Podhale Region Research Articles

Społeczne i gospodarcze aspekty rozwoju turystyki narciarskiej

Rozwój ośrodków narciarskich jest najważniejszym czynnikiem rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczego niektórych krajów i regionów górskich. Przyczynia się do wzrostu demograficznego oraz poprawy jakości usług i infrastruktury w miejscowościach górskich, jest ważnym źródłem zatrudnienia i dochodów mieszkańców, a także kreuje tzw. psychologiczną stabilność osób zamieszkujących te tereny. Celem niniejszego artykułu jest ukazanie, na podstawie danych uzyskanych z Banku Danych Lokalnych GUS, wpływu rozwoju ośrodków narciarskich na rozwój społeczno-gospodarczy 16 gmin, na terenie których leżą największe stacje narciarskie polskich Karpat. Pod względem społecznym i gospodarczym badane gminy są znacznie zróżnicowane. Przejawia się to m.in. w saldzie migracji, poziomie bezrobocia i przedsiębiorczości, a także w strukturze podmiotów gospodarczych. W zdecydowanie najkorzystniejszej sytuacji znajdują się te gminy, w których turystyka narciarska odgrywa istotną rolę w strukturze ich funkcji turystycznej. Są to przede wszystkim gminy położone w Beskidzie Śląskim i na Podhalu. Charakteryzują się one przeważnie dodatnim saldem migracji, niższym poziomem bezrobocia niż średni poziom dla Polski i wyższym od średniego poziomem przedsiębiorczości. Odwrotne cechy wykazują natomiast gminy słabiej zagospodarowane dla narciarstwa, leżące w Beskidzie Żywieckim, Beskidzie Sądeckim, Pieninach i Bieszczadach.

Landslides on river banks in the western part of Podhale (Central Carpathians, Poland)

The authors studied landslides in alluvial sediments on undercut steep banks of the rivers flowing in the western part of the Podhale region. The landslides are of rotational type. Landsliding processes are complex and they differ from those on solid rock slopes because of the heterogeneous lithology of the alluvial sediments in the banks (muds, sandy gravels, clays) and because of uneven degree of their consolidation. Their course depends on the mode rate of water infiltration into the sediments. Multiannual observations of changing landslide surfaces and measurements of scarp surface with erosion pins indicate that each type of sediment behaves in a different way during the sliding. The layers of mud in the highest parts of the banks were sliding down in blocks and soon became fragmented, soaked and washed away. Sandy gravels were sliding as whole layers or separate fragments. The more compact the alluvium, the more compact was the resulting colluvium. The thick layers of massive claystones underlying the alluvial sediments at the bank bases were mobilized by landsliding only to the depth to which they became plastic. The claystones appeared the most resistant to landsliding among the bank materials. The surfaces of rupture were shallow and uneven where poorly consolidated layers of alluvium lied horizontally (landslides at Chocholow and Ludźmierz). In areas where alluvial sediments were more consolidated and inclined, and the layers of clay alternated with sands and gravels, the surface of rupture occurred deeper and was smooth (Stare Bystre landslide). Landslides in undercut river banks are an important source of debris in fluvial channels.

Invented tradition and the new regionalism. The revival of pastoralism in Ochotnica Górna (Polish Carpathian village)

The article is based on anthropological fieldwork in Ochotnica Gorna, a village belonging to Podhale region (southern Poland). The study was focused on the revival of transhumance – the type of pastoralism, characteristic for Valachian villages of the entire range of Carpathians. The transhumance has been destroyed by global economic transformation in Poland. Recently it is revived on the new ideological basis connected with the idea of Carpathian and Valachian regionalism.

