Preliminary research on air temperature in the Prut River valley between Oroftiana and Stânca-Costești
Author(s):
Ciprian Ionuț ADAM1,2, Dumitru MIHĂILĂ2,3, Petruț Ionel BISTRICEAN2,3, Andrei MIHALACHE 1,2
1 Doctoral School of Applied Sciences and Engineering, "Ștefan cel Mare" University of Suceava, Romania 2 Center for Applied Geography Research (GeA-USV) 3 Department of Geography, "Ștefan cel Mare" University of Suceava, Romania
The study presents the preliminary results of research on air temperature conducted in the Prut valley between Oroftiana and Stânca-Costești in the winter of 2024-2025 and the summer of 2025. Temperature monitoring was carried out using a network of 15 sensors, located at representative points in the study area, which recorded the target element on an hourly basis. Significant spatial and temporal temperature differences were observed between stations, determined by the particularities of the relief and their position in relation to the Prut River valley. In the Prut floodplain, compared to the surrounding areas, minimum temperatures are lower in winter (by 0.5–1.7°C) and maximum temperatures are higher in summer (by 0.2–1.1°C). The average number of hours of frost in winter is 34 fewer at stations along the valley compared to stations on slopes and hilltops, and the number of tropical hours in summer is 35 more. The average winter-summer temperature range is 0.3°C higher in the Prut Valley than in the surrounding areas, and the maximum range is 2.8°C higher.
Keywords:
topoclimate of the Prut Valley, cuestiform relief, subsequent sector, consequent sector, topoclimate of Lake Stânca-Costești