Morskie Oko Research Articles

First record of stone moroko (Pseudorasbora parva), an invasive alien fish species, in water bodies of urban green areas in Poland

Abstract Invasive alien species are currently a major ecological problem. One such species is stone moroko, Pseudorasbora parva (Gobionidae), which has only been found to date in natural or agricultural water bodies (lakes, rivers and streams, carp ponds). Therefore, the current study is the first description of stone moroko in urban green areas (Warsaw, Poland). The fish were caught with a hydrobiological net. Four catches were conducted in ponds located in Morskie Oko Park (pond 1) and the Saxon Garden (pond 2) – two in fall and two in the spring, while two spring catches were conducted in Dolinka Służewska Park (stream). The population in pond 2 apparently survived the winter, and the fish caught in June displayed visible signs of sexual dimorphism and were significantly larger (average body mass: 1648 ± 1123 mg; range: 460–6090 mg) than those caught in the pond in the two fall samplings (404 ± 122 mg; 154–729 mg). After recording substantial numbers of specimens in the fall, no fish were caught in pond 1 during either of the spring catches, while only a few moroko were caught in the stream in April (1212 ± 869 mg; 454–2901 mg) and none were caught in June. Throughout the study, 59 specimens were caught in pond 1, 74 in pond 2, and 7 in the stream.

EFFECT OF TOURIST TRAFFIC ON THE ECOSYSTEM OF LAKE MORSKIE OKO

Abstract. The Tatra National Park is the most frequently visited national park in Poland. Its most popular tourist trail is the route to Lake Morskie Oko, the second largest lake in the Tatra Mountains, and the best known mountain lake in Poland. The paper is based on results of field observations, and the analysis of literature and statistical data. The ecosystem of Morskie Oko in this paper is defined as the area of the lake’s catchment. The unique character of Morskie Oko is reflected by its recognition by “The Wall Street Journal” as one of five most beautiful lakes in the world. This results in exceptionally high interest of tourists in the lake despite the difficulties reaching the place. It takes walking a nine-kilometre route with a height difference of 420 m. Study results show the annual attendance of the place by more than a million people, whereas the number of tourists per day can exceed 10,000. The tourist traffic evidently intensifies between June and September. It results in high human pressure on the lake’s waters and surroundings, leading to the degradation of most components of the natural environment. Such high traffic intensity is frequently a nuisance for tourists using the trails themselves. Moreover, high tourist traffic contributes to the intensification of slope processes, resulting in mass movements in the form of debris and snow avalanches, potentially changing the course of the trails.

Changes of the surface area of Morskie Oko and Wielki Staw in the Tatra Mountains

This dissertation has presented the results of measurements regarding the surface area of Morskie Oko and Wielki Staw lakes performed throughout the period of 140-years with the use of various measurement technologies and analyses of cartographic resources. The research has clearly demonstrated that the obtained results are diverse, which could be influenced by various environmental factors and the time difference of surveys conducted at the ana- lysed objects. Wielki Staw is currently the largest lake in the Polish Tatra Mountains. Its surface area in 2021 covered 33.44 ha. Thus, it appeared to be larger than Morskie Oko, the surface area of which is 1.51 ha. It was also concluded that the difference in the size of these two reservoirs might increase over time since Morskie Oko is situated in an environment that undergoes dynamic transformations and, consequently, has an impact on the evolution of this lake. Moreover, the area surrounding Morskie Oko is one of the most popular tourist locations within the Tatra National Park, which may intensify the anthropogenic impact on the course of, among others, the shoreline.

Wawerskie góry i górski Wawer, czyli o tym, co kryją w sobie mniej oficjalne nazwy miejscowe

The article aims at analysing the Wawer microtoponyms that identify hills (e.g., Piaskowa Góra, Góra Lotników, Góry Macierowskie) and those that refer to traditional Polish oronymy (e.g., Giewont, Czarny Staw, Morskie Oko). In the text, I divide the studied names into categories and present their probable etymologies. The article also indicates with which cultural elements, persons and places the described microtoponyms are associated. The analysis leads to the conclusion that the discussed places and the stories associated with them have had a significant impact on the formation of local identity.

