Application of satellite Sentinel-1 radar images for description of ice phenomena on Dębe reservoir

Winter conditions of low air temperature cause development of ice phenomena at rivers and reservoirs, creating often problems in their exploitation. There is a need to continuously monitor the spatial extension of ice phenomena and their different forms. Local water authority (RZGW Warszawa) prepares for rivers under their administration a daily reports on ice conditions in winter. Ice reports are prepared from visual inspection of the RZGW personnel visiting selected sections of the river course. This is specially problematic in holidays and weekends when usually data from observations are missing. In this study it is tested application of microwave remote sensing data from Sentinel-1 platform to observe the development and recession of the ice cover at the Dębe reservoir in winter 2017. Satellite Sentinel-1 radar images are distributed by the European Space Agency (ESA) on the open access policy. These are two satellites A and B which every 2 days collect images in SAR active remote sensing technique. Dębe reservoir was created in 1963 by closing by the barrage Narew river below its confluence with Bug river. Maximum water head is 7.1 m, and average 6.8 m. Area of the reservoir is 30.3 km2 average discharge of Bug river at Wyszków gauge is 162 m3 • s–1, and Narew river at Zambski Kościelne gauge 139 m3 • s–1. Retention time of water in the reservoir is 3–4 days. Comparison of the average water temperature at gauge Zambski Kościelne and Wyszków from the winter half-year of the period 1963–1981 shows the increase of water temperature by 0.5–1 C after the year 1972 when Ostrołęka power station was put in to operation. This difference in the temperature between Narew and Bug rivers is reflected by the ice conditions at the end of winter season. Sentinel-1 SAR instrument emits electromagnetic wavelength of 6 cm (C band), and are use two polarizations VH and VV. Using SNAP program geometric correction and color composite was created for selected images at the beginning and end of ice cover at Dębe reservoir on Narew river, covering period January 5-March 6, 2017. It has been found that interpretation of the Sentinel-1 images is most problematic if we want to detect boundary between open calm water and new fast ice. The flow of pancake ice on January 5, 2017 had been recorded and the pattern of ice distribution compared to flow lines calculated by the hydrodynamic CCHE2D model. Result of the hydrodynamic modeling shows circulation pattern in the widest part of the reservoir where are also the most favorable conditions for lake type of ice cover formation. End of ice cover is represented by the image of February 26, 2017 which shows the Narew river free from ice due to higher temperature of the water. Relatively simple visual interpretation of the Sentinel-1 VH and VV images can by used in the study of ice phenomena on major rivers and lakes

Numerical Modeling of Transport of Thermal Pollution in a River – Case Study

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchiv

GIS approach to estimation of the total phosphorous transfer in the Pilica River lowland catchment

In this paper, the Pilica River catchment (central Poland) is analyzed with a focus on understanding the total phosphorous transfer along the river system which also contains the large artificial Sulejów Reservoir. The paper presents a GIS method for estimating the total phosphorous (TP) load from proxy data representing sub-catchment land use and census data. The modelled load of TP is compared to the actual transfer of TP in the Pilica River system. The results shows that the metrics of connectivity between river system and dwelling areas as well as settlement density in the sub-catchments are useful predictors of the total phosphorous load. The presence of a large reservoir in the middle course of the river can disrupt nutrient transport along a river continuum by trapping and retaining suspended sediment and its associated TP load. Analysis of the indirect estimation of TP loads with the GIS analysis can be useful for identifying beneficial reservoir locations in a catchment. The study has shown that the Sulejów Reservoir has been located in a subcatchment with a largest load of the TP, and this feature helps determine the problem of reservoir eutrphication

Polska w kształtowaniu europejskiego systemu bezpieczeństwa : aspekt militarny

Abstract: The article presents Poland's military contribution to the activities of three NATO, EU and OSCE organizations that form the basis of the European security system and, at the same time, the maintenance of world peace. This activity has been presented over the past few years. The use of Polish military units in operations conducted by the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union in the European area as well as military-civil activity in missions conducted by the OSCE is presented. It also contained content related to Poland's contribution to maintaining security and ensuring peace on our continent.Streszczenie: W artykule przedstawiono wkład militarny Polski w działalność trzech organizacji NATO, UE i OBWE, które stanowią podstawę europejskiego systemu bezpieczeństwa a zarazem utrzymania pokoju na świecie. Aktywność ta została przedstawiona na przestrzeni ostatnich kilku lat. Przedstawiono użycie polskich jednostek wojskowych w operacjach prowadzonych przez Sojusz Północnoatlantycki i Unię Europejską na obszarze europejskim oraz aktywność wojskowo- cywilną w misjach prowadzonych przez OBWE. Zawarte zostały w nim również treści związane z wkładem Polski w utrzymanie bezpieczeństwa oraz zapewnienie pokoju na naszym kontynencie

System Analysis in International Development: From Concept to Application in Flood Prone Communities

