We present the variability of the thermal state and thickness of permafrost active layer at the raised marine beaches in Svalbard. The investigations were carried out using direct probing, thaw tube, ground temperature and radar soundings at Holocene strand plains 10-20 m a.s.l. in Fuglebergsletta (SW Spitsbergen) and at the shore of Kinnvika Bay (Nordaustlandet). Their results were compared to those obtained at other coastal sites in Svalbard. The ground temperature measurements were conducted in 2009 on August, recognized as the standard month for the maximum thawing during the last decade. The studied sites are typical for close to extreme active layer conditions on Svalbard. In Hornsund, the thawing depth exceeded 2 m, while in Kinnvika the active layer was thinner than 1 m. In Svalbard, the depth of thawing decreases generally from south to north and from the open sea coast to the central parts of islands. These differences are the consequence of diverse climatic conditions strongly determined by the radiation balance modified by a number of regional (e.g. ocean circulation) and local (e.g. duration of snow deposition) conditions.

Characteristics of mining and metallurgical waste dumps in Ruda Śląska was presented in this article. Special attention was paid to the relationship of waste material accumulated on the dumps with resources exploited on studied area. The possibilities of dumps management were also traced and two directions were indicated. The first one is associated with forming a biological covering on the dumps and the second one - with the dumps liquidation and with recovery areas now occupied by the dumps and thus with the secondary use of material collected on them.

Coal mine spoil dumping grounds are present in the landscape of every mining region. Although the composition of waste material is in general safe for the environment (sedimentary rocks – sandstones, mudstones and siltstones), there may be up to 10% of coal particles in disposed wastes. The presence of organic material causes self-ignition processes and fire hazards. There is a need and the possibility of the recovery of coal, and which should be conducted according to legal regulations and environmental protection rules. The recovery should also be preceded by a feasibility study, a drilling campaign, laboratory tests and requires different environmental permissions. Recovery processes are connected with the work of a preparation plant, which is usually linked with protests from the local community and potential conflicts. This article presents the most significant hazards to the environment, health and human life connected with the functions associated with the installation of the recovery processes of coal from waste material deposited on the dumps. The methods of reducing these threats are described with regards to legal regulations, particularly law deeds concerning the safe recovery processes and further reclamation and restoration of degraded post-mining dumping grounds. The role and participation of interested community members at the preparation for investment stage as well as the period of realization of the preparation processes is described. The question of re-using and managing the post-mining dumping grounds after completion of the recovery processes is discussed.

Studies on tourist attractiveness of landscapes and regions often also comprise of the analysis of industrial and post-industrial landscapes, among them those previously exploited. In the case of post-industrial objects situated in urban areas there is also the connection with historical context i.e. the influence of the branch of industry on architecture and functioning of contemporary cities. Neglected or devastated post-exploitation landscape requires activities of restructuring character but also enables for its further shaping – e.g. through adaptation for new functions. The present paper analyses and assesses spatial transformations connected with revitalization of brownfields, particularly post-mining areas in Poland and around the world. In this context, the authors analyse the valorization of mining objects and areas, opportunities and threats connected with the transformation of landscape of such character, as well as mistakes in revitalization pro- cesses. Also proposed is the methodology of procedures regarding post-industrial area aimed at proper man- agement based on realization of spatial policy.

Arctic tourism develops very quickly and requires both changing of legal regulations and consid-ering environmental issues. The developing branch of services (significantly tourism) has became an important sector in the shaping of the budget of numerous countries worldwide. World-wide climate changes provide new possibilities of visiting remote countries with severe climate conditions. Global warming is particularly intense in the Arctic, where mean temperatures have recently risen twice as fast as in the rest of the world. A comprehensive set of regulations was recently developed to protect the wilderness of Arctic environment from the negative impact of tourism. The purpose of the paper is to present legal and organizational regulations connected with organization of tourist trips in the Arctic, based on the example of Svalbard area, American Arctic and Russian Arctic. There are described particularly legal regulations that concern cruise operators. These issues have been described based on literature studies, analysis of legal regulations and statistical data. The time range of the study is about 20 years. Also discussed are challenges of tourism as seen in the Northwest Passage, a historical challenge for many sailors and Russian Arctic tourism development. The issues of economic benefits, environmental protection and connections between tourism and climate conditions are presented. There is also a focus on weather enabling tourism in the Arctic. It can be said that new possibilities of visiting remote places with severe climate conditions (e.g. Arctic region) are opening due to global changes. It occurs mainly due to the reduced sea ice cover for longer periods of time, which facilitates tourist access and extends visitor seasons. It has been assumed that global climate change may lead to a shift of tourism demand to higher latitudes, creating additional opportunities for tourism in northern regions.

There was done an inventarization of 41 coal mining dumping grounds, gathering waste material from 27 mines. Considering the fact, that five mines belong to multi-motion plants the research comprised 32 hard coal deposits. Source data with localization of particular dumps have been obtained from archival materials from the mines and municipalities, in the boundaries where the dumps occur as well as free accessible published materials (books, scientific papers). The data have been verified, in the beginning on the basis of topographical maps, orthophotomaps and aerial photographs and then, after vision done during field works they have been drawn on the topographic base, what resulted in creating the map of post-mining dumping grounds. Valorisation of coal mining waste dumps, using already repeatedly presented method, included defining of: name of the dump, coal mine from where the wastes come from, state of the dump, surface of the dump, type of technical and biological reclamation, accessibility of the object, possibilities of recovery of coal and the results have been drawn on the map. On the basis of collected and elaborated data there was done an attempt of defining of potential possibilities of recovery of coal from the dumps and connecting of coal quality in exploited deposits and coal content in waste material. The results showed that in spite of initial information that the majority of the dumps comprise potential objects of coal recovery of coal from waste material, eventually only in some cases (thirteen objects) the recovery seems to be economically justified.