River behavior during pleniglacial–Late glacial

Abstract

Recent investigations in the area, based on absolute chronologies, support a first attempt to answer how the rivers from this part of Southeastern Europe adjusted to direct and indirect effects of climate changes during the Last Glacial, and how important are the local/regional controls in their reactions. In general, during the Pleniglacial, the rivers were characterized by coarse gravel braided pattern, with the first notable changes during Late Glacial, when they could transform in large-scale meandering channels. A regional exception is recorded along the rivers draining the Western Romanian/Eastern Hungary, where the dominant pattern is the large-scale meandering channel, with local developments of braided/anabranched reaches. The vertical development of fluvial features does reflect the local/regional tectonic settings (different rates of subsidence and uplifts). They vary from few meters amplitude, in the areas affected by subsidence or in tectonically stable regions, to 30–40 m, or even higher, in the uplifting areas. The timing of terrace/floodplain formations remains a matter of debate, as more temporal and spatial data are necessary. Drainage basin characteristics, i.e., dimension and elevation, where identified as local controls which can impose a higher/lower sensitivity of fluvial systems to climate changes, reflected in different river adjustments, even if they are in the same areas. The sea-level oscillation of the Black Sea had a local effect, affecting only the lower reach of Danube River and the surrounding rivers.