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The south-eastern part of the European continent is known as a region where the types of climate are hard to be delimited, being indicated by Trewartha since 1961 among the so-called Earth's Climate Problem regions of the world. This is given especially by its position at the merges of arid and cold climate of the temperate zone in Europe. Taking to account this aspect, it is not surprisingly that after almost 100 years of climate classification attempts, there is still no agreement regarding the climate type of Romania and its corresponding subdivisions. Even if a weak majority of the Romanian climatologists plead for a temperate continental climate, some others consider that Romania has a typically temperate transitional climate specific for central Europe. However, most of previous regionalizations are highly subjective with no proper quantitative assessment of climate conditions.
In our study a climate regionalization of Romania’s territory is proposed, based on an objective approach. For this purpose, 9 monthly climate parameters extracted from interpolation gridded data sets (ERA-5 land and ROCADA) were used.
The regionalization was performed by mixing two objective methods. Firstly, all the 108 input variables were reduced at 8 major factors using factor analysis. Secondly, those factors were used in a k-means clustering method and a new scheme of climate regionalization of Romanian territory was obtained. Through this, we succeed to delimitate 8 different climate subtypes within Romania's territory which we aggregated firstly in 2 major zonal climate types: (i) temperate transitional climate (TTC) from maritime to continental type, extended in the north-east part of Romania and (ii) temperate orographically sheltered climate (TOSC) with 2 major subtypes. The first sub-type of TOSC is extended within the Carpathian mountain arch (an extension of pannonian climate) and the second one covers the romanian part of the region between Carpathian and Balkan Mountain (lower danubian climate). Besides these two zonal types the major landforms of Romania impose specific climate conditions: (iii) the Carpathian mountains and sub-mountains area have their own climate features (CMSC) with 3 climate subtypes (precarpathian, eastern Carpathian and alpine climates), while the (iv) Black Sea shapes the main climate conditions of the south-eastern side of the country especially along the coast with 2 climate subtypes (ponto-deltaic and western pontic type). The main features of these climate types/subtypes are presented in detailed in the study.
In the meantime, the proposed climate regionalization covers partially the neighbor countries in an attempt to homogenize the different national perspectives on the climate types along the states boundaries in central and south-eastern Europe.
Vlad-Alexandru Amihăesei; Lucian Sfîcă; Alexandru Dumitrescu. Redefining the climate regions of Romania through objective methods. 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleVlad-Alexandru Amihăesei, Lucian Sfîcă, Alexandru Dumitrescu. Redefining the climate regions of Romania through objective methods. . 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVlad-Alexandru Amihăesei; Lucian Sfîcă; Alexandru Dumitrescu. 2021. "Redefining the climate regions of Romania through objective methods." , no. : 1.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and severity of drought over the arable lands of Romania using the Normalized Difference Drought Index (NDDI). This index was obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MODIS) sensor of the Terra satellite. The interval between March and September was investigated to study the drought occurrence from the early stage of crop growth to its harvest time. The study covered a long period (2001–2020), hence it is able to provide a sound climatological image of crop vegetation conditions. Corine Land Cover 2018 (CLC) was used to extract the arable land surfaces. According to this index, the driest year was 2003 with 25.6% of arable land affected by drought. On the contrary, the wettest year was 2016, with only 10.8% of arable land affected by drought. Regarding the multiannual average of the period 2001–2020, it can be seen that drought is not a phenomenon that occurs consistently each year, therefore only 11.7% of arable land was affected constantly by severe and extreme drought. The correlation between NDDI and precipitation amount was also investigated. Although the correlations at weekly or monthly levels are more complicated, the annual regional mean NDDI is overall negatively correlated with annual rainfall. Thus, from a climatic perspective, we consider that NDDI is a reliable and valuable tool for the assessment of droughts over the arable lands in Romania.
