This study includes hydrologie characteristics of the Potok Toszecki basin area and the results of chemical analysis of water quality of the Potok Toszecki. These investigations were carried out in following periods: from March 1993 till May 1994 and from January 1997 till June 1998. The results of investigations on the chemical parameters of water quality were compared with analysis, carried out in 1976. Under the results of this investigations water quality of the Potok Toszecki - a watercourse, which flows to the Pławniowice Reservoir - was defined and essential factors, connected with character of the basin area have been shown. Classification of several parameters was achieved under the official decree of the ministry of environmental protection from November 5th 1991. On the basis of this classification it was found, that the main risk for the Pławniowice Reservoir are biogenie substances and suspension, inflowing to the Reservoir together with the water of the Potok Toszecki. Improvement of the existing situation will be possible only if firm waste-water managements action will be taken.

The paper presents the results on the studies on determination of concentrations or four phenoxyacetic herbicides, four triazine herbicides. seven insecticides and other pollutants in the Supraśl catchment. The samples were collected over a period or two years. from May 2003 to April 2005. This work will be a precious source or information about the occurrence of agropollutants in the surface water. The residues of herbicides active ingredients were determined using chromatography methods - GC with ECD and NP detection. The maximum residues or herbicide in surface water were detected in spring and autumn - up to 120 ug/dm: for phenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D, MCPA, MCPP). The most important fact noted during the research is that in surface water used for drinking significant amounts of crop protection substances were detected, which, in the light of the new law concerning the quality of drinking water. must undoubtedly be removed in the treatment processes.

Drought is one of the important phenomena resulting from variability and climate change. It has negative effects on all economic, agricultural and social sectors. The objective of this study is to rapidly detect climate dryness situations on an annual scale at the Mellah catchment (Northeast Algeria) for periods ranging from 31 years through the calculation of: the standardized precipitation index (SPI), the standardized Streamflow index (SSFI), the standardized temperature index (STI). Calculations made it possible to locate periods of drought more precisely by their intensity, duration and frequency, and detect years of breaks using the tests of Pettitt, rang, Lee and Heghinian, Hubert and Buishand. The use of the statistical tests for the rainfall series analyzed show all breaks, the majority of which are in 1996/1997 and 2001/2002. For the tem-peratures the breaks are situated in 1980/1981.

The article presents the results of research aimed at determining the catchment areas that pose a risk of nitrogen pollution of the waters of the Mała Panew river. The research was carried out in 13 permanent monitoring points located on the Mała Panew. The location of the points ensured the representativeness of the water quality results for parts of the catchment area with a homogeneous type of land use. Concentrations of nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) and total nitrogen (TN) were determined in the samples taken. The content of (NO3-N) in the third quarter of the year and its relation to the value obtained for the first year quarter may be an indicator of the impact of agricultural activities on the quality of water in streams. In the case of agricultural catchments, the lowest concentrations of NO3-N and TN occur in the third quarter of the year and are significantly lower than in the first quarter of the year. The demonstrated seasonal variability of nitrate nitrogen concentrations in agriculturally used areas may be used to determine the type of pressure not allowing to achieve good water status in the surface water body. It was shown that the highest unit increments occurred in areas with a high proportion of forest.

The paper presents the problem of the growing water deficit and the possibility of sustainable development of water resources in rural areas of Central and Eastern Europe (using the example of Poland). It is estimated that the amount of resources in this region is reduced by about 70% compared to the average for Europe. In drought periods it comes to limitation of economic activity, including agriculture. Particular attention was paid to the necessity to extend landscape, underground, and snow retention, as an alternative to dams, which are currently the most popular in lower-order catchments. It has been shown that the construction of small agricultural reservoirs is not always preceded by adequate consultations and pre-design studies, which may result in financial losses and legal problems. Simultaneous use of many alternative forms of retention should be more effective than the implementation of reservoirs. In addition, increasing the hydraulic roughness of the catchments slows down the outflow of products of erosion and contributes to the protection of surface retention structures (maintaining natural and economic usefulness of reservoirs).

