Earthquake Hazard for the Czech Republic,Poland andSlovakia – Contribution to the ILC/IASPEI Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program

The cross-bordering earthquake hazard mapfor three Central European countries, the CzechRepublic, Poland and Slovakia (CZ-PL-SK) in thesense of the Global Seismic Hazard AssessmentProgram (GSHAP) was elaborated both in terms ofmacroseismic intensities and in terms of peak groundaccelerations (PGA). A new earthquake parametriccatalogue for CZ-PL-SK (Schenková et al., 1999)allows the source regions to be delineated withrespect to tectonic structures. Regions for Austriaand Germany were taken from the D-A-CH area withsome modifications in the border zone with the CzechRepublic and Poland. Regions of other surroundingcountries were defined with respect to nationalearthquake catalogues and geologico-geophysical dataof Central European countries. For each sourceregion earthquake data were normalised to obtain areliable annual recurrence graph and the maximumexpected earthquakes. Attenuation laws were definedto allow more advanced earthquake hazard maps to becalculated by the standard probabilistic McGuire's(1976) approach. The obtained GSHAP hazard maps forthe CZ-PL-SK area were calculated for the returnperiod of 475 years. Besides a comparison with thehazard values for the D-A-CH area (Grünthal etal., 1995, 1996; Grünthal, 1997), the map wasalso compared with the effective ground accelerationmap for Austria (Lenhardt, 1996) and in both cases avery good coincidence was found.Author for correspondence     

Relationship of polycyclic aromatic sulfur compounds and gold enrichment in the Kupferschiefer from Poland and Germany

1INTRODUCTION ORGANICALLY BOUNDSULFURCOMPOUNDSWEREPREVI OUSLYDETECTEDINTHEKUPFERSCHIEFER(P櫣TTMANNAND GO EL,1990;ROSPONDEKETAL.,1994).P櫣TTMANN ANDGO EL(1990)INVESTIGATEDTHEEXTRACTABLEORGANIC MATTERINTHEKUPFERSCHIEFERFROMTHENORTH SUDETIC SYNCLINEANDPROPOS…     

Famennian Fusulinina (Foraminifera) from the Holy Cross Mountains (central Poland)

Calcareous foraminifers representing 9 species and 5 genera were investigated in two Famennian sections located in the south‐western part of the Holy Cross Mountains (HCM), central Poland. They constitute redeposited material that, together with crinoids and calcareous algae, comprise the dominant component of limestone turbidite beds intercalated with deep‐marine marly sediments. The calcareous material was redeposited from an unknown carbonate platform located probably to the south of the HCM area. The first appearance data of foraminifers, mainly from the quasiendothyrid group, correlated to the Standard Conodont Zonation, indicate a diachronous appearance of the same species in different parts of Europe due to a migration delay from the foraminiferal evolutionary centre located in the south‐eastern shelves of Laurussia in the neighbouring areas. As a result, the Moravian foraminiferal zonation, where index taxa appeared in similar stratigraphic intervals, was chosen as the most applicable to the stratigraphy in the central Polish area. The Quasiendothyra communis–Eonodosaria evlanensis Interzone, the Quasiendothyra communis–Quasiendothyra regularis Zone and Quasiendothyra kobeitusana–Quasiendothyra konensis Zone were distinguished, respectively, in the HCM sections. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of modelling scale on the assessment of climate change impact on river runoff

Abstract

The effect of using two distributed hydrological models with different degrees of spatial aggregation on the assessment of climate change impact on river runoff was investigated. Analyses were conducted in the Narew River basin situated in northeast Poland using a global hydrological model (WaterGAP) and a catchment-scale hydrological model (SWAT). Climate change was represented in both models by projected changes in monthly temperature and precipitation between the period 2040–2069 and the baseline period, resulting from two general circulation models: IPSL-CM4 and MIROC3.2, both coupled with the SRES A2 emissions scenario. The degree of consistency between the global and the catchment model was very high for mean annual runoff, and medium for indicators of high and low runoff. It was observed that SWAT generally suggests changes of larger magnitude than WaterGAP for both climate models, but SWAT and WaterGAP were consistent as regards the direction of change in monthly runoff. The results indicate that a global model can be used in Central and Eastern European lowlands to identify hot-spots where a catchment-scale model should be applied to evaluate, e.g. the effectiveness of management options.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor F.F. Hattermann

Citation Piniewski, M., Voss, F., Bärlund, I., Okruszko, T., and Kundzewicz. Z.W., 2013. Effect of modelling scale on the assessment of climate change impact on river runoff. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (4), 737–754.     

