Journal of Water and Land Development

The Syr Darya River’s lower reaches of floodplain geosystems face growing environmental pressures, necessitating a thorough understanding of their vulnerability on which this study focuses, emphasising the role of natural and climatic factors. The research analyses the correlations and impacts of elevation, soil density, precipitation, air temperature, and normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) on environmental vulnerability. The results indicate a strong positive correlation between elevation, precipitation, air temperature, and environmental vulnerability, with NDVI also playing a significant role. The study employs principal components analysis to further explore these relationships and generates an integrated vulnerability map, highlighting vulnerable areas, particularly near Kyzylorda city. The map also aligns with different land cover types, emphasising the dominant influence of environmental and climatic factors, especially maximum air temperature, precipitation, and elevation, on environmental vulnerability. The research concludes that the integrated vulnerability map serves as a valuable tool for guiding environmental management and conservation strategies, enabling targeted interventions and sustainable practices in areas of high vulnerability. The study’s methodology and findings offer crucial insights for effective environmental management and conservation in floodplain geosystems, promoting informed decision-making for sustainable development in the region.

During the appearance of the first snowfall, there is a revival of discussion on effective methods of protecting road surfaces and sidewalks against icing. In Poland and many other countries, so-called road salt, mainly sodium chloride (NaCl) with additives, is often used to lower the melting point of snow and ice. Using chemicals to protect road surfaces brings many negative side effects reported in the literature. Less frequently published research results indicate, and also alarm, that increased chloride concentrations can appear in wastewater flowing into sanitary (separate) sewers. In the case of small wastewater treatment plants, increased chloride concentrations can have a negative impact primarily on the biological processes of wastewater treatment and, after discharge from the wastewater treatment plant, on the biological life in the waters and the nearest recipient environment of the treated wastewater. The study aimed to determine the concentrations and loads of chlorides in wastewater flowing through the distribution sewer system to 4 small wastewater treatment plants located in Poland, in the Lesser Poland Province, during snowmelt and heavy rainfall in 2019–2023. The study showed a significant increase in concentrations and loads of chlorides in wastewater in February. Unit chloride load in raw sewage during snowmelt varied from 7 to 12 kg∙d^–1 per 1 km length of separate sewer network. There was also a repeated, but much lower, increase in chloride con-centrations during summer and autumn precipitation. This is when the leaching of residual salt accumulated around the road surface occurred.

PLB 060001 Bagno Bubnów is situated within the boundaries of the Polesie National Park, Poland, representing one of the most significant wetland areas in Europe. It is home to protected phytocenoses and associated flora, including Ostericum palustre (ANKPA), a species covered by the Habitats Directive, the Bern Convention, and strict species protection in Poland. ANKPA is a species of Community importance, requiring the designation of an area within the Natura 2000 network. In Poland, it is classified as a vulnerable species. The current global trend of its population remains uncertain. The IUCN emphasises that there is insufficient data to determine its status. This paper presents geobotanical findings from Bagno Bubnów (2021–2022). Based on these findings, the conditions of ANKPA’s occurrence were determined. These include the physicochemical properties of soils and the syntaxonomic structure of phytocoenoses it inhabits. In the study area, ANKPA grew mainly in phytocoenoses of the Molinion alliance. The analysis indicates that ANKPA exhibits a broad ecological spectrum with respect to numerous habitat parameters. ANKPA was most frequently observed in eutrophic habitats. These habitats had an average organic matter content of 14.73% and an average organic carbon content of 6.7%. The pH of these habitats was neutral, averaging 7.14. They were also saturated with basic cations, with calcium being predominant (average saturation 95.8%). Findings demonstrate that PLB 060001 Bagno Bubnów is a significant location for the conservation of ANKPA. Furthermore, the environmental conditions at this site are conducive to the survival of this species.

The maintenance of appropriate soil structure is critical for preventing soil degradation and mitigating nutrient losses that cause eutrophication of water bodies. An important challenge to combat eutrophication in the Baltic Sea is reducing phosphorus losses from agricultural land. Gypsum (CaSO₄∙2H₂O) has been identified as a promising soil amendment that improves soil structure and reduces phosphorus leaching. However, it has not been widely used in Poland. The article explains the importance of gypsum during the formation of a lumpy soil structure and in reducing phosphorus losses. A total of 18 samples were prepared, including three replicate samples without and with gypsum. Gypsum was added to each of the three pots based on the bulk density of the soil to correspond 4 Mg of gypsum per ha. The soil samples were analysed for total phosphorus, phosphates, available phosphorus, pH in water, KCl, and organic carbon. The study presents findings of a laboratory pot test conducted on three soil samples from Southern Poland. The pot experiment indicated a decrease in turbidity of leachates from the soil samples treated with gypsum. Gypsum application did not significantly affect soil pH and total phosphorus content. Analysis of the soil samples before and after the watering showed that the total phosphorus concentration did not change. This was due to the low share of phosphorus released relative to the total phosphorus content in the soil.  

