ANALYSIS OF EROSION, SALINIZATION, AND SOIL DEGRADATION PROCESSES IN SOUTHEASTERN ROMANIA: A PEDOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON VULNERABILITY

Abstract

The Southeastern region of Romania 35,762 km², encompassing the Bărăgan Plain and Dobrogea Plateau, represents the national epicenter for land degradation, placing 40% of the country’s agricultural area at risk of desertification (Demeter, 2004). This analysis investigates the vulnerability of the region's fertile Chernozems and Luvisols, developed predominantly on erodible loess, to major degradation processes. Physical degradation is dominated by erosion: pluvial erosion on the fragmented Dobrogea Plateau strips the fertile A horizon, severely reducing the soil's usable water capacity and intensifying aridity (Dumitru, et al. 2009), while eolian erosion threatens the exposed plains of Bărăgan. The critical lack of conservation measures, with only 4.55% adoption of anti-erosion contracts (Demeter, 2004), exacerbates these losses. Chemical degradation, primarily salinization and sodicization, is equally severe. Sodicization, driven by the capillary rise of mineralized groundwater, causes exchangeable sodium to disperse clay colloids. This process irreversibly destroys soil structure, drastically lowering hydraulic conductivity and rendering extensive areas (614,000 ha nationally) economically marginal (MESP, 1997). Secondary processes, including severe compaction and depletion of organic matter, act synergistically to hasten the structural collapse and amplify susceptibility to climatic drought stress (Dumitru et al., 2009). The acceleration of degradation, with affected areas having at least doubled in the last 25 years, indicates that the persistence of conventional agricultural strategies is pushing the region towards an economically irreversible state. Protecting the pedological integrity requires the urgent implementation of non-conventional tillage and intensive monitoring of key quality indicators.