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In the 20-year period from 2003 to 2022, water runoff and suspended sediment load in a forested gully system with a total length of 7.5 km was recorded. The branching gully system cuts through an agricultural catchment of 1.24 km2 located within the loess plateau of the Nałęczów Plateau (E Poland). A rain gauge was installed close to the watershed and in the gully mouth water runoff was monitored using a limnigraph, installed with a water gauge on a Thomson triangular weir. To determine suspended sediment concentrations during erosion episodes, water was sampled at a frequency dependent on the rate and duration of the runoff. The aim of the monitoring studies was to specify the relationship between flow rate and suspended concentration for different water runoff conditions, which were used to calculate sediment load. The contribution of propluvial and pronivial runoff to gully development was assessed, particularly in the transport of sediment out of the catchment, and unit denudation rates were calculated as less than 1000 Mg km−2 year−1, average 173 Mg km−2 year−1, and during a single event as a maximal 900 Mg km−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus belongs to the crucial bioelements that cause eutrophication, and phosphates, easily assimilated by organisms, are widespread in the environment. Phosphates can be of natural or anthropogenic origin and can derive from various point or non-point sources. Knowledge about the origin of nutrients is necessary to effectively manage, protect, and revitalize water resources. To recognize various phosphate sources in the study area of our research, i.e., the Vistula and Bug interfluve (SE Poland), we used the oxygen isotopic signature of phosphate ions (δ18O-PO4), which has been successfully used in recent decades as a tracer of phosphorus cycling in water studies. We measured the δ18O-PO4 of dissolved inorganic phosphates (DIPs) extracted from various phosphate sources. The obtained results are as follows: For springs, the δ18O-PO4 value varied from +14.8‰ to +18.5‰; for riverine samples, from +10.3‰ to +18.6‰, which were significantly location-dependent; while waste water treatment plant effluents ranged from +12.4‰ to +15.6‰. Two tested drainage water samples had similar isotopic compositions (+16.7‰ and +17.3‰). In the case of two analyzed bedrock samples, the δ18O-PO4 values, which were similar (+20.5‰ and +21.7‰), are close to the existing data on sedimentary bedrocks derived from similar geological periods. The obtained results can be helpful in future research aimed at identifying phosphate sources and P cycling in the studied area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural practices have a significant impact on stream water quality in rural landscapes; however, there is still little empirical evidence of how different types of cultivation alter the hydrochemistry of running water. Thus, the current study explored the spatial dynamics of selected ion concentrations and their land cover dependence in lowland agricultural catchments. From November 2021 to October 2022, water samples were collected from 30 sites located across small tributaries of the rivers Bzura, Pilica, and Radomka for chemical analysis of their NO3, NO2, NH4, Ca, Mg, K, Na, As, Ba, Sr, and V concentrations. The results indicated a clear spatial heterogeneity of water quality, related to lithology and dominant land cover evaluated with the CORINE Land Cover 2018 dataset. Overall, sites representing agricultural land promoted increased concentrations of major and trace elements, while those with pepper cultivation were additionally contaminated with NO3 and NO2. The correlation performance for nitrogen compounds was the highest for narrower buffer zones, which was not documented for major and trace elements, which were linked more strongly with land cover at larger scales. Such new insights into the water quality dynamics of lowland agricultural catchments, being a simultaneous reflection of lithology, agricultural practices, and several municipal impacts, have significant implications for appropriate water management in rural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among Arctic-breeding waterfowl species, spring stopovers are critical to individuals as a means to accumulate fat and nutrient stores to invest in both migration and their breeding attempt in the tundra zone. We studied the influence of possible factors (age, sex, progress of migration season) on the stopover duration of one such species, the Eurasian Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons albifrons), by analysing records of 1,115 neck-banded birds spotted at their Biebrza Basin stopover site on spring migration in Po-land. As expected, because most mature birds are paired, there were no differences between the sexes in stopover duration. Generally, adults stayed for shorter periods than immatures and stopover duration was shorter later in the season. Data from individuals of known age showed that the rate of decrease in stopover duration with season was faster among older than younger geese. Immature birds, still not ready to breed, do not face the pressure to attain breeding condition and therefore may stay longer in the stopover areas. We think these patterns may reflect the greater experience of older birds, as well as the stronger pressure on them to reach the breeding grounds as early as possible. As the breeding season approaches and foraging opportunities at migration sites further up the fly-way become more accessible and of higher quality, geese stay for shorter periods later in the season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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