Long-term changes and periodicity of ice phenomena in the high mountain Lake Morskie Oko (Tatra Mountains, Western Carpathians)

Long-term changes and periodicity of ice phenomena in the high mountain Lake Morskie Oko (Tatra Mountains, Western Carpathians)

Determinants of Spatial Variability of Ice Thickness in Lakes in High Mountains of the Temperate Zone—The Case of the Tatra Mountains

Vertical and horizontal variation in the ice cover of mountain lakes in the temperate climate zone has not been thoroughly studied. The study concerned ice phenomena in four lakes located in the Tatra National Park in the Tatra Mountains (the Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy, Czarny Staw pod Rysami, Morskie Oko, and Smreczyński Staw). The research, which was conducted in the 2018/2019 winter season, included an analysis of variability in atmospheric conditions, an analysis of presence of ice phenomena on satellite images, field work (measurements of ice layer and of snow and slush layer thickness were conducted at a total of 151 sites), and statistical analyses. It was determined that negative air temperature was just one factor among those that determined the maximum thickness of the ice forming on lakes in high mountains. It was found that in addition to ambient thermal conditions, a major factor affecting the magnitude of variation in lake ice thickness was the thickness of the snow overlying the ice and its spatial variability. Thicker ice cover tended to form in areas where a thick layer of snow was deposited. The decisive factor that contributed to a significant variation in ice thickness between lakes was the uneven accretion of snow ice from above. The maximum ice thickness values modeled using Stefan’s formula were significantly underestimated (accounting for 38–61% of the ice thickness measured) relative to the highest ice thickness values found empirically at the end of the winter season. Study results fill a gap in our knowledge and methodology related to vertical and horizontal variation in the ice cover of mountain lakes; they also have significant applications, indicating the risk of winter use of water bodies with different ice cover structure, thickness, and extent.

Heavy Metal Content in the Plants (Pleurozium schreberi and Picea abies) of Environmentally Important Protected Areas of the Tatra National Park (the Central Western Carpathians, Poland)

This work concerns the content of selected heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn), and determines the effect of absolute altitude on the content of metals in the plants of the Tatra National Park (TNP). The metals were determined in two species of plants, i.e., in the moss (Pleurozium schreberi (Willd.) Mitten) and in the Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst). Plant samples were collected in two test areas every 100 m of the altitude of the area, starting from 1000 m above sea level in the Lake Morskie Oko test area and from 1100 m above sea level in the Kasprowy Wierch test area, and ending at 1400 m above sea level for Lake Morskie Oko, and 1750 m above sea level (the moss) and 1550 m above sea level (the spruce) for Kasprowy Wierch. The two test areas are different from each other in terms of natural and physico-geographical conditions (geological structure, landform, climatic conditions). The conducted research showed that both plant species accumulated greater amounts of heavy metals in the Lake Morskie Oko test area than in the Kasprowy Wierch test area. The moss accumulated higher values of metals compared to the spruce. In both the moss and the spruce, the highest values, exceeding the natural content, were found for Cr, Pb, Cd, and Ni. For these metals, natural values were significantly exceeded: 20 times for Cr; 10 times for Pb; 4 times for Cd; and 3 times for Ni. For both examined areas, an increase in the quantity of accumulated metals in plants was also observed with the increase in altitude. The work focuses on the spreading around of heavy metals and their deposition on plants in protected high mountain (alpine) areas, in connection with altitude. Based on the obtained research results, Spearman’s and Kendall’s rank correlations were performed, and showed statistically significant relationships between the values for the content of metals and altitude. There are no heavy metal emission sources in the study area, so it is assumed that the metal content in the plants of the TNP is affected by long-range emissions.

Karola Hawliczka Borovskiego wyprawa do Tatr

In the summer of 1842, Karel Havlíček Borovský (1821–1856) traveled from Prague (Czech) to Galicia. He was a good walker, and walked most of the way (over 1000 km). The last stage of his journey was a few days’ stay in the Tatra Mountains. He was then in the Kościeliska Valley, where he inscribed his name on the Pisana rock. After spending the night in Kościelisko, he visited the iron-works in Kuźnice, and moved to Bukowina Tatrzańska. There he wrote a poem in the memorial book. The article discusses this work as one of the most important Czech poems about the Tatras. The main highlight of the journey was a trip to Morskie Oko, after which the poet crossed the moun-tains to Kieżmark.