Radu-Vlad Dobri; Lucian Sfîcă; Vlad-Alexandru Amihăesei; Liviu Apostol; Simona Țîmpu. Drought Extent and Severity on Arable Lands in Romania Derived from Normalized Difference Drought Index (2001–2020). Remote Sensing 2021, 13, 1478 .
AMA StyleRadu-Vlad Dobri, Lucian Sfîcă, Vlad-Alexandru Amihăesei, Liviu Apostol, Simona Țîmpu. Drought Extent and Severity on Arable Lands in Romania Derived from Normalized Difference Drought Index (2001–2020). Remote Sensing. 2021; 13 (8):1478.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRadu-Vlad Dobri; Lucian Sfîcă; Vlad-Alexandru Amihăesei; Liviu Apostol; Simona Țîmpu. 2021. "Drought Extent and Severity on Arable Lands in Romania Derived from Normalized Difference Drought Index (2001–2020)." Remote Sensing 13, no. 8: 1478.
This study was carried out in order to outline the human bioclimatic stress/comfort conditions within the area of Iași city, Romania. The meteorological data were obtained over a 7-year period (December 2012–November 2019) from an observation network relying on 8 fixed observation points located in selected spots, relevant for the urban climate conditions in the region. The results demonstrate firstly that throughout the entire analyzed period, using the thermo-hygrometric index (THI), “very cold” conditions characterize 4% of the entire year in the inner parts of the city and 6% in the rural area, while the “hot” THI conditions vary from 18% in the middle of the urban heat island to 15% in the rural area. Overall, the rural areas are generally more comfortable than the inner city, especially during summer, when the urban heat island (UHI) core is starting to develop from the evening and persists during the night. On the contrary, the UHI renders the inner city more comfortable than the rural surroundings from October to April. Similar bioclimatic conditions are also presented in detail for the summer by the relative strain index (RSI), which exceeds the stress threshold value mostly during heat waves, when a significant contrast between urban and rural areas is felt. In brief, it has been determined that the most suitable area for human comfort in Iași city is inside the urban area during the winter and in the rural areas during the summer.
Pavel Ichim; Lucian Sfîcă. The Influence of Urban Climate on Bioclimatic Conditions in the City of Iași, Romania. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9652 .
AMA StylePavel Ichim, Lucian Sfîcă. The Influence of Urban Climate on Bioclimatic Conditions in the City of Iași, Romania. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (22):9652.
Chicago/Turabian StylePavel Ichim; Lucian Sfîcă. 2020. "The Influence of Urban Climate on Bioclimatic Conditions in the City of Iași, Romania." Sustainability 12, no. 22: 9652.
The paper presents the main features of the urban heat island of Galați city during the summer season for a period of 16 years (2003-2018) using MODIS products. The main objectives were to analyse the extension and geometry of the urban heat island (UHI), its intensity, as well as its connection with land cover. The study is based on LST (Land Surface Temperature), a product obtained from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors located on board of the Terra (EOS AM-1) satellite since 2001 and Aqua (EOS PM-1) satellite since 2003. The boundaries, geometry and spatial extent of the UHI were delimited primarily through the Rodionov test. Through this method, the changing points along four transects over Galați city were identified (North-South, East-West, Northeast-Southwest and Northwest-Southeast) and have been used to delimitate the UHI. Overall, the Galați UHI assessed by satellite information is stronger during the day when the UHI is split in two centres, developed over the industrial area in the west and over the residential part of the town in the east, while during the night the UHI is weaker being developed more clearly over the oldest part of the city. One of the major characteristics of the Galați UHI is that it is highly influenced by the water bodies encircling the city. During the day the intensity of UHI reaches 2-2.5°C while during the night decreases below 2.0°C. The relation of the UHI with land cover and the attenuation of UHI in the surrounding area are also investigated.
Ștefănel–Claudiu Crețu; Pavel Ichim; Lucian Sfîcă. SUMMER URBAN HEAT ISLAND OF GALAȚI CITY (ROMANIA) DETECTED USING SATELLITE PRODUCTS. Present Environment and Sustainable Development 2020, 14, 5 -27.