Disasters pose a growing threat to sustainable development. Disaster risk management efforts have largely failed to arrest key drivers of uncontrolled urbanization and proliferation of assets in high risk areas. Systems analysis provides a unique interpretation of this failure, and a new pathway for remedy. Increasing “buzz” around the concept of disaster “resilience” (fundamentally a systems concept) has opened the door for the application of systems analysis in the complex arena of the social-ecological foundations of risk and development; yet it has been vaguely conceptualized, not offering a concrete approach to operationalization. We propose a conceptualization of disaster resilience built on system thinking. This conceptualization is centered on wellbeing (healthy system functioning) and explicitly draws attention to system interactions over the long term. We then present a systems analysis conceptual framework for exploring the real-world interconnections between disasters and development. Finally we outline how this framework has been applied with stakeholders in Peru, and present key lessons pertinent for researchers applying systems thinking in complex, socio-ecological governance settings

A Biological and Ethical Comparison of Birth Plans: Literature Review

The purpose of our study was to investigate the current literature surrounding birth methods and outcomes. This study compared the medical outcomes across different birth plans including physician-assisted in-hospital births, midwife-assisted births, and home births. The differences found among birth plans vary in risk profile across race and ethnicity. The studies used suggest non-white persons disproportionately experience birth complications, while their white counterparts are more likely to utilize midwife services and have lower rates of poor outcomes. This distinction can be due to the socioeconomic disadvantages met within gynecological resources available for persons of color, in addition to the financial burden associated with creating a birth plan. These facts are for research purposes only, and are not to advocate for or against different birthing methods

Assessing the resilience of a river management regime: Informal learning in a shadow network in the Tisza River Basin

Global sources of change offer unprecedented challenges to conventional river management strategies, which no longer appear capable of credibly addressing a trap: the failure of conventional river defense engineering to manage rising trends of disordering extreme events, including frequency and intensity of floods, droughts, and water stagnation in the Hungarian reaches of the Tisza River Basin. Extreme events punctuate trends of stagnation or decline in the ecosystems, economies, and societies of this river basin that extend back decades, and perhaps, centuries. These trends may be the long-term results of defensive strategies of the historical river management regime that reflect a paradigm dating back to the Industrial Revolution: "Protect the Landscape from the River." Since then all policies have defaulted to the imperatives of this paradigm such that it became the convention underlying the current river management regime. As an exponent of this convention the current river management regimes' methods, concepts, infrastructure, and paradigms that reinforce one another in setting the basin's development trajectory, have proven resilient to change from wars, political, and social upheaval for centuries. Failure to address the trap makes the current river management regimes resilience appear detrimental to the regions future development prospects and prompts demand for transformation to a more adaptive river management regime. Starting before transition to democracy, a shadow network has generated multiple dialogues in Hungary, informally exploring the roots of this trap as part of a search for ideas and methods to revitalize the region. We report on how international scientists joined one dialogue, applying system dynamics modeling tools to explore barriers and bridges to transformation of the current river management regime and develop the capacity for participatory science to expand the range of perspectives that inform, monitor, and revise learning, policy, and the practice of river management

Conceptual modeling for adaptive environmental assessment and management in the Barycz Valley, Lower Silesia, Poland

The complexity of interactions in socio-ecological systems makes it very difficult to plan and implement policies successfully. Traditional environmental management and assessment techniques produce unsatisfactory results because they often ignore facets of system structure that underlie complexity: delays, feedbacks, and non-linearities. Assuming that causes are linked in a linear chain, they concentrate on technological developments (“hard path”) as the only solutions to environmental problems. Adaptive Management is recognized as a promising alternative approach directly addressing links between social and ecological systems and involving stakeholders in the analysis and decision process. This “soft path” requires special tools to facilitate collaboration between “experts” and stakeholders in analyzing complex situations and prioritizing policies and actions. We have applied conceptual modeling to increase communication, understanding and commitment in the project of seven NGOs “Sustainable Regional Development in the Odra Catchment”. The main goal was to help our NGO partners to facilitate their efforts related to developing sustainable policies and practices to respond to large-scale challenges (EU accession, global changes in climate and economy) to their natural, economic and socio-cultural heritages. Among the variety of sustainability issues explored by these NGOs, two (extensive agricultural practices and “green” local products) were examined by using Adaptive Management (AM) as a framework that would link analysis, discussion, research, actions and monitoring. Within the AM framework the project coordinators used tools of systems analysis (Mental Model Mapping) to facilitate discussions in which NGO professionals and local stakeholders could graphically diagram and study their understanding of what factors interacted and how they affect the region’s sustainability. These discussions produced larger-scale Regional Sustainability Models as well as more detailed sub-models of particular factors, processes, and feedback loops that appear critical to a sustainable future. The Regional Sustainability Model was used to identify a subset of key interacting factors (variables). For each variable, several sustainability indicators were suggested. The growing understanding and acceptance of the AM framework and systems analysis created a momentum both locally and within the region, which makes continued successful use of these indicators quite likely. In contrast to expert-driven projects that inject outside knowledge into a local context, this project established a broad basis for stakeholder-driven discussion that is articulated into goals, objectives, conceptual models, and indicators. The ability to learn and adapt in the AM framework increases the capacity to innovate and find policies and practices that enhance resilience and sustainability in a world in transition