Mic River Research Articles

Influence of Longitudinal Fragmentation on Length–Weight Relationships of Fishes in the Someșul Cald River, Romania

Romania has a rich hydrographic network, which permitted the construction of over 80 large dams on its water courses, estimating a number between 545 and 674 hydropower plants that were either built or were in a different construction stage on the rivers of Romania in 2021. These hydropower plants were often built outside specific legislation regarding ecological impacts, especially before 1990. Longitudinal fragmentation of rivers causes severe ecological impacts on biodiversity, food chains, and nutrient cycles. Someșul Cald River is the main tributary of Someșul Mic River, the most important water source for the northwestern region of Transylvania. On its course, several dams and reservoirs were built from 1968 to 1980 for electricity production and population freshwater supply. The present study aimed to analyze the length–weight relationships (LWRs) and condition factors occurring in the longitudinally fragmented Someșul Cald River. The LWRs, relative condition factor Kn, and Fulton condition factor K were determined based on total length and wet body weight. Comparisons of LWRs, Kn, and K across river sections constrained by dams showed that some fish species exhibited similar growth patterns and physiological conditions, while others differed significantly. Freshwater fish physiology is altered by longitudinal fragmentation, both natural and artificial. Barriers such as dams influence the energy gradient, limiting feed availability and, consequently, the life history of fish species. Long-term management plans regarding conservation should take into consideration existing fish species population dynamics, along with their physiological and somatic status.

Pedestrians Crossing Comfort Analysis for a Footbridge Over Someş River

Abstract Due to the relatively low rigidities in the vertical and horizontal planes, the structures of the footbridges must be checked from the point of view of their dynamic behavior, so as to avoid the resonance phenomenon and to ensure the walking comfort of the pedestrians. The paper presents some aspects related to the dynamic behaviour, for the pedestrian bridge with a span of 31.5 m that was constructed in The Railway Park area of Cluj-Napoca city, over the Someşul Mic River, in 2022. In terms of pedestrian traffic density, the structure falls into Category III: Footbridges for normal use occasionally crossed by large groups of pedestrians. After the finalization of the project The Revitalization and Activation of the Railway Park in Cluj-Napoca city, the park will include two pedestrian walkways with similar superstructure, which crosses the Someș River, but in the vicinity of the park a road bridge with 4 traffic lanes and two sidewalks was also built during this period. Given the possibility of changing the density of walking in the future, the footbridge was also analysed for higher density conditions, so that there is no need to carry out structural intervention works in the near future, except for known maintenance works.

Forum theatre – assessing openness to temporary participatory use practices of the Someșul Mic river area in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

We present the research results after administering a questionnaire survey about perceptions of the forum theatre as a participatory temporary use practice of the Someșul Mic River area in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The study aim was assessing inhabitants’ willingness to get involved into the forum theatre activity, putting it into practice and proposing solutions for riverside development. We concluded that the forum theatre could be used to promote ideas and community-based solutions for urban renewal.

The Evolution of the Area Between Valea Chintăului and Valea Caldă Following the Works Mitigating Soil Erosion

"The Evolution of the Area between Valea Chintăului and Valea Caldă Following the Works Mitigating Soil Erosion. The study area is located on the left slope of the Someșul Mic River, in the northern part of Cluj-Napoca and is bounded on the north and east by the watershed that separates it from the Valea Caldă River basin, south of the agricultural road that separates the slope from Someșul Mic floodplain and west of the orchard border. The area is called Sfântu Gheorghe Hill, the homonymous peak bordering it to the west, and Țigla Hill to the east. In 1986, the Institute for Studies and Design for Land Improvements implemented a plan to mitigate soil erosion on an area of 600 hectares within the mentioned limits. Of these, 300 hectares represented the arrangement of terraces, 200 hectares the arrangement of landslides and 100 hectares of drainage on slopes. The execution of the works mitigating soil erosion aimed at reducing the annual soil losses, the possibility of applying appropriate agrotechniques in the fruit plantations to be established. The arrangement of the slippery surfaces was done by modeling, eliminating the excess moisture, terracing, grassing or planting and had the purpose of bringing significant areas of land back in the economic circuit. Elimination of excessive water through drains was made for the proper development of future tree plantations. The purpose of this study is to analyze the temporal evolution, over a period of 30 years, of the efficiency of the arrangement works on the slope performed in 1986, first of all. The estimation of the effectiveness of the works executed at that moment was made by the comparative morphometric and morphological analysis of the landslides and the forms of deep erosion on the slopes. Second, the study examines the vulnerability of landslide risk factors in this area, in particular residential and public buildings, road infrastructure and agricultural land. The study starts from the following premises: the geomorphology of the southern slope of Sfântu Gheorghe Hill has been studied over time, as attested by bibliographical sources; 30 years ago, the destination of the lands related to the area was mainly agricultural, and the land use plans included mainly measures for agricultural development; in recent years, there has been an accelerated expansion of Cluj-Napoca, including on the northern slope of Someșul Mic, both from the base of the slope to the watershed, and along the base of the slope, to the eastern outskirts of the city. The questions that arise are: how did the landslides evolve and how did the slope evolve after the development carried out in 1986? How many of the built elements are located in areas with acceptable risk and how many are located in areas with high risk in terms of slope stability? Keywords: landscaping, soil erosion, landslides, torrents, terraces, modeling, vulnerability. "

