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We present a unique data set of selected physicochemical parameters characterizing the environment of the Baltic coastal lakes within Polish borders. The peculiarity of the system derives principally from the interaction of the lakes with a sea of relatively low salinity. In contrast to our best understanding of the state of biological knowledge, the abiotic parameters of coastal lakes along the southern Baltic Sea have never previously been so comprehensively supplemented. The database consists of physicochemical properties of 13 coastal lakes based on the analytical assessment of 419 water samples collected seasonally between 2014 and 2019. Water properties were analyzed according to the connection of the lakes to the Baltic Sea using a total of 23 predictors. The lakes were classified as closed, intermittently connected, or open. Based on the physicochemical data, a relationship between the hydrological connection between the lakes and the sea was determined. The data collected could be used to monitor ongoing global climate change at the biosphere level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful rehabilitation programmes of river-floodplain systems require understanding of environmental impacts of restoring hydrological connectivity. The present study is based on a field experiment carried out between 2008 and 2013 in a floodplain of a lowland river in northern Poland, in which two oxbow lakes isolated in the 1920s were reconnected to the main river channel. Water and macroinvertebrate samples were collected three to four times a year from six sites ( n = 114). After reconnection, water quality in the oxbow lakes improved and diversity and abundance of macrozoobenthos increased, especially the density of Oligochaeta, Malacostraca, Trichoptera, Bivalvia and Gastropoda, while the density of Diptera decreased. Water flow and physico-chemical variables were the most important factors explaining their variance. A direct inflow of water into the reconnected oxbow lakes occurred only during the first 2 years of the study, followed by silting and overgrowing of the inlet to the upper arm. We propose that creating semi-lotic side channels connected to the river with one arm and only occasionally flushed with fresh river water is one of the most effective restoration strategies. However, at the whole river scale, the maintenance of diversified hydrological connections is the optimal solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance ion chromatography and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry methods have been applied to estimate the content of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Ni in whole blood, plasma, and urine of obese and nonobese children. The study was conducted on a group of 81 Polish children of age 6-17 years (37 males, 44 females). Obese children were defined as those with body mass index (BMI) >95th percentile in each age-gender-specific group. Statistical testing was done by the use of nonparametric tests (Kruskal-Wallis's and Mann-Whitney's U) and Spearman's correlation coefficient. Significant correlations appeared for control group in plasma (Mn-Cd, Ni-Co), urine (Cu-Co), and blood (Fe-Cu), while for obese patients in plasma (Cd-Mn, Ni-Cu, Ni-Zn) and urine (Fe-Cd, Co-Mn). Sex criteria did not influence correlations between metals' content in plasma and urine of obese patients. Metals' abundance was correlated in non-corresponding combinations of body fluids. Rare significant differences between content of metals according to sex and the type of body fluids were discovered: Zn in plasma from obese patients of both sexes, and Zn, Co, and Mn in blood, Mn in plasma from healthy subjects. Negative correlations between BMI and Zn in blood, Cu in plasma, and Fe in urine were discovered for girls (control group). Positive correlation between Co content in plasma and BMI was discovered for obese boys. The changes in metals' content in body fluids may be indicators of obesity. Content of zinc, copper, and cobalt should be monitored in children with elevated BMI to avoid deficiency problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Normative regulations on benzene in fuels and urban management strategies are expected to improve air quality. The present study deals with the application of self-organizing maps (SOMs) in order to explore the spatiotemporal variations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene levels in an urban atmosphere. Temperature, wind speed, and concentration values of these four volatile organic compounds were measured after passive sampling at 21 different sampling sites located in the city of Trieste (Italy) in the framework of a multi-year long-term monitoring program. SOM helps in defining pollution patterns and changes in the urban context, showing clear improvements for what concerns benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene concentrations in air for the 2001-2008 timeframe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study deals with the application of cluster analysis (CA) and non-parametric tests (Shapiro-Wilk, Kruskal-Wallis, Dunn, U Mann-Whitney) to classify and interpret of a monitoring data set for Odra River water quality assessment based on concentration values of radiochemical parameters. The data set represents results for 3 alpha emitters (Po, U and Pu) measured in surface water samples collected at 13 different sampling locations (5 in major Odra stream while 8 in Odra tributaries) within four seasons: winter, spring, summer and autumn, in the framework of 1 year-term quality monitoring research. The correlation