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The aim of the study was to investigate how the emission of pollutants to the atmosphere from the late 19th century until modern times has been recorded in rings of silver fir trees growing in southern Poland. Samples were collected from 24 firs growing in the Beskid Niski Mountains (Western Carpathians). Using a Pressler borer, a single core was collected from each tree. Within the samples, tree-ring widths were measured. On this basis, reductions of tree-ring widths were calculated and subsequently divided into three classes according to their severity. Study results indicate that growth reductions at the site studied were influenced by the pollution emitted from the now-defunct Central Industrial Region, which developed most rapidly from 1920 to 1940, and began to decline after World War II. These emissions were probably responsible for reductions in the trees sampled in the years 1928–1947. On the other hand, reductions of tree-ring widths dating from 1951 to 1989 were caused by the post-war development of heavy industry throughout Poland, and in particular in the Upper Silesian Industrial Region, which developed at its most rapid rate from 1960 to 1990. The results obtained demonstrate that reductions of tree-ring widths in the silver firs studied are related to industrial air pollution in the 20th century. As industrial production declined and environmentally friendly technologies were introduced in the early 1990s, air pollution levels decreased and an increase in tree-ring widths followed in the silver firs studied. Further reductions of tree-ring widths have been observed in recent years (since 2009), which may be caused by air pollution due to low-stack emissions from domestic boilers. The analysis conducted demonstrates that a reduction in tree-ring widths in silver fir is a sensitive bioindicator of air pollution.

We studied the abandoned mining field in southern Poland using high-resolution lidar images to distinguish the number of mining shaft remains and their morphological diversity. We identified 13,864 remains of mining shafts of various sizes (2–30 m in diameter) and diverse levels of denudation. This allowed us to select 13 mining shafts for detailed study. The radiocarbon dating of charcoal and peat from the shafts indicate three phases of exploitation in the study area: the Roman and early migration period (2nd century b.c.–6th century a.d.), the Middle Ages (6th–14th century a.d.), and the modern period (15th–17th century a.d.). The data on metal ore exploitation in the European Barbaricum is scarce and, in the study area itself, historical written sources indicate the onset of mining only in the 12th century a.d. Therefore, ore exploitation in the study area during the Roman period and early migration period, as well as in the early Middle Ages, is an unexpected result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We applied dendrochronological methods for dating landslide activity in the study area (3.75 km2), on the slopes of Sucha Mountain (1040 m a.s.l.), in the Beskid Żywiecki Mountains, in the Western Carpathians. 46 sampling sites were distributed throughout the study area. At each site we sampled 1-3 coniferous trees: Norway spruces (Picea abies Karst.) and/or silver firs (Abies alba Mill.). From each tree 2 cores were sampled: one from the upslope and the other from the downslope side of the stem. Based on tree-ring widths measured for opposite sides of stems we have calculated eccentricity index values and dated past landslide events. Mean frequency of landslides was obtained for each sampling site. Finally, the data was interpolated into a map of landslide activity. Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation has been applied. For most of the study area we found medium (19 sites) and low (23 sites) levels of landslide activity. The highest level of activity was recorded for the largest landslide slope and for the one small landslide. The study conducted on Sucha Mountain has shown that dendrochronology can be an effective method for analysing landslide activity and may be useful in further studies, including those for landslide hazard and risk assessments.

Charcoal was the primary fuel used for iron smelting and processing until the end of the 19th century. It was produced through burning piles of wood called charcoal kilns. The aim of the study was to identify and record traces of charcoal kilns related to past ironworks in the valley of the River Czarna (Małopolska Upland, Central Poland). Detailed analysis was conducted in areas adjacent to historical centres of iron processing in Maleniec, Kołoniec and Machory. A quantitative analysis of the traces of charcoal kilns in the topography was done based on DEM from airborne LiDAR. Soil profiles were analysed at the sites where traces of charcoal kilns were identified from DEM. Radiocarbon dating and palaeobotanical analyses were performed for selected charcoal from kiln remnants. In the study area we identified over 11,500 charcoal kilns. The radiocarbon age of these charcoals indicate that the charcoal kilns under study were used in the 15th, 18th and 19th century. Thus the results suggest that the iron industry in the studied area is c 100 years older than the historical written sources indicate. Palaeobotanical analyses show that coniferous trees were used for charcoal production. The large number of traces of charcoal kilns and their wide spatial distribution indicate that past charcoal production has had a significant impact on the environment and landscape change in the River Czarna valley and adjacent areas.

Koryta rzek Czadeczki i Krężelki (Beskidzie Śląski) są współcześnie miejscami poddawane regulacji, przez co rzeki te tracą swój naturalny charakter, częściowo nadal zachowany. Przeanalizowano powody dla których rzeki te są regulowane. Z wykorzystaniem archiwalnych map prześledzono czas powstania budynków w dnach dolin, w bezpośrednim sąsiedztwie koryt rzecznych w latach 1790-2012. Następnie porównano miejsca zabudowane z miejscami występowania elementów regulacji koryt rzecznych takich jak: opaski betonowe wzmacniające brzegi, obudowy kamienne wzmacniające brzegi, progi w dnach koryt. Wyniki wskazują na ścisły związek pomiędzy wzrostem ilości budynków w dnach dolin w XX wieku oraz regulacją koryt. Mechanizm niszczenia nielicznych zachowanych naturalnych odcinków rzek polega na irracjonalnym wydawaniu pozwoleń na zabudowę terenów zalewowych i zagrożonych erozją boczną cieków. Następnie mieszkańcy w obawie przed powodziami i podmywaniem gruntów czy zabudowań zabiegają o regulację cieków, co daje im pozorne poczucie bezpieczeństwa. W efekcie naturalne biegi rzek są niszczone, skuteczna ochrona przeciwpowodziowa i przeciwerozyjna nadal nie jest zapewniona, a skala potencjalnych strat nawet wzrasta ze względu na rozwijającą się zabudowę

Detailed knowledge on the past events of erosion and redeposition is necessary to assess the frequency and magnitude of soil degradation and to provide more complete data, among all, to calculate rainfall thresholds and to develop strategies for controlling erosion. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to obtain a more comprehensive and accurate reconstruction of erosion–sedimentation events in a gully system by combining analyses of 137Cs and 210Pb with dendrochronological dating in the same sediment profiles. We aimed to precisely determine the number and the age of erosion–sedimentation events, which led to the development of study deposits and to determine the type of erosion providing material for deposition in particular events. To this purpose, 136 soil samples and 62 roots and tree stems samples were collected in eight research profiles at the gully bottom. We compared the results obtained with the two methods. Isotope analysis allowed us to estimate more general age of sediments and the type of erosion that provided material for individual layers. Dendrochronology provided a more precise reconstruction of the age of soil degradation events. By combining both techniques, we determined rainfall events responsible for erosion and sedimentation in the studied gully since 1980s and a rainfall threshold of 60 mm day−1 for soil erosion and redeposition in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]