The chemistry of water is determined by regional hydrogeological factors. In the marls and limestones of the Jędrzejów Plateau, Wodzisław Hummock and Pińczów Hummock, bicarbonate lime waters occur, with the main ion content of approximately 0.6 g/dm³. In the Solec Basin, sulphuric lime waters are quite common, which normally contain over 1.0 SO₄/dm³.
Partial results of studies of the lake deposits are reported. The lake sediments were sampled by a research team from the Warsaw University and the Polish Academy of Sciences. The lakes examined are found to be of various age. The oldest deposits connected with the oldest Dryas (or earlier) are found in a few lakes of a very cold climatic zone. The lakes of cold and moderately-cold stages of the mountains are younger; the beginnings of their operation fall at the Boreal and the early Atlantic periods. The youngest sediments were found in the lake Zadni Staw situated in the moderately cold climatic stage. The age of the Tatra lakes was conditioned by the hydrogeological characteristics of that area (older lakes) related to the tectonic systems, and the hydrothermal properties of the postglacial geographic environment of that area (younger lakes). However, the time of deglaciation onset in that part of the Carpathians has not been determined.
Three physicogeographical mesoregions which are adjecent to Warsaw to its West occupy various hypsometric levels and display the features of the spatial setting of cascade structure. Individual altitudinal degrees (links) of the setting are connected via hydrological migratory flow, directed from the autonomous landscapes of Rawa Upland towards North. On the slopes of the Upland, fulfilling the role of transitory landscape units, the gradient of the flow is at some 5 per mille, and the significant degree of erosion of the glacial forms appearing here results in low contents of calcium (up to 60 miligrams per litre) and magnesium (usually less than 7 mg/l) in water solutions. Błonie Plain, taking the middle link in the setting is formed by the supraqual geocomplexes with weakly alcalic and gley enviromnents of hypergenetic zone. Groundwater in this subordinate landscape unit, richer in calcium (up to 300 mg/l) and magnesium (some 40-70 mg/l), displays a slight inclination (approx. 0,8 per mille) in Western direction. The thus important differences in physical and chemical parameters of the flow (migration medium) result inevitably in a barrier effect, especially strongly marked along the border of Błonie Plain with Rawa Upland. A narrow zone of geocomplexes displaying, for instance, very high ferrous and calcary contents persists there. Warsaw Dale, occupying hypsometrically the lowest degree of the whole setting has only in its Southern fringe part the features of a unit subordinated with regard to Błonie Plain. This third unit is in its greater part covered by the systems of dune and peat-gley geocomplexes displaying, in principle, autonomy of their functioning.
Marek Prószyński was born on 27 April 1906, in Warsaw, a son of the didactic activist, writer, and publisher Konrad Prószyński (alias Kazimierz Promyk). In 1932 he graduated of the University of Warsaw with a degree in geography and in 1934 he was promoted a doctor. In the latter part of his studies and in the following years he participated in the geological research of the Stanisław Lencewicz's group in Polesie and simultaneously served his apprenticeship as a geography teacher at Warsaw schools. In 1938 he took a post at the National Geologie Institute. After the subjugation of the Institute by the Nazis, he mined and delivered chalk in 1940-1941; then in 1942- 1944 he conducted the pedologie research under the guidance of T. Mieczyński . In 1945- 1956 he was employed in the Capital City Reconstruction Bureau as the Director of the Physiographic Laboratory. In 1956 he took a post at the Institute of Geography of the University of Warsaw. He organized the Department of the Soils Geography at the Chair of Physical Geography, he equipped it with the basic appliances and reagents, and with the help o chemists MChem. M. Hoff and MEng I. Dąbrowska he adopted the methodology of the chemical analysis of soils and grounds to the Institute's geography didactics. In 1974-76 he organized the Laboratory of Termoluminescence. He improved and simplified the modernly applied areometric method of assay of the granular composition of soils (so-called Prószyński's modification of the Casagrande's method). He edited the manuscriptal Map of the Surface Formations of the Warsaw Urban Agglomeration; and he participated in the preparation of the Map of the Polish Soils 1 :300 000 (Warsaw). He is the author of Historical study on changes in the Vistula river valley hetween Góra Kalwaria and Warsaw. In 1945- 1960 he taught at the Warsaw University of Life Science and in 1948- 1950 at the Technical University. During his work at the University of Warsaw he held courses on the soils geography and pedology, as well as on soil studies for engineers and physical geographic research methods for geographers and archaeologists (for a few years). He tutored 24 master's thesis and 3 doctor's dissertations. Docent Marek Prószyński died on 24 April 2003, in Warsaw.