Someșul Mic River (Cluj County, Romania) water quality assessment under anthropogenic impact

Someșul Mic River (Cluj County, Romania) water quality assessment under anthropogenic impact

Historical geomorphic analysis of Someșul Mic River (NW Romania) channel spatial and temporal behavior, as a background for the assessment of present day morphological state of the river

In the context of the increased interest on integrating the complex spatial and temporal response of fluvial systems to human impacts into the process of assessing the ecological state of the rivers and in promoting a sustainable river management European countries have developed a multi–scalar, hierarchical, process based hydro–morphological framework focused on understanding the river functioning and evolution as a basis for interpreting current conditions. In this context, the goal of this paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of systematic historic and present day geomorphic analysis along channel reaches with distinct typologies in order to generate a better image of river morphology as a background for assessing its present morphological state. The historical geomorphic analysis of Someșul Mic River’s channel dynamics during the past 250 years has shown that the main controlling factor is climate through its centennial – decadal scale variations in magnitudes and amplitudes of flood events, while the local geological conditions and hydrotechnical works having subordinate effects. The reference condition in assessing the present day morphological state of the river was defined based on channel typology and dynamics between AD 1860 – AD 1970, reflecting a river state far from a pristine condition, but characterized trough human impacts maintained bellow the river sensitivity to disturbances. The Morphological Quality Index (MQI) was calculated for 17 distinct channel reaches. Its values indicate the high geomorphic degradation of the river induced by hydrotechnical interventions along the channel. Very poor conditions are concentrated mainly along the upper reaches of the river, while further downstream the river is in a dominantly moderate deterioration state. The resulted image has the potential to better identify the critical reaches along this river, and the main disturbatory elements acting on them, in order to support better projections on possible channel trajectories andsubsequently river management actions.

Occurrence, distribution and ecological risk of trace metals and organic pollutants in surface sediments from a Southeastern European river (Someşu Mic River, Romania)

The increasing contamination of fresh water resources by trace metals and persistent organic pollutants is a major environmental concern. In the present study, we investigated, for the first time, the distribution, sources and ecological risk of trace metals and organic pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), in surface sediments from a Southeastern European river (Someşu Mic River, Romania). Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn ranged from 0.04 to 0.4, 9.4 to 43.15, 7.2 to 65.6, 12.3 to 131.4, 14.7 to 47.7 and 42.1 to 236.8 mg kg−1 dw, respectively. Concentrations of total PAHs, PCBs and OCPs ranged from 24.8 to 575.6, 2.7 to 252.7 and 2.1 to 44.3 ng g−1 dw, respectively. Some sediment parameters, i.e., pH, total organic carbon (TOC) and total organic matter (OM) contents, played a significant role in the spatial distribution of contaminants. A combined analysis based on diagnostic ratios and multivariate analyses revealed PAHs originating mainly from pyrolytic sources. PCB compositions showed distinct contamination signatures for tri- to tetra-chlorinated PCBs, characteristic of contamination by Aroclor-1016 and -1254 technical mixtures. The dominant OCP congeners were α-HCH and p,p′-DDD, reflecting past use of technical HCHs and DDTs in agricultural practices. Metal source and pollution status was assessed using geoaccumulation index and enrichment factor, which indicate widespread pollution by Pb, Cd, Zn, Ni and Cu. The use of Sediments Quality Guidelines (SQGs), mean effect range-median quotient (m-ERM-Q) and toxic equivalent factor (TEF) indicated that the highest ecological risks occurred for PCBs and DDTs. This work presents not only initial baseline information on the extent of organic and inorganic contaminations in a river of ecological and economical interest, but also provides a diagnostic ratio/statistical combined approach that can be used to evaluate sediment quality in similar environments.