The aim of the study was to determine the causes of eutrophication in small urban water reservoirs located in the UMCS Botanical Garden in Lublin, supplied via surface and groundwater. The research (hydrological, hydrobiological, and hydrochemical), which included both field and laboratory work, was conducted during the growing season in the years 2022–2023. These ponds are fed by waters from the Czechówka River and, to a lesser extent, by groundwater (seepage). Both river and groundwater are characterised by high concentrations of mineral forms of nitrogen and phosphorus, ranging from 1.49 to 12.0 mg N∙dm^–3 and 0.07 to 0.21 mg P∙dm^–3, respectively. This contributes to the intensive development of phytoplankton, especially during the summer period, with diatoms dominating the phytoplankton structure. The trophic state of the ponds ranges from eutrophic to hypertrophic. The study showed that the high degree of eutrophication was due to the load of nutrients delivered by the waters of the Czechówka River. Despite having several times higher concentrations of mineral and total nitrogen than in the river water, the spring water feeding the ponds had a negligible impact on the quality of the pond water due to low flow rate (<0.5 dm³∙s⁻¹). Therefore, the construction of urban ponds as part of green-blue infrastructure should consider the possibility of reducing nutrients through biogeochemical barriers and suspended sedimentation. It is also advisable to partially shade the water surface by planting trees in the shoreline zone to limit water heating and phytoplankton development.

 The increasing demand for renewable energy sources has intensified interest in exploring biomass for bioenergy production. Selection of suitable feedstock is significant for the economic viability and ecological impact. Lignocellulosic biomass, derived from non-food plants materials, has emerged as an attractive substrate with low cost and no competition to food crops. Gleditsia triacanthos offers a promising alternative due to its widespread availability, adaptability to diverse climates and soil conditions, fast growth, and high biomass yield. This study investigates the potential of G. triacanthos biomass as a viable substrate for bioethanol production through a combination of pretreatment method, microbiological hydrolysis, and fermentation processes. The biological pretreatment method to enhance cellulose accessibility was analysed. Fermentation trials were carried out using Saccharomyces cerevisiae to assess ethanol yield. Eleven strains with potential cellulolytic activity to the analysed biomass were isolated. The activity index for these strains ranged from 1.09 to 4.86. Results demonstrated that G. triacanthos biomass using selected strains could be converted to fermentable sugars. The highest amount of distillate (83.7 cm3) was obtained after pretreatment and hydrolysis with the BS5 strain (36.3% v/v). These findings indicate that G. triacanthos biomass is a viable and sustainable resource for second-generation bioethanol production, contributing to the development of renewable energy technologies and the mitigation of fossil fuel dependency.

• The study aimed to analyse the seasonal variability of phosphorus concentrations and phosphorus content and the impact of catchment development of the Panew Mała River. The study presents the findings of a two-year experimental investigation (comprising 17 measurement series across 12 measurement cross-sections) into the concentration of phosphorus (P) and its soluble form, orthophosphates (PO₄²⁻). The mean phosphate concentrations were found to be low, with a range of 0.03 to 0.08 PO₄²⁻ mg∙dm⁻³. In contrast, the total phosphorus concentrations were relatively high, with a range of 0.11 to 0.43 mg∙dm⁻³ The seasonal variability was analysed based on quarterly means and half-yearly periods covering quarters II and III (spring–summer) and quarters I and IV (autumn–winter), respectively. The analysis of spatial variability was conducted using cluster analysis according to Ward’s method, with the Euclidean distance employed as a measure of distance and the results related to the utilisation of different catchment area. Due to the slight differences in the phosphate concentration, the total phosphorus concentration was analysed in detail. The analysis of variance showed no significant differences between phosphorus concentrations in certain quarters, while greater variations were obtained for half-yearly periods. The applied method of grouping the sampling sites made it possible to distinguish several groups of sampling sites, which indicate relations between the values of phosphorus concentration in the waters of Mała Panew and the type of use of the catchment area.