256
C. Trifanov et al.
overflow, and the riverbed would lose its stability. Nowadays, more than ever, knowing these undeniable truths, scientists everywhere has focused their attention on the
study of watercourse ecosystems [2, 3].
The Danube River must be considered to be much more than a subject of hydraulic
modeling. Together with its floodplain, as natural catchment area, it is a very complex ecosystem that provides habitat for a particularly rich flora, and fauna and also
supports for socio-economic activities. It has been assessed the current status of the
Danube floodplain and developing management plans to ensure integrated management. Moreover, there were established protected areas along the Danube floodplain,
which have retained their original characteristics of ponds, lakes, reservoirs, in order
to create a network of natural sites such as Natura 2000, and for designation of wetlands that meets the conditions for a green corridor as refuge areas for species. The
further steps are to evaluate the ecological and economic resizing of some drained
areas for agricultural purposes, which have now been flooded or abandoned and no
longer correspond to the purpose for which they were arranged [19, 49, 50, 68].
8.1.1 Reconsidering the Flooding Lines of Defense
of the Settlements
The ecological and economic resizing program of the Danube floodplain and delta
was designed and launched to assist the Romanian Government in the long-term
strategic planning process, to achieve the objectives of the Water Framework Directive and to effectively implement prevention, protection and mitigation of floods,
stipulated by the National Strategy for Flood Risk Management. Their complexity
determines the acute need of an overview of the principles and methods of representing natural phenomena. To establish and reconsider the lines of defense of the
localities located in the Danube floodplain, it is necessary to elaborate a complex
study of integrated system analysis of the hydro-morphological conditions.
Mapping of the hydro-geo-morphological units of the Danube floodplain on the
Romanian sector has been declining over the last 25 years (until 2006). This situation
required the creation of a digital terrain model (DTM) on which the flood defense
strategy and territorial planning could be conceived and grounded. The content of
the digital terrain model defined the design support of the local defense lines but
also created a useful tool for analyzing the dynamics of hydro-geo-morphological
phenomena. The correlation between these phenomena and land use could only be
made on such a model. Also, the characterization of landscape indicators and indices
could only be done on the DTM. The elaboration of the digital terrain model was the
first mandatory stage in defining the defense strategy of the localities in the Danube
Floodplain. The DTM involved mapping of the hydrological and geomorphological
units using the LiDAR technology. Given that the hydro-morphological dynamics of
the Danube riverbed is significant, the DTM supports the modeling and simulation
of such complex phenomena. The DTM has dual functionality: on the one hand,
C. Trifanov et al.
overflow, and the riverbed would lose its stability. Nowadays, more than ever, knowing these undeniable truths, scientists everywhere has focused their attention on the
study of watercourse ecosystems [2, 3].
The Danube River must be considered to be much more than a subject of hydraulic
modeling. Together with its floodplain, as natural catchment area, it is a very complex ecosystem that provides habitat for a particularly rich flora, and fauna and also
supports for socio-economic activities. It has been assessed the current status of the
Danube floodplain and developing management plans to ensure integrated management. Moreover, there were established protected areas along the Danube floodplain,
which have retained their original characteristics of ponds, lakes, reservoirs, in order
to create a network of natural sites such as Natura 2000, and for designation of wetlands that meets the conditions for a green corridor as refuge areas for species. The
further steps are to evaluate the ecological and economic resizing of some drained
areas for agricultural purposes, which have now been flooded or abandoned and no
longer correspond to the purpose for which they were arranged [19, 49, 50, 68].
8.1.1 Reconsidering the Flooding Lines of Defense
of the Settlements
The ecological and economic resizing program of the Danube floodplain and delta
was designed and launched to assist the Romanian Government in the long-term
strategic planning process, to achieve the objectives of the Water Framework Directive and to effectively implement prevention, protection and mitigation of floods,
stipulated by the National Strategy for Flood Risk Management. Their complexity
determines the acute need of an overview of the principles and methods of representing natural phenomena. To establish and reconsider the lines of defense of the
localities located in the Danube floodplain, it is necessary to elaborate a complex
study of integrated system analysis of the hydro-morphological conditions.
Mapping of the hydro-geo-morphological units of the Danube floodplain on the
Romanian sector has been declining over the last 25 years (until 2006). This situation
required the creation of a digital terrain model (DTM) on which the flood defense
strategy and territorial planning could be conceived and grounded. The content of
the digital terrain model defined the design support of the local defense lines but
also created a useful tool for analyzing the dynamics of hydro-geo-morphological
phenomena. The correlation between these phenomena and land use could only be
made on such a model. Also, the characterization of landscape indicators and indices
could only be done on the DTM. The elaboration of the digital terrain model was the
first mandatory stage in defining the defense strategy of the localities in the Danube
Floodplain. The DTM involved mapping of the hydrological and geomorphological
units using the LiDAR technology. Given that the hydro-morphological dynamics of
the Danube riverbed is significant, the DTM supports the modeling and simulation
of such complex phenomena. The DTM has dual functionality: on the one hand,