Anthropogenic Landforms Derived from LiDAR Data in the Woodlands near Kotlarnia (Kozle Basin, Poland).

Unlike farmland or urban areas, forests have long been regarded as environments that favour the preservation of valuable geological and historical sites. However, due to invasive forestry methods, the implementation of large investment projects and the development of mining, they are increasingly no longer safe spaces for the relics of human activities recorded in landforms. Data collection, including using LiDAR technology, presents an opportunity to preserve knowledge about these landforms. Through the analysis of shaded images of a 37-hectare woodland area near Kotlarnia, landforms of various ages documenting 21 different human activities were identified, including remnants of reforestation activities, the expansion and modification of hydraulic structures and road infrastructure, charcoal burning and tar distilling, exploitation of mineral resources and military activities. The results of the remote sensing work were verified in the field.

Soil and Vegetation Development on Coal-Waste Dump in Southern Poland.

As an anthropogenic element of urban landscapes, coal heaps undergo changes due to both natural and anthropogenic factors. The aim of this study was to determine the common development of soil under the influence of vegetation succession against a background of environmental conditions. Vegetation changes and soil properties were analysed along a transect passing through a heap representing a particular succession stage. It was found that changes in the development of vegetation were closely related to the stages of coal-waste disposal, where the initial, transitional, and terminal stages were distinguished. The mean range of pH (H2O) values in the profiles was 6.75 ± 0.21 (profile 1), 7.2 ± 0.31 (profile 2), 6.3 ± 1.22 (profile 3), and 5.38 ± 0.42 (profile 4). The organic carbon (OC) content in all samples was high, ranging from 9.6% to 41.6%. The highest content of total nitrogen (Nt) was found (1.132%) in the algal crust and sub-horizon of the organic horizon (Olfh-0.751%) and humus (A-0.884) horizon in profile 3 under the initial forest. Notable contents of available elements were found in the algal shell for P (1588 mg∙kg-1) and Mg (670 mg∙kg-1). Soil organic matter content was mainly dominated by n-alkanes (n-C11-n-C34) and alkanoic acids (C5-C20). Phytene and Phytadiene were typical for the algal crust on the initial pedigree. The initiation of succession was determined by the variation in grain size of the waste dumped on the heap and the variation in relief and associated habitat mosaic. Algal crusts forming on clay-dust mineral and organic material accumulating in the depressions of the site and at the foot of the heap can be regarded as the focus of pedogenesis.

Mill pond sediments as the indicator of the environment of the drainage area (an example of Liswarta River, Odra basin, Poland).

The geochemical characteristics of sediments deposited within a channel-type reservoir situated behind the weir of a water mill on the River Liswarta (southern Poland) were studied in relation to land use in the catchment. The catchment in question is an agricultural one with large forest areas. The contamination of sediments with trace elements was assessed using the geoaccumulation index. The sediments studied were moderately to heavily contaminated with As, Cu, Co, Ni and Ba. They were also heavily contaminated with Sr. Additionally, V and Cr contamination ranged from heavy to extreme. The basic composition of sediments and the trace elements present in them indicate both natural and anthropogenic sources of pollution. Mill impoundments provide zones where the sediments transported by rivers accumulate. Within the Liswarta catchment, their removal may cause the remobilisation of contaminated alluvial deposits.