First record of Cyrnus crenaticornis (Kolenati, 1859) (Insecta, Trichoptera, Polycentropodidae) in Croatia: morphological determination and DNA barcoding

The caddisfly species Cyrnus crenaticornis (Kolenati, 1859) was recorded for the first time in Croatia in the Odra River during August 2015. The record refers to a larval stage which was determined according to morphological characteristics and supported by DNA barcoding.

Numerical analysis of the transport of brine in the Odra River downstream of a mine's discharge

The mining of underground deposits causes the inflow of water to workings and the necessity of pumping them to the surface. The mining plant of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. extracts copper ore in plant branches with different hydrogeological conditions. The inflowing water into the workings is characterised by variable mineralisation, which depends on the location of the branch. In the south-western part of the deposit, a low-mineralised stream with a relatively high flow rate can be observed, while the outflow of highly saline waters occurs in the north-eastern branch. Despite the activities undertaken that aim at using the pumped-off mine waters industrially, it is necessary to deposit them into the Odra River. Reducing the environmental impact on the Odra River is one of KGHM's goals, which is being implemented by stabilising its salt concentration at a safe level. The paper presents the results of a 3D simulation of brine plume propagation based on a numerical model of advection–diffusion and turbulent flow. Bathymetric data from a section of the river approximately 500 m long and point data from an Odra water quality test were used to develop and validate the model. The paper discusses the types of factors that minimise the impact of brine discharge. The developed model will be used in the future to propose solutions that accelerate the mixing of mine waters with the waters of the Odra River.

Storm-Surge Induced Water Level Changes in the Odra River Mouth Area (Southern Baltic Coast)

The Odra River mouth area is a region of the Southern Baltic coastal zone especially prone to the influence of storm surges. In the present study, the height and extent of the Baltic storm surges, and temporal offsets of the respective maximum water level occurrences in the Odra River mouth area were explored using cross-correlation, cluster analysis and principal component analysis. The analyses were based on hourly water level readings retrieved from water gauging stations located along the lower Odra reaches and at the coasts of the Szczecin Lagoon and the Pomeranian Bay during storm surge years 2008/2009–2019/2020. The analysis of mutual relationships between water levels during storm surges indicated that the extent of marine influence on the lower Odra River and within the Szczecin Lagoon was variable during the studied surge events, and dependent on meteorological conditions (the strongest during the sustained occurrence of wind blowing from the northern sector), discharge from the Odra River catchment (the strongest at low discharge), ice conditions on the lower Odra (suppressing the storm surge propagation upstream), and general sea level in the Pomeranian Bay (stronger at high sea levels). The strongest correlation between sea levels at Świnoujście and water levels in the Szczecin Lagoon and the lower Odra was found at a 6–7 h offset. The extent of storm surges usually reached 100 km up the lower Odra channels, less frequently reaching 130 km away from the sea.

Riverbed Mapping with the Usage of Deterministic and Geo-Statistical Interpolation Methods: The Odra River Case Study

In this contribution, interpolation methods were assessed to build the bathymetry of 200 km of the Odra River in South Poland. The River Bed Mapping (RBM) was carried out surveying the depth of several reaches of the canalized part of the river using an Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) with an echo sounder as well as two navigation schemes. The values from the interpolation were compared with the data from a classical cross-sectional survey as part of the ISOK (Polish acronym for Information System of Country Protection Against Extraordinary Hazards) project. Two statistical errors between the interpolation values and the ISOK information were estimated, namely, the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). Thanks to the presented analysis, it was possible to compare and analyze which interpolation method fits the best for the batymetric surveying of a shallow river. For this specific case study, the TIN (Triangular Irregular Network) and the NN (Natural Neighbor) methods generates the most accurate RBM.

Phosphorus Behaviour and Its Basic Indices under Organic Matter Transformation in Variable Moisture Conditions: A Case Study of Fen Organic Soils in the Odra River Valley, Poland

Lowering of groundwater levels caused by anthropogenic changes in the environment gives rise to global problems, most of which relate to soil degradation such as land desertification or organic soil degradation. The transformation of drainage-sensitive organic soils causes many irreversible changes during organic matter (OM) transformation. Phosphorous (P) behaviour is one of the aspects of OM transformation that requires further investigation, due to the P transformations’ complex dependency on many environmental factors. Our study aimed to characterise behaviour of P and find indices reflecting P changes under the influence of OM transformation in drained organic soils in the Odra river valley. The studies were carried out on soils representing different stages of soil degradation in which basic soil properties, including different P forms, were determined with commonly used methods. The results showed significantly higher content of soluble P forms (Pw, PCaCl2, PM3), particularly in the most drained postmurshic soil (P1). The indices used in this study—Ip, PSD, C:Pt, N:Pt—reflected well the P and OM transformations in organic soils degraded by drainage. This was indicated by numerous statistically significant relationships between the indices and basic soil properties (e.g., Ash, C, N), as well as different P forms (Pt, Pmin, Pox, Porg, Pw, PCaCl2, PM3). The PSD and Ip values increased and the C:Pt and N:Pt ratios decreased with the degree of OM mineralisation and the degree of site drainage (P3 < P2 < P1).

