Temporal and spatial variability of extreme river flow quantiles in the Upper Vistula River basin,Poland

Temporal and spatial variability in extreme quantile anomalies of seasonal and annual maximum river flows was studied for 41 gauging stations at rivers in the Upper Vistula River basin, Poland. Using the quantile perturbation method, the temporal variability in anomalies was analysed. Interdecadal oscillating components were extracted from the series of anomalies using the Hilbert‐Huang transform method. Period length, part of variance of each component, and part of unexplained variance were assessed. Results show an oscillating pattern in the temporal occurrence of extreme flow quantiles with clusters of high values in the 1960–1970s and since the late 1990s and of low values in the 1980s and at the beginning of the 1990s. The anomalies show a high variability on the right bank of the Upper Vistula River basin during the summer season with the highest values in catchments located in the western and south‐western parts of the basin. River flow extreme quantiles were found to be associated with large‐scale climatic variables from the regions of the North Atlantic Ocean, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Asia, and, to a lesser extent, the Pacific Ocean. Similarities between temporal variability of river flows and climatic factors were revealed. Results of the study are important for flood frequency analysis because a long observation period is necessary to capture clusters of high and low river flows.     

The influence of atmospheric circulation on the intensity of urban heat island and urban cold island in Poznań, Poland

The study has analyzed influence of an atmospheric circulation on urban heat island (UHI) and urban cold island (UCI) in Poznań. Analysis was conducted on the basis of temperature data from two measurement points situated in the city center and in the ?awica airport (reference station) and the data concerning the air circulation (Nied?wied?’s calendar of circulation types and reanalysis of National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)). The cases with UHI constitute about 85 % of all data, and UCI phenomena appear with a frequency of 14 % a year. The intensity of UHI phenomenon is higher in the anticyclonic circulation types. During the year in anticyclonic circulation, intensity of UHI is 1.2 °C on average while in cyclonic is only 0.8 °C. The occurring of UHI phenomena is possible throughout all seasons of the year in all hours of the day usually in anticyclonic circulation types. The cases with highest UHI intensity are related mostly to nighttime. The cases of UCI phenomena occurred almost ever on the daytime and the most frequently in colder part of the year together with cyclonic circulation. Study based on reanalysis data indicates that days with large intensity of UHI (above 4, 5, and 6 °C) are related to anticyclonic circulation. Anticyclonic circulation is also promoting the formation of the strongest UCI. Results based on both reanalysis and the atmospheric circulation data (Nied?wied?’s circulation type) confirm that cases with the strongest UHI and UCI during the same day occur in strong high-pressure system with the center situated above Poland or central Europe.     

Numerical modelling of water transport processes in partially-connected tidal basins

In the paper two types of numerical models – a lumped-parameter model and a high-resolution two-dimensional hydrodynamic model – are used to analyse the response of a system of partially-connected tidal basins to inhomogeneous open sea forcing. The equations of the lumped-parameter model, suitable for an arbitrary number of basins with sloping walls, are formulated based on one-dimensional continuity and momentum equations. Numerical solutions to the equations are thoroughly examined, showing the influence of inhomogeneous open sea forcing and of geometrical parameters of the basins on the tidal range and the water transport through the system, with particular emphasis given to inter-basin water exchange and cumulative water transport through basins boundaries. The results of the lumped-parameter model simulations for the tidal basins of the German Wadden Sea are successfully compared with the results of calculations with the two-dimensional hydrodynamic model, which is used to investigate in more detail circulation patterns and the influence of specific local features of inlet bathymetry on the hydrodynamic processes in the study area. The influence of wind on the basins response is discussed as well.     

Chemical and isotopic variations in the Wiśniówka Mała mine pit water,Holy Cross Mountains (south-central Poland)

