LAND USE CHANGES IN THE SUBCARPATHIAN AREA BETWEEN BUZĂU AND SLĂNIC RIVERS, DURING 1990- 2006 AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES ON SURFACE RUNOFF
R. COSTACHE, IULIA FONTANINE
ABSTRACT. – Land use changes in the Subcarpathian area between Buzău and Slănic rivers, in Romania, during 1990-2006 and their consequences on surface runoff. The Subcarpathian area between Buzău and Slănic rivers, located in the south-eastern part of Romania, is one of the most affected areas by the torrential related phenomena. This occurs due to physical-geographical and economical-geographical factors, such as: slope, curvature profile, lithology, soil texture and land use. In order to highlight the influence of land use changes on the accelerated flow, these factors were integrated and worked in GIS environment. The land use changes were obtained and detailed from Corine Land Cover Data by applying and spatially modeling the binary change index and Markov model. By using GIS techniques, the above-mentioned factors were given bonitation scores, according to their influence on the surface runoff. After applying the methodology, mainly taken after Greg Smith (2003), the Flash-Flood Potential Index (FFPI) was obtained for the study area, with values between 10-22 during 1990-2006. During this period, the most important changes in the index values occurred in the central part of the study area.
Key words: land use; Slănic; Buzău; runoff; FFPI