Thermo-mechanical facies representative of fast and slow flowing ice sheets: the Weichselian ice sheet,a central west Poland case study

This study deals with an issue of thermo-mechanical facies, reflecting specific thermal and mechanical properties of the subglacial environment. The main objective of this study was to develop a model of glacitectionic deformation and its sedimentary record beneath fast and slow flowing ice sheets, based on investigations conducted in Wielkopolska (west central Poland). Sedimentary structures, mainly at the contact between subglacial tills and glacifluvial sediments, were recognized to delineate typical facies associations in a Weichselian glacigenic succession. Each association was interpreted as a record of the different depositional environments related to different subglacial conditions. Those investigations suggest the substratum was composed of frozen and dry, and wet and mobile spots, and four thermo-mechanical facies were distinguished: A – is representative of slower ice flow, dry and cold subglacial conditions, where driving stresses and normal effective pressure were high; B – is also related to slow ice flow and occurrence of cold subglacial permafrost, but with little amount of unfrozen water (however, higher than in facies A), with similar physical characteristics of the ice sheet as facies A; thermo-mechanical facies C and D represent wet and warm ice sole, with low normal effective pressure and driving stresses, thus lowering sediments’ shear strength and enabling high ice-flow velocities. We suggest that these facies have specific and non-random location, thereby revealing the relationship between subglacial thermo-mechanical conditions and ice sheet dynamics. Slow moving, cold-based ice occurred along ice sheet margins and inter-stream areas, whereas fast-moving, warm-based, well-lubricated ice, was typical of the axial parts of ice streams.     

Transboundary environmental problems: the case of the burning of coal in Poland for heating and electricity purposes

Transboundary environmental problems have increased in prevalence over recent years in Eastern Europe where the scope and extent of the problems, and hence possibility of impacts outside of national borders, have been considerably greater than in western nations. This paper examines an example of a transboundary environmental risk problem, namely that of coal burning in Poland. The case study focuses on determining both Polish policy makers’ and the public’s views regarding the perceived importance of local vis-a-vis transboundary environmental concerns.     

Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) sea lilies (Echinodermata, Crinoidea) from Poland

Valanginian strata in central epicratonic Poland have recently yielded crinoids, not previously recorded from the area. The fauna comprises isocrinids (Balanocrinus subteres, B. gillieroni, “Isocrinus?” lissajouxi), millericrinids (Apiocrinites sp.) and comatulids (Comatulida indet.). For comparison, a few samples of isocrinids from Valanginian strata of Hungary (Tethyan province) were also analysed. The isocrinids, cyrtocrinids and roveacrinids (sensu Rasmussen 1978 inclusive of Saccocoma sp.) were already known from the Valanginian of the southernmost Tethyan regions of Poland (Pieniny Klippen Belt and Tatra Mountains). The current study demonstrates their occurrence in central epicratonic Poland, and suggests that many Jurassic to Cretaceous stalked crinoid taxa (mainly isocrinids) predominated in the shallow-water settings of this area. Thus, the hypothesis of migration (at least from mid-Cretaceous onwards) to deep-water areas, as a response to an increase of the number of predators during the Mesozoic marine revolution, seems not to be universally applicable.     

Neoliberal reforms in elder care in Norway: Roles of the state, Norwegian employers, and Polish nurses

After a worldwide financial crisis in the early 1980s, many states decided to implement new public management strategies. These strategies consist of private sector management practices that aim to reduce the cost of public services. The US and the UK first adopted the new public management model and other states soon followed. The Norwegian state was initially reluctant to adopt private management practices, but it eventually implemented modified reforms that suited the Norwegian socio-political context. This article investigates the ways in which the Norwegian state and Norwegian employers shape the labor force in Norwegian nursing homes through new public management strategies, and the tools that foreign-born nurses use to challenge these structures. The Norwegian state shapes the labor force through labor market policies and the rescaling of public services to local governments, and Norwegian employers reinforce the neoliberal values of the state in their hiring practices and daily operations in the workplace. In particular, this article analyzes the interweaving neoliberal institutional and personal factors that influence the working experiences of Polish nurses in a semi-private nursing home in Oslo. The city of Oslo created a unique public–private partnership with a city-owned company that manages three nursing homes in Oslo. The findings of this study indicate that Polish nurses in one of these nursing homes were negatively affected by the new public management strategies. They improved some of their working conditions over time but structural barriers still persist despite high demand for their skills.     

Distribution of sedimentary organic matter in Anisian carbonate series of S Poland: evidence of third-order sea-level fluctuations

The stratigraphic distribution of sedimentary organic matter in Anisian carbonate series of southern Poland is studied with respect to relative sea-level fluctuations. Palynofacies patterns clearly reflect transgressive–regressive trends that are interpreted in terms of third-order cyclicity. Major flooding phases are detected by maximum abundance of marine plankton in the upper Bithynian and Pelsonian. Transgressive and highstand deposits are recognized by changes in the terrestrial input of organic particles and the relative percentages and diversity of the plankton group. The palynological data support the sequence stratigraphic interpretation based on sedimentological features and geochemical signatures. The corresponding eustatic signals of sedimentary and organic facies are discussed. The study highlights the potential of palynofacies analysis for sequence stratigraphical interpretation.     

Industrial sources of CO2 emissions in Poland in the light of underground storage possibilities

Industrial sectors responsible for large part of CO₂ emissions in Poland are characterized from the point of view of possibilities of sequestration of this gas by underground storage. On the basis of official statistics and data obtained from local administration and individual plants, attempt was made to evaluate the magnitude of emissions from selected categories, sub-categories and sectors of the industry (in accordance with methodology of IPCC), concentration of CO₂ in combustion gases and those emitted by industry, and to identify major point sources of emission of this gas in Poland. A special attention was paid to those sectors of industry that may be the first to act as a source of carbon dioxide for sequestration by underground storage in the nearest future. To cite this article: R. Tarkowski, C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).