Hydrographic changes in a river system and their influence on the legal classification of watercourses, exemplified by selected tributaries of the San river

The paper presents hydrographic changes in a river system and their influence on the legal classification of watercourses in Poland. As a case study, the watercourse Motwica, right tributary of the river San has been analysed. The main objective of this paper is an attempt to analyse whether the Motwica should be classified as flowing or standing water and the legal grounds for such classification in the Water Law act. On the base of archival and contemporary cartographic materials’ analysis it has been determined that the Motwica should not be classified as natural watercourse because its significant part flows in an artificial channel

Dynamics of the status of groundwater in the Polish Lowland: the River Gwda catchment example

The aim of the present study is to monitor changes in the location of the groundwater table in the catchment area of the River Gwda within the Quaternary and Neogene water-bearing level over a 35-year period, between 1981 and 2015. In addition, on account of very diverse total annual precipitation levels in particular parts of the catchment, attempts were made to determine the influence of precipitation on the location of the groundwater table. By correlating groundwater level and meteorological parameters (precipitation), it was discovered that precipitation in the previous year made the largest impact on the groundwater table. Moreover, low precipitation totals in the southern part of the catchment are not discernible in groundwater table fluctuations, which is linked to the location of the observation well within the drainage zone as well as to water ascension from deeper aquifers

Propozycje uatrakcyjnienia fragmentu Kanału Bydgoskiego i Brdy w Bydgoszczy

Celem pracy jest przedstawienie stanu obecnego i propozycji zagospodarowania Kanału Bydgoskiego w granicach miasta Bydgoszczy. Zwrócono uwagę na istotne według autorów elementy infrastruktury, które towarzyszą lub powinny towarzyszyć kanałowi (oświetlenie, ścieżki utwardzone, ławki, tablice informacyjne itp.). Niewątpliwie uatrakcyjnią one teren nad kanałem do wykorzystania w celach rekreacyjnych. W opracowaniu skupiono się na Starym i Nowym Kanale oraz fragmencie Brdy na odcinku od ul. Jagiellońskiej na wysokości dworca PKS i Węzła Zachodniego, czyli tej części która znajduje się najbliżej centrum miasta

Potencjał turystyczno - inwestycyjny gmin Krajeńskiego Parku Krajobrazowego

Tourist potential of the communities in the Krajna Landscape Park. The main purpose of this paper is the analysis of tourist potential of communities located in Krajna Landscape Park. The characteristic of tourist potential was based on the method the diversity of areas in respect of tourist and investment attractiveness was made. In addition, general tourist potential of the analysed area has been presented

Analiza wybranych elementów infrastruktury technicznej na obszarach wiejskich powiatów nakielskiego i sępoleńskiego

The paper presents saturation and spatial diversity of technical infrastructure elements (water supply and sewerage networks) on rural areas of Sępólno and Nakło districts. Research revealed areas of under-development of the infrastructure and areas that have well developed water supply and sewerage networks. It was indicated that technical infrastructure is better developed in Sępólno district than in Nakło district

Influence of Climate Changes on the State of Water Resources in Poland and Their Usage

The study aims to estimate the amount of available renewable water resources in Poland in the years 1999–2018 and the extent of their use by various sectors of the national economy at the national and regional levels. In the study period, the selected meteorological elements were found to have changed, resulting in a decrease in the flows of the two largest rivers in Poland: the Vistula and the Oder. The outflow of the Vistula and Odra basins determines the size of Poland’s water resources. Poland is classified as a country of low water resources, as evidenced by the per capita amount of surface water, which in the years 1999–2018 was 1566 m3/capita. Water consumption to meet the needs of the economy and the population was stable, and averaged 283 m3/capita in this period. The analysis of water consumption by region showed that the areas with the lowest annual precipitation consume significant amounts of water for economic purposes, which may limit or destabilise socio-economic development in the region in future. Based on the difference between the amount of precipitation and water losses in the form of evaporation and water abstraction for economic purposes, maps were drawn up showing the deficit of surface water in a dry year. During periods of surface water scarcity, groundwater uptake increases. An area particularly exposed to water scarcity is central Poland

