Dobrogea-Litoral Watershed Area

The relief of Dobrogea Watershed Area is characterized by the following geomorphological forms: the Northern Dobrogea Massif and the Southern Dobrogea Plateau. Macinului Chain of Mountains, from Northern Dobrogea Massif, is the highest landform from the Northern Dobrogea Massif, reaching 467 m on Pricopan summit.

On the Southern Dobrogea sector, there is a significant morphological unit: Tortomanului Plateau, stretching on a thin strip of land of about 30 km, bordered to the West by the Danubian Corridor, and to the East by the Black Sea. Its crests range between 10 m and 200 m. Around 20.5% of the Danube Delta areal is below the average level of the Black Sea. The remaining areal of the delta includes areas with positive-value altitude between 0 and 1 m, in a ratio of 54.5% and respectively with altitudes between 1 and 2 m, on 18% of the areal. The average altitude of the Danube Delta relief is of about 0.52 m. The land differences of the Delta space reflect the features of water circulation. The Romanian Black Sea Coast covers an area of 244 km (between Musura Branch and Vama Veche), representing 6% of the total length of the Black Sea Shoreline, including 128 km of transitional seawater and 116 km of coastal water.

The Romanian shoreline has about 80% of low-altitude shorelines – beaches and around 20% high shores – bluffs, the Northern sector representing 68%, and the Southern one 32%.

Across Dobrogea, there is an influence of the excessive continental, sub-Mediterranean and Black Sea climate, on a strip of the shoreline. In terms of air temperature, Dobrogea is under the influence of the continental feature typical of the temperate climate, it is conventionally delineated by the isotherm of 11ºC, showing the highest annual average temperatures country-wise. These can also be found only in the southern part of the Romanian Plain, as well as in the Southern part of Baragan, areas where thermal excessiveness features are emphasized by the high number of tropical days (with the maximum temperature exceeding 30ºC) and long draughty periods.

The lowest annual average temperatures (8-9ºC) are recorded in the Northern Dobrogea Plateau and in Macinului Mountains.

In terms of annual rainfalls, Eastern Dobrogea (the maritime shoreline, Razelm-Sinoe Lagoon Complex and the eastern half of the Danube Delta) may be considered the poorest region in precipitations in Romania (< 400 mm). At the same time, the excessiveness nuance of the temperate continental climate typical of Dobrogea is characterized by increased torrentiality. In this regard, it is necessary to remind the fact that in C.A. Rosetti pluviometric station, in 1924, on 30 August, 690.6 mm were recorded, representing the absolute maximum amount of precipitations in Romania. In the rest of Dobrogea, annual amounts of precipitations increase towards 450 mm, showing the influences of the marine climate.