Vulnerability and Resilience Embedded in Discourses: Literature, Media, and Actors’ Cultural Knowledge in German and Polish River Regions

The sociology of knowledge approach to discourse assumes that cultural knowledge—and thus cultural spaces—are generated and shared through discourse. Actors’ shared perceptions of vulnerability and practices to create resilience should be interrelated with knowledge provided by the relevant discourses of local and historical influence. However, these assumptions have not been thoroughly examined. This study compares river-related knowledge (concerning human–river relationships: ecocentric and anthropocentric perspectives) in the German and Polish literary canons, with knowledge provided in the relevant public media and the shared knowledge of local populations in flood-prone city districts along the Odra River. It concludes that actors’ river-related knowledge interrelates with the knowledge produced by national and regional discourses and that culturally shared ideas of vulnerability and resilience are discursively embedded.

Estimation of the Recent Expansion Rate of Ruspolia nitidula (Orthoptera) on a Regional and Landscape Scale

Recent changes in insect distribution are consistent with the expected interacting effects of climate and habitat change. The orthopteran Ruspolia nitidula has expanded its area of distribution in Western and Central Europe in recent decades. Because males emit a sound that is easily detected at a distance of up to 40 m, it is possible to detect spreading individuals and to therefore document routes and rates of spread. Using occurrence data at the landscape scale and three methods, including least-cost path analysis with habitat suitability, we estimated the R. nitidula expansion rate from 2006 to 2020 in the Czech Republic; this involved estimating distances between two origin occurrences in 2006 and two occurrences on the area margin in 2020. For comparison, we directly monitored expansion based on detection of singing males at the regional scale at the areal margin in the Odra River basin (2016–2020). The estimated maximum expansion rate ranged from 13.8 to 16.2 km/year based on occurrence data at the landscape scale and from 11.1 to 11.7 km/year based on the monitoring of males in the Odra River basin. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the direct monitoring of individual spreading males to detect changes in the distribution of an orthopteran.

The Effects of Hydropower Plants on the Physicochemical Parameters of the Bystrzyca River in Poland

Currently, the literature lacks comprehensive studies on the impact of hydropower plants (HPs) on the environment, including studies focused on the physicochemical parameters of water. The aim of the article is to verify the current state of knowledge on the impact of run-of-river HPs on 17 physicochemical parameters of water. The article is in line with the recommendations of the European Union that the member states, under the common energy policy, should increase the share of renewable energy sources in the energy and perform environmental impact assessments of such facilities. As a result of the analysis carried out on three HPs (Sadowice, Skałka and Marszowice) located on the Bystrzyca River (a tributary of the Odra River in Poland), it was found that HPs affect the selected physicochemical parameters of the water, i.e., (p < 0.05): electrolytic conductivity (EC; Skałka, Marszowice HPs), pH (Skałka, Marszowice HPs); nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N; Marszowice HP), dissolved oxygen (DO; Marszowice HP) and ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N; Marszowice HP). The largest (>5%), statistically significant mean cumulative effect below Marszowice HP concerned NH4-N (−27.83%), DO (+14.04%) and NO3-N (+5.50%). In addition, it was observed that the effect of HPs increases in direct proportion to the damming height, and that run-of-river HPs have a lesser impact on the physicochemical parameters’ values than in storage HPs. Our results were in accordance with those of other scientists in terms of the increase in DO, the decrease in EC, and the decrease in total phosphorus concentrations below HPs.

Methodology for Determining the Location of River Ports on a Modernized Waterway Based on Non-Cost Criteria: A Case Study of the Odra River Waterway

The paper responds to research problems related to the implementation of large-scale investment projects in waterways in Europe. As part of design and construction works, it is necessary to indicate river ports that play a major role within the European transport network as intermodal nodes. This entails a number of challenges, the cardinal one being the optimal selection of port locations, taking into account the new transport, economic, and geopolitical situation that will be brought about by modernized waterways. The aim of the paper was to present an original methodology for determining port locations for modernized waterways based on non-cost criteria, as an extended multicriteria decision-making method (MCDM) and employing GIS (Geographic Information System)-based tools for spatial analysis. The methodology was designed to be applicable to the varying conditions of a river’s hydroengineering structures (free-flowing river, canalized river, and canals) and adjustable to the requirements posed by intermodal supply chains. The method was applied to study the Odra River Waterway, which allowed the formulation of recommendations regarding the application of the method in the case of different river sections at every stage of the research process.