analysis of polonium, uranium and plutonium data indicates that significant values of Spearman's correlation coefficient appears between Po and Pu ( r = 0.55 in autumn and 0.77 in winter as well as 0.49 in all year), while statistical significant correlation between uranium and plutonium as well as uranium and polonium were not found. In the Odra drainage basin, the biggest differences were observed in the case of U. The hypothesis about possible geographic and seasonal differences between concentration of Po, U and Pu in the Odra River catchment area was verified by cluster analysis (CA). Finally, to asses if there are statistically significant differences in mean concentration value of Po, U and Pu for Vistula and Odra Rivers drainage basins were obtained by used of the non-parametric tests. Comparing to Vistula catchment area, statistically different concentration of Po and Pu in all year was observed for river samples collected on Odra drainage basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented study deals with the interpretation of soil quality monitoring data using hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal components analysis (PCA). Both statistical methods contributed to the correct data classification and projection of the surface (0-20 cm) and subsurface (20-40 cm) soil layers of 36 sampling sites in the region of Burgas, Bulgaria. Clustering of the variables led to formation of four significant clusters corresponding to possible sources defining the soil quality like agricultural activity, industrial impact, fertilizing, etc. Two major clusters were found to explain the sampling site locations according to soil composition-one cluster for coastal and mountain sites and another-for typical rural and industrial sites. Analogous results were obtained by the use of PCA. The advantage of the latter was the opportunity to offer more quantitative interpretation of the role of identified soil quality sources by the level of explained total variance. The score plots and the dendrogram of the sampling sites indicated a relative spatial homogeneity according to geographical location and soil layer depth. The high-risk areas and pollution profiles were detected and visualized using surface maps based on Kriging algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes the influence of urban area on plant communities and benthic invertebrates inhabiting the Słupia River (northern Poland). Ten plant communities and 37 macrozoobenthos taxa were determined during four seasonal samplings at 25 sampling sites (October 2005 and January, April, and August 2006). The obtained data set was statistically evaluated in order to reveal the influence of anthropogenic transformations on the investigated communities against the background of other abiotic factors. Multivariate regression tree (MRT) method was used for vegetation, while for benthic fauna, both MRT and artificial neural network (ANN) methods were applied. The following explanatory variables were used: season, water temperature, and salinity; location of a sampling site; degree of human impact on the riverbed; microhabitat; and substrate type. MRT analyses showed significant differences in plant community structure depending on the location of a sampling site, indicating the influence of anthropogenic pressure, while macrozoobenthos composition differed significantly only between seasons. The overall ANN model proved the importance of type and location of a sampling site for the approximation of benthic fauna density. Additionally, influence of the explanatory variables on the consecutive macrozoobenthos taxa was analyzed on the basis of separate ANN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was carried out over a period of 1999–2003 in the Dupniański Stream catchment located in Silesian Beskid Mts. Region (Southern Poland). Analysis of the chemical composition of bulk precipitation, throughfall, stemflow, surface flow, soil water (horizontal + vertical and vertical penetration) and outflow water samples was performed. The complex data matrix with more than 3,000 observations of water reaction, major anions (F−, Cl−, NO3 −, SO4 2−) and cations (NH4 +, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+, Mn2+ and Zn2+) were treated by regression modelling. The modelling approach took into account seasonal variability according to winter and growing season, as well as chronosequence of spruce stands. The retention of considerable levels of contaminants by the canopy, and their removal or washout from needles by rainfall caused changes in the concentration of anions and cations reaching the soil surface compared to the concentrations in bulk precipitation. In the youngest stand, most elements except NH4 +, SO4 2− and K+ were retained in the canopy, and even H+ ions were neutralized. In the older stands, most elements increased in net throughfall fluxes, and the acidity increased strongly. Soil water was slightly correlated with throughfall, while outflow water showed no correlations with the above ground water flows, and seemed to depend mostly of the bedrock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The level of pollution with various mercury species (organomercury, water- and acid-soluble mercury, mercury bound to humic matter and to sulphides) of the floodplain soils and sediments from middle part of the Warta River has been assessed using self-organizing maps (SOM). Chemometric evaluation allowed identification of moderately (median 173–187 ng g−1, range 54–375 ng g−1 in soil and 130 ng g−1, range 47–310 ng g−1 in sediment) and heavily polluted samples (662 ng g−1, range 426–884 ng g−1). Heavily polluted were