Precipitation variability, trends and regions in Poland: Temporal and spatial distribution in the years 1951–2018

The goals of this work were to assess differences in precipitation totals (Pr) in Poland in both time and space and to distinguish regions based on precipitation variability in the years 1951–2018. To assess precipitation conditions, the study used statistical and spatial analyses implemented in ArcGIS Desktop and STATISTICA software. The largest number of significant, positive correlations describing the linear Pr trend were found for March. The lowest monthly Pr, which represents only approximately 6% of the multiyear precipitation totals, was recorded in October 1951; the highest monthly Pr, which represents as much as approximately 355% of the multi-year precipitation totals, was recorded in October 1974. The study distinguished three precipitation regions of Poland

Wind Farms as a New Element of the Polish Landscape

Fast development in the wind power industry in Poland resulted in construction of numerous wind farms, mainly in the north and center of the country. The construction of a wind power station is connected with a change in the structure of the landscape through location of new dominant and subdominant landscape elements. The goal of the work was to determine the previous practices of locating wind farms in Poland, effects resulting from the presence of wind turbines in the landscape, and guidelines for designing wind farms in the context of impact on the landscape. Until 2016, spatial planning lacked in clear regulations on locating wind turbines. In 2016, Poland passed new laws regulating the minimum distance of wind turbines from residential and mixed-use buildings. Based on selected examples of wind farms in West Pomerania Province and Kuyavian-Pomeranian Province, it was found that the existing wind turbines do not comply with the requirements of the minimum distance. Also, there were cases of damaging the esthetics of protected landscape areas. The appearance of new dominant elements of the landscape, i.e., wind power plants, may cause substantial transformations in the landscape, mainly in Northern and Central Poland

Risco do cultivo de campo de pepino decapado causado por condições desfavoráveis de duração de brilho solar

Solar energy, accessible to plants during sunshine from the sunrise to the sunset is of key importance in productivity of agrocenoses. The aim of the work was to determine risk of pickling cucumber cultivation caused by an unfavorable course of sunshine duration in Poland on the basis of a 40-year research period 1966-2005. The research into the subject was undertaken due to frequent occurrence of sunshine deficiency in Poland and its high temporal and spatial variability. Effect of solar conditions described by sunshine duration in the five development stages on the quantity of the total and marketable yield of cucumber with consideration of a linear trend of an independent variable was determined by means of multiple regression analysis. The accuracy of the equations was evaluated on the basis of, among other things, determination coefficient, average relative forecast error and the indexes: mean bias error (MBE), mean absolute bias error (MABE) and root mean square error (RMSE). Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) yield was confirmed for the period from the end of emergence to the beginning of flowering and from the beginning of harvesting to the end of harvesting. Cucumber yield was lower by 18% than the multiannual average in the years 1966-2005 every 1.5-2 years -in the case of the occurrence of the shortage in the period from the end of emergence to the beginning of flowering and by 12-15% every 2-3 years in the period from the beginning of harvesting to the end of harvesting. In four years, out of the 40 considered ones, simultaneously in both cucumber development stages, unfavorable solar conditions occurred, causing reduction by at least 5% in the total yield of the plant in Poland, and in three years - the marketable yield.A disponibilidade de energia solar para as plantas desde o nascer ao por do sol é de fundamental importância para todo agronegócio. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o risco da produção de pepino (Cucumis sativus L.) decapado causado pelo curso desfavorável de duração da radiação solar na Polônia, baseado em um período de 40 anos de pesquisa (1966-2005). A pesquisa foi realizada pelo fato da ocorrência frequente de deficiência de insolação na Polônia e sua alta variabilidade temporal e espacial. O efeito das condições solares descritas pela duração da insolação foi estudado em relação às produtividades total e comerciável de pepino, considerando uma tendência linear de uma variável independente. A precisão das equações foi avaliada com base no coeficiente de determinação, erro médio relativo de precisão e índices: erro médio de bias, erro médio absoluto de bias e raiz do erro médio quadrado. A produtividade foi analisada a partir da emergência até o início do florescimento e do inicio ao fim da colheita. A produtividade de pepino foi 18% menor em relação a media multianual dos anos 1966-2005 cada 1,5-2 anos - nos casos de falta de insolação no período emergência-florescimento e 12-15% menor a cada 2-3 anos na colheita. Com exceção de quarto dentro dos 40 anos estudados, houve condições desfavoráveis de insolação em ambos os estádios estudados, causando uma redução de no mínimo de 5% da produção total da planta na Polônia e, excetos três anos - da produção comercial

The Effect of Climate Change in Poland on the Phenological Phases of Onion (Allium cepa L.) between 1966 and 2005

The aim of this paper is to analyze the changes in air temperature between 1966 and 2005 and their effect on the phenological phases of onion, on an example of a mid-late Polish variety. To this end, we used monthly and seasonal measurements of air temperature in Poland (mean, minimum and maximum) during the onion growing season (March-September), collected from 50 meteorological stations. We also used phenological and agrotechnical data from 17 experimental stations, recorded between 1966 and 2005. Based on a linear regression function, we determined the trends of phenological phases, agrotechnical dates, the agrophenological seasons for the onion, the mean and extremes for air temperature in the months from March to September, and also across the whole March to September growing season. We also determined changes over the 40 examined years of measurements. If these trends persisted - slightly earlier emergence and leaf bending onions of mid-late varieties will develop in different light, temperature and humidity. The consequence of these changes will be increasingly shorter growing seasons and probably more difficult conditions for the onion crop in Poland