Small Arctic catchments that are sensitive to climate change reinforced by Arctic amplification remain poorly studied. Since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA) glaciers on Svalbard have been retreating, and thus, many catchments have transformed from glaciated or partly glaciated to ice-free conditions. Our study focuses on changes that have occurred since the end of the LIA in a small High Arctic mountain catchment, Bratteggdalen. In this study, we traced changes in the Bratteggbreen glacier areal extent since 1976 with parallel vegetation analysis using Landsat and Sentinel data. The geomorphology of Bratteggdalen was mapped and basic morphometric analyses, such as long profile, hypsometric curve, slope and aspect orientation analyses were carried out. We also present a map of landforms in Bratteggdalen based on a fieldwork in 2018 and an analysis of orthophotomaps. Through this research, we enhance the knowledge of small catchments in polar regions.

For majority of running waters point pollution sources are the main sources of pollution. Knowing the water self-purification capacity one can modify the quality of waters through proper management of the discharged pollutants. This study focuses on identifying such solutions for pollutant discharge into the Kłodnica and Bytomka rivers, which would allow for achieving at least the Ill class of surface water quality. Simulation of selected wastewater management scenarios was carried out. The best solutions for the water environment were identified. Only environmental effects which resulted in improvement of the water quality were analyzed. The economical aspect of actions, the undertaking ofwhich is indispensable for achieving the assumed goal, was not taken into account. The selection of the best solutions considering the cost effectiveness cannot be made until a feasibility study for particular undertakings has been completed. Sal i nity and biodegradable pollutants determined by BOD coefficient were taken into consideration. The simulation was carried out using an integrated simulation model IRM (Integrated River Model). In order to protect the river from excessive salinity the optimum solution for the Bytomka River would be desalination, whereas for the Kłodnica River- directing salty mining waters outside its catchment. For protection from biodegradable pollutants the only solution would be tightening the effectiveness criteria for municipal wastewater treatment. Meeting the minimum standards for wastewater treatment, currently obligatory in municipal wastewater treatment plants, will not ensure the assumed water purity level in these rivers.

The study covered water resources of two mountain streams in the Polish Carpathians. These were the Biała Woda and Czarna Woda streams, the catchments of which are adjacent to each other. Water flows in both streams were measured during the hydrological years from 2006 to 2020. Next, water outflows from the catchments were calculated. The study aimed to determine differences in the water resources of those catchments in a very small mountainous area. The study showed quantitative similarity in water resources in the entire multi-annual period but at the same time large differences in shorter periods. Instantaneous and daily outflows showed the largest differences, but differences in annual outflows of up to 20% were also recorded. Therefore, hydrological data from operational cross-sections to assess water resources of neighbouring uncontrolled watercourses should cover multi-annual mean values. It was found that during periods of increased runoff (from melting snow or precipitation), the outflow from the Biała Woda catchment was much larger, while during rain-free periods, the outflow from the Czarna Woda catchment prevailed. All short- term flood like outflows were at least several tens of per cent higher in the Biała Woda catchment. The higher retention capacity of the Czarna Woda catchment can be attributed to the land use (mainly forest areas). The results can be used for modelling catchments of similar parameters and determining their retention capacity.

The 2150 km2 transboundary Gurara Reservoir Catchment in Nigeria was modelled using the Water Evaluation and Planning tool to assess the hydro-climatic variability resulting from climate change and human-induced activities from 1989 to 2019 and projected to the future till 2050. Specifically, the model simulated the historic dataset and predicted the future runoff. The initial results revealed that monthly calibration/validation of the model yielded acceptable results with Nash–Sutcliff efficiency ( NSE), percent bias ( PBIAS), and coefficient of determination (R2) values of 0.72/0.69, 0.72/0.67 and 4.0%/1.0% respectively. Uncertainty was moderately adequate as the model enveloped about 70% of the observed runoff. Future predicted runoffs were modelled for climate ensembles under three different representative concentration pathways (RCP4.5, RCP6.5 and RCP8.5). The RCP projections for all the climate change scenarios showed increasing runoff trends. The model proved efficient in determining the hydrological response of the catchment to potential impacts from climate change and human-induced activities. The model has the potential to be used for further analysis to aid effective water resources planning and management at catchment scale.

