Paulina Mareczka’s research while affiliated with University of the National Education Commission, Krakow and other places

Sesja naukowa "Paleogeografia Schyłku Vistulianu", Popów 2022

The Baligówka peat bog is one of the peat bogs of the Orawa-Nowy Targ Basin—the largest complex of wetlands in the Polish Carpathians. Its area has declined in the past as a result of drainage and peat exploitation, which caused a bad hydrological condition and it is gradually overgrown by non-peat bog medium and high vegetation. The research uses models derived from airborne laser scanning (ALS) and an orthophotomap to delimit the bog and divide it into parts and assess the range of drainage ditches and vegetation. The area of the peat dome along with 3 sites of peat exploitation is currently 159.6 ha, while the ecotone zone is 105.9 ha. Both sections are separated by a steep post-mining slope. The medium and high vegetation areas cover 44% of the peat bog; its location is related to the dense drainage system in the southern part of the dome. The parameters of the Baligówka peat bog: area, size and extent of drainage system, and the degree of overgrowth by high vegetation, are the subject of research towards the protection under the Natura 2000 network (PLH120016) and the establishment of a plan for restoration activities.

This paper presents the results of a study on the content of lithogeochemical components (organic matter, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn) and grain-size composition of mineral matter in the bottom sediments of Morzycko Lake (Myślibórz Lakeland, NW Poland). This lake is large (342.7 ha) and deep (69 m). The catchment has a typical forested character (mainly in the middle part of the Słubia River valley) with agricultural area (mainly in the upland areas north of the lake). The diversity of concentrations of metals was analysed based on 44 samples from 22 representative sites, including surface sediments and sediments from 5 cm below the current lake bed. The results showed that the chemical composition and granulometry of bottom sediments depends on contemporary morphogenetic processes in the catchment of the Słubia River. Geochemical and grain-size indices varied due to changes in biological productivity, intensity of weathering of postglacial material making up the catchment, and potential for migration of metals to the lake with surface or underground runoff. An important aspect in assessing the degree of enrichment of the sediments in trace elements is the location of shallow parts of the lake near the tourist districts of Moryń.

The Orawa-Nowy Targ Basin is one of only a few areas in the Polish Carpathians with high relative cover of peatlands (12 %). This fraction is declining progressively due to several centuries of peat exploitation for fuel, gardening and balneology. The peatland at Ludźmierz near Nowy Targ is regionally important for its high biodiversity but has been scarred by historical and contemporary peat extraction. The current area and fragmentation of peat domes on Ludźmierz Bog were assessed, along with the characteristics and condition of the vegetation. Also, topographical changes across areas of peat extraction were analysed using a combination of remote sensing and field study methods in order to identify the locations of modern peat extraction and natural mass movements. The condition of the raised bog and changes in its boundaries were thus deduced, paying attention to the bog's exceptional environmental and landscape values. The area covered by the bog is currently 39 ha and it is divided into three separate domes which are drained by a network of ditches and through discontinuities of the water table at peat extraction areas. The vegetation on extraction areas currently has a higher biomass growth rate than the plant cover on the domes, and is in better condition on the basis of NDVI assessment.

Mokradła i torfowiska jako temat zajęć terenowych w edukacji geograficznej Streszczenie Celem artykułu jest charakterystyka torfowisk Kotliny Orawsko-Nowotarskiej jako miejsca do przeprowadzenia zajęć terenowych z geografii i przyrody. Wskazano unikatowość mo-kradeł oraz pełnione przez nie funkcje w środowisku geograficznym. W oparciu o kwerendę literatury przygotowano zestaw wiadomości o mokradłach i torfowiskach. Podczas badania terenowego opisano obiekty dydaktyczne istniejące na torfowiskach obszaru badań-ścieżkę w rezerwacie przyrody "Bór na Czerwonem" oraz ścieżkę "Torfowisko Baligówka", położone w Kotlinie Orawsko-Nowotarskiej. Szlaki te oceniono pod kątem dostępności komunikacyj-nej i stanu infrastruktury, a także treści merytorycznych oraz różnorodności krajobrazowej. Opisywane trasy i położone wzdłuż nich obiekty stanowią przykład wartościowego materia-łu dydaktycznego, który warto wykorzystać podczas wycieczki szkolnej na zajęciach z geo-grafii i przyrody. W końcowej części opracowania wskazano elementy, o których nauczyciel powinien wiedzieć i zwrócić na nie uwagę uczniom podczas takich zajęć. Wetlands and peat bogs as theme for field geography education Abstract The purpose of this article is to characterize the peat bog objects of Orawa-Nowy Targ Basin as a destination to conduct field geography and natural science lesson. The uniqueness of wetlands and peat bogs as well as their functions in the environment were indicated in the text. In the text was conducted compilation of knowledge about wetlands and peatlands, based on literature research. During the field study, educational trails already existing on the peatlands of the study area were described-they were the educational trails in the "Bór on Czerwonem" nature reserve and "Torfowisko Baligówka", located in Orawa-NowyTarg Basin. These routes were evaluated in terms of communication aspect and the state of its

The article contains the study on the structure of the landscape of the Polish Pieniny Mountains. Two types of remote sensing data were used during the research: Sentinel-2A satellite land cover data and airborne laser scanner data. There were calculated 4 indicators chosen by literature review to define the current landscape diversity-the structure, variety and shape indexes of landscape pieces for horizontal aspect as well as topographic ruggedness index for vertical landscape aspect. Afterwards, the area of the Pieniny National Park (PNP) was separated from the range and all steps of the study were repeated. In the end, indicator results for Pieniny Mountains and PNP were compared.