Climatic and anthropogenic drivers of zero-flow events in intermittent rivers in Poland

River intermittence was studied based on data from hydrological monitoring in Poland. We screened the entire state database and two another data sources applying the criterion for zero-flow event: discharge less than 0.0005 $m^{3}∙s^{–1}$, and found five intermittent rivers with catchment area from 9.2 to 303.7 $km^{2}$. We aimed at finding associations between intermittence and climatic driving forces (temperature and precipitation), and between intermittence and anthropogenic activity. We used the Spearman correlation coefficient, circular statistics, and statistical tests for trend. The concentration of zero-flow days, mostly in summer, and the decreasing trend in the standardised precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) in all catchments at various aggregation levels, and an increasing trend in the total number of zero-flow days and in the maximum length of zero flow events in two rivers, were detected. The strong negative correlation (-0.62 ≤ ρ < 0) between intermittence and the SPEI backward lagged in time showed that intermittence resulted from prolonged deficits in climatic water balance due to increasing evapotranspiration. The reaction of the Noteć catchment, amplified by the anthropogenic pressure (brown coal mines), was reflected in the atypical shape of the rose diagram and in inhomogeneities in river discharges. The results show that the rose diagram can serve as an indicator of the degree of anthropogenic impact on runoff conditions

Permafrost temperatures and active layer thickness in Svalbard during 2017/2018 (PermaSval)

This report follows up on the report published in the SESS Report 2018 (Christiansen et al. 2019). Since 2018, the Norwegian Environment Agency has released the Climate in Svalbard 2100 report summarizing observed trends in permafrost conditions over the period of field measurements and a forecast for the future, based on recent climate and permafrost modelling (Hanssen-Bauer et al. 2019). It is well established that the terrestrial cryosphere in Svalbard has changed since modern permafrost monitoring efforts began in the late 1990s. In central Svalbard in the Adventdalen area, ground temperatures have risen by as much as 0.15°C per year (10 m depth) and the thickness of the seasonally-unfrozen active layer increased by 0.6 cm per year since 2000 in sediments and 1.6 cm/year in bedrock (Hanssen-Bauer et al. 2019), while in Ny-Ålesund ground temperatures increased by 0.18°C/year and the thickness of active layer increased by 5 cm/year (Boike et al. 2018). Modern monitoring techniques mean that it is relatively easy to quantify permafrost change in terms of temperature. The visible effects of warming permafrost are, however, more ambiguous. A prolonged thaw season is anticipated to result in a thicker active layer, and increased rainfall intensity can result in more frequent landslides. The strength of frozen soil decreases when warming and permafrost change may expectedly result in infrastructure problems in cases where climate change was not considered during the initial design. The aims of this part of the State of Environmental Science in Svalbard reporting are to: (1) provide an overview of permafrost data collected during the 2017-2018 hydrological year (1 September 2017 – 31 August 2018), (2) contrast these results with the 2016-2017 hydrological year as presented in Christiansen et al. (2019), (3) summarise developments in permafrost monitoring in Svalbard, and (4) provide recommendations for future permafrost investigations. Understanding the spatial distribution of permafrost conditions is critical to predicting geomorphological change and understanding the variability in climate impacts. 2371

Climate indices of environmental change in the High Arctic: Study from Hornsund, SW Spitsbergen, 1979–2019

An analysis of a suite of climatological indices was undertaken on the basis of long-term (1979–2019) climatological data from the Polish Polar Station in Hornsund, SW Spitsbergen. It was followed by an attempt to assess the scale of their impact on the local environment. The temperature and precipitation indices were based on percentiles of the variables calculated for a population of daily values from the climate normals for 1981–2010. A greater share of both cyclonic and anticyclonic circulations from the S and SW sectors, forcing the advection of warm air masses from the south, was decisive for the trends of change in comparison with the long-term mean. Both extreme precipitation and drought events depend on the 500 hPa geopotential height and precipitable water anomalies, determined by the baric field over the North Atlantic. Climate changes impact on the dynamics of local geoecosystems by causing faster glacier ablation and retreat, permafrost degradation, intensification of the hydrological cycle in glaciated and unglaciated catchments, and changes in the condition and growth of tundra vegetation

An analysis of hearing among newborns from a chosen neonatal ward in the years 2009–2013