Seismic Monitoring of Poland–Description and Results of Temporary Seismic Project with Mobile Seismic Network

The paper describes a temporary seismic project aimed at developing the national database of natural seismic activity for seismic hazard assessment, officially called “Monitoring of Seismic Hazard of Territory of Poland” (MSHTP). Due to low seismicity of Poland, the project was focused on events of magnitude range 1–3 in selected regions in order to maximize the chance of recording any natural event. The project used mobile seismic stations and was divided into two stages.Five-year measurements brought over one hundred natural seismic events of magnitudes ML range 0.5–3.8. Most of them were located in the Podhale region in the Carpathians. Together with previously recorded events this made it possible to conduct a preliminary study on ground motion prediction equation for this region. Only one natural event, of magnitude ML = 3.8, was recorded outside the Carpathians in a surprising location in central-west Poland.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a tool for interpretation of neotectonics in the Podhale area, Poland

A combination of approaches to the study of neotectonics is discussed. As an example, an analysis is presented for part of the Podhale region, where changes in the hydrogeological regime were observed. Comments are made on the manifestation of geological processes and principles in investigations of neotectonics, due to the results of precise digital terrain modelling (DTM) and geodetic surveys. The results obtained lead the authors to the conclusion that a reliable study on the geological activity of an area evaluated from considerations of river-channel morphology requires attention to changes in spatial development as a factor controlling the intensity of the hydrological regime. In such cases, a database of complex geodata information is required. A geodetic approach is presented, based on GNSS observations that become a new standard in geomorphologic studies. The results of GNSS observations provide quantitative estimates of displacements in the study area and allow assessment of their kinematics. The Liesek1 and Nowy Targ GNSS stations reveal a significant variation in the annual rate of uplift changing from 0.8 to 0.2 mm/yr, respectively. The difference in displacement azimuths (30° at Liesek1 and 300° in Nowy Targ) indicates rotation of the Podhale area. The GNSS-derived dissimilar displacement vectors imply the impact of neotectonic movements on the channel geometry of the Czarny Dunajec River. However, according to the analysis presented, this geometry is strongly influenced by land use and climate, resulting in the incision of river channels in Quaternary sediments. The annual rate of channel indentation reached a mean value of 1.4 cm, and a maximum value 5.5 cm during the studied period from 1965 to 1975. This outcome corresponds to a cumulative effect of neotectonic uplift combined with the results of human activity and climatic changes. Consequently, our study shows that a particular attention must be exercised in drawing conclusions on neotectonic displacements based solely on geomorphological observations.

Atlases of geothermal waters and energy resources in Poland

The paper presents results of geothermal projects carried out in the last 23 years by the interdisciplinary research team at the AGH University of Science and Technology, in cooperation with numerous scientific institutions, published in the form of geothermal atlases in different parts of Poland. For many years, the Department of Fossil Fuels at the Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, has conducted the fundamental research and implementation work, aiming at the selection of optimum areas for utilization of geothermal waters and energy. Over the years, a methodology of estimation of geothermal resources with use of advanced techniques and numerical modeling has been developed. Recapitulation of the studies of the occurrence and utilization of geothermal waters and energy within geological units of the Polish Lowlands, Carpathians and Carpathian Foredeep has been reflected in seven Atlases. The Atlases represent a result of interdisciplinary, constructive cooperation of specialists from various, often remote fields of knowledge, fundamental and technological in nature, including: geologists, geophysicists, hydrogeologists, geochemists, drilling engineers, heat engineers, and many other specialists. The Atlases enable the selection of the most promising areas for utilization of geothermal waters and energy in Poland. The best geothermal conditions are predicted in the Polish Lowlands and Podhale region although in many areas of the Carpathians and the Carpathian Foredeep favorable geothermal conditions also occur.

