Geography
The Danube sector of the Black Sea basin, which includes the administrative-territorial units of Galați (Romania), Cahul (Republic of Moldova), and Reni (Ukraine) is located at the confluence of the Danube, Prut, and Siret rivers. They are unequal in size and together comprise a total area of about 6,800 km2. In this comparatively small space, we find a comparatively large variety of natural ecosystems. They are, for the most part, the creation of Danube and Prut. These two watercourses have over time shaped picturesque valleys with extensive terraces and meadows, with streams, ponds, and lakes, which currently serve as valuable habitats for the fauna and flora of the area and last but not least as places where people have settled down since ancient times. In some parts of the valley, authentic, poorly stored or even intact landscapes have been preserved. Currently, they are part of the protected areas in the region such as the “Prutul de Jos” Biosphere Reserve, the “Low Meadow of the Lower Danube” Natural Park, the “Kartal Lake” Landscape Reserve, the wetlands of international importance Lower Danube Lakes and Kugurlui Lake (the Ramsar Convention). The presence of this natural heritage and the proximity to the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, with the Măcinului Mountains National Park, amplifies significantly the green tourism potential of this area.
Geology and relief
From a geological point of view, the targeted territory is based on two platform structures: the Covurlui Platform to the north of which is situated the Scythian Platform. They are rigid units of earth crust, with a crystalline foundation, over which lies a cover of sedimentary rocks. The youngest deposits on the surface, are of Pliocene – Quaternary age, being represented by clays, sands, gravels, and loessoid clays. It is in these deposits that the current relief has been modeled, which as a whole represents a plain region, slightly fragmented, with altitude values between about 300 meters north (Covurlui Hills) and east (Tigheciului Hills), and up to 3-5 meters in the south (the Lower Prut Low Meadow at the mouth of the Danube). The most widespread major landforms are the plains with average altitudes between 50-150 meters, such as Tecuciului Plain, Covurluiului Plain and east of Prut – Southern Moldovan Plain and the Black Sea plain with its western extremity. The relief of the plain is marked by the presence of wide valleys and smooth interfluves. Of particular interest are the Danube and Prut valleys, with typical river terraces, with a spread in the form of steps on the slopes and rich in faunal remains of Quaternary age. The loessoid clay deposits on the terraces are fragmented by valleys and deep ravines (ravines), in the form of small canyons, oriented perpendicular to the riverbed. On the left bank of the Prut, these deposits form steep, relatively high walls, which in association with the deep ravines create a picturesque landscape. The cliffs on the left bank of the Danube, also made of loessoid clays, have been consolidated and arranged, being transformed into the famous cliff of Galați. Another distinct element of the valleys in the lower reaches of the rivers are the meadows. In the Prut valley, the meadow has a bilateral spread, it is wide, with a width from 4-5 to 8-9 km. Both parts of the Prut Valley and of the Danube Valley have been drained, others dammed and plowed, being used for agricultural purposes. But there still remain sectors with ponds, lakes, and spontaneous vegetation.
Climate and waters
The Galati-Cahul-Reni region has a temperate-continental climate. The summer is hot and dry, and the winter is frosty, marked by blizzards, sometimes strong, but also by frequent warmings. It is a sunny area. The sunlight time is 2100-2200 hours per year. The average annual temperatures are positive, with values of 10–11C. In summer, in July, average temperatures between 21-22C are recorded, but hot waves with values above 30C are also common. In winter the temperatures are unstable. Sometimes there are invasions of cold air, from the north and northeast (“crivățul”), which cause sudden drops in temperature, below -10C-15C and lower. At other times cyclones from the south and south-west enter the region, generating an increase in air temperature to positive values, the wind intensifies and precipitation falls. In winter, in January, the average temperatures are between -10C and -30C. The region is in a moisture-deficient area. The average annual rainfall varies between 400 and 500 mm. Drought is common. Against the general climatic background, the Prut and Danube meadows introduce changes in meteorological parameters that lead to the creation of a specific meadow topoclimate, wetter and cooler in summer and less cold in winter. The targeted area is rich in water, which is presented by a wide variety of aquatic objects: rivers, meadow lakes, estuaries, ponds. The hydrographic core is represented by the Danube River, the most important commercial-river artery in Europe and at the same time one of the accessible routes for passenger transport in the area. The Danube with its Prut tributary are the main natural elements of connection between the territorial administrative units, but also the borders between the three states. River flows vary by season. High water is usually recorded in the spring, with the melting of the snow, but also in the summer, when heavy rains can lead to overflows and floods. The average flow of the Danube is 6470 m3/s, and of the Prut is 85,5 m3/s. The river water freezes for about 40 days a year on average. The river meadow is distinguished by the presence of important lake systems, which occupy natural depressions. The largest in the Prut meadow are Lake Brateș on the right bank and Lake Beleu on the left bank. Lake Brateș has an area of about 21 km2, average depth – 0.5 – 1.5 m and maximum depth – 4.2 m, while Lake Beleu has an area and depth that usually vary during the year, with a water surface of 6.2 km2 in average and a maximum depth of up to 4-5 m. The Lake Beleu is fed through streamlets by waters coming from the Prut, while Lake Brateș, as a result of past hydro-technical works, has lost this connection. Upstream of Beleu there are other meadow lakes: Manta, Foltane, Dracile, Rotunda. Meadow lakes are usually associated with ponds, which also occupy important areas. Special aquatic objects are the river estuaries Cahul, Ialpug and Covurlui, the largest in the series of Bessarabian estuaries on the Danube, with an area of about 90 km, 149 km, and 82 km respectively. Through streamlets and canals, they are connected with the Danube and the Cahul estuary – with the Cartal pond. Lakes and ponds are important water resources that ensure the hydrological and ecological balance of the region and provide timely conditions for the development of biodiversity.
Vegetation and the animal world
The natural vegetation, replaced for the most part by agricultural crops, is dominated by steppe covered with grass meadows (fescue, colilia, war, pir, etc.); in some places, there are patches of forest of fluffy oak and brumarium oak, elm, ash, etc. A rich hydrophilic grassy vegetation develops in the meadows area, represented by thickets of rushes, reeds, sedges, etc., and on some sectors – by meadow forests (thrushes) of willow, poplar, and wicker. In the waters of lakes and ponds (Beleu, Cartal, and others) there are rarer species of plants such as white water lily and yellow water lily, the water arrow, and the yellow iris. The fauna is very diverse which is explained by the presence of a large spectrum of biotopes. Among the mammals, we find in the region the wild boar, the deer, the fox, the raccoon dog, the wild cat, the otter, the bison, etc. The world of birds is very varied. The aquatic ones number about 200 species. Backwaters (lakes, ponds) are nesting and transit areas for many of them. Depending on the time of year, here can be seen birds such as egrets, cormorants, glossy ibises, gulls, wild ducks and geese, swans, swans, cormorants, Eurasian coots, little grebes, peweets, herons, as well as colonies of hundreds or even thousands of pelicans. In the waters of rivers and lakes there are about 40 species of fish, of which we can mention bream, carp, crucian carp, pikeperch, pike, catfish, zander, northernpike, catfish, common roach, common barbel, chub, bloodbird, silver carp, and other species. In the Danube, there are large fish, such as sturgeon, sterlet, trout, starry sturgeon, the beluga. In the spring, the mackerel appears in the Danube.
The region is young in terms of the evolution of the natural landscape and this fact, metaphorically speaking, has left a mark on the beauty and uniqueness of the ecosystems in these places, but at the same time it makes them vulnerable. Therefore, a careful attitude towards them is required, which we believe can be achieved by developing and promoting green tourism in the area.