Czyje góry: Boga czy Śmierci? O dwóch romantycznych modelach interpretacji krajobrazu

In the article the author seeks to answer the question — suggested by Romantic accounts — about whether the most colourful feature of mountain landscape is its religious nature or whether its most evident characteristics are those that turn it into a land of death. Drawing on biblical arguments, Romantic culture assigned to the mountains attributes of sacred a space inspiring strong religious experiences verging on mystical experiences (Ludwik Zejszner). Thus in the Romantic way of thinking the mountains became witnesses to the creation of the world (Antoni Czajkowski), while the natural landscape began to be viewed as hypostasis of divinity. That is why a homage paid to nature became a religious experience and a tribute to the greatness of God. Hierophanies turning the mountains into a sacred space generated strong religious responses in Romantic subjects; they encouraged prayer and prayerful ritualisation of behaviour. A Romantic wanderer felt a sense of unity with God both on top of a mountain and by the Morskie Oko lake. However, the mountains were also presented many times as a space of death, a fact stemming from the terror of their landscape. Romantic tourists were made aware of this omnipresence of death in the mountains by crosses placed in the mountains as well as graves scattered across them. Victims of the mountains included highlanders, tourists, treasure hunters and poachers. That is why in some literary visions various places in the mountains appeared as a big graveyard (“Czarny Staw as the capital of death”, Łucja Rautenstrauchowa). In the article the author points to various causes of death and characteristic ways of dying in the mountains.

Heavy Metals Content in the Soils of the Tatra National Park Near Lake Morskie Oko and Kasprowy Wierch—A Case Study (Tatra Mts, Central Europe)

This paper presents the content of selected heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the soils of the Tatra National Park (TNP). In order to determine the anthropogenic impact on the environment, the following coefficients were calculated: enrichment factors (EF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (Cf), degree of contamination (Cd), and modified degree of contamination (mCd). It turned out that in the Kasprowy Wierch and Lake Morskie Oko test areas, the content of metals in the soil decreases with the increasing altitude above sea level. In both regions, the highest concentrations of cadmium and lead were found, for which the coefficients indicated significant environmental pollution. These metals, since they persist in the atmosphere for a long time and have a small particle diameter, can be moved over long distances. Long-range emission contributes to environmental contamination on a global scale. Under the influence of such emissions, even protected areas such as the Tatra National Park, considered to be of natural value, are exposed to the effects of human activities (industry in general, automotive industry in particular).

Maksymilian Cercha malarz Tatr. Z cyklu „Zapomniani mieszkańcy Krakowa”

Maksymilian Cercha a Painter of the Tatras. From the “Forgotten Citizens of Kraków” Series Maksymilian Cercha (1818–1907), whose life was linked to Kraków, was born in an assimilated Italian family and is known as a drawer, cataloguer of gravestones in the churches of Kraków and a co-author of a publication titled the Monuments of Kraków. In this paper however, his Tatra-themed paintings are discussed, which are yet to be included in the Art History. Cercha was Jan Nepomucen Głowacki’s student, who established Tatra mountains themed landscape painting in Kraków. In the summertime, he used to take his students to the Tatra mountains where he would rent an inn in Stare Kościelisko for an atelier. Cercha painted his Tatra landscapes in the period from 1849 to 1860. These are: –– Morskie Oko, oil on cardboard (31 x 23 cm), 1849; –– View from Mała Łąka, oil on canvas (38 x 31 cm), 1853; –– Mill in Chochołów, oil on cardboard (22 x 28 cm), 1853; –– Sucha Woda Valley as seen from Brzeziny, oil on cardboard (32 x 26 cm), 1857; –– View of the Giewont mountain, oil on cardboard (23 x 30 cm), c. 1860; –– “Carpathians”, watercolour (22 x 14), 1860. Except View from Mała Łąka, held by the Tatra Museum in Zakopane, all pictures belong to the family. Moreover, there are three pencil on paper drawings depicting Zakopane and Hamry from the period of 1855–1857 held by the National Museum in Kraków. Cercha, modelling on Głowacki, used to oil paint on cardboard by firstly sketching on location and then finishing the picture back in Kraków. He used to replicate the themes drew out by Głowacki, such as the view of Morskie Oko lake. He continued the Cracovian tradition of Tatra landscape painting, whic, thanks to Głowacki, Franz Steinfeld the Younger’s student, derives from the Austrian landscape painting of Biedermeier period.

Exploring and quantifying the impact of climate change on surface water temperature of a high mountain lake in Central Europe.