Geothermal bathing and recreation centres in Poland

Ten geothermal bathing and recreation centres have been established in Poland from 2006 to 2013. The largest number of geothermal bathing and recreation centres is located in the Podhale region and in the Polish Lowlands. These structural units have the best geothermal conditions. The maximum reservoir’s temperatures in the main aquifer of the Podhale Geothermal System can reach ca. 120–128 °C in the deeper parts of the system. The most prospective and exploited aquifers occur within the Middle Triassic formations and in overlaying Middle Eocene formations at the depth of 1,000–3,700 m. At present, five operating centres are located in the Podhale region. They use geothermal waters with the temperature of 27–82 °C (the lowest and the highest wellhead temperature of water from wells which are connected for recreational purposes) and total dissolved solids (TDS) of 0.4–3 g/dm3. In the Polish Lowlands, the reservoir’s temperatures vary from 20 to 130 °C at depths of 1–4 km. The most prospective geothermal aquifers of the Polish Lowlands occur within the Lower Cretaceous and the Lower Jurassic formations. Five geothermal recreation centres are currently operating. The centres use waters with the temperature of 38–72 °C and a wide range TDS from 0.4 to 79 g/dm3. Geothermal waters of the Polish Lowlands are generally high in Na and Cl concentrations. The new centres will use the waters of Lower Jurassic aquifers, the outflow temperatures of which vary from 27 to 82 °C and a TDS from 6 to 140 g/dm3.

POSSIBILITIES OF HEATING AND AIR-CONDITIONING OF BUILDINGS IN THE MOUNTAIN AREAS

Summary The mountain areas, due to their specificity, require special approach to issues concerning heating and air-conditioning of buildings. After presenting general information on demand for heat in a standard residential building, the forecasting of demand for final energy by particular branches of economy has been presented. Fossil fuels are most commonly used in heating buildings. In this kind of systems the heat is supplied to the consumer by means of heating pipes provided by heat power stations or combined heat and power stations or it is generated in boilers owned by the consumers. The remote heat source can also be energy from geothermal power station, as it is in the Podhale region. There is an alternative solution to these systems in the form of heat pumps that are often connected to borehole heat exchangers. Depending on the energy balance of the heating system and air-conditioning of a particular building the latter system can be additionally aided by solar collectors. This method requires only a power service connection, which is available almost in every building. Moreover, practical uses of the proposed system, which should be more widely applied in the mountain areas, have been described.

Ethnic and Regional Identity in Polish Part of Spiš Region (On the Example of Jurgów Village)

ABSTRACT In my study I am focusing on the issue of national and regional identity of Spiš region inhabitants. The researched Jurgów village belongs to territory situated on the frontier between two states and at the same time between two regions. In the study I analyze the question of stereotypes present in the locality concerning gorals from the neighbouring Podhale region and Slovak part of Spiš region. In addition to that I deal with analysis of importance and understanding of space and border for the identity of local population. On the basis of the empirical data analysis results I observe that the identity of the researched village population is shaped by the fact that it belongs to the frontier territory where crossborder cultural and social interaction occurs.

Application of real time recurrent neural network for detection of small natural earthquakes in Poland

This study is an application of a Real Time Recurrent Neural Network (RTRN) in the detection of small natural seismic events in Poland. Most of the events studied are from the Podhale region with a magnitude of 0.4 to 2.5. The population distribution of the region required that seismic signals be recorded using temporary stations deployed in populated areas. As a consequence, the high level of seismic noise that cannot be removed by filtration made it impossible to detect small events by STA/LTA based algorithms. The presence of high noise requires an alternate method of seismic detection capable of recognizing small seismic events. We applied the RTRN, which potentially can detect seismic signals in the frequency domain as well as in the phase arrival times. Data results of small local seismic events showed that the RTRN has the ability to correctly detect most of the events with fewer false detections than STA/LTA methods.

Molluscan communities in Late Holocene fluvial deposits as an indicator of human activity: A study in Podhale basin in South Poland

AbstractThe localities of Late Holocene fluvial sediments in the Podhale basin were subjected to malacological analysis. Two types of mollusc communities were found in these formations. The first type is characterized by a high proportion of species typical of open environments such as the zones of wide valleys. The predomination of shade-loving taxa is typical of the second type which is mainly associated with narrow, V-shaped type valleys. Malacological analysis allowed characterization of these communities and reconstruction of environmental changes over the last few hundred years. Particular attention was paid to the reconstruction of the history of human settlement in the Podhale region and its impact on the transformation of the environment. This impact resulted in massive deforestation and the introduction of wide-scale farming and pastoral practices. Application of this malacological analysis enabled the determination of the anthropogenic pressures, and changes in their intensity, over the last few hundred years.

