Light pollution in the night sky of Toruń in the summer season

The paper presents results of research on light pollution in the night sky of Toruń. A permanent network of measuring stations has been established in the city, consisting of 24 sites representing various types of land development and land cover: single-family housing, city centre, multi-family housing, areas overgrown with vegetation and open areas. Within this network, a repeatable direct measurement of the sky brightness using an SQM photometer was carried out over a period of three consecutive months in the summer season, i.e. from June to September 2017. The measurement sessions were conducted in similar weather and astronomical conditions. Based on the obtained data, a spatial distribution of light pollution was determined, ranges of values obtained during the measurements were provided, and the results were additionally referred to the distinguished land cover categories and land development types

Temporal and spatial changes in the distribution of heaths within the city of Toruń according to analysis of cartographic and remote-sensing materials, and field exploration

The paper describes changes in the distribution and the surface area of heaths during the last, nearly 120 years at two research sites located in the city of Toruń. The first site "JAR" is a former land of military manoeuvres in the northern part of the city, where a unit of the Soviet Army had been stationed after the 2nd World War till 1991. The second site "Glinki", situated at the south-western end of the city, was also exploited as a military land. During the 2nd World War, a German prisoner-of-war camp was located here, and after the war some industrial plants were built and allotment gardens were established, whereas part of the area was treated as a wasteland. The history of both areas and the vegetation changes were reconstructed from the series of temporal topographic maps and aerial photos, as well as a high-resolution Ikonos satellite image. The aforementioned source materials were analysed with the technology of Geographical Information Systems, applying the software Arc-GIS ArcView 9.3. For both sites, the range was determined, as well as the number of patches with common heather and the total area of heaths in particular years of land cover and land use mapping. The present state of heaths was defined based on the direct field exploration carried out with the use of GPS navigational devices. It was found that at present 22 heather patches occur at the site JAR, with the total area of11.7328 ha. Within the Glinki district, also 22 heather patches occur with the total area of 3.5701 ha. And thus, these are the largest sites of heaths located within the administrative boundaries of Toruń. Data collected through the field exploration of the site JAR were superimposed on the spatial development plan of the future housing estate. At an intersection of both information layers, fragments of the area were outlined where heaths can be preserved after the construction of a housing estate is completed. Their area is small. In the area of the Glinki district, the rate of expansion of industrial areas was determined for the last several years, as well as future changes in the land use were discussed, which will arise due to a housing estate scheduled for building here. The aforementioned analyses enabled to evaluate the present developmental state of both research areas, as well as to determine the future of low shrub communities, which occur here and which constitute a type of an ecological system listed among the UE protected habitats. The obtained results increase our knowledge on heaths in Toruń, and at the same time - also in Poland and in Europe

Foreword

Aerial and satellite remote sensing represents an important source of information and is more and more commonly used in environmental studies. The resulting products of remote data acquisition – aerial and satellite images combined with the capacity of modern tools, especially when integrated into Geographic Information Systems, facilitate multilayered analysis related to the conditions and functioning of the environment, including both its components and their mutual relations and interrelations. The aforementioned issues are discussed in papers included in the 17th volume of "Ecological Questions"

Foreword

The special issue of EQ No. 12 includes 11 papers written by ecologists and geographers from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, as well as by biologists and ecologists from Italy. The first paper of this collection is dedicated to physiographic determinants of the occurrence of heaths in the Toruń Valley. A great deal of space in this paper was devoted to inland dunes, which condition the occurrence of pine forests in this region, as well as the occurrence of heaths after cutting down the forests. The second paper, written by 8 authors, presents transformations on the Zadroże Dune over the 60 years. The next four papers are dedicated to vegetation and habitat variability within heaths, as well as psammophilous grasslands and pine forests occurring in the city of Toruń and in its immediate vicinity. Through the temporal series of street plans, topographic maps, as well as aerial and satellite images, the extinction of heaths was demonstrated in the suburban zone of Toruń, which results from urbanization processes and contamination of the  atmosphere by industrial and municipal services

Spatial distribution of heathlands in the north-western part of Poland (Pomerania District)

Spatial distribution of heathlands in Pomerania (the north-western part of Poland) was described based on the results of questionnaires sent out to the registered offices of all forest divisions (96), national (4) and landscape (15) parks of this area. According to the inventory, heathlands occur in 28 forest divisions and 3 national and landscape parks. The frequency of occurrence and the area covered by heathlands were determined. All the data were compiled in the form of a spatial database with the use of Geographic Information Systems. The paper also contains the geographical distribution of heath habitats in the area of Pomerania according to particular syntaxa. Additionally, the content of the database CORINE Land Cover was analysed at the third level for the area of Pomerania, completed for the years of 2000 and 2006. The area and the number of patches were described according to three land cover categories: heaths (code 322), conflagration sites (code 334) and peat bogs (code 412)