Water Power Plants Possibilities in Powering Electric Cars—Case Study: Poland

Electric cars are becoming increasingly popular in Poland and around the world. More and more of them appear on the roads, especially in the centers of large cities. They are perceived and advertised as zero-emission cars, not polluting the environment. However, electric cars, such as cars with combustion engines, need to be “refueled”, so they are charged from the power grid. It is important to say that it depends on what the source of energy is. Unfortunately, in the case of Poland, most of the energy in this network (about 80%) comes from sources using fossil fuels (lignite, hard coal, and natural gas). These are not environmentally friendly energy sources. Despite the use of multi-stage exhaust gas cleaning, toxic compounds and carbon dioxide get into the atmosphere. The situation is stalemate because the more energy is needed to power industry, households and electric cars, the more carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere. This paper will demonstrate that the use of the term “green vehicle” in reference to electric automotive vehicles may be a misuse of the term, because if the local conditions of toxic emissions binding for vehicles with combustion engines had been taken into account during type-approval tests of such vehicles, electric vehicles would never have been put into service, not only in towns but everywhere else, too. Calculations show that carbon dioxide (201.2 g), nitrogen oxides (0.166 g), and particulate matters (0.0095 g) emitted by electropower plants are almost twice as large per 100 km than emitted by diesel engine. The solution to this situation is only an increased investment in the power industry based on renewable energy sources (RES). Currently, photovoltaic and wind power plants are experiencing rapid development in Poland, but they produce energy in an unpredictable way, and moreover, they need huge areas to build high-power installations. Much more stable sources of energy are hydroelectric power plants, which are in serious regression in Poland. Planned investments are constantly postponed. Yet, even in the lower Vistula cascade, already planned in the middle of the last century, there is a potential which, if used, would make it possible to ensure clean energy for powering electric vehicles for several dozen years to come. The authors wanted to pay attention to the need to introduce sustainable diversification of energy sources which, following the increase of investment in hydropower, would make it possible to plan the development of electromobility in Poland in a more secure way. The launch of the Lower Vistula cascade would eventually enable the zero-emission operation of approximately 1.5 million electric vehicles

Variability of Air Temperature, Precipitation and Outflows in the Vistula Basin (Poland)

This study examines trends in temperature, precipitation and discharge rates over a 65-year observation period (1951–2015) and compares the two sub-periods 1951–1980 and 1981–2015. The research was carried out on annual and monthly values. The research area is the basin of the Vistula, the largest river in Poland. The main aim of the study was to assess how changes in air temperature and precipitation in the Vistula basin have translated into river hydrology. In the 65-year study period, a lack of statistically significant trends in outflow prevailed. Compared to the full period 1951–2015, the sub-period 1951–1980 stood out for its statistically significant increase in annual average outflows. In the years 1981–2015 a slight falling trend in outflow of the Vistula was noted, though the values were not statistically significant. This was caused by significant warming during this period (an increase in air temperature of between 0.27 and 0.45 °C per decade, depending on location) and a slight increase in precipitation. Seasonal changes in outflows were more volatile. The results indicate that the Vistula’s water resources have fallen slightly as a result of changes in air temperature and precipitation and due to the river’s significant hydrological inertia, which in turn results from the catchment being very large and physiographically diverse

Impact of hydrotechnical structures on hydrological regime of the Gwda and Drawa rivers

The work attempts to determine the impact of hydrotechnical structures on regimes of rivers. The aim of the article is to compare hydrological regimes of the rivers Gwda and Drawa due to the differences of hydrotechnical works located on both rivers. The Gwda River is heavily managed by hydrotechnical infrastructure. Presently, there are twelve hydropower plants located along the entire length of the river. The Drawa River, on the other hand, has little hydrotechnical infrastructure. Only two hydropower plants are located on the Drawa River. The study of the hydrological regime was carried out on the basis of the analysis of changes of water stages and ice phenomena. River profiles selected for the analysis were located downstream of hydrotechnical works, i.e. hydropower plants. The conclusions were based on the comparative analysis. The impacts were identified as the differences in processes described by the analyzed parameters

Use of the Gas Emission Site Type Method in the Evaluation of the CO₂ Emissions in Raised Bogs

Peatbogs are important in global greenhouse gas budget estimates. The main aim of the work was to assess the amount of greenhouse gas emissions based on the Greenhouse Gas Emission Site Type (GEST) method and compare them with actual field measurements. The research was carried out in selected peatbog areas in the coastal zone of northern Poland. The proposed method allowed us to assess whether the restoration treatments carried out in peatbogs contributed to the emission of these gases. The results of this research using the GEST method indicate that, in the studied peatbog areas, the reduction in CO2 emissions was approximately 12%. These results were compared with actual measurements of greenhouse gas emissions made using the chamber method in 2018. The average CO2 emission for the entire peatbog was 16,338.7 t CO2-eq./yr. Comparing this result with the result obtained using the GEST method, it should be stated that it is lower by 2.464.1 t CO2-eq./year, which gives an approximately 13% overestimation of the result by the Gas Emission Site Type method