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A First Look at the Poorly Understood Blackwater Streams of the Tatra Mountain foreland, southern Poland
Citation:
Zawiejska, J., J. Flotemersch, AND D. Chmielowska-Michalak. A First Look at the Poorly Understood Blackwater Streams of the Tatra Mountain foreland, southern Poland. EuroGeo 2023, Krakow, POLAND, April 27 - 28, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of initial findings of a recently initiated exploratory study of blackwater rivers and streams in the foreland of the Tatra Mountains.
Description:
Blackwater rivers and streams are a unique aquatic resource that occur in specific environments of the Polish landscape and elsewhere in the world. Blackwater streams have a characteristic, dark colour (from amber to deep brown) resulting from the presence of tannins from decaying organic matter and often display low pH levels. From a scientific standpoint, these systems are generally poorly understood. As a result, resource managers often compare observed conditions of blackwater systems to conditions observed in non-blackwaters systems, which can result in highly erroneous stream management decisions. Further, little is known about how natural factors and anthropogenic activities impact existing conditions in blackwater streams. In the Tatra Mountains foreland, blackwater streams drain extensive fen areas located in the Orawa-Nowy Targ Basin. Unfavourable climatic conditions and relatively poor soils had limited agricultural use and development in the basin, however, past attempts to drain the peat wetlands and enhance agriculture are still clearly visible in the landscape of today, including alterations of stream channel form. Present human activities include logging, small scale farming and, more importantly, inputs into the stream system from local sewage and farming operations. However, the area remains largely undeveloped and overall anthropogenic impacts are limited. In contrast, over the last decade, many of the streams in this relatively secluded area have been colonized by beaver (Castor fiber), resulting in a profound hydrological and geomorphic change and rapid restoration of some of the altered streams. The unique combination of physical conditions that limited human interest in the area and allowed relatively natural functioning of the stream system provides a good opportunity to study the characteristics of the blackwater streams and shed light on their ecological value and status. That could possibly warrant protection or, at a minimum, provide scientific data for adequate and informed management of these streams that considers social demands and perceptions. This paper focuses on the results of the preliminary research carried out on the blackwater streams of the Tatra Mountains foreland.