Nowoczesne metody i narzędzia telegeoinformatyczne służące pozyskiwaniu informacji geograficznej

Artykuł przedstawia w zarysie problematykę nowoczesnych metod i narzędzi badawczych służących pozyskiwaniu informacji geograficznej. Odkryte w XX wieku nowe metody pozyskiwania i przetwarzania danych zainicjowały rewolucję w badaniach środowiska geograficznego. Można do nich zaliczyć: zdjęcia lotnicze i satelitarne, globalny system pozycjonowania (GPS) oraz systemy informacji geograficznej (GIS). W pierwszej dekadzie XXI wieku dokonano także dalszego rozwoju tych technologii oraz upowszechniania dostępu do produktów tej rejestracji.The paper presents an overview of the problems of modern research methods and tools which are applied for obtain geographical information. New methods of data acquisition and processing discovered in XX century started the revolution in studies of geographical environment research. These are aerial photographs and satellite imageries, global positioning system (GPS) and geographical information systems (GIS). Further development of these technologies and their promotes access took place in the first decade of XXI century

Środowisko programowe Microstation dla celów GIS

Praca przedstawia środowisko programowe MicroStation – historię jego rozwoju, strukturę oraz opisuje wybrane aplikacje dla zastosowań GIS/SIT. Na Wydziale BiNoZ UMK jest on stosowany do tworzenia map i systemów GIS dla wybranych obszarów Borów Tucholskich i Kujaw.Paper presents the MicroStation software – the history of its evolution, structure and description of the extension for GIS/SIT applications. Its applied for the map creation and GIS for selected region of Bory Tucholskie and Kujawy at the Faculty of Biology and Earth Science, Nicholas Copernicus University, Toruń

Globalny System Pozycjonowania (GPS) dla tworzenia GIS

Praca przedstawia podstawowe wiadomości z zakresu Globalnego Systemu Pozycjonowania (GPS). Dokonano opisu podsystemów GPS oraz pokazano przykładowe zastosowanie w badaniach przyrodniczych. Zamieszczona charakterystyka wykorzystywanych map topograficznych pozwala na integrację GPS z tworzonymi systemami GIS.Paper presents the basic knowledge concerning Global Positioning System (GPS). There were made GPS subsystems description and their example application in environmental studies. Described characteristics of topographic maps use in Poland allows for the GPS/GIS integration

Ogólnoświatowy Dzień GIS-u

W artykule omówiono inicjatywę ogólnoświatowego Dnia GIS-u (GISDay) obchodzonego corocznie w wielu krajach świata, w tym także od samego początku w Polsce. Celem Dnia GIS-u jest rozpowszechnianie wiedzy na temat Systemów Informacji Geograficznej (GIS), technologii za pomocą której geografia zmienia i podbija świat. Szczegółowo scharakteryzowano obchody Dnia Gis-u w Polsce i w województwie kujawsko-pomorskim w latach 2000-2006.In the article the idea of international GIS Day is described. GIS Day is celebrated every year in many countries in the world, also from, its beginning, in Poland. The aim of GIS Day is the distribution of knowledge concerning Geographical Information Systems (GIS), the technology which helps geography change and discover the world. Celebrations of GIS Day in Poland and in Kujawsko-Pomorskie region in 2000-2006 are described in detail

Vegetation and flora in the vicinity of salt and brine extraction sites in the western part of Kuyavia (Poland)

The paper presents a syntaxonomic and floristic analysis of salt marshes formed at the soda factories in Mątwy and Janikowo, the salt mine in Góra, and the salt works and spa hospitals in Inowrocław. In the study area delineated in this region, the analysis also covered salt marshes formed in places of failure of pipelines supplying brine to industrial, medical and recreational facilities, as well as those discharging saline industrial and municipal wastewater were also analysed. A total of 611 relevés were taken using the Braun-Blanquet method in 215 inland salt marshes occurring in the study area during four consecutive growing seasons (1998-2001). A numerical classification of this set of relevés and of 124 taxa of vascular plants recorded in these relevés was carried out using TWINSPAN. Taxa from the prepared floristic list were assigned to five geographical and historical groups, and the percentage of species of these groups was determined for the saltmarsh flora of the study area. It was found that most of the groups of relevés distinguished at successive levels of hierarchical divisive classification, performed based on differential species, correspond through their species composition to six (out of seven) syntaxa of halophytic vegetation distinguished in the studies conducted about 40 years ago in the entire area of Kuyavia. Of the total number of 124 taxa, 14 species of halophytes were identified, including six obligate and eight facultative ones. The number of taxa in the geographical and historical groups was as follows: 22 spontaneophytes, 73 apophytes, 16 archaeophytes and six kenophytes. No diaphytes were found in the study area, however, seven species of cultivated plants were recorded