Orthopterans (Orthoptera) of the Tatra Mountains and Podhale (Poland)

The results of faunistic studies on Orthoptera fauna of the Tatra Mountains and the Podhale region in Poland are presented. The material of Orthoptera collected in 2008 and 2009 contained 24 species. The review of the material from the earlier collections stored in MIZ PAS in Warsaw and ISEA PAS in Cracow as well as the field notes made in the 1950's and 1960's by Polish entomologist Wladyslaw Bazyluk, showed that 32 Orthoptera species were noted in total from the study regions. Comparison of data collected at different times spanning more than a century shows the dynamics of change in the Polish part of the Tatra National Park fauna.

Regional food — a new outlook on the mountain areas

Culinary tourism was characterized in the paper and the perspectives for its development were analyzed, as well as the possible uses of traditional and regional cuisine of the Podhale (mountain region of Malopolska) as a tourist product. Moreover, the cuisine of the Podhale Region was presented with its specialities, as well as the potential use of Polish regional cuisine in tourism to make it a tourist attraction, which may be of major importance for individual region or locality. It causes that a certain dish becomes identified with specific place, which attracts tourists to this region. Traditional dishes reflect also the customs prevalent in the given area; therefore a tourist may acquire information about the culture of the places he visits.

The pilot of geothermal water desalination installation in Poland

The pilot geothermal water desalination installation in Poland was commissioned at the Geothermal Laboratory of the Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academyof Sciences (PAS MEERI). Laboratory is localised in Podhale region, in south-eastern Poland. Geothermal waters are extracted from carbonate formations of the Middle Eocene and from Middle Triassic limestones and dolomites. These exhibit relatively low mineralisation – 3 g/dm3. Their temperature at the well outlet ranges 90°C. Installation is supplied with water at a temperature of about 35°C. The capacity has been set at 1 m3/hour of desalinated water. The objective of geothermal water desalination will be to obtain water that meets the requirements stipulated in the regulation of the Minister of Health of 29 March 2007 (Journal of Laws of 2007, No. 61, item 417) concerning the quality of water intended for human consumption. The preliminary results from the geothermal water desalination study conducted at the PAS MEERI are optimistic. In order to validate the assumptions made in the context of industrial applications, further studies have to be conducted in accordance with the project plans. It is certain, however, that the utilization of geothermal water for drinking purposes on an industrial scale will require, first of all, better and more efficient water cooling. Optimum utilization of the thermal waters obtained is an important issue for most geothermal plant both in Poland and abroad. Efficient geothermal water management has one main goal: optimizing system operation and improving the economics of geothermal plant operation. Additionally, the use of cooled water for drinking purposes, particularly for open drain installations (without injecting cooled water into the formation) will contribute to the comprehensive utilization of geothermal water and the decentralization of drinking water production. Therefore the present study concerns two significant research areas: geothermics (cooled water utilization methods) and hydrogeology (water management).

Podhale, Poland, earthquake of November 30, 2004

Earthquake of November 30, 2004, in Podhale region, southern Poland, was of unexpectedly big size in this area of weak seismicity. As Poland is considered a country of low seismicity, the earthquake has caused concern about seismic hazard in Poland, especially since it took place shortly after the even more unexpected Kaliningrad Region, Russia, earthquakes of September 21, 2004, that inflicted minor damage in northern Poland. The paper presents the findings on the Podhale earthquake which reached macroseismic intensity up to 7 and magnitude 4.7 (mb; ISC). The event was felt up to a distance of about 100 km and inflicted slight damage to buildings in its narrow epicentral area, thus evidencing its relatively shallow depth. The quake has been located near the village of Skrzypne, about 15 km west-southwest of the district capital Nowy Targ. The source mechanism has been found to be of dip slip normal fault type, although a problem remains of association of this mechanism with known tectonic dislocations in the region. The earthquake has been followed by a long series of aftershocks. Their distribution in time is also studied and the biggest aftershocks have been located.