AMA StyleȘtefănel–Claudiu Crețu, Pavel Ichim, Lucian Sfîcă. SUMMER URBAN HEAT ISLAND OF GALAȚI CITY (ROMANIA) DETECTED USING SATELLITE PRODUCTS. Present Environment and Sustainable Development. 2020; 14 (2):5-27.
Chicago/Turabian StyleȘtefănel–Claudiu Crețu; Pavel Ichim; Lucian Sfîcă. 2020. "SUMMER URBAN HEAT ISLAND OF GALAȚI CITY (ROMANIA) DETECTED USING SATELLITE PRODUCTS." Present Environment and Sustainable Development 14, no. 2: 5-27.
Due to its complex role within the radiation budget of the Earth, cloud cover plays an important role in climate variability at local, regional or continental scale. Consequently, there is a need for better understanding the causes and feedbacks of changes in cloud cover. We aim at investigating the response of cloud cover to changes in atmospheric circulation for 1981–2014. This is done based on the application of automated weather type classification from COST733 synoptic classifications software, which helps in identifying a variety of atmospheric circulation types for selected domains. Two major spatial changes in cloud cover over Europe are identified, in connection with atmospheric circulation, associated with the latitudinal shift towards the north of the westerly circulation. The first one is related to a decrease of the cloud cover over the inner continent and especially in the East of Europe in connection with an increase of circulation types associated with high pressures centers development over the central and northern part of the continent. The second one, which is weaker in intensity, indicates an increase of cloud cover in the south‐western part of Europe as a result of a decrease in circulation types induced by the development of the Azores High and its northeastward ridges. The changes in cloud cover distribution and also in radiation fluxes, imposed by these shifts in atmospheric circulation over the continent, are higher in the Eastern and Central Europe. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Lucian Sfîcă; Christoph Beck; Andrei‐Ion Nita; Mirela Voiculescu; Marius‐Victor Birsan; Andreas Philipp. Cloud cover changes driven by atmospheric circulation in Europe during the last decades. International Journal of Climatology 2020, 41, 1 .
AMA StyleLucian Sfîcă, Christoph Beck, Andrei‐Ion Nita, Mirela Voiculescu, Marius‐Victor Birsan, Andreas Philipp. Cloud cover changes driven by atmospheric circulation in Europe during the last decades. International Journal of Climatology. 2020; 41 (S1):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLucian Sfîcă; Christoph Beck; Andrei‐Ion Nita; Mirela Voiculescu; Marius‐Victor Birsan; Andreas Philipp. 2020. "Cloud cover changes driven by atmospheric circulation in Europe during the last decades." International Journal of Climatology 41, no. S1: 1.
During the last 30 years, the Romanian economy has faced different challenges due to structural readjustments, overcoming crisis and globalization. The share of primary and secondary sectors in the gross domestic product have strongly decreased, while the services have taken off. The main objective for this study is to observe how these economic readjustments can be assessed and measured using the Corine Land Cover datasets from 1990, 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2018 (with special observation on the range 2006 and 2018, after Romania was included in European Union). Despite some of the methodological limitations (like the minimum surface change), the Corine Land Cover turned out to be a powerful tool and it allowed us to detect an intense correlation between the socioeconomic and the structural trends in land use, in specific spatial contexts. The artificial surfaces are constantly increasing and this trend is rather visible as a distance function to the major Romanian cities. The most interesting changes occurred in the case of the agricultural polygons. The main trend emphasized by our analysis regards the redeployment of large farms in areas of agronomic and environmental territorial optimum. Such is the case for vineyards (after a decline during 2000–2006) and for annual cultures. All these changes in land-use patterns are too complex to be encompassed by a single methodology, which is why we used different tools, ranging from spatial analysis to geo-economic modeling, in order to detect how the Corine Land Cover datasets might be used for a better understanding of the Romanian economic readjustments.