Investigation of chemical composition of raw humus were fulfilled in Bory Tucholskie in accordance to a contract with National Park authority. The area of case study is about 50 km² and includes sander plain, covered by pine coniferous forest with moss and lichen Cladonia undergrowth. The dominant parent rock of rusty soils is loose sand. Actual development of flora composition is mainly determined by nutrients from raw humus and atmospheric precipitation. Raw humus type is moder and moder-mor. Sublayer Of containes around 33,4% C and 1,12% N, but Ofh-30,7% C and 1,26% N. The organic whole layer on the area of 1 m² contains around 50g N, 3,7 g K, 2,7 g Fe, 0,1 g Cu. Atmospheric precipitation at the level of 478 mm annually (year 2001) consists another important source of nutrients for the local ecosystems. For example: atmospheric input brings 5% of N and even 85% of Mg in the raw humus. Distribution of these proportions may impact on eutrophisation of protected habitats in the Park.
Particular attention is devoted to the gypsum waste mantle of the Solec and Połaniec Basins. In well dried places, gypsum rock is covered with strontium-abundant (Sr) carbonate waste mantle. In hydrogenic landscapes, where groundwater and frequently bituminous substances are agents in the dissolving of gypsum, black clays with concretions are formed, including such elements as Mn or Fe.
The western part of Warsaw basin covered by the Kampinos National Park, exists as a space system mainly consisting of 3 laying evenly with a parallel of latitude links: south, central and northern. As far as chemical and hydrological features are concerned, the south one is quite strongly subordinated to the area of glacial plains. The central link embracing the depression of Łasica river and situated along a belt of dunes, shows a significant function autonomy. Here the substances transported as a colloidal solutions have a essential influence on habitats' trophic levels. Strongly changed, already in historical times, by floods the northern link is quite strongly subordinated to hidrological influence of the Vistula river. On the basis of chemical features the homogeneous units of the soil weathering zone were isolated, which could also be treated as a fundamental geochemical landscapes distinctly reacting to any human influence.
The paper presents the scheme of the structure and functioning of the physicogeographic mesoregion of Central Masovian Lowland, the area within the reach of influence of Warsaw urban-industrial agglomeration. Landscape units, distinguished as to their general chemical characteristics, may form the basis for forecasting of mobility of chemical substances brought here with the hydrological and atmospherical flow of migration of matter.
The pollutants, that are widely emitted to the environment by metallurgy, energetic industry or transport, are strongly magnetic. In consequence. magnetic measurements can be applied to investigate soil contamination. This study takes into consideration the influence of pedogenic processes on values and distribution of magnetic parameters along northem (Polish) and Southern (Ukrainian) chemozem profiles, developed in different climatic zones. The impact of metallurgical dust on the soil contamination was evaluated in polluted chemozem profiles by the comparison to their unpolluted counterparts. Magnetic investigations were complemented by chemical analysis of iron and organic carbon content. Magnetic characteristics of unpolluted profiles reveal the similarity of pedogenic processes accompanying the development of investigated soils. In both areas, the ferrimagnetic fraction (magnetite and/or maghemite) dominates in the surface soil and reflects in the elevated susceptibility (χ) and suppressed remanence coercivity (Hcr) values in comparison to those observed in loess, where antiferromagnetic hematite and paramagnetic minerals prevail. Although, due to the lower iron content in northem chemozems, the Polish chemozem is about half as magnetic as its Ukrainian counterpart, the ratios of soil susceptibility to the susceptibility of loess, χ/χc, representing their natural enrichment in ferrimagnetic fraction with respect to the available Fe supply, varies in a narrow range. Low temperature susceptibility changes κ(T) demonstrate the difference in granulity of magnetic fraction: presence of strongly magnetic superparamagnetic fraction in the surface soil of southem chemozem , and the single domain grains in the surface 10 cm layer and superparamagnetic fraction at a depth of 40 cm in northern chemozem. The nonstochiometric magnetite occurs all along the Polish profile, whereas in the Ukrainian soil the maghemite is observed. These differences can be ascribed to the impaired aeration and inereased precipitation in Polish climate. Contaminated profiles display significant inerease of susceptibility in the uppermost 40-cm layer that express in considerably inereased χ/χc ratio. Thermomagnetic analyses reveal the dominance of stochiometric multidomain magnetite in this layer, characteristic for the industrialny-derived magnetic minerals. Also the significant decrease of the anhisteretic remanence to saturation remanence ratio (ARM/SIRM < 1,5%) confirms the substantial share o f coarse-grained magnetic fraction in the uppersoil of polluted profiles. Slightly inereased χ values (and organic matter content) to a depth of about 140 cm, in comparison to unpolluted counterparts, suggest the penetration o f Fe-humic complexes into the depth of soil caused by the soil degradation process. The results demonstrate that magnetic parameters reflects processes occurring in the surface as well as in whole soil profiles. Therefore, magnetic analysis can be successfully implemented to monitor the changes in soil under the influence of various environmental factors, including pollution, and to assess the impact of rapid and unsustainable industrialization on the environment.