Search results for: vegetation
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Biomass Production and Removal of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Processed Municipal Wastewater by Salix schwerinii: A Field Trial
PublicationIn many Baltic regions, short-rotation willow (Salix spp.) is used as a vegetation filter for wastewater treatment and recycling of valuable nutrients to upsurge bioeconomy development. In this context, a four-year field trial (2016–2019) was carried out near a wastewater treatment plant in eastern Finland (Outokumpu) to investigate the effect of the processed wastewater (WW) on biomass production as well as the nutrients uptake...
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Late cultivars of cabbage can better cope with cadmium- involved stress than early one
PublicationThe usefulness of white cabbage (Brassica oleracea ssp. capitata L. f. alba) for phytoremediation of heavy metals (cadmium and zine) due to the rapid growth and a large biomass of its heads has been already described (Bączek-Kwinta et al., 2011. Kusznierewicz et al., 2012). As the photosynthetic apparatus supplies the whole plant with sugars necessary for various physiological processes and, in consequence, results in the yield,...
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Psychological and physical components in forming preferences on urban greenery management – The case of trees
PublicationPublic opinion is increasingly important in managing urban greenery. In this regard, this study demonstrates the importance of sociological (environmental worldviews), psychological (place attachment, perceived benefits of trees), and physical factors (type of building people live in, and urban greenery) in forming residents’ opinions on whether the municipality or landowners should decide about tree removal on private land. Logistic...
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Impact of optimization of ALS point cloud on classification
PublicationAirborne laser scanning (ALS) is one of the LIDAR technologies (Light Detection and Ranging). It provides information about the terrain in form of a point cloud. During measurement is acquired: spatial data (object’s coordinates X, Y, Z) and collateral data such as intensity of reflected signal. The obtained point cloud is typically applied for generating a digital terrain model (DTM) and a digital surface model (DSM). For DTM...
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Spatial variability of throughfall in a stand of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) with deciduous admixture as influenced by canopy cover and stem distance
PublicationVegetation cover affects the amount of precipitation, its chemical composition and its spatial distribution, and this may have implications for the distribution of water, nutrients and contaminants in the subsurface soil layer. The aim of this study was a detailed diagnosis of the spatio-temporal variability in the amount of throughfall (TF) and its chemical components in a 72-year-old pine stand with an admixture of oak and birch....
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Application of multisensoral remote sensing data in the mapping of alkaline fens Natura 2000 habitat
PublicationThe Biebrza River valley (NE Poland) is distinguished by largely intact, highly natural vegetation patterns and very good conservation status of wetland ecosystems. In 20132014, studies were conducted in the upper Biebrza River basin to develop a remote sensing method for alkaline fen classification a protected Natura 2000 habitat (code 7230) using remote sensing technologies. High resolution airborne true colour (RGB) and...
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Issues relating to the efficient Application of passive solar protection in multi-family residential buildings
PublicationThe following article is intended to discuss the issues concerning the introduction of passive measures aimed at improving solar protection in multi-family buildings. A system of classifying these methods into two groups of solutions (architectural and material-building) was applied. The first group includes issues concerning facade design, the spatial features of which (such as loggias, balconies and other overhangs) can be treated...
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A Cost-Effective Method for Reconstructing City-Building 3D Models from Sparse Lidar Point Clouds
PublicationThe recent popularization of airborne lidar scanners has provided a steady source of point cloud datasets containing the altitudes of bare earth surface and vegetation features as well as man-made structures. In contrast to terrestrial lidar, which produces dense point clouds of small areas, airborne laser sensors usually deliver sparse datasets that cover large municipalities. The latter are very useful in constructing digital...
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A High-Arctic flow-through lake system hydrochemical changes: Revvatnet, southwestern Svalbard (years 2010–2018)
PublicationLake ecosystems are strongly coupled to features of their surrounding landscapes such as geomorphology, lithology, vegetation and hydrological characteristics. In the 2010–2018 summer seasons, we investigated an Arctic flow-through lake system Revvatnet, located in the vicinity of the coastal zone of Hornsund fjord in Svalbard, characterising its hydrological properties and the chemical composition of its waters. The lake system...
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Impact of Climate Change on Water Sources and River‐Floodplain Mixing in the Natural Wetland Floodplain of Biebrza River
PublicationThe origins of river and floodplain waters (groundwater, rainfall, and snowmelt) and their extent during overbank flow events strongly impact ecological processes such as denitrification and vegetation development. However, the long-term sensitivity of floodplain water signatures to climate change remains elusive. We examined how the integrated hydrological model HydroGeoSphere and the Hydraulic Mixing-Cell method could help us...
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Simulations of freshwater lens recharge and salt/freshwater interfaces using the HYDRUS and SWI2 packages for MODFLOW
PublicationThe paper presents an evaluation of the combined use of the HYDRUS and SWI2 packages for MODFLOW as a potential tool for modeling recharge in coastal aquife rs subject to saltwater intrusion. The HYDRUS package for MODFLOW solves numerically the one-dimensional form of the Richards equation describing water flow in variably- saturated media. The code computes groundwater recharge to or...
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Svalbard reindeer as an indicator of ecosystem changes in the Arctic terrestrial ecosystem
PublicationOver the years, noticeable effort has been directed towards contaminant determination in multiple biotic samples collected from the inhabitants of the Arctic. Little consideration has been given to polar herbivores, however, especially those from the European parts of the Arctic. To provide a broader perspective, we aimed to decipher trace element concentration in hairs of the key species in the Arctic, namely the Svalbard reindeer...
