Environmental changes during the Holocene impacted the development of all civilizations, and it is important to understand the power of this influence through, for instance, the reconstruction of these changes. However, when the climate and environmental conditions of the deep past are analyzed, researchers need to rely on various types of proxy data that are only approximations of the required information. In addition, this type of information is often absent or has several gaps (hiatuses). In the present study, we analyzed a 4.4-m deep core excavated from the fen formed within the landslide body on the northern side of Mt. Śnieżnica in the Wyspowy Beskidy Mountains, the Outer Western Carpathians, southern Poland. In total, we analyzed 405 samples in terms of 29 geochemical components (e.g., nitrogen (N), carbon (C), sulfur (S), and the total organic carbon (TOC)) and physical properties, namely particle-size distribution, loss on ignition (LOI), and microcharcoal content. Additionally, to establish geochronology, we dated 27 samples of different biological materials using the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry radiocarbon method. A detailed examination of plant macrodetritus and wood anatomy supported our interpretation based on the geochemical data. The Mt. Śnieżnica landslide probably formed ca. 14,000 cal BP in the first phase of the Allerød Interstadial. For almost 9000 years, there were no appropriate terrain conditions for the long-term accumulation of organo-mineral materials. At ca. 4400 cal BP, peat accumulation commenced. The beginning of peat accumulation correlates with the global 4.2 Bond event of cold climate conditions. After another ca. 2000 years, the core sediments were dominated by limnetic mud, suggesting aquatic conditions in the landslide depression. This sudden shift in the characteristics of sedimentation is loosely linked to the boundary between the Subboreal and Subatlantic phases (ca. 2500 cal BP). The apparent dichotomy of the depositional record agrees with the reconstructed climatic conditions during the second part of the Holocene. Up to 3000 cal BP, the regional climate was warm and humid, which allowed fast biomass production and hillslope stabilization by trees. Forest fires occurred only at the beginning and end of this period (4400-3000 cal BP). After 3000 cal BP, the regional climate became cool and dry. In this period, we found evidence of intensified erosion, but it was unrelated to forest fire activity.

This article aims to trace in detail the periods of rapid changes during the Late Glacial period based on a subfossil Cladocera analysis and a palynological, geochemical, and statistical analysis. At the end of the Older Dryas, the water level in the reservoir was low, with quite cold waters and inconvenient conditions for developing Cladocera-dominated cold-tolerant species. The beginning of the Alleröd is marked by increasing vegetation density and a rising water temperature, with favorable conditions for developing rare species. At its end, there was a large diversity of species, along with the quite deep and rather mesotrophic nature of the water body. The beginning of the Younger Dryas is a shift back to conditions similar to those noticed during the Older Dryas. The shift to Holocene is manifested by a rapid increase in the number of species and abundance of planktonic forms that appeared before the Holocene onset. The high resolution of the research (1 cm sampling) allowed us to set up more precisely the boundaries between the stadials and interstadials of the Late Glacial and to find some species which were found in the sediment earlier than in previous studies.

The Baligówka peat bog is one of the peat bogs of the Orawa-Nowy Targ Basin—the largest complex of wetlands in the Polish Carpathians. Its area has declined in the past as a result of drainage and peat exploitation, which caused a bad hydrological condition and it is gradually overgrown by non-peat bog medium and high vegetation. The research uses models derived from airborne laser scanning (ALS) and an orthophotomap to delimit the bog and divide it into parts and assess the range of drainage ditches and vegetation. The area of the peat dome along with 3 sites of peat exploitation is currently 159.6 ha, while the ecotone zone is 105.9 ha. Both sections are separated by a steep post-mining slope. The medium and high vegetation areas cover 44% of the peat bog; its location is related to the dense drainage system in the southern part of the dome. The parameters of the Baligówka peat bog: area, size and extent of drainage system, and the degree of overgrowth by high vegetation, are the subject of research towards the protection under the Natura 2000 network (PLH120016) and the establishment of a plan for restoration activities.