Holocene evolution of the Danube delta: An integral reconstruction and a revised chronology

Regarding the maritime delta, six large open-coast lobes developed in the last six millennia, of which four were formed by the Sf. Gheorghe branch, attesting the long uninterrupted activity of this branch, whereas the other two were created respectively by the Sulina and the Chilia branches. The evolution of each lobe is derived from successive (chronological) shoreline positions and discussed in relation with changes in Danube discharge. Special attention has been paid to their growth stages and progradation rates. For the southern delta, we bring in new arguments for an active southern distributary (the Dunavăţ, derived from the Sf. Gheorghe branch) that formed successive open-coast lobes between 2.6 and 1.3 ka. Additionally, we discuss the effects of modern anthropogenically-driven fluvial sediment reduction on the morphology and morphodynamics of the active lobes of the Danube.