The change in land use and land cover (LULC) from natural vegetation to agricultural in mountain areas usually dramatically accelerates soil erosion rates if the land is used for crop production. The aim of research was to calculate soil erosion magnitude basing on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) in response to long‐term changes in LULC in an agricultural Homerka catchment (19.3 km2) of the Polish Carpathians. The changes in LULC were derived from cadastral maps for 1846 and orthophotomaps for 2009. Three variants with different factors, rainfall–run‐off erosivity (R), practice support (P), and LULC, were analysed to investigate which has had the greatest impact on soil erosion changes over the last 160 years. An increase in forest area (by 67.81%) and decrease in cultivated land (by 91.94%) were observed, primarily due to the collapse of the communist system. The estimated soil erosion using the RUSLE model in the analysed catchment decreased by 77% (from 18.13 t ha−1 yr−1 in 1846 to 4.11 t ha−1 yr−1 in 2009). The long‐term changes in soil erosion rates and their spatial distribution are mainly associated with transformation from cultivated land to forest or grassland. The P factor was responsible for reduction of soil erosion rates by 8%, a minor impact. Over the last 160 years, the average and maximum annual precipitation changes were also statistically insignificant. Results reveal a dominant role of human impact, particularly with respect to LULC on soil erosion changes in mid‐mountain areas.

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Wiejaczka Ł, olędzki j.R., BucaŁa a., kijoWska-stRugaŁa M. 2017. A spatial and temporal analysis of land use changes in two mountain valleys: with and without dam reservoir (Polish Carpathians). Quaestiones Geographicae 36(1), Bogucki Wydawnictwo Naukowe, Poznań, pp. 129-137, 5 figs, 4 tables.aBstRact: This study analyzed the temporal and spatial changes in land use taking place in two adjacent river valleys, located within the Polish Carpathians. The land use in 1977 and 2009 was presented for selected areas. In one of the valleys, a dam has been operating since 1994 along with a retention reservoir, which is an additional factor influencing the direction and scale of the land use changes. An analysis using GIS techniques showed that the general directions of transformation in both valleys in the land use structure are similar but with different intensity. In studied valleys a decrease of area with agricultural land and gradual increase in the forested area have been observed. In the valley with the reservoir few more changes were noticed. The decrease of the forested area by 5.5% and farmland by 8.2% on the areas submerged by reservoir was observed. The strip fields pattern has been changed into more dispersed. The road network development was also observed, as well as the change of nature of residential/agricultural buildings into residential/recreational.

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Abstract:The aim of the analysis was to demonstrate the role of reservoirs in shaping nutrient content (nitrates NO3 -and phosphates PO4 3-as well as ammonia NH4 + ) in the waters of mountain rivers. Three Carpathian rivers with reservoirs in their courses were selected for the study: the Ropa River (Klimkowka reservoir), the Dunajec River (the Czorsztyn-Sromowce Wyzne reservoir complex) and the Raba River (Dobczyce reservoir). The basic criteria for the selection of the study objects for the investigation were: similar hydrological regime of the rivers and diverse parameters and functions of the storage reservoirs. The analysis of nutrient concentration was based on a long-term series of measurements (2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013). The reservoirs investigated generally contribute to an increase in nitrates in the rivers flowing below the reservoirs in particular months. The role of reservoirs in shaping phosphate and ammonia levels was not as evident as in the case of nitrates. The reservoirs are merely one of numerous factors that contribute to nutrient levels in the water of the mountains rivers. In the light of the analysis of nutrient concentrations in the surface water tested, it may be concluded that the reservoirs do not cause a clear and permanent deterioration of river water quality.

The article presents the results of an assessment of the hydromorphological state of selected Carpathian rivers in sections above and below the reservoirs. An attempt has also been made to assess the impact of reservoirs on the hydromorphological conditions and quality of river habitats. The research was based on the River Habitat Survey (RHS) method. The synthetic indices Habitat Quality Assessment (HQA) and Habitat Modification Score (HMS) were calculated on the basis of the gathered data for each section studied; this allowed the hydromorphological qualities of the rivers to be assessed numerically. The reservoirs interrupt river continuum, and they alter different biotic and abiotic elements of natural environment. However, this study has shown that the operation of reservoirs does not always negatively impact the hydromorphological conditions of rivers that reflect their habitat quality. The influence of reservoirs on a river's hydromorphological state above and below a reservoir's location may be neutral, but it also can improve the habitat conditions of a river. Water and Environment Journal. Print ISSN 1747-6585 Ł. Wiejaczka and M. Kijowska-Strugała Hydromorphological state of Carpathian rivers 3

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