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A screening of select toxic and essential elements and persistent organic pollutants in the fur of Svalbard reindeer
PublicationReindeers play an important role in the polar ecosystem, being long-lived sole vegetarians feeding on local vegetation. They can be used as a valuable bioindicator, helping us to understand contaminants’ impact on the polar terrestrial ecosystem. Still, scarce data exist from research in which polar herbivores (especially those from the European parts of the Arctic) were a major study subject for trace elements and persistent organic...
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An integrated geotechnical and geophysical investigation of landslide in Chira town, Ethiopia
PublicationLandslides pose a significant threat to infrastructure, property, and human lives in many regions worldwide, including Chira town in Ethiopia. This study presents an integrated geotechnical and geophysical investigation aimed at identifying the contributing factors to landslides in Chira town, Ethiopia, with a focus on a recent landslide event. The methodology employed a combination of geotechnical and geophysical techniques to...
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Atmospheric deposition in coniferous and deciduous tree stands in Poland
PublicationThe objective of this study was to assess the transformation of precipitation in terms of quantity and chemical composition following contact with the crown layer in tree stands with varied species composition, to investigate the effect of four predominant forest-forming species (pine, spruce, beech, and oak) on the amount and composition of precipitation reaching forest soils, and to determine the sources of pollution in atmospheric...
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Trace elements content of surface peat deposits in the Solovetsky Islands (White Sea)
PublicationPeatlands form environmental archives of trace element deposition. In this regard they are particularly valuable for areas such as the Arctic, where regular pollution monitoring is either impossible or extremely costly. The aim of this study was to assess pollution in the Solovetsky Islands (65° 05' N, 35° 53' E) by examining the spatial variability in trace element content of the uppermost layer of peat, immediately below the...
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Seasonal contributions of nutrients from small urban and agricultural watersheds in northern Poland
PublicationDiffuse sources of pollution like agricultural or urban runoff are important factors in determining the quality of surface waters, although they are more difficult to monitor thanpointsources.Theobjectiveofourstudywastoverifyassumptionsthattheinflow from agricultural nutrient sources is higher than from urbanized ones. It has been done by comparing the nutrients and organic matter concentrations and loads for three small streams...
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Impacts on human health in the Arctic owing to climate-induced changes in contaminant cycling – The EU ArcRisk project policy outcome
PublicationResults of the EU ArcRisk project on human health impacts in the Arctic owing to climate-induced changes in contaminant cycling are summarized in the context of their policy application. The question on how will climate change affect the transport of selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury, both to and within the Arctic has been addressed, as well as the issue of human health impacts of these pollutants in the...
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Shore Construction Detection by Automotive Radar for the Needs of Autonomous Surface Vehicle Navigation
PublicationAutonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) are becoming more and more popular for performing hydrographic and navigational tasks. One of the key aspects of autonomous navigation is the need to avoid collisions with other objects, including shore structures. During a mission, an ASV should be able to automatically detect obstacles and perform suitable maneuvers. This situation also arises in near-coastal areas, where shore structures like...
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Ecological and Health Effects of Lubricant Oils Emitted into the Environment
PublicationLubricating oils used in machines with an open cutting system, such as a saw or harvester, are applied in forest areas, gardening, in the household, and in urban greenery. During the operation of the device with an open cutting system, the lubricating oil is emitted into the environment. Therefore, the use of an oil base and refining additives of petroleum origin in the content of lubricants is associated with a negative impact...
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The microbial community, its biochemical potential, and the antimicrobial resistance of Enterococcus spp. in Arctic lakes under natural and anthropogenic impact (West Spitsbergen)
PublicationThe sustainable management of small human communities in the Arctic is challenging. In this study, both a water supply system (Lake 1) under the natural impact of a bird-nesting area, and a wastewater receiver (Lake 2) were analysed in the vicinity of the Polish Polar Station on West Spitsbergen. Microbial community composition, abundance and activity were assessed in samples of the treated wastewater, lake water and sediments...
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Application of Eco-innovative Technologies of Nutrients Removal in Wastewater – Case Study BARITECH Project
PublicationEco-innovative technologies in wastewater treatment should provide not only stringent standards for the quality of treated wastewater but also ensure maximum recovery of energy and raw materials from wastewater. One of the ways to improve the removal efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds in existing conventional wastewater treatment plants is pretreatment of reject water generated during the mechanical...
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Converting beach wrack into a resource as a challenge for the Baltic Sea (an overview)
PublicationThe paper distinguishes beach wrack, the marine generated organic part of beach cast, as a separate management object and discusses research questions related to its management and economically viable use. Based on experiences from the Baltic Sea and existing practices from countries with different management systems clear distinction between the management of natural and anthropogenic components of cast material is seen as an...
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Procesy i efektywność usuwania zanieczyszczeń z odcieków ze składowisk odpadów komunalnych w oczyszczalniach hydrofitowych
PublicationOczyszczanie odcieków z SOK jest jednym z najbardziej istotnych problemów ekologicznych na świecie. Odprowadzenie odcieków do oczyszczalni ścieków komunalnych jest przeważnie niemożliwe, ze względu na ich zmienną ilość oraz skład, bardzo wysokie stężenia ChZT i azotu amonowego, a także obecność trwałych zanieczyszczeń organicznych (TZO) oraz metali ciężkich. Najlepszym rozwiązaniem jest oczyszczanie wód odciekowych na terenie składowiska....
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Forest management
e-Learning CoursesThe last ice age ended in Scandinavia about 15 000 years ago. The land was gradually occupied by present tree species. Human settlement followed the vegetation. The first forest uses were hunting and gathering. Animal husbandry and forest grazing came later. Shifting cultivation was a wide spread form of agriculture, especially in Sweden and Finland. Wood was first used for domestic purposes and for construction, In the 18th century,...