The Danube Delta natural reservation in Romania is ever changing, as nature follows its course almost undisturbed. Researchers found that the Sacalin peninsula in the Danube Delta would form a lagoon into the Black Sea in five to ten years. It will be similar to the Razim lagoon, according to Iulian Nichersu from the National Reseach and Development Institute for the Danube Delta.

The Sacalin peninsula is currently five kilometers away from the area of Zatoane, close to the village of Sfantu Gheorghe. The distance could diminish, as the peninsula keeps increasing, only to touch base with the Zatoane area. Not only would this form a new Black Sea lagoon, but would help boost biodiversity in the area. “It is a great habitat for the gray mullet, a species which only lives in less salty waters,” said Nichersu, quoted by Agerpres.

The researchers have also found that the Black Sea seal was also spotted in the area, after a more than 40-year hiatus. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any pictures,” they say.

The whole area, on some 21,400 hectares, is a natural reservation, where all human activities are strictly forbidden.

Researchers use fractal geometry, satellite images to keep track of Danube Delta formations and its evolution, as well as prevent negative effects of rising Danube levels over the few villages in the area.  They will also study more in depth the area of Sacalin, to learn what quantities of sediment contributed to the development of this peninsula. This is how deltas are formed – and Romania’s Danube Delta is one of the few populated deltas in the world, as well as one of the largest wetlands in the world.

The Sacalin island, now a peninsula, was first mentioned on a Russian map in the late 18th century. In 1924, the island was 10 kilometers long – and it now measures 19 kilometers in length. In the meantime, it has also become a peninsula, as the island’s North – Eastern part united with the Delta. Researchers had foreseen the move ever since the late 70s.

editor@romania-insider.com