Vitosha Mountain (SW Bulgaria) during the Little Ice Age in the context of past climate changes in the Balkans

Abstract

This study aims to present and analyse several descriptions of snow cover conditions on Vitosha Mountain over the last five centuries. It uses the written historical sources and diachronic method. They are discussed in the context of available climate and environmental data for Bulgaria and the adjacent areas of the Balkans during the Little Ice Age (LIA). It can be concluded from the presented descriptions of Vitosha during the LIA that probably in the 17th and early 18th centuries Vitosha had significantly longer snow retention with the presence of permanent or semi-permanent snow patches, a situation that is significantly different from the present environmental conditions. The analysis of the climatic conditions during the LIA in other regions of Bulgaria, as well as in neighboring countries in the Balkans, shows that during this period, especially in the southern parts of the Balkan Peninsula, there was a significant climate cooling. Future studies of the (high resolution) natural archives in Bulgaria are needed to provide more information about the nature of climatic and environmental changes during the LIA.