Lake surface water temperature (LSWT) is a key indicator which drives ecosystem structure and function. Quantifying the impact of climate change on LSWT variations is thus of great significance. In this study, observed data of LSWT during the period 1969-2018 in a high mountain lake (Morskie Oko Lake, Central Europe) were analyzed. The results showed that the prominent warming of the LSWT and air temperature began around 1997. A logistic non-linear S-curve function was used to model monthly average LSWT. The non-linear model performed well to capture monthly average LSWT and air temperature relationships (Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient 0.86 and the root mean squared error 1.63°C). Using the 2009-2018 period as base scenario, a sensitivity analysis was conducted. The results showed that the annual mean LSWT will likely increase about + 1.29°C and + 2.64°C with air temperature increases of + 2°C and + 4°C respectively at the end of the twenty-first century. If realized, such a scenario will cause serious consequences on lake ecosystem.

Changes in the course of ice phenomena on Morskie Oko in the Tatra Mountains from 1963 to 2012 and the implications for tourism

Abstract The article presents changes in the course of ice phenomena on Lake Morskie Oko over 50 years. It comprises detailed data of the course of the main parameters of ice regime of the lake in the years 1963–1970. Such a reference period yielded substantial differences in the obtained values of trends in comparison with the period 1971–2010, which is most common in literature. The trends obtained differed substantially from those describing the years 1971–2010, and the change in the parameters – scaled to a year of the analysed period – was about half the size. Attention was also drawn to the practical aspect of the changes in the duration and thickness of ice cover on the lake. In the years 1963–2012 the period of safe movement on the frozen lake was reduced by only 10 days.

Variability of Short-Term Diel Water Temperature Amplitudes in a Mountain Lake

This paper presents an analysis of the variability of short-term water temperature amplitudes in Lake Morskie Oko, situated in the Tatra Mountains National Park, which makes the human impact on the lake very limited. The objective of the study was to determine to what extent an increase in depth contributes to suppressing daily water temperature amplitudes. It was shown, among other things, that water temperature amplitudes were the lowest in the period of occurrence of the ice cover, higher in the period of occurrence of other (than ice cover) ice phenomena, and the highest in the case of their lack. The analysis of profiles of water temperature amplitudes (in the case of lack of ice phenomena) resulted in determination of their six types. A strong correlation was observed in which the effect of mean daily air temperature and the effect of wind on water level amplitudes are considerably lower during the occurrence of ice phenomena in comparison to the period when the water surface is free from such phenomena. It was demonstrated that the near-bottom waters in Lake Morskie Oko are very stable in terms of temperature. The short transition period from ice cover to free water surface was determined to be very important, because it constitutes a threshold in the effect of air temperature and wind on changes in thermal dynamics of water (in this case expressed in amplitude values). Finally, proposals are presented for future expansion of the scope of research on water temperature amplitudes. This work is important, because the amplitudes were investigated not only at the surface of the lake, but also at its bottom, and also during the ice cover period, when the lake was isolated from the atmospheric influences. This study may contribute to better understanding of the lake water temperature responses to climate change and thus to more accurate prediction these patterns in lake globally. Moreover, understanding of changes in water temperature is closely related to the variability of its heat resources, and these in the future may be used on a large scale. In the case of a mountain lake such as Morskie Oko, the heat of water may be used, for example, for heating tourist shelters.

Using stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) to assess the influence of long term emission upon pollution with metals of the Tatra National Park area (Poland)

Stinging nettle samples, soil samples and dust fall samples were collected from three stands (the Chochołowska Valley, the Strążyska Valley and Morskie Oko), located in the area of the Tatra National Park (South Poland) and subjected to determination of the contents of 8 metals (iron, manganese, zinc, copper, lead, cadmium, nickel and chrome) using the atomic absorption spectrometry method. The aim of this work was to determine metal contaminations in soil, dust fall and stinging nettle growing in the above mentioned area and to determine the influence of the long term emission upon these contaminations. Accumulation of the tested metals in nettle was usually different and depending on the morphological part of a plant and the testing place it was for the particular elements as follows (mg kg-1): Fe - 27–305, Mn - 17–46, Zn - 12–49, Cu - 2,8–10,6, Pb - 0,07-0,91, Cd - 0,15-0,86, Ni - 0,31-0,91 and Cr - 0,00-0,49. We concluded that despite frequently small resources of bioavailable compounds of these metals in the ground, the soil is an important source of copper, zinc and manganese in stinging nettle. Additionally, long term emission is a significant source of elements introduced into the natural environment of the Tatra National Park. The highest content of soluble compounds of all the tested metals in the dust flowing from the south of the country and of most metals from the west in the Chochołowska Valley, the latter remaining under the influence of long term emission, indicate that the area of the Tatra National Park is polluted mainly by the bioavailable metal compounds present in the long term industrial emission coming from the territory of Slovakia and the Czech Republic. • The Tatra national Park is polluted by long term industrial emission. • The stinging nettle is useful for research due to its commonness and the range of occurrence. • The largest amounts of soluble metal forms are coming from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. • The contents of the tested metals in nettle met the WHO standards except for cadmium.

