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You are here: Home » Past Issues » Volume 7, 2012 - Number 1 » SNOW AVALANCHE - DISTURBANCE OF HIGH MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENT. CASE STUDY - THE DOAMNEI GLACIAL VALLEY THE FĂGĂRAŞ MASSIF-SOUTHERN CARPATHIANS, ROMANIAN CARPATHIANS


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Mircea VOICULESCU & Florina ARDELEAN
West University of Timişoara, Department of Geography, Bdul Vasile Pârvan, 4, 300223-Timişoara, ROMANIA
voicu@cbg.uvt.ro, ardelean_f@yahoo.com

SNOW AVALANCHE - DISTURBANCE OF HIGH MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENT. CASE STUDY - THE DOAMNEI GLACIAL VALLEY THE FĂGĂRAŞ MASSIF-SOUTHERN CARPATHIANS, ROMANIAN CARPATHIANS

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Abstract:

In March of 2005, a series of snow avalanches of varying magnitudes were produced in the Făgăraş massif (Southern Carpathians - Romanian Carpathians), affecting especially forestlands and roads. In this study, the snow avalanches which we will focus upon were produced in the Doamnei glacial valley. These snow avalanche were part of a series produced in this area, affecting a surface area of approximately 5.9 ha with a subalpine starting zone level at an altitude of 1950 meters and a runout zone of approximately 1420 m. Along its path, this avalanche destroyed approximately 3 ha of mature spruce fir forest situated between 1420 and 1640 m of elevation. The scope of this research is to evaluate this snow avalanche both of physico-geographical and also of environmental point of view, using the terrain factors and climate variables, the geomorphic and vegetative indicators. To do this, we made use of dendrochronological method to analyze 42 samples. Using this approach, we were able to calculate the age of the trees affected by snow avalanches throughout the track zone and runout zone, thus establishing the age of the forest.


Keyword: snow avalanche, disturbance, environmental high mountain, terrain factors, climatic variables, geomorphic and vegetation indicators, dendrocronological method, Făgăraş massif, Southern Carpathians


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