Effects of coal storage in air on physical and chemical properties of coal and on gas adsorption

This paper investigates changes in the high-volatile bituminous Lower Block Coal Member from Indiana owing to moisture availability and oxidation in air at ambient pressure and temperature over storage time. Specifically, it investigates changes in chemistry, in surface area, and pore structure, as well as changes in methane and carbon dioxide adsorption capacities. Our results document that the methane adsorption capacity increased by 40%, whereas CO₂ adsorption capacity increased by 18% during a 13-month time period. These changes in adsorption are accompanied by changes in chemistry and surface area of the coal.The observed changes in adsorption capacity indicate that special care must be taken when collecting samples and preserving coals until adsorption characteristics are measured in the laboratory. High-pressure isotherms from partially dried coal samples would likely cause overestimation of gas adsorption capacities, lead to a miscalculation of coal-bed methane prospects, and provide deceptively optimistic prognoses for recovery of coal-bed methane or capture of anthropogenic CO₂.     

A multi-criteria method for assessment of spatial data infrastructure effectiveness

There is a demand for evaluation of spatial data infrastructures (SDIs), to justify and monitor the relations between investments in SDI initiatives and the results obtained. It is also essential to pay particular attention to identifying user communities, and eliciting their assessment of effects deriving from an SDI. The paper introduces a concept of a multi-criteria method which allows to assess effectiveness of the SDI from the user perspective. The application of the proposed method in the Polish Spatial Data Infrastructure (PSDI) and its main access point to spatial data and services called ‘Geoportal 2’ as well as two groups of the national geoportal”s users (spatial planners and land surveyors) presents its potential. The total scores for the Geoportal 2 indicated the investment has potential and is quite effective, although some components of the PSDI (e.g. main access point, datasets, network services, software, hardware, procedures) may need improvements and additional analyses in the future. The contribution of this paper is the multi-criteria method which enables the analysis of outcomes, benefits (impacts) and business value of using SDI business project’s artifacts (outputs) considering the following dimensions: information and support provided, use process, user organizational performance, strategic alignment and business impact on user enterprise.     

The occurrence and distribution of freshwater snails in a heavily industrialised region of Poland (Upper Silesia)

Anthropogenic water bodies namely fish ponds, clay pits, sand pits, dam reservoirs or mining subsidence pools are the characteristic feature of Upper Silesian landscape. In the study, the gastropod communities occurring in 296 anthropogenic water bodies were discussed in relation to their distribution in macroregions of Upper Silesia, role in industrialised and urbanised environment and the significance for regional biodiversity.In period 1998–2002, 31 freshwater gastropod species were found in the study area. It is noteworthy, that the anthropogenic water habitats of Upper Silesia provide a refuge for several rare and vulnerable species, among them e.g. Anisus leucostoma (Millet, 1813), Gyraulus rossmaessleri (V. Auerswald, 1852) and Hippeutis complanatus (Linnaeus, 1758).     

Impact of forecasted land use changes on flood risk in the Polish Carpathians

Flooding is a major environmental hazard in Poland with risks that are likely to increase in the future. Land use and land cover (LULC) have a strong influencing on flood risk. In the Polish Carpathians, the two main projected land use change processes are forest expansion and urbanization. These processes have a contradictory impact on flood risk, which makes the future impact of LULC changes on flooding in the Carpathians hard to estimate. In this paper, we investigate the impact of the projected LULC changes on future flood risk in the Polish Carpathians for the test area of Ropa river basin. We used three models of spatially explicit future LULC scenarios for the year 2060. We conduct hydrological simulations for the current state and for the three projected land use scenarios (trend extrapolation, ‘liberalization’ and ‘self-sufficiency’). In addition, we calculated the amount of flood-related monetary losses, based on the current flood plain area and both actual and projected land use maps under each of the three scenarios. The results show that in the Ropa river, depending on scenario, either peak discharge decreases due to the forest expansion or the peak discharge remains constant—the impact of LULC changes on the hydrology of such mountainous basins is relatively low. However, the peak discharges are very diverse across sub-catchments within the modeling area. Despite the overall decrease of peak discharge, there are areas of flow increase and there is a substantial projected increase in flood-related monetary losses within the already flood-prone areas, related to the projected degree of urbanization.     

Rapid migration of heavy metals and <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs in alluvial sediments,Upper Odra River valley,Poland

The studies presented explore post-depositional changes of zinc, cadmium, lead, manganese and ¹³⁷Cs distribution in alluvial sediments accumulated in the upper Odra River valley in southern Poland. The rate of these changes was estimated by comparing metal and ¹³⁷Cs distributions in four vertical alluvial profiles with a history of river pollution and sediment deposition. The untypical ¹³⁷Cs distribution with peaks in the surface 40–60 cm and lower down, even at a depth of 2.5 m in strata deposited before the beginning of nuclear tests in 1954, indicates rapid post-depositional migration of this isotope from the surface and its retention in lower, less permeable layers. Moreover, the highest concentrations of lead, zinc and cadmium were found at a depth of 4 m in sediments accumulated in the mid-nineteenth century in spite of the growth of industrialization and the pollution of the Odra River with heavy metals until the end of the twentieth century. The post-depositional changes in heavy metals and ¹³⁷Cs are rapid in comparison with the slow element migration usually observed in uninundated soils. This difference is explained by the frequent and easy infiltration of polluted river water into the gravelly and sandy sediments present in the profiles.     

Long-term inter-annual variability of a cyclonic gyre in the western Irish Sea

The western Irish Sea gyre (WISG) is a cyclonic baroclinic flow around a dome of stagnant water which develops each year during the heating season in the western Irish Sea. Research was carried out to determine long-term changes in the strength of stratification within WISG and associated changes in the gyre structure, circulation patterns and retentive properties. Model simulations were carried out for the 58-year period 1951-2008. The characteristics of the gyre were quantified by means of potential energy anomaly (PEA), measuring the strength of stratification, and total kinetic energy (KE), reflecting the strength of cyclonic circulation. Additionally, long-term changes in flushing rates within the gyre were assessed.Results show that stratification in the western Irish Sea consistently begins to develop in March, increases linearly from April till June, peaks at the beginning of July and remains at close to maximum level throughout the month of July, before a start of a sharp decline at the beginning of August. The strength of stratification is significantly correlated with averaged summer air temperatures and summer wind speeds. Trend analysis of PEA shows an increase in the stratification strength over the period considered; the increase of PEA peak value is accompanied by a shortening of the gyre duration and a delay in the timing of the peak value. There is also an increasing trend in the KE value, showing that the thermal stratification plays a crucial role in the hydrography of the region. Flushing analysis shows that the stronger the stratification the lower the residence time and thus the faster the removal of the material from the western Irish Sea. Residence time within WISG shortens on average by 8 days over the 58-year period.