How not to drown in the flood of information?Selected aspects of the information culture of adolescents

The following article is a research report, the object of which was to determine the level of one of the manifestations of information literacy. It presents the characteristics of the ability to organize and select information. Fur-thermore, the author proves that the ability to correctly select information is a prerequisite for the proper functioning in the digital information world. The analysis draws attention to one of the main aspects of the information culture of a human being who has the ability to cope with the flood of information.Artykuł opisuje rezultat badań, których przedmiotem uczyniono określenie poziomu jednego z przejawów kompetencji informacyjnych. Przedsta-wia charakterystykę umiejętności porządkowania i wyboru informacji. Autorka udowadnia, że umiejętność właściwej selekcji informacji jest warunkiem popraw-nego funkcjonowania w świecie informacji cyfrowych. Dokonana analiza zwra-ca uwagę na jeden z aspektów kultury informacyjnej człowieka, posiadającego umiejętności radzenia sobie z informacyjnym zalewem

Możliwości realizacji inwestycji z zakresu energetyki odnawialnej na obszarach chronionych w Polsce – aspekt prawny i społeczny

Celem pracy było określenie możliwości realizacji inwestycji z zakresu energetyki odnawialnej na przyrodniczych obszarach chronionych w Polsce oraz zbadanie opinii mieszkańców wybranego obszaru przyrodniczo cennego na temat tego typu projektów. Ocenę możliwości budowy instalacji przeprowadzono na podstawie analizy obowiązujących w Polsce aktów prawnych, piśmiennictwa naukowego oraz opinii osób zawodowo związanych z energetyką odnawialną. Badanie opinii społecznej odbyło się w miejscowości położonej w otulinie parku narodowego. Stwierdzono, że na wszystkich rodzajach obszarów chronionych możliwe jest budowanie mikroinstalacji wykorzystujących odnawialne źródła energii. Przeszkodą w ich upowszechnieniu są niewystarczające środki finansowe w gospodarstwach domowych oraz niewystarczający przekaz informacji na temat możliwości uzyskania dofinansowania tego typu projektów. Mieszkańcy terenów przyrodniczo cennych są bardzo pozytywnie nastawieni do takich inwestycji

The adverse effect of the long-term trend of the air temperature in Poland on the yield of onion

The yield of onion in Poland is highly variable. The year-on-year variability depends mainly weather conditions, including the air temperature conditions. This research aimed to determine the effect of air temperature on the total yield of onion grown in arable farmland. Using multiple curvilinear regression analysis, the variability of yield was explained in 56% by the air temperature in the period ‘end of emergence - beginning of leaf bending’ and the linear trend (consecutive years in the 1966-2005 period). Based on this equation, the critical average temperature during the end of emergence-beginning of leaf bending (Ee-Blb) period was determined at 16.7oC, i.e. temperature followed by a reduction in the yield of onion by 5% compared to the long-term average. This decrease in the yield of onion caused by the occurrence of excessive air temperature also demonstrated spatial variability. In addition to high temperatures, the inclusion of the incidence of critical temperatures increased the diversity in the reduction in the yield of onions in Poland to 15%

Ageing population, physical activity, and long-term fiscal sustainability: evidence from Poland

Our study estimates potential fiscal savings from increased physical activity among older people. This is the first study directly assessing the possible impact of higher physical activity on long-term fiscal sustainability. The study focuses on Poland, where ageing costs are mostly associated with an increase in public spending on healthcare and long-term care. Our results suggest that physical activity has the potential to significantly decrease healthcare and long-term care expenditures. Converting these results into long-term fiscal sustainability, we calculate the S2 indicator, used by the European Commission for the assessment of fiscal sustainability in the long horizon. The long-term component of the indicator, related to ageing costs, is lower by almost 0.7 in comparison with the baseline case, 0.5 of which can be attributed to the reduction in long-term care and 0.2 to the reduction in healthcare. Our results confirm that increased physical activity among older people may lead to a reduction in expenditures related to population ageing and may significantly improve long-term fiscal sustainability

Ostatni rok życia Polaków w świetle danych SHARE: analiza porównawcza

The paper aims at describing the last year of life of Polish people in comparison with previous years of their life. We include international context as well as gender differences in the analysis. A descriptive part of the paper is based on data from end-of-life interviews of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The second part – comparative analysis – in addition to the end-of-life interviews takes into account regular interviews conducted in previous waves. We find differences in the process of health deterioration in the last year of life by cause of death. In particular, individuals who died due to cancer were often relatively healthy in the preceding years of life, but experienced a dramatic decrease in health during the last year of life. Another finding is that time spent in the hospital significantly increases in the last year of life. Moreover, we find that number of daily activities’ limitations is positively associated with care received in the last year of life. The results show that the last year of life is often significantly different than preceding years of life both in Poland and other European countries