred in recent decades are not without precedent in the long-term climatic context.

This study aims to systematically evaluate the evolution of scientific research on the impacts of climate change on winter meteorological events and atmospheric pollution through a bibliometric analysis. Utilizing data from the Scopus database and the Bibliometrix package in R, the analysis investigates publication trends, international collaboration, and thematic developments from 1980 to 2024. The objectives are to identify key research areas, influential contributors, and emerging patterns within this interdisciplinary field. Results indicate a strong and sustained growth in scholarly output, with an annual increase of 12.48% and an average of 43.28 citations per publication, reflecting the rising global interest and relevance of this topic. Collaboration networks reveal robust partnerships among researchers from the United States, China, and Europe, though regional disparities persist—particularly in Eastern Europe. Thematic clustering and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) identify three dominant research areas: statistically driven climate studies, investigations of seasonal weather dynamics, and analyses of extreme winter events. The findings highlight the field’s intellectual structure and underscore the need for expanded international cooperation and increased research efforts in underrepresented regions. This analysis provides valuable insights for future research and policymaking in the field of climate and atmospheric sciences.

In this research, we outline the main thermo-hygrometric characteristics of local climate zones (LCZs) identified in four of the largest cities in north-eastern Romania (Iași, Bacău, Botoșani, and Suceava), which together have a population of over 1 million inhabitants. The urban structure of these cities could be considered typical for medium size cities in Eastern Europe, being characterized by their recent development, with residential and industrial areas developed intensively in the communist period, followed nowadays by the conversion of decaying industrial areas in commercial units and a new phase of largely unorganized residential expansion. We used the LCZ Generator to assess local climate zones in these cities, resulting in the identification of eight LCZs, with the largest extension being specific to compact midrise and open midrise, covering approximately 40% of the cities' surface. The accuracy of the LCZ delimitation ranges from 0.80 to 0.90. We described the thermo-hygrometric features within the identified LCZs using in-situ observations, mobile measurements, and LANDSAT LST products. We used 30 in-situ observation points for air temperature and humidity with hourly temporal resolution to describe the major features of LCZs. We also made two mobile measurements monthly between May 2022 and April 2023 for each city, during clear sky conditions, in the early morning and the first part of the night, in order to spatially cover the diversity of LCZs. The thermo-hygrometric profile of LCZs was completed with LANDSAT LST data analyzed for 1983-2021, enabling a multiannual trend analysis of the two main LCZs in the analyzed cities. We grouped the study results by advective and radiative conditions using a Self-Organizing Maps method for atmospheric circulation. We also explored the thermo-hygrometric features of the two main LCZs using EUROCORDEX data for 2025-2100. The main output of this analysis indicates that the magnitude of changes identified in either moderate or extreme climate scenarios overwhelms the differences observed nowadays between the current conditions imposed by each local climate zone. The results of this study synthesize the progress made in assessing urban climate conditions in the cities of North-Eastern Romania, in the framework of UCLAR project, and are intended to serve as a basis for mitigation policies to be developed by local and regional stakeholders for the sustainable development of these cities in the actual context of climate change. Acknowledgement: This work was supported by a grant of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization, CNCS - UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2021-0882, within PNCDI III.