located mainly below and in the area of the Poznań city. Statistical comparison of mercury species distribution in floodplain soils of the Warta River shows different patterns for moderately and heavily polluted samples. In heavily polluted soils the contribution of mobile mercury (sum of organomercury species, water- and acid soluble species) is lower (4.2%) than in moderately polluted soils (6.1%). Higher contribution of mobile mercury was observed in sediments of the Warta River (12%). In case of moderately polluted samples, statistical differences in the contribution of mercury species are relatively low and thus the environmental risk from mercury deposited in aquatic system of the Warta River is relatively low. However, higher water levels and heavy floods may incite remobilisation of some organomercuries (2.2–2.9 ng g−1 in soil and 10 ng g−1 in sediment) and acid-soluble species of mercury (2.6–2.9 ng g−1 in soil and 0.5 ng g−1 in sediment). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports the evaluation of chemical composition of a Black Vistula and White Vistula streams’ waters taking into consideration both geological conditions of the stream’s catchment area and different water’ level related to seasonal variations in particular catchment ecosystem (high stage: beginning of the vegetation period; medium stage: vegetation period; low stage: final time of vegetation period). The complex data matrix (744 observations), obtained by the determination of major inorganic analytes (Cl−, NO3 −, SO4 2−, NH4 +, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) in water samples by ion chromatography was treated by linear discriminant analysis and non-parametrical testing. In case of both streams obtained results indicate presence of two discriminant functions (DFs). The data variance explained by DFs is as follows: Black Vistula stream—first DF: 93.5%, second DF: 6.5%; White Vistula stream—first DF: 66.3%, second DF: 33.7%. In case of Black Vistula stream first DF allows distinction of medium, high and low waterstage related samples while second DF between high/low and medium water stage related samples. In case of White Vistula stream first DF allowed to distinguish between medium/high and low water stage related samples while second DF between medium and high water level samples. In case of both streams, the most informative DFs were related to geological conditions of investigated catchments (contents of Cl−, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, SO4 2−), while the second to nutrient biocycle (mainly NH4 + and NO3 −) related to slope’s exposition and inclination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mobility and bioavailability of mercury in the soil from the area near a plant using elemental mercury for manufacturing thermometers, areometers, glass energy switches and other articles made of technical glass has been evaluated. Mercury has been determined by sequential extraction method and with additional thermo desorption stage to determine elemental mercury. The procedure of sequential extraction involves five subsequent stages performed with the solutions of chloroform, deionized water, 0.5 M HCl, 0.2 M NaOH and aqua regia. The mean concentration of total mercury in soil was 147 ± 107 μg g−1 dry mass (range 62–393), and the fractionation revealed that mercury was mainly bound to sulfides 56 ± 8% (range 45–66), one of the most biounavailable and immobile species of mercury in the environment. The fractions that brought lower contribution to the total mercury content were semi-mobile humic matter 22 ± 9% (range 11–34) and elemental mercury 17 ± 5% (range 8–23). The contributions brought by the highly mobile and toxic organomercury compounds were still lower 2.3 ± 2.7% (range 0.01–6.5). The lowest contributions brought the acid-soluble mercury 1.5 ± 1.3% (range 0.1–3.5) and water-soluble mercury 1.0 ± 0.3% (range 0.6–1.7). The surface layer of soil (0–20 cm) was characterized by higher mercury concentrations than that of the subsurface soil (60–80 cm), but the fractional contributions were comparable. The comparison of mercury fractionation results obtained in this study for highly polluted soils with results of fractionation of uncontaminated or moderately contaminated samples of soil and sediments had not shown significant statistical differences; however, in the last samples elemental mercury is usually present at very low concentrations. On the basis of obtained correlation coefficients it seems that elemental mercury soils from “Areometer” plant are contaminated; the main transformation is its vaporization to atmosphere and oxidation to divalent mercury, probably mainly mediated by organic matter, and next bound to humic matter and sulfides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the bioindication of elements from Sphagnum palustre moss distributed in the Gdańsk metropolitan area in Poland. The aim of the study was to provide the cumulative attributes of transplanted Sphagnum palustre moss with differentiation into dry and living biomaterial, to identify and geographically locate types of pollution sources responsible for a structure of the monitoring data set, to visualize geographical distribution of analytes in the Gdańsk city area, and to determine the high-risk areas which can be targeted for environmental hazards and public health.

Discusses monitoring results and environmental pollution assessment for the Gdansk-Sopot-Gdynia Tricity, based on analysis of precipitation. Collection of precipitation samples; Explanations on the co-occurrences of certain ions and the significance of their mutual effects; Deposition of pollutants in spring.