Short-duration extreme rainfall and flash floods are the major natural hazards in small Carpathian catchments. Quantifying forcing rainfall, hydrological responses and geomorphological impacts is the key to mitigating the negative impacts of flash floods. This article focuses on the hydrometeorological aspects of a flood event, the geomorphological changes of hillslopes and the river valley, in the Kasiniczanka catchment—48 km² (Outer Carpathians, Poland). Results revealed that the flood in 2014 was generated by 6-h rainstorm with a total of 95.2 mm, and the mean intensity ranging from 7.1 to 31.3 mm h⁻¹. The flood peak ranged from 60 to 171 m³ s⁻¹, and it was approximately two times higher than an 0.1% flood. The unit peak flow ranged between 3.6 and 4.6 m³ s⁻¹ km⁻², and the K index (which is non-dimensional measure and allows the comparison of flood magnitudes in catchments of differing size), ranged from 3.9 to 4.1. These two measures revealed that this flood was among the worst, recorded in catchments ranging from 13 to 48 km² in the Carpathians as a whole. The most significant geomorphological changes were observed in unmanaged channel reaches (the upper and middle parts of the catchment), contrary to lower part, where the river channel was protected by a hydrotechnical infrastructure. Flood analysis enabled the evaluation of the flood risk management process, related to flash floods in small catchments. In this context, some proposals to reduce flood risk level are presented and discussed.

In the process of decomposition of a human body, 0.4–0.6 litres of leachate is produced per 1 kg of body weight. The leachate contains pathogenic bacteria and viruses that may contaminate the groundwater and cause disease when it is used for drinking. So far, this topic has been investigated in several regions of the world (mainly Brazil, Australia, the Republic of South Africa, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Poland). However, recently more and more attention has been focused on this issue. This study reviews the results of investigations related to the impact of cemeteries on groundwater bacteriology and virology. This topic was mainly discussed in the context of the quantities and qualities of changes in types of microorganisms causing groundwater contamination. In some cases, these changes were related to the environmental setting of a place, where a cemetery was located. The review is completed by a list of recommendations. Their implementation aims to protect the local environment, employees of funeral homes and the residents living in the vicinity of cemeteries. In this form, this review aims to familiarize the reader with the results of this topic, and provide practical guidance for decision-makers in the context of expansion and management of cemeteries, as well as the location of new ones.

Bryndal, T. 2015. Local flash floods in Central Europe: A case study of Poland. Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift–Norwegian Journal of Geography. Vol. 69, 288–298. ISSN 0029-1951. The article focuses on the seasonality, geographical distribution, and hydrometeorological aspects of local flash floods in Poland, in Central Europe. Scientific articles describing local flash flood events were studied and a database of such floods in Poland was developed and analysed. The results revealed that local flash flood events were usually generated by rainfall lasting less than two hours, with a mean intensity in the range 20–80 mm·h^-1. The triggering threshold for local flash floods was P = 20 mm·h^-1. Local flash floods may occur from April to October, with higher frequencies in May, June, and July. The floods usually affect mountain and uplands areas differently to lowland and basins regions, and this might be explained by heavy rainfall distribution and topographical conditions. The maxima of the unit discharge (Qs) describe an envelope curve according to the equation Qs = 47A^-0.4 (where A is the catchment area in km²). The maxima appear very consistent with envelope curves proposed for other inland continental European countries. The authors conclude that local flash floods in Poland are similar to those recorded in inland continental areas of Europe, but differ from the floods in the Mediterranean part of the continent.