Flood events in Transylvania during the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age

We present here the first record of past flooding activity from the Carpathian Mountains, Eastern Europe, based on documentary evidence and sedimentary records along one of the main rivers draining this region (Someșul Mic River). Three periods of increased flood activity have occurred in Transylvania during the last millennium: the first at the beginning of the 10th century (the end of the Dark Ages Cold Period and beginning of the Medieval Warm Period (MWP)); the second at the end of the 16th and beginning of 17th century, during the cold Little Ice Age (LIA) and the third at the end of the 19th century. During the early MWP, generally wet summers resulted in a high incidence of floods and/or high discharges, while the cluster of floods at the end of 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries occurred mostly at flash floods generated during heavy summer thunderstorms. Increasing winter temperatures and spring precipitations probably caused the high incidence of floods at the end of the 19th century. The predominantly wet conditions during the MWP are likely to have resulted from northward penetration of Mediterranean cyclones during a (mostly) positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), while wet conditions during the LIA arose as a combination of increases in local storminess and moisture transport from the North Atlantic along more southerly positioned westerlies associated with a negative phase of the NAO.

Morphometric differences of Spirlin, Alburnoides Bipunctatus Bloch 1782 from the Major Catchements of Transylvania

Spirlin (Alburnoides bipunctatus) is found in great numbers in most Transylvanian rivers. The species has an important role in the ecosystems in which it is found in terms of feeding and habitat occupation. The morphmetric characthers of this species vary between different habitats, outlining morphometric plasticity. Morphometric profiles were made for different populations of Spirlin, to evaluate differences in body shape. Considering that different environmental conditions influence the morphology of Spirlin populations, morphometric characteristics were determined. In order to assess differences in spirlin body shape, specimens from the four major Transylvanian catchments were collected by angling techniques. The specimens were preserved and transported to the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, where morphometric measurements and weight determinations were conducted in the Physiology of Aquatic Organisms Laboratory. Spirlin from Mures, Somes, Cris and Viseu catchments were studied, as it follows: 21 specimens from Aries River (Mures catchment), 61 specimens from the river Crisul Repede (Cris catchment), 21 specimens from Somesul Mic River (Somes catchment) and 20 specimens from Viseu River. A number of 39 determinations were made. The obtained results reflect the morphometric differences among populations of Spirlin from some Transylvanian main rivers.

Release of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria by a Waste Treatment Plant from Romania

The occurrence and spread of bacterial antibiotic resistance are subjects of great interest, and the role of wastewater treatment plants has been attracting particular interest. These stations are a reservoir of bacteria, have a large range of organic and inorganic substances, and the amount of bacteria released into the environment is very high. The main purpose of the present study was to assess the removal degree of bacteria with resistance to antibiotics and identify the contribution of a wastewater treatment plant to the microbiota of Someşul Mic river water in Cluj county. The resistance to sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline and some of their representative resistance genes: sul1, tet(O), and tet(W) were assessed in this study. The results obtained showed that bacteria resistant to sulphonamides were more abundant than those resistant to tetracycline. The concentration of bacteria with antibiotic resistance changed after the treatment, namely, bacteria resistant to sulfamethoxazole. The removal of all bacteria and antibiotic-resistant bacteria was 98–99% and the degree of removal of bacteria resistant to tetracycline was higher than the bacteria resistant to sulfamethoxazole compared to total bacteria. The wastewater treatment plant not only contributed to elevating ARG concentrations, it also enhanced the possibility of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) by increasing the abundance of the intI1 gene. Even though the treatment process reduced the concentration of bacteria by two orders of magnitude, the wastewater treatment plant in Cluj-Napoca contributed to an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria concentrations up to 10 km downstream of its discharge in Someşul Mic river.

