Mieczysław Sobik

Patterns of precipitation and pollutant deposition in the western Sudete mountains, Poland

Abstract The distribution of precipitation and wet deposition of pollutants by rain and snow in the western Sudete mountains in Poland has been investigated both for selected event case studies and for a longer term period of monitoring. The results were compared with a numerical model of two-dimensional airflow and scavenging of cap cloud by precipitation. The results of both modelling and analysis of case studies during north-westerly flow indicate that the first orographic barrier (Stog Izerski) receives the highest deposition and acts to “shield” downstream hills (Szrenica). The “seeder–feeder effect” typically caused an increase in precipitation at Stog Izerski of about 50% relative to the upstream lowlands. Ion concentrations in cloud and rime water were consistently higher than those in rain and snow water. Spatial variations in deposition by snow were found by the model not to be as significant as those for rain due to the slow fall speeds of snow crystals and their greater horizontal transport. The monitoring studies showed a maximum in sulphate and nitrate deposition at Stog Izerski.

Chemical Characterization of Dew Water Collected in Different Geographic Regions of Poland

The results of a dew monitoring program performed in Poland with the aim to outline the chemical composition of dew water in meteorological context are presented. Dew samples were collected from eight measurement stations from August 2004 to November 2006. Taking into account the type of land use and characteristics of pollutant emission, sampling sites were divided into the following categories: rural, coastal urban and inland urban stations. Selected anions and cations as well as formaldehyde and sum of phenols were determined. The average TIC (Total Inorganic Ionic Content) values in dew samples ranged from 0.83 to 3.93 between individual stations with 10.9 meq/L as the highest daily value of TIC measured. The average TIC values observed in dew at all stations were at a similar level (2.46 meq/L) when compared with hoarfrost (2.86 meq/L). However, these values were much higher in comparison with other kinds of atmospheric water like precipitation (wet only; 0.37 meq/L) or fog/cloud (1.01 meq/L). The pH values of dew water ranged from 5.22 to 7.35 for urban coastal stations, from 5.67 to 8.02 for urban inland stations and from 4.16 to 8.76 for dew samples collected in the rural area. HCHO was found in 97 % of dew samples, with concentrations ranging from 0.010 to 5.40 meq/L. Excluding stations near the seashore, where the contribution of Na+ and Cl- increased, the most important ions were sulphates. A very low contribution of NO3- and noticeable increase of Ca2+ which were not observed in the case of precipitation and fog water, were typical in all stations. The contribution of ammonium ion was two times higher at rural stations as a result of agricultural ammonia emissions. The strongest correlations were noticed between the sum of acidifying anions SO42- + NO3- and Ca2+ ion for all urban and rural stations. A very strong correlation was also observed for Na+ and Cl- ions in urban coastal stations, as a natural consequence of the location of these stations close to the sea. It was proved that thermal stratification, direction of circulation and local breeze circulation control the atmospheric chemistry at ground level, where dew is formed. The highest TIC values at urban stations were associated with anticyclonic weather, while at rural sites with cyclonic weather situations. The chemistry of dew water in urban coastal stations was closely related to local breeze circulation in the warm season, mainly in the form of diurnal breeze causing a significant increase of the concentration of Na+ and Cl-ions. Thus, dew can be a good indicator of the atmospheric pollution level at a given site. Taking into account both high TIC values and the annual water equivalent estimated at around 50 mm, dew is a considerable factor of wet deposition, responsible for an additional 60 % of pollutant input into the ground when compared with precipitation.

Temporal and spatial variations of fog in the Western Sudety Mts., Poland

The ridges of the Western Sudety are well exposed to the humid maritime air masses that are mainly associated with westerly atmospheric circulation. Fog is the most frequently observed atmospheric ...