Multiculturality in school education – results of empirical research in Podhale region

The situation from political, social and cultural point of view in our society, sets new challenges for schools and teachers. As a result of growing people’s migration Poland is becoming multicultural society. Particularly complex problems are found in schools, where teachers are not used to work with different students speaking other languages and belonging to other religious denominations. In this article the author discusses the main tasks for teachers in multicultural areas and practical solutions for intercultural teachers’ education in Poland. The study presents the results of his empirical research into multicultural education in Podhale region schools. The questionnaire was delivered to teachers in 2004/2005. The author has investigated the role of the Upper Middle schools in a modern Polish society, especially in the presence of members of different religions and cultures. Teachers were asked to present their attitude to multicultural education and European integration. The study reveals the teachers’ positive attitude toward various aspects of multicultural education. Many teachers, however, find it difficult to change their monocultural mentality. They admit insufficient teachers’ preparation to face Polish changing reality.

Uphill shifts in the distribution of the white stork Ciconia ciconia in southern Poland: the importance of nest quality

ABSTRACTThe aim of this paper is to explain the altitudinal changes that have occurred during the 20th century to the white stork distribution in the Podhale region of the uplands of the Tatra mountains, southern Poland. We analysed both historical data from the white stork censuses and detailed yearly records from 1974 to 2003 on population size, distribution and breeding success. A white stork nest was first recorded at Podhale in 1931 and numbers increased to seven nests in 1933, all located below 650 m altitude. During the 30‐years, 1974–2003, both the maximum and upper‐quartile altitudes of nests increased significantly. In 1974 the highest nest was at an altitude of 770 m, and the maximum reached 890 m in 1999. In the same period, the breeding population increased significantly. The minimum and lower‐quartile altitudes of nests decreased significantly following initial occupation of suitable lower altitude sites before uphill expansion. We noted the positive association between nest occupancy over the study period and breeding performance. As a result, long‐occupied nests contributed most of the young produced in the population and chicks from these nests probably colonized new areas. We believe this is the first well‐documented evidence of, and mechanism for, a particular bird species to ascend to higher elevations and that the altitudinal shifts reported for butterflies, plants and whole biomes can be detected in birds as well.

Podhale (South Poland) geothermal district heating system

The search for geothermal resources in the Podhale Region began in the late 1980s. The Banska IG-1 well, drilled in 1981, served as the starting point for an expansion of those research activities. A geothermal pilot plant was put into operation in 1993. During that same year the company Geotermia Podhalanska (GP) was founded and the pilot project, including the first distribution network for 20 customers, was constructed. After the initial phase of project implementation from 1993 to 1995, during which a pilot plant was constructed and put into operation for demonstration purposes by the Polish Academy for Sciences using the first geothermal doublet (a production well in Banska Nizna and a reinjection well in Bialy Dunajec), and connection of 200 households through a small district heating network, the World Bank got involved in the geothermal district heating project. Since then, significant progress has been made, increasing the overall heat capacity and geothermal output as well as the service area to the City of Zakopane, approx. 14 km from the production wells. In November 2001 the first geothermal heat was delivered to customers in Zakopane.

The Polish political scene as seen from a small town market

This article presents the results of field research carried out in the spring of 2004 in the town of Nowy Targ (Podhale region, Poland), by the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Warsaw. The research was based on open-ended interviews-or rather long conversations-with the vendors in the market square, enabling us to observe the political scene from a particular point of view. They interviews brought out the perception of the authorities 'from below'. This perspective uncovered many aspects of politics that are normally hidden behind the legislative language of the Constitution or even behind the informative language of the mass media.