Abstract:The objective of this paper was to analyze the temporal and spatial trends in annual and seasonal precipitation in Slovakia utilizing 487 gauging station data collected statewide in the period from 1981 to 2013. The nonparametric Mann-Kendall (MK) statistical test, which has been widely used to assess the significance of trends in hydrological time series, was applied to detect the significant trends. The Theil-Sen (TS) approach was applied to quantify the trend magnitude, and the Sequential Mann-Kendall (SQMK) test was used to detect abrupt temporal trend shifts. In general, precipitation data in the study area have not changed during the last 33 years, and there are no big gaps. However, predominantly increasing trends in precipitation time series were found at most of the gauging stations in Slovakia. The results corroborate previous climatic studies in the area of central Europe. In Slovakia, there is evidence of different rain distribution from the monthly point of view. Decreasing trends were detected in December in the northern part of Slovakia, while the central and southern parts revealed increasing trends. Most of the stations showed increasing summer precipitation trends, especially in July. It is expected that the findings of this comprehensive study of precipitation trends over Slovakia will produce more insights for the understanding of the regional hydrological behavior in Slovakia over the last several decades.

In this paper, water sorption behavior of 28 days hardened composites based on hemp hurds and inorganic binder was studied. Two kinds of absorption tests on dried cube specimens in deionized water bath at laboratory temperature were performed. Short-term (after one hour water immersion) and long-term (up to 180 days) water absorption tests were carried out to study their durability. Short-term water sorption behavior of original hemp hurds composites depends on mean particle length of hemp and on binder nature. The comparative study of long-term water sorption behavior of composites reinforced with original and chemically modified hemp hurds in three reagents confirmed that surface treatment of filler influences sorption process. Based on evaluation of sorption curves using a model for composites based on natural fibers, diffusion of water molecules in composite reinforced with original and chemically modified hemp hurds is anomalous in terms of the Fickian behavior. The most significant decrease in hydrophility of hemp hurds was found in case of hemp hurds modified by NaOH and it relates to change in the chemical composition of hemp hurds, especially to a decrease in average degree of cellulose polymerization as well as hemicellulose content.

Abstract:In this paper, the results of trend analysis applied to precipitation and temperature monthly data for the period from 1962 to 2014 is presented for the hydrological year (from November to October) in sixteen climatic stations in Eastern Slovakia. The topography of this part of the country is very diverse and it affects the climate. The Mann-Kendall non-parametric test coupled with Sen's slope was applied to identify the significant long-term climatic trends, as well as the magnitude of those trends. According to the present study, all climatic stations in Eastern Slovakia show a positive trend in temperature during the year and almost all of them show a significant positive annual trend in temperature. Seasonal and monthly trend analyses produced the same results. Trends in temperature are always positive during winter and spring. Trends in precipitation are also mostly positive during winter and spring, although some negative trends were also found during these seasons. The spatial distribution of precipitation and temperature trends was modelled in ArcGIS using geostatistical analysis. Abrupt positive trend shifts in annual precipitation and temperature time series were also investigated. An abrupt shift in precipitation at the highest climatic station, Lomnický peak, began around 1985 (+). Abrupt shifts in temperature began around 1970 (+) at the presented climatic stations. The extremity of the climate is confirmed by an analysis of the trends in wet and dry spells. Trends showed increasing tendencies in medium-and long-term wet spells.

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) practice in Slovakia is about 20 years old. EIA was first introduced in Slovakia based on the Environment Law of 1992. The practice in EIA started developing shortly after the Law No. 127/1994 Coll. came into force. The first group of experts was certified as being EIA/strategic environmental assessment (SEA) professionally qualified persons. During 20 years, the numbers of EIA procedures were performed and number of EIA practitioners has considerably increased. Many discussions arise about EIA procedure effectiveness and quality in Slovakia. The task of this study has been to investigate EIA system applications in Slovakia and evaluate its effectiveness. In this paper, the views of professionally qualified persons are examined closely, using a questionnaire survey. Data from the questionnaires are analysed to find information relating to current EIA/SEA and EIA/SEA practice and the future for EIA. The objective of this study was to assess the potential for improving the effectiveness of EIA in Slovakia, and finally the recommendations for improvement are presented. The results of this research suggest that the use of new legislation should be extended in Slovakia in order to improve EIA effectiveness.

Abstract. The aim of this paper is to develop a model for pollutant concentration prediction in a stream. The developed model that determines nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in a river is based on a dimensional analysis. Application of dimensional analysis to water quality modelling is presented, pointing out possibilities of applying this methodology in water quality research. We investigate how dimensional analysis can be applied to water quality modelling and which benefits it can bring to researchers in this area. For modelling water quality in a water stream it is essential to know the parameters that influence water quality. The relevant parameters are flow of water in the river (discharge), its catchment area, velocity of water in the stream, temperature of water, temperature of air and measured concentrations of the pollutant -nitrogen and phosphorus. A sensitivity analysis shows that the concentration of pollutant in water stream is sensitive to changes in both water and air temperatures. The model performs well when average values are used; the prediction error increases when the single concentration values are considered. The model was developed, calibrated and evaluated using measured data from the river station Ižkovce, River Laborec in eastern Slovakia.

Several studies have reported that the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) could have severe effects on the water resources in downstream countries, especially Egypt. These effects include changes in surface water level, groundwater levels in shallow and deep aquifers, saltwater intrusion, and increases in soil salinity, which could affect crop yields. This paper assesses the potential impacts of the GERD on the Nile Delta, Egypt. It includes the effects of reducing surface water levels (SWL) and changing the crop patterns at the groundwater levels (GWL), in addition to the effect of cultivating crops that consume less water on soil salinity. A pilot area is selected in the east of the Nile Delta for the assessment. The results of the study revealed that GWL is directly proportional to SWL. Comparing the case study of 2012, when SWL was reduced by 50%, the GWL decreased from 5.0 m to 2.0 m. After adjustment, the crop patterns from rice to other crops decreased the GWL to 1.30 m. Additionally, the results showed that there is a significant relationship between soil salinity and crop patterns. Soil salinity increased during the cultivation of the Delta with non-rice crops, such as grapes. Salinity increased from 0.45 S/m after 10 years of simulation to 0.48 S/m. This estimation highlights the undesirable effects of the GERD on Egypt’s water resources, soil salinity, crop yields, and national income.

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