Paweł MikuśPolish Academy of Sciences | PAN · Institute of Nature Conservation
Paweł Mikuś
Doctor of Philosophy
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58
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808
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Citations since 2017
Publications
Publications (58)
Information on the transport and deposition of riverine macroplastic is crucial for selecting proper locations for river cleaning actions and for trapping infrastructure installation. Obtaining such information for mountain rivers is of particular importance because their specific characteristics make them particularly prone to illegal dumping, pla...
The water depth and flow velocity of a river may be temporarily disturbed by the water level fluctuations connected with the operation of artificial dam reservoirs located downstream (so-called backwater fluctuations (BF)). In this research, we use the two-dimensional hydrodynamic model iRIC MFlow_02 to quantify the effects of BF on the lowermost s...
Spatial distribution of large wood (LW) is frequently assessed in a simplified form as a degree to which wood is clustered into jams usually as the consequence of previous wood mobility in the stream. In this study, longitudinal patterns of LW distribution in ten semi-natural, single-thread reaches (catchment area 0.10–1479 km², channel width 2.5–3...
Macroplastic storage in mountain rivers remains unexplored and it is unknown how river morphology and different surface types of river areas modulate this process. Therefore, we sampled macroplastic debris stored on the surface of emergent river areas with different vegetation cover and on wood jams in a channelized, single-thread reach and an unma...
Amounts of macroplastic debris stored on different elements of mountain rivers are unknown, but such data are crucial to plan future mitigation activities in these fragile ecosystems. We determined the amounts of macroplastic stored on different surface types (geomorphic units and wood jams) in two reaches of the Dunajec River in the Polish Carpath...
Mitigation of adverse effects of channel incision and the loss of alluvial bed substrate on the ecosystems of mountain watercourses downstream from check dams requires effective sediment entrapment in the incised channels. We examined changes in the ecosystem of mountainous Krzczonówka Stream, Polish Carpathians, resulting from lowering of a high c...
The construction of a high check dam on mountain Krzczonówka Stream, Polish Carpathians, in the mid-20th century caused numerous detrimental changes to the downstream reach. In 2014 the check dam was lowered to make the structure passable for river biota. Before that, several block ramps were constructed in the deeply incised downstream reach to fa...
W XX wieku w dolinach rzek polskich Karpat doszło do odtworzenia występowania nadrzecznych lasów i w rezultacie obecnie do koryt cieków górskich mogą być dostarczane, zwłaszcza w czasie wezbrań, znaczne ilości grubego rumoszu drzewnego. W potokach mobilność grubego rumoszu drzewnego jest niewielka, natomiast rzeki górskie cechuje duży potencjał do...
Processes of macroplastic (plastic particles > 5 mm) storage and remobilization in rivers have been overlooked so far, but are of crucial importance for the estimation of plastic accumulation and transport and associated risks. We present a conceptual model that defines phases of the macroplastic route through a fluvial system and systematizes thei...
Relatively short time that passed since the onset of river restoration activities worldwide and a scarcity of monitored restoration projects cause that scientific evidence of changes in restored rivers is still meagre, particularly with respect to innovative restoration techniques and long-term effects of restoration activities. Restoration project...
2D numerical modelling indicated that backwater fluctuations of the Czorsztyn Reservoir increase floodwater depth (up to 255%) and decrease flow velocity (up to 72%) and bed shear stress (up to 80%) in the backwater zone of the mountainous Dunajec River. They also trigger further morphological changes, which additionally modify the initial river hy...
Upstream from a dam reservoir, river hydrodynamics may be directly changed by temporary inundation driven by the reservoir. This triggers morphological river changes which may additionally modify the initial hydrodynamics, even at the time when backwater inundation does not occur (indirect effects of backwater). We verified these hypotheses, applyi...
Woreczki foliowe przyczepione do drzew i plastikowe butelki unoszące się na wodzie stały się w ostatnich latach częścią krajobrazu rzecznego. Masowa produkcja plastiku i związana z nią dostawa plastikowych odpadów do środowiska rozpoczęła się w latach 60. ubiegłego stulecia. Od tamtego czasu obecność cząstek plastiku stwierdzono w wodach morskich i...
