Dynamically developing urbanization causes a number of environmental effects, including those related to the chemical transformation of soils. Relatively less information about the urban areas of the Arctic and Subarctic zones, constructed mostly on permafrost and intensively populated areas can be found. By the example of the analysis of basic soil properties and concentrations of trace metals in the soils of the cities of Salekhard, Urengoy, Nadym, Novy Urengoy and Gaz Sale (the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District), as well as various functional zones within the cities, the relationship between the age of the cities, the level of anthropogenic pressure and the type of parent materials and the character of accumulation of metals in the soil profile of urban soils have been described. The direct correlation was found between the content of Pb, Cr, Ni, As and soil sorption characteristics. In young cities built on sandy sediments, there is less accumulation of heavy metals in the topsoil horizons. Relatively higher concentrations of Cu and Cd were noted in soils of industrialized cities, regardless of functional zones. The higher content of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As and Pb has been registered in older zones also frequently used for residential purposes. The calculated values of the PI index for some functional zones of young cities show the medium and high content of heavy metals. The analysis of Igeo and PLI indices shows a large diversity both in relation to individual cities and their functional zones. Soil quality, in spite of the high level of anthropogenic load, was assessed as mostly satisfactory.

Existing river valley development methods which have been used for a significant period of time, as well as the use of land for construction of residential developments, have led to negative consequences for the environment. The agricultural use of land and its protection with hydraulic structures has restricted the natural flood area of the river. According to EU law, the risk of catastrophic flooding should be reduced, and its effects minimized. Sustainable water management determines the effectiveness of flood protection in the whole river basin. The paper presents the flood protection on the Odra River in the segment between Nowa Sól and Cigacice, with special emphasis on the possibility of reconstructing the former flood polders in the Middle Odra Region that existed before the year 1945, including the polder in Milsko.

A b s t r a c t. The aim of the study was to determine electrical resistivity peculiarities of tundra and forest tundra soils and soil-permafrost layers of the Yamal region. Measurements of electrical resistivity of soil and permafrost strata were performed with a portable device LandMapper (to a depth of 300-500 cm). These measurements allow determination of the values of apparent electrical resistivity of soils and permafrost at different depths and determination of the depths of the permafrost table on each key plot. It was found that there are several trends in vertical distribution of apparent electrical resistivity values. The first trend is a monotonous increase in electrical resistivity values to the depth. It may be explained by the increasing electrical resistivity within the soil depth in relation to the increase in permafrost density. The second trend is a sharp decrease replaced by a gradual increase in electrical resistivity values caused by changing of non-frozen friable debris to frozen massive crystalline rock. These differences were related to the type of landscape: flat lowlands composed of friable grounds underlain by permafrost or friable grounds with permafrost underlain by a rock crystalline layer.