Vistula Region Research Articles

Evaluating Extremes in Climatology with Average Value-at-Risk Measure: Example of Precipitation Data from Upper Vistula Region in Poland

Abstract The ability to predict changes in the right tail of daily precipitation distributions over short time periods, as well as the probability of clustering extreme values, is critical for current risk management. In the present study, we apply the well-established metric average value-at-risk (AVaR) for the first time within the field of climatology. We also investigate the evolution of the return level (RL) and the extremal index (EI), which we refer to as risk measures. In the case of precipitation processes, a rise in the first two and a reduction in the third may result in increased hazards. These methods were applied to the new data on the daily sum of precipitation from the region of Upper Vistula in Poland from 1951 to 2020 to analyze the dynamics of changes across time. We found that AVaR and RL have the smallest values for the middle of the analyzed period (years 1971–2010), while EI has a maximal value around 1963–92. Both the beginning and the end of the investigated period are characterized by more extreme and clustered precipitation events. Furthermore, this paper includes some recommendations for the tools used to compute the measures.

Macrolithic retouched blades from Kałdus and Stare Marzy: foreign technology and new ideology in the lithic traditions of the TRB communities in the Lower Vistula region

At the turn of the 20th and 21st century, over a dozen macrolithic retouched blades or their fragments were obtained from archaeological sites at Kałdus and Stare Marzy, located in the Lower Vistula region in northern Poland. The context of deposition links the blades to the settlements of the younger Funnel Beaker culture (3650/3500–3300/3100 BC). This article presents and discusses the results of morphological, technological, and raw material investigations of the macrolithic retouched blades or their fragments from Kałdus and Stare Marzy and relates them to the patterns of use and cultural significance of the macrolithic industry in the local TRB communities. The obtained results show that the retouched blades were made of high-quality flint materials sourced from the Polish and Ukrainian Uplands, namely Świeciechów, Volhynian and Jurassic flints. The results, furthermore, indicate that production technology of macrolithic retouched blades is very specific and, what is more important, it is not rooted in the lithic traditions of the region. Archaeological evidence from this study suggests exceptional patterns of use of macrolithic retouched blades in the Lower Vistula region and their perception by local TRB people, which can be traced to the Eneolithic milieu located southeast of the Polish Lowlands.

Carex brunnescens (Pers.) Poir. in Poland and in the neighbouring regions – in the past and at present

Abstract In the article, new and historical locations of Carex brunnescens (Pers.) Poir. from Poland and the neighbouring regions are described. This species was found in 2019 at two stands in north-eastern Poland – on the peaty shores of two small lakes; one situated in the Suwałki Landscape Park and the other in the Augustów Forest. Three historical records, supported by the herbarium materials, from the turn of the 19th and the 20th centuries, were situated in the Lower Vistula region (north-central Poland), i.e. in the vicinity of Kielno, Nowe and Susz. The literature data indicates the existence of many stands in the historical Eastern Prussia, one of which was situated south of the Romnicka Forest in Poland and all the others in the Kaliningrad region. Moreover, numerous incorrect reports from the Sudetes and the Carpathians were discussed. As Carex brunnescens is probably extinct at all the historical locations in the present territory of Poland, the species deserves special attention and protection at the two recently indentified stands.

On the Bandkeramik on the Lower Vistula River

The Vistula River is the most important river in Polish history and culture. This paper discusses whether this could influence the hypothesis regarding the crucial role of this river for the Early Neolithic colonization of the Polish lowlands. It presents an overview of the Linear Pottery culture settlement on the lower Vistula River. The main sources of information are broad-scale survey programmes, which provide an impressive number of sites, while the extent of large-scale excavations is very limited. This is an important caveat with respect to statements on similarities and differences in occupation between the lowlands and other regions. Nevertheless, according to the present state of research, the lower Vistula region can be regarded as a remote, but important settlement area of the LBK.