The Effect of Emission from Coal Combustion in Nonindustrial Sources on Deposition of Sulfur and Oxidized Nitrogen in Poland

Abstract Poland has one of the largest sulfur and nitrogen emissions in Europe. This is mainly because coal is a main fuel in industrial and nonindustrial combustion. The aim of this paper is to assess the amount of sulfur and nitrogen deposited from SNAP sector 02 (nonindustrial sources) coal combustion. To assess this issue, the Fine Resolution Atmospheric Multipollutant Exchange (FRAME) model was used. The results suggest that industrial combustion has the largest impact on deposition of oxidized sulfur, whereas the oxidized nitrogen national deposition budget is dominated by transboundary transport. The total mass of pollutants deposited in Poland, originating from nonindustrial coal combustion, is 45 Gg of sulfur and 2.5 Gg of nitrogen, which is over 18% of oxidized sulfur and nearly 2% of oxidized nitrogen deposited. SNAP 02 is responsible for up to 80% of dry-deposited sulfur and 11% of nitrogen. The contribution to wet deposition is largest in central Poland in the case of sulfur and in some areas can exceed 11%. For oxidized nitrogen, nonindustrial emissions contribute less than 1% over the whole area of Poland. The switch from coal to gas fuel in this sector will result in benefits in sulfur and nitrogen deposition reduction.

The role of annual circulation and precipitation on national scale deposition of atmospheric sulphur and nitrogen compounds

Atmospheric circulation and rainfall are important factors controlling the deposition of atmospheric pollutants. This paper aims to quantify the role of these factors in the deposition of sulphur and nitrogen compounds, using case studies in the United Kingdom and Poland. The FRAME model has been applied to calculate deposition for the base year (2005), dry and wet years (2003 and 2000 for the UK and 2003 and 1974 for Poland, respectively), and for years with contrasting annual wind patterns (1986 and 1996 for the UK, and 1998 and 1996 for Poland). Variation in annual wind and rainfall resulted in statistically significant changes in spatial patterns of deposition and the national deposition budget of sulphur and nitrogen compounds in both countries. The deposition budgets of S and N are 5% lower than for the reference year if the dry year is considered in both countries. For the wet year, there is an increase in country total deposition by up to 17%. Years with an increased frequency of eastern winds are associated with an increase in deposition of up to 14% in Poland and 8% in the UK. The national deposition budget is below the average for the years with high frequencies of W winds, especially for the UK (up to 13%). Wet deposition varies due to meteorological factors to a larger extent than dry deposition. In Poland, the changes in national deposition budget due to meteorological factors exceed the changes resulting from emission abatements in years 2000-2009 for nitrogen compounds. In the UK, emission abatements influence the national deposition budget to a larger extent than meteorological changes (except for NH(x)). The findings are important in relation to future climate changes, especially considering the potential increase in annual precipitation. This may lead to an increase in deposition over mountainous areas with sensitive ecosystems, where annual rainfall brings significant load of S and N. Changes in annual wind speed and frequency can modify the spatial pattern of deposition. An increased frequency of W winds will benefit both countries through reduced S and N deposition. NW areas of Poland and the UK will suffer from above-average deposition during years with enhanced easterly flow, and this may result in critical loads for acid and nitrogen deposition being exceeded over the areas that are at present sufficiently protected from acidification and eutrophication, despite the ongoing emission abatements.

Modelling deposition and air concentration of reduced nitrogen in Poland and sensitivity to variability in annual meteorology.

The relative contribution of reduced nitrogen to acid and eutrophic deposition in Europe has increased recently as a result of European policies which have been successful in reducing SO(2) and NO(x) emissions but have had smaller impacts on ammonia (NH(3)) emissions. In this paper the Fine Resolution Atmospheric Multi-pollutant Exchange (FRAME) model was used to calculate the spatial patterns of annual average ammonia and ammonium (NH(4)(+)) air concentrations and reduced nitrogen (NH(x)) dry and wet deposition with a 5 km × 5 km grid for years 2002-2005. The modelled air concentrations of NH(3) and dry deposition of NH(x) show similar spatial patterns for all years considered. The largest year to year changes were found for wet deposition, which vary considerably with precipitation amount. The FRAME modelled air concentrations and wet deposition are in reasonable agreement with available measurements (Pearsons correlation coefficients above 0.6 for years 2002-2005), and with spatial patterns of concentrations and deposition of NH(x) reported with the EMEP results, but show larger spatial gradients. The error statistics show that the FRAME model results are in better agreement with measurements if compared with EMEP estimates. The differences in deposition budgets calculated with FRAME and EMEP do not exceed 17% for wet and 6% for dry deposition, with FRAME estimates higher than for EMEP wet deposition for modelled period and lower or equal for dry deposition. The FRAME estimates of wet deposition budget are lower than the measurement-based values reported by the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection of Poland, with the differences by approximately 3%. Up to 93% of dry and 53% of wet deposition of NH(x) in Poland originates from national sources. Over the western part of Poland and mountainous areas in the south, transboundary transport can contribute over 80% of total (dry + wet) NH(x) deposition. The spatial pattern of the relative contribution of national sources to total deposition of NH(x) may change significantly due to the general circulation of air.

