Assessment of the health risk associated with exposure to heavy metals present in particulate matter deposition in the Małopolska Province

The aim of the study was to investigate the content of trace elements in deposited particulate matter and to estimate the health risk to Kraków inhabitants, caused by the exposure to heavy metals in particulate matter deposition. The qualitative and quantitative assessments of selected heavy metals in deposited particulate matter have been carried out in the city of Kraków (Małopolska, southern Poland, 5 measuring points) for seven months, between February and September 2017. A comparative study was conducted at the same time in Małopolska (5 measuring points). The deposited particulate matter was collected gravitationally, using measurement plates covered with aluminum foil and paraffin jelly. The largest deposition of particulate matter was found in May and June. The highest amount of deposited particulate matter and metals present in it was determined in Kraków. The Hazard Quotient (HQ) evaluation for non-carcinogenic effect showed low risk for each metal. In the case of lead in particulate matter, the carcinogenic risk value did not reach 10−6 hence this risk is acceptable. The total carcinogenic risk for all routes of exposure to cadmium was higher, indicating the risk of cancer in children and adults, with children more exposed. However, the carcinogenic risk for cadmium was also acceptable. The study showed that the problem of poor air quality concerns not only the city of Kraków, but also the entire Małopolska region. Elevated metal concentrations in particulate matter indicate the need for monitoring it in the air.

A history of interdisciplinary research on Lake Wigry

Lake Wigry is one of the best explored lakes in Poland, a feat which has been achieved thanks to the pas-sion and efforts of numerous scientists. This tremendous endeavour was supervised and coordinated by Professor Jacek Rutkowski and January 2021 marked the fifth anniversary of the professor’s death. To mark this occasion, a history of research on the lake was compiled on the basis of oral accounts and an overview of the works that have been created thanks to his ideas, supervision, and boundless empathy. It is crucial to continue the research, since it will allow for the even better protection of the environment, as well as the natural and landscape attributes of the Wigry region.

An application of the NSGA-II algorithm in Pareto joint inversion of 2D magnetic and gravity data

Joint inversion is a widely used geophysical method that allows model parameters to be obtained from the observed data. Pareto inversion results are a set of solutions that include the Pareto front, which consists of non-dominated solutions. All solutions from the Pareto front are considered the most feasible models from which a particular one can be chosen as the final solution. In this paper, it is shown that models represented by points on the Pareto front do not reflect the shape of the real model. In this contribution, a collective approach is proposed to interpret the geometry of models retrieved in inversion. Instead of choosing single solutions from the Pareto front, all obtained solutions were combined in one “heat map”, which is a plot representing the frequency of points belonging to all returned objects from the solution set. The conducted experiment showed that this approach limits the problem of equivalence and is a promising way of representing the geometry of the model that was retrieved in the inversion process.

Health risk assessment resulting from the presence of Legionella bacteria in domestic hot water in public buildings – the results of a pilot study

The aim of the study was to assess the risk posed by Legionella bacteria in a public building in Krakow. An old building with internal installation risers of different ages, as well as draw-off points of different types, was selected for testing. Samples were collected during two campaigns. In one sample of the first series of tests, no bacteria were found. During the second series of tests, no Legionella bacilli were found in just one sample and in one sample only 4 colony-forming units were detected. At the remaining draw-off points (water taps), the bacteria count detected were greater than the maximum threshold allowed by legal regulations (admissible threshold for public utility buildings – 100 cfu/100 mL). No morphological differences were observed with respect to the occurrence of specific serogroups. In 14 samples, Legionella pneumophila serogroups 2–14 were found, while the Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was only found in one sample. The risk assessment was also carried out based on a semi-quantitative risk matrix approach and as a quantitative microbial risk assessment. The risk matrix approach was successfully implemented for the recognition of the potential risk associated with the Legionella occurrence in a water system. The calculated annual cumulative risk is high. The research shows that even if the weekly inhalation exposure dose (and therefore the calculated risk) is high, the number of Legionella pneumophila illness cases found can be equal to zero. This is probably due to the large uncertainty associated with QMRA determination. The size of the room in which the contaminated water is used also affects the possibility of infection.

Selected aspects of modern seismic imaging and near-surface velocity model building in the area of Carpathian fold and thrust belt

Despite the increasing technological level of the reflection seismic method, the imaging of fold and thrust belts remains a demanding task, and usually leaves some questions regarding the dips, the shape of the subthrust structures or the most correct approach to velocity model building. There is no straightforward method that can provide structural representation of the near-surface geological boundaries and their velocities. The in-terpretation of refracted waves frequently remains the only available technique that may be used for this purpose, although one must be aware of its limitations which appear in the complex geological settings. In the presented study, the analysis of velocity values obtained in the shallow part of Carpathian orogenic wedge by means of various geophysical methods was carried out. It revealed the lack of consistency between the results of 3D refraction tomography and both the sonic log and uphole velocities. For that reason, instead of the indus-try-standard utilization of tomography, a novel, geologically-consistent method of velocity model building is pro-posed. In the near-surface part, the uphole velocities are assigned to the formations, documented by the surface geologic map. Interpreted time-domain horizons, supplemented by main thrusts, are used to make the velocity field fully-compatible with the litho-stratigraphic units of the Carpathians. The author demonstrates a retrospective overview of seismic data imaging in the area of the Polish Carpathian orogenic wedge and discusses the most recent global innovations in seismic methodology which are the key to successful hydrocarbon exploration in fold and thrust regions.