Claudius Ptolemy on the Vistula River and Its Neighbouring Regions

The author examines all textual testimonies concerning the Vistula found in Ptolemy’s Geography and the respective maps from its earliest manuscript in the Codex Urbinas Graecus 82. The neighbouring sea coasts, rivers, mountains, cities (poleis), and the peoples come under the author’s scrutiny. The effort is also taken to evaluate the level of knowledge of the river and its region in comparison to the other rivers of Magna Germania and European Sarmatia. Attempting to use the data of the Ptolemaic coordinates of geographical positions, the author bases himself on the calculations of Christian Marx, Klaus Geus, and Irina Tupikova. Below are some conclusions of the research done: 1. Ptolemy maintains the earlier tradition which regards the Vistula as the natural border between Magna Germania and the region which he names European Sarmatia. Nevertheless, his knowledge of the river and the region is highly superior to all previous Roman geographers. it can be measured by the frequency of the mentions of the river name: mentions of the Vistula (nine in Geography) make it equal to the Rhine (ten mentions) and surpass the Elbe (six mentions), the Weser (two mentions), and all the other rivers of Northern Germania up to the Vistula that are mentioned only once. Furthermore, the Vistula is the only river of the Northern part of Europe, for which Ptolemy indicates three points of coordinates, i.e. the mouth, the source, and the greatest confluent (the Bug or the San). Ptolemy indicates the confluents of none other river of the Northern Europe, not even of the Rhine. Ptolemy’s Geography expands the limits of Roman knowledge of the Vistula region up to 500 km on both sides of the river. 2. Having compared the extent of Ptolemy’s knowledge of the regions on both sides of the Vistula, the author can suggest that the side of Magna Germania is known better than the Sarmatian one. In contrast to Germania, there are no cities, no forests nor qualification “great”/“small” before the names of the peoples in European Sarmatia to mention, and the rivers do not mark the borders between the peoples as they do in Germania. 3. As a result of close reading of Ptolemy’s corresponding texts, a chart of the peoples living on both sides of the Vistula is established. Coupled with new efforts of German scholars for rectification of Ptolemaic coordinates, close reading of Ptolemy’s text entitles the author of this article to define the localization of the Lugi Diduni, the Venedi, the Gytones, the Galindi, the Sudini, and the Stavani. The southern border of the Venedi is also established (ca Grudziądz – Venedici montes (Dylewska Góra) – Lake Vištytis). 4. An inspection of the corresponding maps of the Vistula region in the Vatican Codex Urbinas Graecus 82 (68r and 75v) revealed some differences between these maps and Ptolemy’s written text. In the upper reaches, the Vistula turns sharply to the west although there is no such an indication in the text. The other differences between the text and the maps concern the localization of some peoples. According to the map, the Burgundians are absent on the left bank of the Vistula, where they must be according to the text (it seems they ceded their place to the Lugi Omani [Fig. 6, No. 8]). On the right bank, the Finni [Fig. 8, No. 13] are presented to the east of the Gythones [Fig. 8, No. 12] on the map, whereas they must be to the south of them according to the text.

The Late Eneolithic Groups from the Dniester-Prut Interfluve: Some Questions of their External Contacts and Chronology

Abstract In this article we would like to point out some issues related to a series of ceramic materials found in sites attributed to the Late Enolithic groups of Brînzeni and Gordinești in the Dniester-Prut interfluve. In terms of technology and stylistics in the case of pottery from the Brînzeni type sites and stylistics in the case of pottery from the Gordinești type sites, we can see some analogies in the cultural environment of the central European area. For the Brînzeni group the clearest analogies tend to be seen in eastern, southern and south-eastern areas of the Funnel Beaker culture, whereas for the Gordinești group this seems to be visible within the Złota culture in the Sandomierz Upland, Middle Vistula region. Another issue of our study concerns the chronological frames of these two groups. Analyses of the radiocarbon data series obtained so far allow us to make some careful corrections in the chronological scheme of the Late Eneolithic for eastern Europe. Both mentioned issues fit into socio-cultural relations in the East Carpathian area in the context of the cultural transformations in the second half of the 4th millennium BC.