Rime in the Giant Mts. (The Sudetes, Poland)

Abstract The outline of rime intensity and its environmental role is presented, based on a 40-year series of meteorological measurements at the Observatory of Wroclaw University at Mt. Szrenica (1362 m a.s.l. Giant Mts.), during 1961–2000. The area represents ridges of the Hercynian Mountains of Western and Central Europe, where the rime accumulation is one of the highest in Europe. On Mt. Szrenica, there are 149.2 days on average when rime occurs. Mean daily accumulation is equal to 0.56 kg per 200 cm 2 , but in numerous situations is three to four times higher. A small difference in the range of accumulation in anticyclonic episodes indicates the role of enhanced convection in fog and rime formation caused by regional orography. Both rime and cloud water samples are typically two or three times more polluted than precipitation.

Conditions controlling atmospheric pollutant deposition via snowpack.

Solid precipitation represents a potentially important addition to other measures of deposition. However, an accurate estimate of snowfall amount and pollutant loading is not a trivial matter. There are obvious distinctions between regular precipitation collection and snowpack sampling that represent the cumulative chemistry of bulk deposition. The main goal is to show the most important processes and factors that may influence the rate and magnitude of pollutants deposition affected by the snowfall and snow cover: atmospheric pollutant enhancement of snowfall, pollutants deposition at snow cover surface, drifting and blowing snow, formation of the snow cover and its internal changes, as well as pollutants flow through the snowpack. These phenomena lead to continuous changes in the chemistry of the snow cover and the deposition calculated on the basis of pollutants concentrations in daily portions of atmospheric precipitation. The real deposition released from snowpack is strictly related to the number an...

TDR technique for estimating the intensity of effective non rainfall

Abstract The objective of this paper is to present a method for determining diurnal distribution of the intensity of effective non rainfall water flux. It was found that the application of TDR technique for the determination of diurnal dynamics of effective non rainfall water flux requires temperature correction of sensed volumetric moisture contents. Without temperature correction the error of estimated non rainfall water flux can be as much as 26%. In addition, the effect of temperature changes on the soil surface was determined in 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 hours periods. It was found that the intensity of effective non rainfall water flux was determined to the greatest extent by the rate of temperature drop during the period of 3 h preceding the non rainfall water flux determination. The agreement of non rainfall water flux calculated with the method proposed and that obtained by the collector was better for dew than for hoarfrost periods.

Rime samples characterization and comparison using classical and fuzzy principal components analysis

The main objective of this paper is to introduce principal component analysis and two robust fuzzy principal component algorithms as useful tools in characterizing and comparing rime samples collected in different locations in Poland (2004–2007). The efficiency of the applied procedures was illustrated on a data set containing 108 rime samples and concentration of anions, cations, HCHO, as well as pH and conductivity. The fuzzy principal component algorithms achieved better results mainly because they are more compressible than classical PCA and very robust to outliers. For example, a three component model, fuzzy principal component analysis-first component (FPCA-1) accounts for 62.37% of the total variance and fuzzy principal component analysis-orthogonal (FPCA-o) 90.11%; PCA accounts only for 58.30%. The first two principal components explain 51.41% of the total variance in the case of FPCA-1 and 79.59% in the case of FPCA-o as compared to only 47.55% for PCA. As a direct consequence, PCA showed only a partial differentiation of rime samples onto the plane or in the space described by different combination of two or three principal components, whereas a much sharper differentiation of the samples, regarding their origin and location, is observed when FPCAs are applied.