Alexandru Rusu; Adrian Ursu; Cristian Constantin Stoleriu; Octavian Groza; Lilian Niacșu; Lucian Sfîcă; Ionuț Minea; Oana Mihaela Stoleriu. Structural Changes in the Romanian Economy Reflected through Corine Land Cover Datasets. Remote Sensing 2020, 12, 1323 .
AMA StyleAlexandru Rusu, Adrian Ursu, Cristian Constantin Stoleriu, Octavian Groza, Lilian Niacșu, Lucian Sfîcă, Ionuț Minea, Oana Mihaela Stoleriu. Structural Changes in the Romanian Economy Reflected through Corine Land Cover Datasets. Remote Sensing. 2020; 12 (8):1323.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlexandru Rusu; Adrian Ursu; Cristian Constantin Stoleriu; Octavian Groza; Lilian Niacșu; Lucian Sfîcă; Ionuț Minea; Oana Mihaela Stoleriu. 2020. "Structural Changes in the Romanian Economy Reflected through Corine Land Cover Datasets." Remote Sensing 12, no. 8: 1323.
The aim of this study is to assess the distribution of dust over the Mediterranean region, with a special focus on the territory of Romania. Two parameters are analyzed—Dust Load (DL) and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), the data is obtained from the dust forecast model BSC-DREAM8b v2.0, for the period between December 2015 and February 2019. The main geographical features of dust occurrence in the Mediterranean region are presented at the monthly and annual scale. The results show that, for Romania, the dust load is high from February to June, when it reaches its annual maximum. The atmospheric circulation inducing intense dust events over Romania have also been assessed using an objective classification method. A key element for the dust transport from the Sahara toward South-Eastern Europe is represented by the development of a deep cyclone South of Italy, following thereafter a North-East path towards the Balkan peninsula. The results at the regional scale are analyzed in connection with the aerosol optical properties at the local scale (e.g., aerosol optical depth at 440 nm, Absorption Ångström Exponent and Scattering Ångström Exponent at 440 nm and 675 nm, respectively) retrieved from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET-NASA) for Romania, using data from ACTRIS-RO monitoring sites from Iași, Cluj–Napoca, and Bucharest. The differences between the forecast model and the observational data are also explored. Our results also show that the contribution of the natural mineral dust to air pollution in Romania is small, representing not more than 10% of all kinds of aerosols detected over the observation points from the ACTRIS-RO network.
Simona Țîmpu; Lucian Sfîcă; Radu-Vlad Dobri; Marius-Mihai Cazacu; Andrei-Ion Nita; Marius-Victor Birsan. Tropospheric Dust and Associated Atmospheric Circulations over the Mediterranean Region with Focus on Romania’s Territory. Atmosphere 2020, 11, 349 .
AMA StyleSimona Țîmpu, Lucian Sfîcă, Radu-Vlad Dobri, Marius-Mihai Cazacu, Andrei-Ion Nita, Marius-Victor Birsan. Tropospheric Dust and Associated Atmospheric Circulations over the Mediterranean Region with Focus on Romania’s Territory. Atmosphere. 2020; 11 (4):349.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSimona Țîmpu; Lucian Sfîcă; Radu-Vlad Dobri; Marius-Mihai Cazacu; Andrei-Ion Nita; Marius-Victor Birsan. 2020. "Tropospheric Dust and Associated Atmospheric Circulations over the Mediterranean Region with Focus on Romania’s Territory." Atmosphere 11, no. 4: 349.