Ice phenomena on Lake Wielki Staw in the Valley of Five Polish Lakes

Abstract The paper presents an analysis of the ice phenomena on Lake Wielki Staw in the Valley of Five Polish Lakes based on observations of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management conducted in the years 1971–1979. The dates of commencement and decline of ice phenomena and ice cover and their persistence were determined. For 1978 and 1979, changes in the ice cover were determined, i.e. from development to decline. Due to the close vicinity of Lake Morskie Oko, comparisons were performed in terms of variability of ice phenomena of both of the lakes. The study showed among others that although Lake Wielki Staw is located higher than Lake Morskie Oko by approximately 270 m, ice phenomena on the lake appear on the average 10 days later than in Lake Morskie Oko, and the mean persistence of the ice cover is the same, i.e. it amounts to 167 days.

Long-term changes in the hydrological regime of high mountain Lake Morskie Oko (Tatra Mountains, Central Europe)

Abstract The paper discusses changes in the hydrological regime of high mountain Lake Morskie Oko located in the Tatra Mountains, in the Tatra Mountains National Park, a UNESCO biosphere reserve (MaB). According to the research conducted in the years 1971–2015, its water stages decreased by 3.5 cm·dec−1, mean annual water temperature increased by 0.3°C·dec−1 and the duration of ice phenomena and ice cover was reduced by 10 day·dec−1. No considerable changes in maximum values of ice cover thickness were recorded. Such tendencies are primarily caused by long-term changes in climatic conditions – air temperature and atmospheric precipitation. The hydrological regime of the lake was also determined by changes in land use in the lake’s catchment and its location in high mountains.

Water stage dynamics in Lake Wielki Staw in the Valley of Five Polish Lakes

Abstract The paper presents an analysis of water stages in Lake Wielki Staw based on observations by the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management conducted in the years 1968-1979. Water level (low and high) variability was determined in the annual cycle, together with the variability of annual stages in the analysed 12-year period, and their amplitudes. Moreover, water stage variability trends were identified. Due to the vicinity of Lake Morskie Oko, comparisons of water stages in both lakes were performed for the purpose of determining the degree to which water supply (water stages) is affected by local and climatic factors.

Effect of North Atlantic Oscillation on the hydrological conditions of Lake Morskie Oko (Carphatian Mountains)

Abstract The paper presents the effect of North Atlantic Oscillation of macroscale atmospheric circulation (NAO) on the hydrological conditions of Lake Morskie Oko located at an altitude of 1392.8 m a.s.l. in the highest range of the Carpathians. The paper applied detailed hydrometric information from the years 1971-2010 concerning water level fluctuations, water temperature, terms of the commencement and end of ice phenomena and ice cover, as well as meteorological data concerning air temperature and atmospheric precipitation, and monthly and seasonal NAO indices. The performed analysis suggests that the majority of analysed hydrological characteristics of Lake Morskie Oko was not prone to variability of NAO intensity in its various phases. The situation results from the local conditions, particularly responsible for the course of processes and phenomena in Lake Morskie Oko, simultaneously obscuring the effect of macroscale factors.

Ice phenomena on Lake Czarny Staw pod Rysami

Abstract Due to its inaccessibility (in winter), Lake Czarny Staw pod Rysami (Black Lake below Mount Rysy) has no series of continuous observations concerning ice phenomena. For the purpose of supplementing knowledge in this scope, ice corings were performed in the years 2010–2015. They permitted the determination of the variability of ice cover thickness on the lake’s surface. A high degree of similarity was determined in the distribution of ice cover thickness in the analysed winters (in contrast to the nearby Lake Morskie Oko). Moreover, a correlation was determined according to which the thicker the snow cover overlying the ice, the thinner the ice cover. It was determined that the mean thickness of the ice cover of Lake Czarny Staw pod Rysami is higher by approximately a dozen cm than that on Lake Morskie Oko located around 200 m lower.