Bohumír Janský

Water quality of selected fluvial lakes in the context of the Elbe River pollution and anthropogenic activities in the floodplain

The paper evaluates the status of selected fluvial lakes situated in the central part of the Elbe River and the impact of anthropogenic activities including comparison with the Elbe River water quality on them. To achieve the goals of the project, eight researched lakes differed from each other in the intensity of communication with the river, morphometric parameters and in the possibility of anthropogenic contamination (industrial, agricultural and municipal) were chosen. Besides observing the hydrological regime, the research was focused on physical and chemical parameters of water. To sum up, the lakes communicating above ground with the river showed similarities in several parameters, e.g. organic load or conductivity was nearly at the same level, which was lower than in the separated ones. Although the values of nitrates were higher in the river, their content did not reach such concentrations even in the connected lakes because of their more stagnant character. In general, although the Elbe River has a significant effect on water quality of researched lakes, especially in the case of lakes with a restricted communication with the river, their water quality is a result of local conditions, e.g. possibility of contamination by sewage waters, land use in the vicinity, etc.

The Amazon River headstream area in the Cordillera Chila, Peru: hydrographic, hydrological and glaciological conditions

Abstract The source of the worlds largest river has fascinated scientists and adventurers for a long time. Extensive studies have been undertaken in the unexplored Llogueta River valley, Cordillera Chila, to identify the main stream of the Amazon River. Analysis of the Lloqueta River network and measurements of its hydrographic and hydrometric characteristics are presented in this study. On the basis of the acquired data, the northern hillside of the Cordillera Chila massif, concretely the basins of four mountainous courses—the Carhuasanta, Apacheta, Ccaccansa and Sillanque rivers—should be regarded as the headwaters territory of the Amazon River. Factors influencing the river system—glaciers and soils—were examined for each catchment. Glacier retreat in the last 50 years has left perennial snowfields only in the highest part of the study area, resulting in modification of the headwater runoff regimes. Preliminary results are afforded by the continual automatic water-level monitoring of the Lloqueta River since June 2008. Our investigations have determined that all types of soil in the area could be classified into two main categories: hydromorphic soils or poorly developed cryic soils. Citation Janský, B., Engel, Z., Kocum, J., Šefrna, L. & Česák, J. (2011) The Amazon River headstream area in the Cordillera Chila, Peru: hydrographical, hydrological and glaciological conditions. Hydrol. Sci. J. 56(1), 138–151.

Numerical simulations of heavily polluted fine-grained sediment remobilization using 1D, 1D+, and 2D channel schematization

This article used various hydrodynamic and sediment transport models to analyze the potential and the limits of different channel schematizations. The main aim was to select and evaluate the most suitable simulation method for fine-grained sediment remobilization assessment. Three types of channel schematization were selected to study the flow potential for remobilizing fine-grained sediment in artificially modified channels. Schematization with a 1D cross-sectional horizontal plan, a 1D+ approach, splitting the riverbed into different functional zones, and full 2D mesh, adopted in MIKE by the DHI modeling suite, was applied to the study. For the case study, a 55-km stretch of the Bílina River, in the Czech Republic, Central Europe, which has been heavily polluted by the chemical and coal mining industry since the mid-twentieth century, was selected. Long-term exposure to direct emissions of toxic pollutants including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) resulted in deposits of pollutants in fine-grained sediments in the riverbed. Simulations, based on three hydrodynamic model schematizations, proved that for events not exceeding the extent of the riverbed profile, the 1D schematization can provide comparable results to a 2D model. The 1D+ schematization can improve accuracy while keeping the benefits of high-speed simulation and low requirements of input DEM data, but the method’s suitability is limited by the channel properties.

Geochemical evidence for peat bog contribution to the streamflow generation process: case study of the Vltava River headwaters, Czech Republic

ABSTRACT A geochemical approach using stable oxygen isotopes was used to understand streamflow generation processes in the highly peaty catchment of the Rokytka Brook in the headwaters of the Vltava River, Czech Republic. The contribution of water from peat bog areas to the total surface runoff was assessed using a hydrological time series, as well as geochemical, hydrochemical and isotope-hydrological approaches for unit hydrogram separation by means of anion deficiency. Using data from the hydrological year 2008, the role of an existing peat bog in the runoff formation dynamics of the Rokytka Brook catchment was determined, and the hydrological cycle was described and assessed using stable 18O/16O isotopes. The research findings strongly support the fact that peatland areas within the studied catchment do not significantly communicate hydraulically with surface streams, and their hydrological function in this region is insignificant. Editor M. C. Acreman; Associate editor not assigned

Comparative study of fluvial lakes in floodplains of the Elbe, Lužnice and Svratka Rivers based on hydrochemical and biological approach

The aim of the thesis was to specify key differences in chemistry and biota (zooplankton communities) among fluvial lakes in three regions of the Czech Republic: the central part of the Elbe River, the upper part of the Lužnice River and the upper part of the Svratka River. The ten studied lakes of the three regions differ in size, geology, shading, connection with the river and the level of anthropogenic impact. The following hypotheses were tested: (1) The water chemistry of fluvial lakes significantly differs in different floodplains. In the central Elbe River floodplain, there are the highest values of conductivity and concentrations of organic matter and nutrients. Fluvial lakes of the Svratka River floodplain show the lowest level of these parameters, and fluvial lakes of the upper Lužnice River have levels intermediate between the two previous regions. (2) The chemistry of fluvial lakes that have contact with the river through surface connection is significantly influenced by the river. (3) The structure of zooplankton differs in different lakes due to the geographical distance between locations, their different altitude and water chemistry. The PCA analysis of selected parameters of the water chemistry revealed a close relationship of locations in the central Elbe River floodplain on the one side and close relationship of the locations in the upper Lužnice River and Svratka River on the other. However, the amount of organic matter, nitrogen (with the exception of nitrates) and phosphorus was independent of the region. The relationship between the extent of the lake-river connection and the water chemistry was not significant. The hypothesis that the zooplankton differ in different lakes was not proved—the species composition was similar in all the lakes.