The paper presents the temporal variability of surface ozone (O3) and its precursors (oxides of nitrogen - NOx) from January 2012 to December 2015. In the same time, this study is aimed to explore the influence of the weather elements on these two major atmospheric pollutants in the area of Iași city. The maximum record of nitrogen oxides reached during the 4 analyzed years was 1200 μ/m-3 on October 27, 2015, a period of the year when atmospheric stability prevails. During the warm season (considered from May to September) the highest concentration of ozone was recorded at 155 μ/m-3. The winds direction from SSE or NNW and the winds speed greater than 2 m/s can significantly increase the concentration of the O3 and NOx respectively. Also, the stable atmospheric conditions can increase especially the concentration of the nitrogen dioxides. The statistical results illustrate a strong Pearson's correlation of surface ozone with solar radiation/maximum air temperature (r >0.5). The correlations were strongest during the summer months. Using the composite method, between warm season and cold season a difference of the pollutants concentration greater than 30 units for NOx was observed. Synoptic conditions associated with high pollution are also described.
Vlad-Alexandru Amihăesei; Lucian Sfîcă; Liviu Apostol; Alina Leahu. NOx AND O3 VARIABILITY AND ITS RELATION WITH WEATHER CONDITIONS IN IAȘI CITY. Present Environment and Sustainable Development 2019, 13, 69 -85.
AMA StyleVlad-Alexandru Amihăesei, Lucian Sfîcă, Liviu Apostol, Alina Leahu. NOx AND O3 VARIABILITY AND ITS RELATION WITH WEATHER CONDITIONS IN IAȘI CITY. Present Environment and Sustainable Development. 2019; 13 (2):69-85.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVlad-Alexandru Amihăesei; Lucian Sfîcă; Liviu Apostol; Alina Leahu. 2019. "NOx AND O3 VARIABILITY AND ITS RELATION WITH WEATHER CONDITIONS IN IAȘI CITY." Present Environment and Sustainable Development 13, no. 2: 69-85.
Climate projections have revealed the perspective of changing the climate of the world's wine regions in the coming decades by diversifying heliothermal resources. Research in the Cotnari winegrowing region over the past decade has shown that the local climate has been affected by such developments especially after 1980. This research continues the series of studies on the climate of the Cotnari winegrowing region through projections of the climatic conditions for the 2020-2100 time period based on the RCP 4.5 scenario. Average annual temperature, warmest month temperature, precipitation during the growing season, length of the growing season and the Huglin, IAOe and AvGST bioclimatic indices for the 2020-2050, 2051-2080 and 2081-2100 time periods indicate the evolution of Cotnari area climate towards suitability for red wines and loss of suitability for the white wines. Climatic suitability classes for wine production, shift between 2020-2100 to the higher, cooler zone of the winegrowing region, narrowing down their surface and disappearing successively at the maximum altitude of 315 m asl. They are further replaced from the lower zone by classes specific to warmer climates. The suitability for white wines, specific to wine region, disappears at the maximum altitude of 315 m asl around 2060, being replaced by climate suitability for the red wine production. The average temperature of the growing season will exceed 19.5°C after 2080, becoming unsuitable for the production of red quality wines of Cabernet Sauvingnon variety. After 2050, in the lower zone of the winegrowing region the warm IH5 class, suitable for Mediterranean varieties such as Carignan and Grenache will install, as compared to temperate IH3 class which characterizes today the lower zone and allows the production of white wines of the local Feteasca albă, Grasa de Cotnari, Frâncușa and Tămâioasa românească varieties. The results suggest the need to develop strategies for adapting the viticulture of the Cotnari area to climate change.
Irimia Liviu Mihai; Patriche Cristian Valeriu; Leroux Renan; Quénol Herve; Tissot Cyril; Sfîcă Lucian. Projections of Climate Suitability for Wine Production for the Cotnari Wine Region (Romania). Present Environment and Sustainable Development 2019, 13, 5 -18.
