Online First

Present study focuses on distribution of low surface solar radiation (overcast situation) and high surface solar radiation (clear sky situation), since, the frequencies of these situations have high impact on the electricity generation. The results show a shift in the distributions projected for the period of 2065-2100 based on 56 high-resolution EURO-CORDEX simulations (RCP8.5). In the northern countries a shift towards lower values is detected. The changes are more accentuated in wintertime, when the low extremes are becoming lower by 16%, the high extremes decrease with 8%. These tendencies are detected in the central part of the continent as well, however, the changes are smaller, -10% in case of low values, and 5% for high values. In the southern part of the continent the shift of distribution has opposite direction. In these countries, the low surface solar radiation values are becoming higher by 4% in summertime; on the other hand, there is no significant change in high extremes (+1%). The shift of extreme values might have serious impact on solar power generation, since it could induce even 20-25 extra days with low radiation in the norther regions, while in the southern regions 15-20 extra days with high radiation are projected.

This study examines the impact of off-road vehicle traffic and associated “floral tourism” on the population of Crocus heuffelianus within the Briței floral field. As social media-driven tourism increases, sensitive ecosystems face new anthropogenic pressures that threaten the long-term viability of rare botanical species. The analysis is based on aerial imagery captured via UAV across three sample areas in May 2021. Photogrammetric reconstruction of the UAV imagery into high-resolution digital surface models (DSMs) enabled the quantification of floral coverage, the extent of habitat fragmentation, and the direct mechanical footprint of wheel-track erosion on the C. heuffelianus population. The findings reveal a significant C. heuffelianus prevalence, with floral cover ranging between 15,9% and 26,0% (average 20,1%). However, habitat fragmentation varied significantly, reaching a peak of 5,41 m2/100 m2 in the most disturbed plots. High fragmentation indices (4 m2/100 m2) and direct spatial coincidence between vehicle trajectories and dense floral clusters resulted in a 2,8% loss of total floral area. Total population estimates exceed 30 million specimens, yet wheel-track erosion and associated soil compaction are responsible for a total loss of over 900000 individuals.