The paper presents a conceptual model of the route of macroplastic debris (>5 mm) through a fluvial system, which can support future works on the overlooked processes of macroplastic storage and remobilization in rivers. We divided the macroplastic route into (1) input, (2) transport, (3) storage, (4) remobilization and (5) output phases. Phase 1 i...
The paper presents a conceptual model of the route of macroplastic debris (5 > mm) through a fluvial system, which can support future works on the overlooked processes of macroplastic storage and remobilization in rivers. We divided the macroplastic route into (1) input, (2) transport, (3) storage, (4) remobilization and (5) output phases. Phase 1...
The paper presents a conceptual model of the route of macroplastic debris (5 > mm) through a fluvial system, which can support future works on the overlooked processes of macroplastic storage and remobilization in rivers. We divided the macroplastic route into (1) input, (2) transport, (3) storage, (4) remobilization and (5) output phases. Phase 1...
Studies presenting long-term observations
of the recruitment and mobility of large wood in
mountain watercourses are scarce, but they can
considerably contribute to the knowledge of
river/riparian forest interactions and the assessment
of flood hazard resulting from wood mobility during
floods. Widespread dieback of riparian forest along
the headwa...
Studies presenting long-term observations of the recruitment and mobility of large wood in mountain watercourses are scarce, but they can considerably contribute to the knowledge of river/riparian forest interactions and the assessment of flood hazard resulting from wood mobility during floods. Widespread dieback of riparian forest along the headwa...
Rivers of the Polish Carpathians incised deeply during the twentieth century, but detailed information about the timing and amount of incision of their channels exists only for water-gauge cross sections. Applicability of photogrammetric extraction of digital elevation models (DEMs) from archival aerial photos for reconstructing changes in vertical...
In the last decade the increasing availability of low-cost, consumer-grade drones (UAV) and structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry revolutionized the way of topographic data collection in geomorphology and other sciences. The SfM photogrametry allows for easy and low time-consuming production of centimetre-scale digital elevation models (DEMs)...
In the twentieth century the heavily channelized Raba River incised deeply in its mountain course. Abandonment of channelization structures in a 2.3-km-long reach within a forested corridor was followed by considerable channel widening during floods of 30- and 35-year recurrence interval, re-establishment of a multi-thread channel pattern and islan...
In the years 2007-2016 about 8,000 new large dams were constructed all over the world. It is widely known that dams disturb abiotic and biotic components of the fluvial systems, but to date the knowledge of their impacts has been mainly derived from observations of downstream river reaches. In contrast, little is known on the biogeomorphological ad...
Investigations of islands in an undisturbed reach of the Czarny Dunajec River in the Polish Carpathians indicated that islands are very dynamic landforms and greatly contribute to the overall plant diversity of the river corridor [1]. This was the basis of the hypothesis that re-establishment of islands may be an important factor in the restoration...
Zbiorniki zaporowe zaburzają przepływ wody i rumowiska w korycie i na równi zalewowej rzeki, prowadząc do zmian sedymentologicznych i hydromorfologicznych. Dotychczas nie analizowano przebiegu zmian roślinności nadrzecznej w cofkach zbiorników zaporowych zlokalizowanych na rzekach żwirodennych. We wcześniejszych pracach zauważano jednak, że roślinn...
Impact of a large flood on the ecological quality of a mountain river was evaluated. • Physical habitats, fish and benthic invertebrates in channelized and unmanaged cross-sections were assessed before and after the flood. • The flood differently affected particular elements of the river ecosystem in chan-nelized and unmanaged cross-sections. • Dif...
Effects of passive restoration of mountain rivers on the organisms inhabiting exposed riverine sediments are considerably less understood than those concerning aquatic biota. Thus, the effects of a recovery of the Raba River after abandonment of maintenance of its channelization scheme on ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) communities were inves...
The present paper reviews selected outcomes of the FLORIST project devoted to flood risk in the region of the northern foothills of the Tatra Mountains in Poland and summarizes novel results. The project encompassed theoretical, field, and modeling work. It was focused around observation-based hydroclimatology; projections for the future; dendrogeo...