A regurgitalite of the Middle Triassic (Muschelkalk) from Upper Silesia (Poland)

A bromalite from the Middle Triassic (Muschelkalk) of southern Poland, Sadowa Góra Quarry, is herein described and interpreted as a regurgitalite. The fossils occurring within the regurgitalite are angular and have sharp edges. They are represented by common fragments of thin-shelled bivalves as well as rare crinoid and gastropod remains. The composition of the collected inclusion is different from that of the host rock. There are many candidates that could have produced the regurgitalite, including durophagous sharks, marine reptiles, the actinopterygian Colobodus, or nautiloids. Our finding adds to the emerging evidence of durophagous predation in the Triassic sea of Polish part of the Germanic Basin. It is the second record of a regurgitalite from the Muschelkalk of Upper Silesia.

Multiscale evaluation of a thin-bed reservoir

A thin-bed laminated shaly-sand reservoir of the Miocene formation was evaluated using two methods: high resolution microresistivity data from the XRMI tool and conventional well logs. Based on high resolution data, the Earth model of the reservoir was defined in a way that allowed the analyzed interval to be subdivided into thin layers of sandstones, mudstones, and claystones. Theoretical logs of gamma ray, bulk density, horizontal and vertical resistivity were calculated based on the forward modeling method to describe the petrophysical properties of individual beds and calculate the clay volume, porosity, and water saturation. The relationships amongst the contents of minerals were established based on the XRD data from the neighboring wells; hence, the high-resolution lithological model was evaluated. Predicted curves and estimated volumes of minerals were used as an input in multimineral solver and based on the assumed petrophysical model the input data were recalculated, reconstructed and compared with the predicted curves. The volumes of minerals and input curves were adjusted during several runs to minimalize the error between predicted and recalculated variables. Another approach was based on electrofacies modeling using unsupervised self-organizing maps. As an input, conventional well logs were used. Then, the evaluated facies model was used during forward modeling of the effective porosity, horizontal resistivity and water saturation. The obtained results were compared and, finally, the effective thickness of the reservoir was established based on the results from the two methods.

Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology of a metasomatic calc-silicate in the Tsäkkok Lens, Scandinavian Caledonides

The Tsäkkok Lens of the Seve Nappe Complex in the Scandinavian Caledonides comprises eclogite bodies hosted within metasedimentary rocks. These rocks are thought to be derived from the outermost margin of Baltica along the periphery of the Iapetus Ocean, but detrital records from the sedimentary rocks are lacking.Many metasedimentary outcrops within the lens expose both well-foliated metapelitic rocks and massive calc-silicates. The contacts between these two lithologies are irregular and are observed to trend at all angles to the high-pressure foliation in the metapelites. Where folding is present in the metapelites, the calc-silicate rocks are also locally folded. These relationships suggest metasomatism of the metapelites during the Caledonian orogenesis. Zircon U-Pb geochronology was conducted on sixty-one zircon grains from a calc-silicate sample to investigate if they recorded the metasomatic event and to assess the detrital zircon populations. Zircon grains predominantly show oscillatory zoning, sometimes with thin, homogeneous rims that have embayed contacts with the oscillatory-zoned cores. The zircon cores yielded prominent early Stenian, Calymmian, and Statherian populations with a subordinate number of Tonian grains. The zircon rims exhibit dissolution-reprecipitation of the cores or new growth and provide ages that span similar time frames, indicating overprinting of successive tectonic events. Altogether, the zircon record of the calc-silicate suggests that the Tsäkkok Lens may be correlated to Neoproterozoic basins that are preserved in allochthonous positions within the northern extents of the Caledonian Orogen.

Portable XRF spectrometer with helium flow as a tool for lithological interpretation

Portable EDXRF (Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence) spectrometer with the ability to perform rock tests in a helium atmosphere was applied to prepare unique calibration coefficients and mineralogical models. These data could be used for the chemical profiling, chemostratigraphy, gamma-ray, TOC and lithological interpretation of borehole geological profile. The measurements were conducted on 19 samples of sandstones and compared to the XRF data without helium flow. The acquired dataset was calibrated to the chemical laboratory tests (ICP-MS), gamma-ray spectrometry measurements (RT-50) and combined with the mineralogical data (XRD). The new methodology enables the measurement of sodium and enhances the possibility of detecting magnesium, thorium and uranium, compared to standard handheld XRF spectrometers. The applied method is dedicated to whole cores (without sample preparation) or cuttings which must be cleaned, dried, milled and pressed.

The application of volume texture extraction to three-dimensional seismic data – lithofacies structures exploration within the Miocene deposits of the Carpathian Foredeep

There are numerous conventional fields of natural gas in the Carpathian Foredeep, and there is also evidence to suggest that unconventional gas accumulations may occur in this region. The different seismic sig-natures of these geological forms, the small scale of amplitude variation, and the large amount of data make the process of geological interpretation extremely time-consuming. Moreover, the dispersed nature of information in a large block of seismic data increasingly requires automatic, self-learning cognitive processes. Recent developments with Machine Learning have added new capabilities to seismic interpretation, especially to multi-attribute seismic analysis. Each case requires a proper selection of attributes. In this paper, the Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrix method is presented and its two texture attributes Energy and Entropy. Haralick’s two texture parameters were applied to an advanced interpretation of the interval of Miocene deposits in order to discover the subtle geological features hidden between the seismic traces. As a result, a submarine-slope channel system was delineated leading to the discovery of unknown earlier relationships between gas boreholes and the geological environment. The Miocene deposits filling the Carpathian Foredeep, due to their lithological and facies diversity, provide excellent conditions for testing and implementing Machine Learning techniques. The presented texture attributes are the desired input components for self-learning systems for seismic facies classification.