AMA StyleIrimia Liviu Mihai, Patriche Cristian Valeriu, Leroux Renan, Quénol Herve, Tissot Cyril, Sfîcă Lucian. Projections of Climate Suitability for Wine Production for the Cotnari Wine Region (Romania). Present Environment and Sustainable Development. 2019; 13 (1):5-18.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIrimia Liviu Mihai; Patriche Cristian Valeriu; Leroux Renan; Quénol Herve; Tissot Cyril; Sfîcă Lucian. 2019. "Projections of Climate Suitability for Wine Production for the Cotnari Wine Region (Romania)." Present Environment and Sustainable Development 13, no. 1: 5-18.
The study underlines the characteristics of the urban heat island of Iași (Iași’s UHI) on the basis of 3 years of air temperature measurements obtained by fixed-point observations. We focus on the identification of UHI development and intensity as it is expressed by the temperature differences between the city centre and the rural surroundings. Annual, seasonal and daily characteristics of Iaşi’s UHI are investigated at the level of the classical weather observation. In brief, an intensity of 0.8 °C of UHI and a spatial extension which corresponds to the densely built area of the city were delineated. The Iaşi UHI is stronger during summer calm nights—when the inner city is warmer with 2.5–3 °C than the surroundings—and is weaker during windy spring days. The specific features of Iași’s UHI bear a profound connection to the specificity of the urban structure, the high atmospheric stability in the region and the local topography. Also, the effects of Iași’s UHI upon some environmental aspects are presented as study cases. For instance, under the direct influence of UHI, we have observed that in the city centre, the apricot tree blossoms earlier (with up to 4 days) and the depth of the snow cover is significantly lower (with up to 10 cm for a rural snow depth of 30 cm) than in the surrounding areas.
Lucian Sfîcă; Pavel Ichim; Liviu Apostol; Adrian Ursu. The extent and intensity of the urban heat island in Iași city, Romania. Theoretical and Applied Climatology 2017, 134, 777 -791.
AMA StyleLucian Sfîcă, Pavel Ichim, Liviu Apostol, Adrian Ursu. The extent and intensity of the urban heat island in Iași city, Romania. Theoretical and Applied Climatology. 2017; 134 (3-4):777-791.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLucian Sfîcă; Pavel Ichim; Liviu Apostol; Adrian Ursu. 2017. "The extent and intensity of the urban heat island in Iași city, Romania." Theoretical and Applied Climatology 134, no. 3-4: 777-791.
Heat waves and warm spells are extreme meteorological events that generate a significant number of casualties in temperate regions, as well as outside of temperate regions. For the purpose of this paper, heat waves and warm spells were identified based on daily maximum temperatures recorded at 27 weather stations located in Romania over a 55-year period (1961–2015). The intensity threshold was the 90th percentile, and the length of an event was of minimum three consecutive days. We analyzed 111 heat wave and warm spell events totaling 423 days. The classification of synoptic conditions was based on daily reanalysis at three geopotential levels and on the online version of a backward trajectories model. The main findings are that there are two major types of genetic conditions. These were identified as: (i) radiative heat waves and warm spells (type A) generated by warming the air mass due to high amounts of radiation which was found dominant in warm season; and (ii) advective heat waves and warm spells (type B) generated mainly by warm air mass advection which prevails in winter and transition seasons. These major types consist of two and three sub-types, respectively. The results could become a useful tool for weather forecasters in order to better predict the occurrence of heat waves and warm spells.
Lucian Sfîcă; Adina-Eliza Croitoru; Iulian Iordache; Antoniu-Flavius Ciupertea. Synoptic Conditions Generating Heat Waves and Warm Spells in Romania. Atmosphere 2017, 8, 50 .
AMA StyleLucian Sfîcă, Adina-Eliza Croitoru, Iulian Iordache, Antoniu-Flavius Ciupertea. Synoptic Conditions Generating Heat Waves and Warm Spells in Romania. Atmosphere. 2017; 8 (12):50.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLucian Sfîcă; Adina-Eliza Croitoru; Iulian Iordache; Antoniu-Flavius Ciupertea. 2017. "Synoptic Conditions Generating Heat Waves and Warm Spells in Romania." Atmosphere 8, no. 12: 50.