During floods, large quantities of wood can be mobilized and transported downstream. At critical sections, such as bridges, the transported wood might be entrapped and a quick succession of backwater effects can occur as a result of the reduction of the cross-sectional area. The aim of this work is to explore large wood-related hazards during flood...
During floods, large quantities of wood can be mobilized and transported downstream. At critical sections, such as bridges, the transported wood might be entrapped and a quick succession of backwater effects can occur as a result of the reduction of the cross-sectional area. The aim of this work is to explore large wood-related hazards during flood...
Distance of large wood transport during floods and conditions for wood deposition in wide mountain rivers are still insufficiently understood. Tracking of logs tagged with radio transmitters was used to investigate differences in depositional conditions and the length of log displacement during a 20-year flood between channel reaches of different m...
Channelization and channel incision have considerably modified channel morphology of the Czarny Dunajec River, and now it varies from a single-thread, incised or regulated channel to an unmanaged, multi-thread channel. Effects of these distinct channel morphologies on the conditions for flood flows were investigated in a study of 25 cross-sections...
The knowledge of large wood (LW) dynamics regarding factors controlling wood transport, preferential depositional sites and the timing and duration of wood flux, is crucial for the maintenance of a good ecological status of rivers and for the management of wood-related potential hazards. Besides field surveys, tracking experiments or physical model...
Applicability, advantages and limitations of a range of methods applied to determine large wood dynamics in Kamienica Stream and the Czarny Dunajec River, Polish Carpathians, are discussed. Results of a 6-year-long monitoring suggest an increased rate of wood recruitment to Kamienica Stream caused by recent bark beetle infestation of the spruce for...
Floods can mobilize large amounts of unconsolidated material, which also includes large wood in forested river basins. Yet, the influence of the shape and volume of flood hydrographs on wood dynamics in rivers remains poorly understood. Quantitative data on this relation are, however, critically needed to properly address management strategies and...
Migration of a mountain river channel may cause erosional risk to infrastructure or settlements on the valley floor. Following a flood of 2010, a cutbank in one of the bends of the main channel of the Czarny Dunajec, Polish Carpathians, approached a local road by 50. m. To arrest the erosion of the laterally migrating channel, water authorities pla...
The Biała River, Polish Carpathians, was considerably modified by channelization and channel incision in the twentieth century. To restore the Biała, establishing an erodible corridor was proposed in two river sections located in its mountain and foothill course. In these sections, longer, unmanaged channel reaches alternate with short, channelized...
Several techniques exist in the literature to analyse wood dynamics, such as field surveys of wood distribution, or dating and tracking of the movement of wood pieces. However, nowadays, there are still few direct observations of wood transport. Physical models and flume experiments have been used to overcome these constraints, contributing greatly...
The aim of this contribution is to explore the main factors controlling large wood dynamics in the Czarny Dunajec River in Poland, combining direct field observations, 2D numerical modelling and GIS. Numerical modelling is a powerful tool to analyse different aspects that govern wood deposition, because models can be used to run scenarios and can b...
The aim of this contribution is to improve the knowledge of some interactions between floodplain and large wood in the Czarny Dunajec River in Poland, combining direct field observations and a probabilistic approach with 2D numerical modeling. Numerical modelling provides an alternative approach to addressing some of the unknowns in the dynamics of...
Large wood-related flood risk in mountain streams and rivers may result from the kinetic energy of floated wood colliding with in-channel and bank structures, scour of bridge piers and abutments by the water jets caused by wood accumulations, and the elevation of flood water level by wood jams, especially those formed at bridge cross-sections. With...
Following considerable hydromorphological degradation in past decades, the gravel-bed Biała River, Polish Carpathians, is to be restored through establishing erodible corridor in two river sections. In these sections, relatively long, unmanaged channel reaches alternate with short, channelized reaches located in the vicinity of bridges. Effects of...
The present paper introduces the topical area of the Polish–Swiss research project FLORIST (Flood risk on the northern foothills of the Tatra Mountains), informs on its objectives, and reports on initial results. The Tatra Mountains are the area of the highest precipitation in Poland and largely contribute to flood generation. The project is focuse...
