Hydro-dynamic and geochemical assessment of three successive cutoff meanders of the Danube Delta

Abstract Hydrological and sedimentological data were collected on several cross-sections of both natural and artificial canals of three cutoff meanders (Mahmudia, Dunavăţul de Sus, and Dunavăţul de Jos meanders) of the Sfântu Gheorghe branch at the beginning of June 2017. The hydrological data shows a heterogeneous distribution of water discharges: on the meanders of Mahmudia and Dunavăţul de Jos, most of the liquid flow passes through artificial channels. In the case of the Dunavăţul de Sus meander, the cut meander is the main transport channel for the liquid flow. The statistical analysis of chemical data evidenced an excellent quality of the bottom sediments, with few parameters exceeding the limits (for Ni, Cu, and Cr). These results correlated with the hydrological measurements made on each investigated cross-section.