Hydrometeorological risk phenomena in the Alba iulia – Turda Depression. Romania CĂTĂLINA MĂRCULEŢ1, IOAN MĂRCULEŢ2, 1. Institute of Geography, Bucharest, Romania 2. "I.L. Caragiale" National College, Bucharest, Romania e-mail:
[email protected] Abstract In order to assess the vulnerability of communities to extreme hydrometeorological phenomena, observations on their onset and development should aim at quantifying intensity and frequency, also establishing and foreseeing possible damage. The present study focuses on a few atmospheric phenomena registered in the Alba Iulia – Turda Depression over the 2002-2006 interval, given that the damage incurred involved aspects of risk. Hazardous atmospheric phenomena, heavy rainfall in the main, led to other natural risks affecting both the environment and the socio-economic activity. Apart from atmospheric causes, the risk for other natural events are related to local particularities, e.g. lithological structure (sandy-clay substrate), landform (slopes and highly fragmented relief) and soils (little forestland and grassland due to human pressure – dominantly arable land and numerous human settlements). Houses and annexes, as well as socio-economic constructions were damaged, lots of animals and poultry perished, national, county, communal and forester's roads, bridges and foot-bridges were washed away or disaffected, crops were flooded, trees were brought to the ground, electrical and telephone networks were destroyed. Heavily affected were the road infrastructure, the hydroelectrical constructions the socio- economic units, the electrical and telephone networks and agriculture generally. The number of catastrophic situations, unusually high in 2005, represented 44% of all the interventions made over the past ten years to limit and remove flood effects. Negative hydrometeorological phenomena were found to occur mainly in summer, especially in June and July when torrential rains and floods are common.