Therapeutic waters as geotourism values of the Polish Baltic sea coast

The oldest spa towns in the Polish Lowland have developed on the basis of brines from which salt used to be refined. This article presents conditions for the occurrence of medicinal (therapeutic) waters on the Polish Baltic Sea coast. It discusses the development of naturopathy in the area and presents brine water intakes and their utilisation. Moreover, the main tourist attractions of the spa towns and chances for the development of health tourism in the area are enumerated

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

The impact of environmental conditions on water salinity in the area of the city of Inowrocław (north-central Poland)

The article presents the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors on the chemical and physical properties of surface and ground waters in the area of the city of Inowrocław. It has been shown that the properties of the waters were most strongly affected by the specific geological structure (the city is located within the Zechstein salt dome) as well as the long-term influence of a salt mine and soda plant. The composition of most analysed samples was dominated by Ca 2+ , Na + and Cl - ions. In places of heavy industrial activity, some water parameters were several time higher than permissible values according to Polish standards. It is concluded that, due to the threat to the city’s ground drinking water resources and fertile soils, the surface and ground waters in the area in question require permanent monitoring

Chernobyl fall out in salt from Ciechocinek, Poland

The initial interest in the total inventory of the radionuclide fission products ejected from Chernobyl has been replaced with concern about the deposition and accumulation in the environment of those isotopes with longer half lives, mainly Cs-137 and Cs-134. We present here the slightly unusual case of collection of caesium isotopes in the salt of graduation towers used in salt production. In this case, the radiocaesium first settled down from the air to the wetted surface of the graduation tower in Ciechocinek and then, due to crystallisation of the brine, was deposited in the salt.Początkowe obawy, dotyczące całkowitej emisji radioaktywnych zanieczyszczeń uwolnionych w wyniku katastrofy w Czarnobylu (1986) po pewnym czasie ustąpiły miejsca zaniepokojeniu związanemu z depozycją i akumulacją w środowisku długożyciowych izotopów promieniotwórczych, przede wszystkim cezu: Cs-137 i Cs-134. Przedstawiamy nieco zaskakujący przypadek nagromadzenia tych izotopów cezu w soli, pochodzącej z tężni w Ciechocinku, które są wykorzystywane do zagęszczania solanki. Atomy radioizotopów cezu najpierw osiadły na wilgotnych powierzchniach tężni, działających niczym gigantyczny filtr powietrza, a następnie, w wyniku krystalizacji solanki, znalazły się w soli, także tej paczkowanej i dostępnej m.in. w handlu. Należy zaznaczyć, że stężenie radioizotopów cezu okazało się tak niewielkie, że nie stwarzało zagrożenia dla zdrowia

Health risk assessment resulting from the presence of Legionella bacteria in domestic hot water in public buildings – the results of a pilot study

The aim of the study was to assess the risk posed by Legionella bacteria in a public building in Krakow. An old building with internal installation risers of different ages, as well as draw-off points of different types, was selected for testing. Samples were collected during two campaigns. In one sample of the first series of tests, no bacteria were found. During the second series of tests, no Legionella bacilli were found in just one sample and in one sample only 4 colony-forming units were detected. At the remaining draw-off points (water taps), the bacteria count detected were greater than the maximum threshold allowed by legal regulations (admissible threshold for public utility buildings – 100 cfu/100 mL). No morphological differences were observed with respect to the occurrence of specific serogroups. In 14 samples, Legionella pneumophila serogroups 2–14 were found, while the Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was only found in one sample. The risk assessment was also carried out based on a semi-quantitative risk matrix approach and as a quantitative microbial risk assessment. The risk matrix approach was successfully implemented for the recognition of the potential risk associated with the Legionella occurrence in a water system. The calculated annual cumulative risk is high. The research shows that even if the weekly inhalation exposure dose (and therefore the calculated risk) is high, the number of Legionella pneumophila illness cases found can be equal to zero. This is probably due to the large uncertainty associated with QMRA determination. The size of the room in which the contaminated water is used also affects the possibility of infection

