Assessment of pollution, and ecological status in rivers located in the Vistula and Oder river basins impacted by the mining industry in Central Europe (Poland)
Many regions of the world are industrialised and urbanized like the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB), which is located in one of the most industrialized areas of Europe. Due to the presence of coal and other mineral deposits and their excavation, this area is subject to extensive industrialization,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X22009785 |
| _version_ | 1798028841963225088 |
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| author | Mariola Krodkiewska Aneta Spyra Anna Cieplok |
| author_facet | Mariola Krodkiewska Aneta Spyra Anna Cieplok |
| author_sort | Mariola Krodkiewska |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Many regions of the world are industrialised and urbanized like the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB), which is located in one of the most industrialized areas of Europe. Due to the presence of coal and other mineral deposits and their excavation, this area is subject to extensive industrialization, including the functioning of mining and metallurgy industries. According to the Water Framework Directive, water released from mines contains a wide range of pollutants and hence poses a serious threat to the ecology of river systems, eventually resulting in their degradation. The aim of this study was to assess the ecological status of rivers located in the Vistula and Oder river basins, which are affected by the coal mining industry. In this study, macroinvertebrates were used as biological response on the water pollution, and were collected at 30 sampling sites in 12 rivers following the methodology of monitoring studies. The results revealed major differences in the parameters related to river salinity and nutrient loads in the studied rivers. Only the two rivers, Żylica and Liswarta, showed good ecological status, while bad ecological status was recorded for Bierawka, Rawa, Łęgoń, and Biała Przemsza rivers. A redundancy analysis of the results indicated the following: the quality class was positively related to the degree of conductivity; the density of macroinvertebrates was positively related to a higher content of N-NO2 (Nitrite nitrogen) and EPT (The number of families from Ephemeropthera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera), ASPT (average score per taxon PL), and 1-GOLD (abundance of Gastropod, Oligochaeta, and Diptera) indices were positively related to a higher content of dissolved oxygen. The condition of water and benthic invertebrates was significantly influenced by the industrial catchment, which was apparent from the ecological status of the studied systems. The rivers in the most industrialized part of this area were found to be characterized by worse conditions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:14:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d06ea2f775d742b6b46b52f1049ebdeb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:14:44Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj.art-d06ea2f775d742b6b46b52f1049ebdeb2022-12-22T04:07:27ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2022-11-01144109505Assessment of pollution, and ecological status in rivers located in the Vistula and Oder river basins impacted by the mining industry in Central Europe (Poland)Mariola Krodkiewska0Aneta Spyra1Anna Cieplok2Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia, 9 Bankowa Str, 40-007 Katowice, PolandCorresponding author.; Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia, 9 Bankowa Str, 40-007 Katowice, PolandInstitute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia, 9 Bankowa Str, 40-007 Katowice, PolandMany regions of the world are industrialised and urbanized like the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB), which is located in one of the most industrialized areas of Europe. Due to the presence of coal and other mineral deposits and their excavation, this area is subject to extensive industrialization, including the functioning of mining and metallurgy industries. According to the Water Framework Directive, water released from mines contains a wide range of pollutants and hence poses a serious threat to the ecology of river systems, eventually resulting in their degradation. The aim of this study was to assess the ecological status of rivers located in the Vistula and Oder river basins, which are affected by the coal mining industry. In this study, macroinvertebrates were used as biological response on the water pollution, and were collected at 30 sampling sites in 12 rivers following the methodology of monitoring studies. The results revealed major differences in the parameters related to river salinity and nutrient loads in the studied rivers. Only the two rivers, Żylica and Liswarta, showed good ecological status, while bad ecological status was recorded for Bierawka, Rawa, Łęgoń, and Biała Przemsza rivers. A redundancy analysis of the results indicated the following: the quality class was positively related to the degree of conductivity; the density of macroinvertebrates was positively related to a higher content of N-NO2 (Nitrite nitrogen) and EPT (The number of families from Ephemeropthera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera), ASPT (average score per taxon PL), and 1-GOLD (abundance of Gastropod, Oligochaeta, and Diptera) indices were positively related to a higher content of dissolved oxygen. The condition of water and benthic invertebrates was significantly influenced by the industrial catchment, which was apparent from the ecological status of the studied systems. The rivers in the most industrialized part of this area were found to be characterized by worse conditions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X22009785Water qualityEcological statusPollutionRiversSalinityMining activity |
| spellingShingle | Mariola Krodkiewska Aneta Spyra Anna Cieplok Assessment of pollution, and ecological status in rivers located in the Vistula and Oder river basins impacted by the mining industry in Central Europe (Poland) Ecological Indicators Water quality Ecological status Pollution Rivers Salinity Mining activity |
| title | Assessment of pollution, and ecological status in rivers located in the Vistula and Oder river basins impacted by the mining industry in Central Europe (Poland) |
| title_full | Assessment of pollution, and ecological status in rivers located in the Vistula and Oder river basins impacted by the mining industry in Central Europe (Poland) |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of pollution, and ecological status in rivers located in the Vistula and Oder river basins impacted by the mining industry in Central Europe (Poland) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of pollution, and ecological status in rivers located in the Vistula and Oder river basins impacted by the mining industry in Central Europe (Poland) |
| title_short | Assessment of pollution, and ecological status in rivers located in the Vistula and Oder river basins impacted by the mining industry in Central Europe (Poland) |
| title_sort | assessment of pollution and ecological status in rivers located in the vistula and oder river basins impacted by the mining industry in central europe poland |
| topic | Water quality Ecological status Pollution Rivers Salinity Mining activity |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X22009785 |
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