Water erosion in mountainous areas is a major problem, especially on steep slopes exposed to intense precipitation. This paper presents the analysis of the topsoil loss using the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model. The SWAT model is a deterministic catchment model with a daily time step. It was designed to anticipate changes taking place in the catchment area, such as climate change and changes in land use and development, including the quantity and quality of water resources, soil erosion and agricultural production. In addition to hydrological and environmental aspects, the SWAT model is used to address socio-economic and demographic issues, such as water supply and food production. This program is integrated with QGIS software. The results were evaluated using the following statistical coefficients: determination (R2), Nash–Sutcliff model efficiency ( NS), and percentage deviation index ( PBIAS). An assessment of modelling results was made in terms of their variation according to different land cover scenarios. In the case of the scenario with no change in use, the average annual loss of topsoil (average upland sediment yield) was found to be 14.3 Mg∙ha ^–1. The maximum upland sediment yield was 94.6 Mg∙ha ^–1. On the other hand, there is an accumulation of soil material in the lower part of the catchment (in-stream sediment change), on average 13.27 Mg∙ha ^–1 per year.

The aim of the statistical analyses carried out was to identify similarities and to point out differences between the various tributaries of the Narew River, to identify the factors and processes responsible for the transformations occurring in the aquatic environment and finally, to identify the main sources of pollution in the river catchment. For the purposes of statistical analysis, the results of studies conducted as part of diagnostic monitoring by the General Inspectorate for Environmental Protection in 2017–2018 were used. The studies included 8 measurement points located directly on the Narew River and 17 points located on its selected left and right tributaries. Analysis of the collected results indicates that the chemical condition of the water in the Narew catchment is assessed as being poor. This observation may be due to the fact that the Narew catchment is mainly used for agricultural purposes and, in addition, there is a relatively large number of potential anthropogenic sources. As part of the analysis, two potential sources of pollution affecting water quality in the Narew catchment were identified, which include surface run-off and treated wastewater inflow.

The objective of this work is to demonstrate for the first time the results of hydrogeochmical studies carried out in the Steinvik River catchment, in order to provide detailed information regarding the chemical composition of groundwater in the Hornsund region, SW Spitsbergen. The water chemistry in the non-glaciated Steinvik River catchment is largely controlled by hydrological processes related to thaw of the near surface permafrost. Groundwater runoff is generated from the fast flow through well-permeable active layer. Recharge from melting snow, permafrost and rain, together with short residence time of groundwater, favors the forming of low-mineralized water, reaching 41 and 50 μS/cm for surface and groundwater, respectively, with the dominance of HCO3−, Cl−, Mg2+, Ca2+ and Na+ ions. In some water samples, increased concentrations of aluminum (up to 268 μg/L ) were found. The highest concentrations of phosphate, nitrite and ammonium in water seem to be related to the presence of bird colonies. Groundwater of active layer in the studied catchment belongs to young meteoric water with the age limited to one summer season.

The aim of the study was to assess the content of soluble forms of fertilizer nutrients (N, P, K) in the cultivated soil layer up to 20 cm deep from agricultural land in the river valley, and the concentration of these nutrients in the surface wa-ters of the Raszynka River.

In the years 2016–2017, the surface water samples from the Raszynka Rriver (17 points) and soil (19 points) were col-lected from agricultural areas near the Raszynka River.

The surface water samples were collected once a month during the March–October 2016–2017. The contents of nitro-gen (Ntot, NO3-N and NH4-N), phosphorus (Ptot, PO4-P), total organic carbon (TOC and K and Ca) in soils and in waters were determined in the sample solutions.