The climatic control of sedimentary environment changes during the Weichselian – An example from the Middle Vistula Region (eastern Poland)

This study presents the sedimentary facies, stratigraphic framework and palaeoenvironmental conditions of the Weichselian sediments in the Middle Vistula Region. Based on sedimentological, palynological, palaeopedological and absolute age studies (luminescence and radiocarbon dating), a succession of three lithofacial complexes and the pattern of their evolution was distinguished. The lowermost, fluvial complex is composed of two parts separated by an extensive erosional surface. They were deposited in a braided river system during two distinct periods of Weichselian climate cooling: first at the end of the Marine Isotope Stage 5a and during the entire Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4, and then at the end of MIS 2 (Late Glacial). The middle, fluvio-aeolian complex was deposited during the Late Glacial as an effect of alternating fluvial and aeolian processes on abandoned, higher river terraces under periglacial conditions (discontinuous permafrost). It represents a record of climatic amelioration, culminating in the succession of tundra vegetation and sparse pine-birch forests, causing the formation of a soil in the top part of the middle complex. The uppermost, aeolian complex was deposited during the Older and Younger Dryas as a result of permafrost degradation. The deposition was interrupted by the expansion of boreal forest during the Allerød and the development of soils. Climate has been recognized as a major factor determining changes in sedimentary environments. The cooling of the climate during the Weichselian was conducive to the aggradation of sediments and permafrost. In contrast, climate warming resulted in increased erosion in the valley and creation of terraces.

Poland in the Russian Empire

Make Rolf, Imperiale Herrschaft im Weichselland: Das Konigreich Polen im Russischen Imperium (1864-1915) (Imperial Rule in the Vistula Region: The Kingdom of Poland in the Russian Empire [1864-1917]). 532 pp. Oldenburg: De Gruyter, 2015. ISBN-13 978-3486781427. 54.95 [euro]. As the Polish historian Andrzej Nowak wrote almost a decade ago, interpretations of Russian imperial policies in the Polish lands in the 19th century have changed numerous times over the last hundred years. During the interwar period Polish historians presented the relationship between the empire and its Polish subjects as one of relentless confrontation--Poles against the empire, and the empire against the Poles. During the Soviet period they were forced to study revolutionary ties between Poles and Russians rather than the Russian imperial regime. Even though a number of significant works analyzing Russian policy in the Kingdom of Poland have appeared in recent decades, we still lack studies that take a complex approach to Russian policy in this region. (1) Malte Rolf's monograph is important because it fills this gap. Rolf analyzes how the Kingdom of Poland (or, as it was called from 1864, the Vistula Region) figured within the mental maps of Russian officialdom, as well as the policies that St. Petersburg pursued in the region after the Rebellion of 1863 and the impact of state policies on the region's population (chapters 2 and 5). At the center of the study lies the imperial elite of the area: above all, the governors-general (subchapter 5 is dedicated to their biographies) but also officials of the education district and the civilian governors. In addition to personalities, Rolf studies several policy areas as they applied to the region--namely, censorship and confessional policy (subchapters 7 and 8, respectively)--while education receives significantly less attention, underscoring the intense interaction that occurred between the imperial government and local society in Warsaw (chapter 3) and suggesting that many of the reforms implemented in the city were possible only because of close cooperation between the sides. (2) He even concludes that Petersburg's hegemony cannot be described simply as a hegemony of oppression and interference. Instead it was the product of a particular context, one that fundamentally affected local development (279). One particularly effective chapter focuses on Warsaw, the capital of the Vistula Region, to consider the formation of the Russian community in the city. This community, which was fairly large (approximately 40,000 people in the late imperial period), included a number of Russian professors at Warsaw University, many of whom, as Rolf notes, tended to support a far more radical pro-Russian nationalist policy in the region than the imperial administration (see, e.g., 288). Thus Rolf, like other researchers, tends to highlight the differences between government ideology and the nationalist views that were prevalent within local Russian society. (3) At the same time he notes the influence of Russian nationalism on the ruling elite (10, 32, 120, 318, 421) and ultimately concludes that the more the empire's ruling elite adopted a proRussian nationalist view that saw the empire as belonging to the Russians, the less likely its members were to find common ground with peoples of other nationalities--Poles, in the first instance (434). Rolf analyzes both the influence of Russian nationalism on the imperial bureaucracy and the various ways in which officialdom affected society. An important observation that flows from this approach is that several government measures either backfired and hurt the regime or simply did not work. Strict censorship, for example, meant that a certain share of Polish-language publishing ended up being transferred, ironically enough, to Habsburg Galicia (422), where Poles enjoyed far greater autonomy. Rolf also outlines areas of mutual influence between state policy and antistate Polish nationalism. …