In 2005 and 2006, hydrogeochemical study was carried out in the bipartite Wiśniówka Mała pit lake of the Holy Cross Mountains (south-central Poland). This is the largest acidic water body in Poland. This report presents the element concentrations in the water and sediment, stable sulfur and oxygen isotope ratios in the soluble sulfates, and stable oxygen isotope ratio in the water. The scope of the investigation also encompassed mineralogical examinations (scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction) of the sediment. The results of this study show that there is a spatial and temporal variability in concentrations of most elements and sulfur isotope ratios in the examined pit lake. The water of the western pond displayed a lower pH with a mean of 3.73 and higher conductivity (390 μS cm⁻¹) as well as higher concentrations of sulfates (156 mg L⁻¹) and most of the cations and anions. The concentrations of Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ averaged 0.8 and 0.4 mg·L⁻¹. In contrast, the eastern pond water revealed a higher pH (mean of 4.36), lower conductivity (293 μS cm⁻¹) and lower sulfate (90 mg L⁻¹) and trace metal levels. Similar variations were recorded in the stable sulfur isotope ratios. The δ³⁴S_V-CDT(SO₄ ²⁻) values in the water of the western pit pond were in the range of −6.7 to −4.6‰ (mean of −5.6‰), whereas that in the eastern pit pond ranged from −2.2 to −0.9‰ (−1.6‰). The alkalinity of the entire lake water was below 0.1 mg·L⁻¹ CaCO₃. No distinct difference in the δ¹⁸O_V-SMOW(SO₄ ²⁻) was noted between the western and eastern pit ponds. Compared to the Purple Pond in the Sudetes (Poland) and similar sites throughout the world, the examined pit lake is highlighted by distinctly low concentrations of sulfates, iron and other trace metals. Based on this and other studies performed in the Holy Cross Mountains, a conclusion can be drawn that the SO₄ ²⁻ in the Wiśniówka Mała pit lake water is a mixture of SO₄ ²⁻ derived from the following sources: (1) pyrite oxidation (especially in the western pond water), (2) leaching of soluble sulfates from soils and waste material, as well as (3) subordinate deposition of airborne sulfate precipitation.     

Statistics of Turbulence in the Stable Boundary Layer Affected by Gravity Waves

In order to investigate effects of interactions between turbulence and gravity waves in the stable boundary layer on similarity theory relationships, we re-examined a dataset, collected during three April nights in 1978 and in 1980 on the 300-m tower of the Boulder Atmospheric Observatory (BAO). The BAO site, located in Erie, Colorado, USA, 30 km east of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, has been known for the frequent detection of wave activities. The considered profiles of turbulent fluxes and variances were normalized by two local, gradient-based scaling systems, and subsequently compared with similarity functions of the Richardson number, obtained based on data with no influence of gravity currents and topographical factors. The first scaling system was based on local values of the vertical velocity variance $\sigma _\mathrm{w}$ and the Brunt–Väisäla frequency $ N,$ while the second one was based on the temperature variance $\sigma _{\theta }$ and $N.$ Analysis showed some departures from the similarity functions (obtained for data with virtually no influence of mesoscale motions); nonetheless the overall dependency of dimensionless moments on the Richardson number was maintained.     

A minimum sample size required from Schmidt hammer measurements

The Schmidt hammer is a useful tool applied by geomorphologists to measure rock strength in field conditions. The essence of field application is to obtain a sufficiently large dataset of individual rebound values, which yields a meaningful numerical value of mean strength. Although there is general agreement that a certain minimum sample size is required to proceed with the statistics, the choice of size (i.e. number of individual impacts) was usually intuitive and arbitrary. In this paper we show a simple statistical method, based on the two‐sample Student's t‐test, to objectively estimate the minimum number of rebound measurements. We present the results as (1) the ‘mean’ and ‘median’ solutions, each providing a single estimate value, and (2) the empirical probability distribution of such estimates based on many field samples. Schmidt hammer data for 14 lithologies, 13–81 samples for each, with each sample consisting of 40 individual readings, have been evaluated, assuming different significance levels. The principal recommendations are: (1) the recommended minimum sample size for weak and moderately strong rock is 25; (2) a sample size of 15 is sufficient for sandstones and shales; (3) strong and coarse rocks require 30 readings at a site; (4) the minimum sample size may be reduced by one‐third if the context of research allows for higher significance level for test statistics. Interpretations based on less than 10 readings from a site should definitely be avoided. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Types of Public Spaces: The Polish Contribution to the Discussion of Suburban Public Space

Intensive suburbanization, especially in postsocialist countries, and a deficiency of fully public spaces result in an increasingly complex mixture of different types of spaces of public functions. Where there is a deficiency of completely public spaces, their role can be enhanced by those places available to the public for a specified period of time and under certain circumstances. Such places are provided and maintained not only by the public but also by the private sector. This article explores the diversity of places of public character and looks for criteria that organize this diversity. It introduces a new typology that corresponds mainly to the suburbs and combines five criteria of categorization: intended users, time limits as to access, prevailing form of control, intended functions, and visual characteristics. The typology draws attention to the role of spaces not intended for all the public but for selected groups and that of spaces with time-limited access. Such semipublic places are consistent with the lifestyle of suburbanites and therefore play an increasingly important role in suburban social life.