It was shown that river water was of low quality due to the high concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus and electri-cal conductivity (EC). The most polluted were the waters of the lower section of the river located in the vicinity of arable land and agricultural built-up areas. The soluble forms of nutrients content in the cultivated soil layer was varied dependingon the kind of nutrient, way of agricultural land use, and the term of soil sampling. The content of dissolved P forms in the soil was the highest in autumn on arable lands after harvesting of vegetables (GO-W: 10.24 mg Ptotꞏkg–1 in D.M.) and this component may migrate with surface runoff and increase the risk of surface water eutrophication.

The intensification of agricultural production is one of the factors determining economic development. Increasing mechanisation and use of fertilisers in agriculture lead to higher yields, but at the same time they can pose a threat to the environment. The overuse of chemical fertilisers contributes to increased concentration of nutrients in agricultural runoff. One of such areas is the Szreniawa River catchment, the study area located in the southern part of Poland. In this catchment, intensive mostly mechanical ploughing is applied in, for instance, vegetable production. The area has loess soils, which with intensive ploughing are susceptible to erosion. The study aims to determine changes in the quality of flowing waters against the background of agricultural production and land-use characteristics. Surface waters were classified as class II and occurred at all analysed points. The highest concentrations of N-NO3, N-NH4 and P-PO4 were found at a point in the middle of the catchment (lower part of research area). There, the lowest concentrations were recorded in 2018, which was related to the amount of precipitation during the growing season. On the other hand, the volume of plant and animal production closely correlated with the quality of surface water in the area. This was also confirmed by the land use structure. In conclusion, intensive agricultural production, mainly in terms of plough tillage causes significant hazards associated with soil erosion especially on agriculturally sensitive soils, although it provides good yields.

Groundwater is a vital resource for domestic, agricultural, industrial activities and ecosystem services. Despite its multi-ple purposes, the resource is under significant threat owing to increasing contamination from anthropogenic activities and climate change. Hence, in order to ensure the reliability and sustainable use of groundwater for the present and future gener-ations, effective management of groundwater (quality and quantity) is highly important. This can be achieved by identifying areas more vulnerable to contamination and implementing protective measures. The present study aims at assessing the vul-nerability of groundwater using GIS-based DRASTIC index in the Quaternary catchment (A21C) within Limpopo River Basin. The vulnerability index varied from 87 to 207. About 53.6% (408 km2) of the catchment area also exhibited high risk of groundwater contamination mostly in central, north-eastern and western part of the sub-catchment. The medium and low vulnerability classes cover only 18.1% (137.5 km2) and 21.7% (165.1 km2) of the study area, respectively. The shallow groundwater at the Doornfontein Campus belongs to very high vulnerability area. The sensitivity analysis indicates that depth to water level, recharge, aquifer media, soil and topography are the important contributors to vulnerability assessment. The correlation analysis performed to validate the final vulnerability map shows a moderate positive correlation, indicating the model’s applicability to the urbanised environment. The study indicates an area that is highly vulnerable to pollution, and hence protective measures are necessary for sustainable management of the groundwater resource in the study area. The result of this study can also be further improved and verified by using other vulnerability assessment models.

Changing atmospheric conditions, including above all the deepening extreme weather phenomena, are increasing from year to year. This, in consequence, causes an increase in the incidence of low outflows.
The study compares low water levels for two catchments: Biała Woda and Czarna Woda, and phosphorus and nitrogen load using the Nutrient Delivery Ratio (NDR) model in InVEST software. The objective of the NDR is to map nutrient sources from catchment area and transfer to the river bed. The nutrient loads (nitrogen and phosphorus) spread across the landscape are determined based on a land use (LULC) map and associated loading rates described in literature. The studies have shown that low water levels have been more common recently and pose the greatest threat to the biological life in the aquatic ecosystems. The structure of land use is also of great importance, with a significant impact on the runoff and nitrogen and phosphorus load. Phosphorus and runoff from surface sources to the water of Biała Woda and Czarna Woda catchments area has been reduced in forested areas. Only higher run-offs are observed in the residential buildings zone. The nitrogen load was also greater in the lower (estuary) parts of both catchments, where residential buildings dominate.