Vegetated islands are characteristic landforms of braided mountain rivers. Long-term observations and recent morphological and botanical surveys conducted in the gravel-bed Czarny Dunajec, Polish Carpathians, were used to determine the processes and patterns governing initiation and development of islands and their floristic complexity. Moreover, d...
Oparty na występowaniu makrobentosu, polski indeks biotyczny (BMWP-PL), podobnie jak jego prototyp angielski (Biological Monitoring Working Party score system) jest powszechnie uznawany za wskaźnik jakości wody w rzekach. Użyteczność tej metody zweryfikowano w oparciu o badania górskiej rzeki Białej. Makrobezkregowce bentosowe zbierano na 10 stanow...
Domichnial and domichnial-fodinichnial burrows of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) belonging to the genera Bembidion and Harpalus, respectively, and pupichnial burrows of Melolontha (Coleoptera: Melolonthinae: Scarabaeidae) occur in sandy to muddy nonvegetated or partly vegetated substrate on a well-drained, rarely flooded alluvial plain of t...
Like its British prototype (Biological Monitoring Working Party score system), the Polish benthic invertebrate-based BMWP-PL index is commonly regarded as an indicator of river water quality. This interpretation of the index has been verified in a study of the gravel-bed Biała River. Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled at 10 sites and compared...
The present paper introduces the topical area of the Polish-Swiss research project FLORIST (Flood risk on the northern foothills of the Tatra Mountains), informs on its objectives, and reports on initial results. The Tatra Mountains are the area of the highest precipitation in Poland and largely contribute to flood generation. The project is focuse...
Water-level fluctuations are the main factor disturbing channel-bank burrowing biota and controlling their diversity and abundance. The most frequently observed burrowers in recent alluvial sediments of the Dunajec River include European mole (Talpa europaea Linnaeus), common earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris Linnaeus), a few species of ground beetle...
Abstract. The Czarny Dunajec River draining the Western Tatras and its foothills, southern Poland, is one of the last relatively undisturbed, gravel-bed rivers in Cen- tral Europe. The study aims at reconstructing the development of the largest patchy - structure island (1.78 ha) using both tree-ring and GIS methods. The study of changes in this fo...
Projects
Projects (4)
This scientific project follows two river restoration projects realized in the first half of the 2010s in three Polish Carpathian rivers with cost-effective
methods of (i) establishing an erodible river corridor and (ii) constructing block ramps in an incised channel totrap bed material and aggrade the channel bed. Using environmental data collected at the beginning and end of these projects and data collected within the proposed research project five years after the end of the restoration projects, we will assess the immediate (during the restoration project) and longer-term efficiency of the restoration measures in improving
the ecological state of the rivers and reducing flood hazard.
This project aims to explore the processes of and controls on macroplastic (plastic particles > 5-25 mm) storage in mountain and foothill river environments – the phenomenon which has not been explored so far but is of crucial importance for estimation of how much and where plastic is stored in riverine ecosystem and related risks.
We plan to use four streams in the Polish Carpathians with different levels of human pressures in their catchments and channels to determine relations between macroplastic abundance in river and: (a) physiographic and antropogenic characteristics of river catchments, (b) river morphology, and (c) riparian vegetation cover.
First step of the project is to built a conceptual framework with terminological and theroetical background for future studies on this unexplored topic.
Next we plan to quantify the importance of the natural and anthropogenic characteristics of fluvial systems on macroplastic storage and remobilization in different type rivers and streams in southern Poland.
Ultimately, we aim to estimate how much plastic has accumulated in rivers and will be present in future riverscapes and how this processes will interact with human.
We plan to use full geographical perspectives that would include among functional components humans, who not only dispose plastic, but are also afected by it both physically and aesthetically,
and who may remove it from rivers.
This project hypothesizes that the dam-induced base-level rise and its morphological and sedimentological consequences promote vegetation expansion on channel bars and on the floodplain, while the resultant vegetation expansion modifies the local hydrodynamics.
We plan to quantify both of these influences on the gravel-bed rivers.