Germanium content in Polish hard coals

Due to the policy of the European Union, it is necessary to search for new sources of scarce raw materials. One of these materials is germanium, listed as a critical element. This semi-metal is widely used in the electronics industry, for example in the production of semiconductors, fibre optics and solar cells. Coal and fly ash from its combustion and gasification for a long time have been considered as a potential source of many critical elements, particularly germanium. The paper presents the results of germanium content determination in the Polish hard coal. 23 coal samples of various coal ranks were analysed. The samples were collected from 15 mines of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin and from one mine of the Lublin Coal Basin. The determination of germanium content was performed with the use of Atomic Absorption Spectrometry with Electrothermal Atomization (GFAAS). The investigation showed that germanium content in the analysed samples was at least twice lower than the average content of this element in the hard coals analysed so far and was in the range of 0.08 ÷ 1.28 mg/kg. Moreover, the content of Ge in the ashes from the studied coals does not exceed 15 mg/kg, which is lower than the average value of Ge content in the coal ashes. The highest content of this element characterizes coals of the Lublin Coal Basin and young coals type 31 from the Vistula region. The results indicate a low utility of the analysed coal ashes as a source of the recovery of germanium. On the basis of the analyses, the lack of the relationship between the content of the element and the ash content in the tested coals was noted. For coals of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, the relationship between the content of germanium in the ashes and the depth of the seam was observed.

Timing of the Late Vistulian (Weichselian) glacial phases in Poland

The Lower Vistula Region in northern Poland is a stratotype area for the Vistulian (Weichselian) glaciation and during Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) the southernmost extension of the Scandinavian ice sheet occurred in western Poland and in eastern Germany. Reinterpretation of the available geochronological data (radiocarbon, 36Cl and 10Be ages), supplied with new field geological evidence, mostly for the Late Vistulian ice sheet limits and movement directions, was focused in three key regions in Poland. During the late Middle Vistulian there was one or two ice sheet advances in the Lower Vistula region. The Late Vistulian maximum ice sheet limit in Poland was time-transgressive and occurred at 24–19 kyrs BP (generally, the younger to the east). Ice sheet limits during the Leszno Phase occurred at 24 cal/10Be/36Cl kyrs, the Poznań Phase ice sheet limit was dated to 19 10Be/36Cl kyrs and the Pomeranian Phase ice sheet limit about 16–17 10Be/36Cl kyrs. Every Late Vistulian glacial phase in Poland was preceded by an ice sheet retreat.

Organic and inorganic pollution of the Vistula River basin

The main aim of this work is focused therefore on water quality assessment of the Vistula river and its primary tributaries. The study presents the analytical results of the contamination level of different organic and inorganic pollutants as well as the chemometric evaluation of the entire data set. A broad spectrum of compounds have been determined, including pesticides, polichlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, inorganic ions and some aggregate parameters like BOD. Majority of the organic xenobiotics have been analyzed for first time in the Vistula region on a large, long-term scale. Chemometric evaluation allowed the determination of natural clusters and groups of monitoring locations with similar pollution character. Chemometric analysis confirmed the classification of water purity of the Vistula River basin is related to the land utilization character in this region.