Age Structure and Growth Dynamics of European Chub, Squalius cephalus, Linnaeus 1758 (Actinpterygii: Cyprinidae) from two Catchments in Transylvania-Romania

In recent years, research on water monitoring involves more and more the analysis of ichtyofauna in many aspects such as: the number of fish species, their distribution in the catchment sectors, the ratio between them, the dominant species, and growth dynamics and age structure of fish populations. The chub (Squalius cephalus), is in this case an indicator species. It is present in most rivers in Romania and it is well represented numerically. The specimens for our study were collected from the Someşul Mic River (Cluj County) respectively Târnava (Alba County). Growth dynamics in this case is a comparison tool, perfect for fish populations. Age category distribution from the catchments taken into study is also a tool that gives us important information. The absence of some age categories is a question mark related to environmental accidents that occurred on a river or river sector. Through this study, we intend to demonstrate that growth dynamics and age structure are effective tools for characterizing and comparing fish populations.

A New Species of the Gobiidae Family in Transylvania Waters: Racer Goby (Babka gymnotrachelus, Kessler 1857)

The racer goby (Babka gymnotrachelus) is one of the well represented Ponto-Caspian goby species in most Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve lakes and channels, including Razim-Sinoe lagoon complex and lower sector of the Danube. Also, the presence of this species is noted in some lakes near Bucharest. The presence of this species in Transylvania has not been reported until now, when our team, while conducting ichthyologic investigations, captured seven specimens from Someș River and some of its tributaries, as follows: one specimen was caught in a channel adjacent to Țaga Mare Lake, one specimen was caught in Someşul Mare River (Mica village, Cluj County), two specimens were captured from the confluence of the Someşul Mic River and Fizeș River. Another two specimens were captured from Fizeş River (Fizeşu Gherlii village, Cluj County) and the last one was also caught from the Fizeş River (Sântioana village, Cluj County). It is possible that the species migrated in Someş Catchment from the Hungarian Danube sector, by the tributaries of Tisa River, or it might have originated from stocking material used in fish farms in Transylvania.The somatic, gravimetric and meristic measurements of the collected specimens were taken in the Acquaculture and Acquatic Organisms Phisyology laboratories from the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca and correspond with those mentioned in the published literature regarding this species.

Creating A System For Upstream - Downstream Fish Migration Over The First And The Second Discharge Sills Downstream Of Mănăştur Dam On The Someşul Mic River (Cluj Napoca, Transylvania, Romania)

Abstract The paper presents a case study that proposes a technical solution to facilitate fish migration upstream the discharge sills located on Someşul Mic River, near the Mănăştur Dam from the Cluj Napoca Town. The proposed solution provides building of a system to facilitate fish migration, placed on the left bank of Someşul Mic River, meant to restore the longitudinal connectivity of Someşul Mic River in front of the Mănăştur Dam discharge sills and to facilitate the access of the migratory fish species to upstream breeding habitats. The proposed migration system is based on using traction of winches and the gravitational fall of water and will lead to the restoration of the longitudinal connection of the Someşul Mic River near the weir selected as case study, and will reconnect a habitat with a length of around one km, that will contribute to insuring of optimal conditions for developing migratory fish species present in the area.

Solid phase extraction and high-performance thin-layer chromatography quantification of some antibiotics from surface waters

Summary Excessive use of antibiotics leads to their occurrence into the environment. In spite of their benefit properties and desired effects during the therapeutic applications, the same properties can be disadvantageous for the environment having negative influences over the plants and microorganisms and the potential risks for human health. Regarding the monitoring of antibiotics and their subsequent elimination from environment, it is necessary to develop analytical procedures for their determination. In the present study, the quantitative determination of seven antibiotics belonging to three different classes is reported: tetracyclines (tetracycline and doxycycline), cephalosporins (ceftazidime and ceftriaxone), and penicillins (amoxicillin, ampicillin, and penicillin G) from surface waters. The proposed procedure consists of the solid phase extraction (SPE) of studied antibiotics from river water samples, their separation by high-perfomance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), and quantification by UV densitometry. The antibiotics were extracted from water matrices using hydrophilic–lipophilic-balanced Oasis HLB cartridges. The cartridge efficiency of the SPE method was checked by recovery experiments and evaluated by HPTLC. The chromatographic separation was performed on pre-coated Alugram SIL G/UV254 plates with ethyl acetate–methanol–acetone–water 5:2.5: 2.5:1.5 (v/v) mobile phase. The bands were detected and quantified at 254 nm by densitometry. For method validation, studies of selectivity, linearity, limits of detection and quantification, and precision and accuracy were achieved. The proposed procedure was applied to the determination of studied antibiotics on surface water samples collected from Someoul Mic River (Romania).