Groundwater chemistry and origin of the visutla delta plain

River estuaries are peculiar areas from the point of view of their groundwater origins, frequently connected with the diversification of groundwater chemistry. In the area of the Vistula delta in a number of places, the increased concentration of chloride and fluoride ions has occurred (Kozerski et al. 1987). These issues have already been considered in the studies of Kozerski (1981), Kozerski and Kwaterkiewicz (1984, 1988). The origin of salt and brackish water in the area of Żuławy was already the subject of scientific research in the 1930s (Schroeder 1931), and subsequently continued by Sadurski (1985, 1989), Burzyński and Sadurski (1989), Zuber at al. (1990, 2000) and Krawiec (2013)

Groundwater chemistry and origin of the visutla delta plain

River estuaries are peculiar areas from the point of view of their groundwater origins, frequently connected with the diversification of groundwater chemistry. In the area of the Vistula delta in a number of places, the increased concentration of chloride and fluoride ions has occurred (Kozerski et al. 1987). These issues have already been considered in the studies of Kozerski (1981), Kozerski and Kwaterkiewicz (1984, 1988). The origin of salt and brackish water in the area of Żuławy was already the subject of scientific research in the 1930s (Schroeder 1931), and subsequently continued by Sadurski (1985, 1989), Burzyński and Sadurski (1989), Zuber at al. (1990, 2000) and Krawiec (2013)

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

Geoturist Evaluation of Geosites in the Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve (N Poland)

The geotourist evaluation of 32 geosites, including mineral deposits occurrence (1), petrological (12), sedimentological (2), and geomorphological (9), as well as hydrological and hydrogeological (8) sites, located in the area of Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve (TFBR), has been carried out. The study aims to provide a qualitative assessment of geodiversity via the evaluation of abiotic nature objects, as well as propose modifications in geotourist valuation criteria, for the purpose of applying it to the areas located in the Central European Plains. The evaluated geosites represent both perfect examples of typical features for the physiography of the TFBR, as a young glacial landscape, e.g., erratic boulders, glaciofluvial landforms, postglacial landforms, and lakes or peatbogs, as well as values proving the uniqueness of the area on both regional and international scales, e.g., disused underground lignite mine “Montania”. High scores of geotourist attractiveness (between 36 and 44 points) have been received by 14 evaluated geosites (1 mineral deposits occurrence geosite, 4 petrological geosites, 1 sedimentological geosite, and 5 geomorphological geosites, as well as 3 hydrological and hydrogeological geosites). The remaining 18 geosites have received a medium score (between 25 and 34 points). Three areas of high concentration of geosites, which overlap with the boundaries of Tuchola, Wdecki, and Zaborski (area of the greatest diversity of highly-ranked geosites) landscape parks, were distinguished. The authors proposed geosites that require improving their accessibility to enhance the geotourist attractiveness, recognized the necessity of marking out geotourist trails in the most attractive and diversified areas, and noticed the influence of extreme weather phenomena (whirwinds) on changes in the geotourist attractiveness of some geosites. It is believed that the results of the conducted evaluation may favorably affect the importance, position, and publicity of the whole area by supplementing the well-recognized biodiversity with the geodiversity presented in the study

Mass-Movement Causes and Landslide Susceptibility in River Valleys of Lowland Areas: A Case Study in the Central Radunia Valley, Northern Poland

This work aims to analyse the mechanisms and factors contributing to shallow soil landslides in river valleys entrenched in lowlands on the example of the Central Radunia Valley. The combination of susceptibility analysis using geographic-information-system-based statistical models, field surveys, analysis of archival materials, and numerical modelling for the analysis of slope stability and hydrogeological processes allows for comprehensive landslide reconstruction, mass movement mechanism description, and an explanation of the role of triggering and causal factors. The results emphasise the need for cross-disciplinary studies of shallow soil landslides. The identification and prioritisation of the causal factors indicate that geomorphological conditions play a particularly important role. The current study shows that the greatest influence on landslide formation in the Central Radunia Valley is slope angle, as determined using a high-resolution digital elevation model. The slope angle factor is sufficient to produce a reliable susceptibility map (the areas under the curve of the success rate and prediction rate curves are 87.84% and 85.34%, respectively). However, numerical modelling of slope failure also clearly indicated that there was a significant influence of anthropogenic impacts on the landslide process. We determined that the main triggering factor causing the January 2019 Rutki landslide was related to the drilling of a borehole on 10 January 2019. The water used for drilling hydrated the soil and thus weakened the stability conditions