Average rate of phenological changes in Poland according to climatic changes : evaluation and mapping

The main objective of this study was evaluation and mapping of an average rate of phenological changes for example special plant s indicators as a result of climatic changes in Poland. Multi-year analysis clearly showed a tendency to earlier onset of spring events. The average advance of flowering/leafing was -1.4 days/decade and -2.4 days/1^{\circ}C. Whereas the response of autumn phenophases was ambiguous. Phenological and climate data come from archives of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Analysis covered the period of 1951-1992. The relation between temperature and date of phenophases was described with Pearson's linear regression model. Statistical significance of the model parameters was checked with Student's t-test at the following levels: 0.05, 0.01, and 0.001. The results were visualised on maps. ArcGIS 9.2 Geostatistical Analyst was used to examine the data and create prediction maps. Numerous tests were performed in order to find an appropriate method of spatial interpolation. Finally kriging was chosen as the most precise

Land Surface Temperature Patterns in the Urban Agglomeration of Krakow (Poland) Derived from Landsat-7/ETM+ Data

The aim of this study was to identify typical and specific features of land surface temperature (LST) distribution in the city of Krakow and its surroundings with the use of Landsat/ETM+ data. The paper contains a detailed description of the study area and technical properties of the Landsat program and data, as well as a complete methodology of LST retrieval. Retrieved LST records have been standardized in order to ensure comparability between satellite images acquired during different seasons. The method also enables identification of characteristic thermal regions, i.e. areas always colder and always warmer than a zonal mean LST value for Krakow. The research includes spatial analysis of the standardized LST with regard to different land cover types. Basic zonal statistics such as mean standardized LST and percentage share of hot and cold regions within 10 land cover types were calculated. GIS was used for automated data processing and mapping. The results confirmed the most obvious dependence of the LST on different land cover types. Some more factors influencing the LST were recognized on the basis of detailed investigation of the LST pattern in the urban agglomeration of Krakow. The factors are: emission of anthropogenic heat, insolation of the surfaces depending first of all on land relief and shape of buildings, seasonal changes of vegetation and weather conditions at the time of satellite image acquisition

Wiatr fenowy jako sezonowy czynnik ryzyka samobójstwa w regionie górskim

Cel: Przekonanie, że wiatr fenowy ma wpływ na samobójstwa, jest mocno zakorzenione w lokalnej kulturze w różnych regionach górskich świata, niemniej jednak dane naukowe dotyczące tego tematu są ograniczone. W niniejszej pracy badano hipotezę możliwej zależności między halnym (wiatr typu fenowego występujący w polskiej części Tatr) a ryzykiem samobójstwa. Metoda: Dokonano analizy liczby samobójstw odnotowanych w latach 1999-2014 przez urząd Policji w powiecie tatrzańskim w kontekście dobowych danych meteorologicznych. Fen zdefiniowano jako zespół różnych czynników meteorologicznych, w tym zmiany ciśnienia powietrza, temperatury, wilgotności, zachmurzenia, prędkości i kierunku wiatru. Zostały wzięte pod uwagę dni, w których pojawiły się warunki sprzyjające wystąpieniu wiatru halnego, oraz dwa dni poprzedzające zjawisko. Obliczono względne ryzyko samobójstwa. Wyniki: W okresie badania zarejestrowano 210 przypadków samobójstw, z czego 14,5% miało miejsce w dniach ze zjawiskami fenowymi. Wskaźnik samobójstw był podobny przez cały rok, niezależnie od pory roku. Halny nie zmienił ogólnego dobowego ryzyka samobójstwa, jednak mógł mieć wpływ na sezonowe ryzyko samobójstwa (p < 0,05). W dwóch grupach wiatru fenowego względne ryzyko zwiększyło się ponadczterokrotnie w okresie letnim i dwukrotnie w okresie jesieni, a wiosną obniżyło się dziesięciokrotnie. Wniosek: Brak jednoznacznych powiązań pomiędzy występowaniem halnego a samobójstwami. Wiatr fenowy mógł zwiększać ryzyko samobójstwa w Tatrach w okresie letnim i jesiennym analizowanego okresu. Konieczne są dalsze badania, aby wytłumaczyć możliwy związek wiatrów fenowych ze zgonami samobójczymi oraz aby wykorzystać wyniki tych badań do działań z zakresu zapobiegania samobójstwom w regionach górskich.Objective: The belief that the foehn wind has an impact on suicide is firmly rooted in local culture in various mountain regions of the world, but scientific data on this subject are limited. In this study, the hypothesis of a possible relationship between Halny (foehn type wind occurring in the Polish part of the Tatra Mountains) and the risk of suicide was examined. Method: The number of suicides recorded in the years 1999-2014 by the Police Office in the Tatra region in the context of diurnal meteorological data was defined. Foehn was defined as a set of various meteorological factors, including changes in air pressure, temperature, humidity, cloud cover as well as wind direction and speed. The days on which favourable conditions for the occurrence of the foehn wind and the two days preceding the phenomenon were taken into account. The relative risk of suicide was calculated. Results: 210 cases of suicides were recorded during the study period, of which 14.5% occurred on the foehn wind day. The suicide rate was similar throughout the year, regardless of the season. Halny did not change the overall daily risk of suicide, but could have had an impact on the seasonal risk of suicide (p < 0.05). In two groups of foehn wind, relative risk increased more than fourfold in summer and twice in autumn, and in spring it decreased tenfold. Conclusion: There are no clear links between the occurrence of the foehn wind and suicides. The foehn wind could increase the risk of suicide in the Tatra Mountains in the summer and autumn of the analysed period. Further research is needed to explain a possible relationship between foehn winds and suicide as well as to apply the research results in this field in suicide prevention in the mountain regions