Wstęp. Program powszechnych przesiewowych badań słuchu funkcjonuje w Polsce od jesieni 2002 roku. W przypadku nieprawidłowego wyniku badania słuchu, proces diagnostyczny w kierunku wad słuchu należy zakończyć do szóstego miesiąca życia dziecka. Cele pracy. Analiza wyników badań przesiewowych słuchu u noworodków. Materiał i metody. Dokonano analizy dokumentacji medycznej i wyników przesiewowego badania słuchu u 3970 noworodków . Przesiewowe badanie słuchu przeprowadzono metodą zapisu otoemisji akustycznych wywołanych trzaskiem. Wyniki. Większość przebadanych stanowiły dzieci urodzone powyżej 33. tygodnia ciąży (Hbd). Do poradni audiologicznych skierowano 254 no­worodków (6,4%). Najczęściej występującymi czynnikami ryzyka uszkodzenia słuchu były: leki ototoksyczne, infekcje TORCH oraz wady słuchu występujące w rodzinie. Wnioski. Powszechne wykonywanie badań słuchu u noworodków pozwala wcześnie wykryć nieprawidłowości w funkcjonowaniu narządu. Dzięki badaniom wykrywalność wad słuchu u noworodków wynosi 99%.Introduction. The program of universal hearing screening has been operating since autumn 2002. In the case of abnormal results, the diagnostic process for hearing defects should be completed by the sixth month of life. Aim of the study. The aim of the study was to analyze the results of the screening test for hearing loss in newborns. Material and methods. The analysis of medical documentation of 3970 newborns. Screening test for hearing loss was conducted by the method of recording otoacustic emission inducted by crash. Results. Most of the tested children were born above 33 Hbd. 254 (6,4%) of all newborns, were referred to audiology clinics. The most common risk factors were: ototoxic medicine, TORCH infections and hearing defects in the family. Conclusions. The widespread practice of conducting hearing tests in newborns allows to observe early dysfunction of the organ. Thanks to the practice, the traceability of hearing dysfunctions in newborns amounts to 99%

Geophysical imaging of permafrost in the SW Svalbard – the result of two high arctic expeditions to Spitsbergen

"The Arctic regions are the place of the fastest observed climate change. One of the indicators of such evolution are changes occurring in the glaciers and the subsurface in the permafrost. The active layer of the permafrost as the shallowest one is well measured by multiple geophysical techniques and in-situ measurements." (fragm.

Recognition of the varying permafrost conditions in the SW Svalbard by multiple geophysical methods [abstract]

"In recent years, rapid climatic changes and their impact are widely visible and recognizable around the world. The Atlantic sector of the Arctic is the place of the strongest observed changes. As a result, such changes are already destabilizing the arctic systems including the glaciers and the permafrost that strongly affects the Arctic’s physical and biological systems."[...] (fragm.

Hydrology needed to manage droughts: the 2015 European case

Hydrology needed to manage droughts: the 2015 European cas

Trends in flow intermittence for European rivers

Intermittent rivers are prevalent in many countries across Europe, but little is known about the temporal evolution of intermittence and its relationship with climate variability. Trend analysis of the annual and seasonal number of zero-flow days, the maximum duration of dry spells and the mean date of the zero-flow events is performed on a database of 452 rivers with varying degrees of intermittence between 1970 and 2010. The relationships between flow intermittence and climate are investigated using the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) and climate indices describing large-scale atmospheric circulation. The results indicate a strong spatial variability of the seasonal patterns of intermittence and the annual and seasonal number of zero-flow days, highlighting the controls exerted by local catchment properties. Most of the detected trends indicate an increasing number of zero-flow days, which also tend to occur earlier in the year, particularly in southern Europe. The SPEI is found to be strongly related to the annual and seasonal zero-flow day occurrence in more than half of the stations for different accumulation times between 12 and 24 months. Conversely, there is a weaker dependence of river intermittence with large-scale circulation indices. Overall, these results suggest increased water stress in intermittent rivers that may affect their biota and biochemistry and also reduce available water resources

Changing climate both increases and decreases European river floods

Climate change has led to concerns about increasing river floods resulting from the greater water-holding capacity of a warmer atmosphere. These concerns are reinforced by evidence of increasing economic losses associated with flooding in many parts of the world, including Europe. Any changes in river floods would have lasting implications for the design of flood protection measures and flood risk zoning. However, existing studies have been unable to identify a consistent continental-scale climatic-change signal in flood discharge observations in Europe, because of the limited spatial coverage and number of hydrometric stations. Here we demonstrate clear regional patterns of both increases and decreases in observed river flood discharges in the past five decades in Europe, which are manifestations of a changing climate. Our results—arising from the most complete database of European flooding so far—suggest that: increasing autumn and winter rainfall has resulted in increasing floods in northwestern Europe; decreasing precipitation and increasing evaporation have led to decreasing floods in medium and large catchments in southern Europe; and decreasing snow cover and snowmelt, resulting from warmer temperatures, have led to decreasing floods in eastern Europe. Regional flood discharge trends in Europe range from an increase of about 11 per cent per decade to a decrease of 23 per cent. Notwithstanding the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the observational record, the flood changes identified here are broadly consistent with climate model projections for the next century, suggesting that climate-driven changes are already happening and supporting calls for the consideration of climate change in flood risk management

Changing climate shifts timing of European floods

A warming climate is expected to have an impact on the magnitude and timing of river floods; however, no consistent large-scale climate change signal in observed flood magnitudes has been identified so far. We analyzed the timing of river floods in Europe over the past five decades, using a pan-European database from 4262 observational hydrometric stations, and found clear patterns of change in flood timing. Warmer temperatures have led to earlier spring snowmelt floods throughout northeastern Europe; delayed winter storms associated with polar warming have led to later winter floods around the North Sea and some sectors of the Mediterranean coast; and earlier soil moisture maxima have led to earlier winter floods in western Europe. Our results highlight the existence of a clear climate signal in flood observations at the continental scale