Spatial and temporal controls on historical channel responses – study of an atypical case: Someşu Mic River, Romania

AbstractIn this paper the spatial and temporal responses of the Someşu Mic River (Romania) to natural and anthropogenic controls over the past 150 years are analysed, based on a series of morphometric parameters extracted from five successive sets of topographic maps and one set of orthophotos. Prior to the intensive hydrotechnical interventions of the last four decades, the river was characterized by a complex alternation of different channel types, resulting in a mixture of alluvial and mixed sinuous – meandering – sinuous anabranched – meandering anabranched reaches, each a few hundred metres to a few kilometres long. The main cause for this spatial behaviour was the local geology. Its effects were intensified by a larger scale slope, slightly higher than along a longitudinal profile with normal concavity, as a consequence of the presence of a 400 m elevation knick‐point located in the catchment area.A generalized maintenance of river in the floodplain perimeter during the entire interval of study (centennial scale), with local planform adjustments and lack of median scale avulsion in lateral tilting areas and along the anabranched reaches, channel lengthening and meander development during hydrological stable periods and channel shortening and increasing of natural cutoffs during periods with higher incidence of floods (decadal scale), and the incapacity of local morphologic changes resulted from human interventions to completely counterbalance general trends (decadal scale), supports the idea of decreasing the amplitude and frequency of important floods, after the end of the Little Ice Age.Channel metamorphosis by canalization, diminishing/elimination of overflows and medium‐scale avulsions by changes in flow regimes (dams) and the presence of dykes in the floodplain perimeter, channel narrowing (43%) and incision (at least after 1945) downstream from dams, and probably because of in‐channel gravel mining are the main anthropically induced changes along the Someşu Mic River. Even if human impact is important, both at the drainage basin scale and along the Someşu Mic River, it has only local impacts, subordinated to climate. The low level of human impact on this river could be the consequence of the higher general slope downstream from 400 m elevation knick‐point, which probably forces the positioning of its effects under an important internal threshold of the fluvial system. This boundary condition defines Someşu Mic River as an atypical river. This study supports the idea that climate has a more important role in the post‐Little Ice Age (LIA) rivers' behaviour than currently accepted. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Tracking the Behavior of the Torrential Works on the Valleys of the Upper Basin of the Someşul Mic River

The torrential hydrographic network poses peculiar problems in terms of action planning. Flash floods are formed with intake leak on the slopes of the basin takes violent forms of expression along the river network, particularly in the areas of training and floating transportation. Prevent these destructive processes on the river cannot be reached except through hydrotechnical works, especially when it comes to preventing and combating the process of warping the accumulation lakes, as is the case of the Somes Valley. For the hydrotechnical works is necessary a continuous and systematic follow-up because these, due to land and torrential special conditions in which are located, are themselves subjected to destructive processes.

Study on the diagenetic calcareous accumulations in a soil profile from Floresti (Cluj County, Romania)

The studied calcretes developed in two different levels (horizons) in the soil profile from Floreşti (Cluj County). The deposits outcropping in the area are represented by Bartonian-Priabonian sedimentary rocks (Ciuleni Member, Viştea Limestone) and the Quaternary horizon (terrace of Someşul Mic River, consisting of pebbles of different origin), which represent the parent rock of the soil. A detailed petrographical and mineralogical description of the calcretes is given below, based on macroscopic, microscopic and X-ray diffraction analysis. It led to the conclusion that the calcretes from the studied profile have a pedogenic origin. The calcretes consist of distinctive subhorizons within the host horizon of the soil. According to their microstructure, the studied calcretes belong to the alpha-type and may be considered as “nodular calcretes” or “glaebular calcretes”. The source of carbonate was variable: from the parent material of the soil including fragments of carbonate rocks, bioclasts, vegetal rests, eolian dust.

Gamma-ray spectrometric analysis of neutron irradiated golden sands.

A nondestructive method has been used for the qualitative and quantitative determination of elements such as Au, Cu, Ag in minerals and especially in golden sand. The induced radioactivity has been analyzed with a high resolution gamma spectrometer containing a Ge(Li) semiconductor detector type and a multichannel analyzer. The samples have been collected from the alluvia of the Mureş and Someşul Mic river basins, proving the presence of gold and copper in small concentrations. These results have been correlated to previous data showing the existence of some gold mines in these zones. This nondestructive, rapid and highly sensitive method can be used for industrial processes [1] control and prospections. The use of a NaI(Tl) scintillation crystal for routine measurements of the (198)Au radioisotope type and the interferences by copper, silver and indium in the irradiated samples are discussed.