The Baltic Basin Case Study—towards a sustainable Baltic Europe

Four watersheds, each characterized by a major resource use were selected for the study: The Vistula River in Poland—agriculture; the Dalälven River in Sweden—forestry; the Archipelago Sea in Sweden, Finland, Estonia—tourism; and the Lake Peipsi in Estonia/Russia—fisheries/agriculture. The main objective was to examine the reactions of particular ecosystems within the Baltic Sea drainage area, and to assess sustainability conditions on the regional level. The degree of sustainability and impact on the Baltic Sea were investigated through workshops and seminars in the areas. Overviews of environmental and socio-economic conditions were succinctly summarized in commissioned papers. Interventions by and discussions with scholars, sector experts, administrators and stakeholders of the various sites laid the foundation for conceptualizing the interaction of natural and human forces for each case. The project was able to draw quite a number of conclusions, summarized as the following lessons learnt. In the Vistula Region, nutrient emissions have levelled off but shortage of freshwater is critical. Forestry in the Dalälven watershed is largely environmental-friendly, except for fragmentation of the landscape and its negative impact on biodiversity. In the Archipelago area a former low-energy community has been replaced by a leisure time society. Different types of tourism is developing, but despite this variety, an improved integration of ecological properties with socio-economic patterns is required in order to build a sustainable, living Archipelago. The lake Peipsi basin and the surrounding area suffer both from problems of resource management and economic backwardness. Parts of the local economy has lost access to the one time large Soviet market, although the Estonian side has apparently benefited from present economic growth. To cope with the division of the lake, a regime for trans-national management is unfolding. It is based on both informal and, to an increasing extent, agreed professional contacts. Networks of engaged people were in all sites a resource for and promoter of the sustainability path. In order to succeed and to maintain the zeal, they need strong institutional support and common goals. Public programmes in the Baltic, ie. the work of the Helsinki Commission and Baltic Agenda 21, have developed instruments to enhance sustainability beneficial for the management of these watersheds. But critical tasks remain to be done in developing a shared understanding of ways to improve management of ecosystems with social factors.

Stratigraphy of Vistulian glaciogenic deposits and corresponding thermoluminescence dates in the lower Vistula region, northern Poland

Drozdowski, Eugeniusz & Fedorowicz, Stanislaw 1987 06 01: Stratigraphy of Vistulian glaciogenic deposits and corresponding thermoluminescence dates in the lower Vistula region, northern Poland. Boreas, Vol. 16, pp. 139–153. Oslo. ISSN 0300–9483.Recent stratigraphical and sedimentological studies of Vistulian deposits in the lower Vistula region combined with the results of thermoluminescence dating substantiate the tripartite scheme of chronostratigraphic subdivision of the Vistulian glaciogenic sequence presented earlier by Drozdowski. All the thermoluminescence dates provided by till and intertill waterlain sediments refer to two major stadials which, in the light of sedimentological analyses, seem to represent two independent glacial cycles: an older, dated approximately to the period 59,000–51,000 years B.P., and a younger, dated to the period 17,000–15,000 years B.P. The dividing interval, named the Grudziadz Interstadial, was rather cool in nature. The evidence for this interstadial, apart from the significant break in glaciogenic sediment deposition, comprises some infills of subglacial stream trenches cut during the earlier deglaciation, loess‐like silts, fossil sand wedges, and transgressive marine deposits, the latter occurring in restricted areas in the northern part of the region.

I. The First Wave of the Drang Nach Osten

The idea of expansion towards the East runs through the whole history of Germany like a scarlet thread, and often lends its successive phases a similarity of design and a certain consistency. The history of this expansion is one of the most fascinating epics in European history and it is the Germans themselves who started calling itDrang nach Osten, ranking the results of this drive among the greatest achievements of Germany's national past. Truth to tell, there is an audacity about thisDrang, a fierce and ominous dynamism that cannot be denied, for it created a new Germany from the Elbe to the Oder and beyond, deep into the Vistula region. No other Western European nation can boast such a feat, though in the East the Russians accomplished something similar, only on a vaster scale, when they spread out the old Russia from Kiev, Novgorod and Moscow towards the Volga, the Urals and the Siberian steppes as far as Vladivostok. It is, indeed, a dramatic and tragic turning-point in modern European history when these two nations, which developed their grandiose eastward expansion in their own independent spheres, come to a head-on crash in the present bloody and merciless struggle.