Key issues for advancing of Paleoenvironmental Reconstructions in Bulgarian High Mountains

Abstract

The environment of the high mountains is very sensitive to any kind of impact; therefore they are appropriate case study areas for an investigation of the impact of global changes. The Pleistocene glaciations are the main landform and environment formation factor of the high mountains in Bulgaria. The paleoenvironmental reconstructions in these mountains would be very useful to solve issues related to contemporary impact on these complexes. Rila (2925 m) and Pirin (2914 m) are the highest Bulgarian Mountains which have been glaciated during the Pleistocene. The paleoglacial relief forms and lake sediments in these mountains contain valuable information for the paleoenvironment. Although, there are particular achievements in the investigations so far, there are still unresolved scientific issues. The paper makes a review on the state of the art of the investigation of high mountain landscapes in Bulgaria and outlines four main objectives facing the researchers studying the development of these landscapes during late Pleistocene and Holocene.