Chemical composition of groundwaters was investigated in the region of the Hornsund fjord (southern Spitsbergen). The investigations were conducted during polar expeditions organized by the University of Wroclaw in two summer seasons of 2003 and 2006. Three zones of groundwater circulation: suprapermafrost, intrapermafrost and subpermafrost, were identified in areas of perennial permafrost in the region of Hornsund. The zone of shallow circulation occurs in non-glaciated (suprapermafrost) and subglacial areas. In this zone, the chemical composition of groundwater originates from initial chemical composition of precipitation, mineralogical composition of bedrock, oxidation of sulphides and dissolution of carbonates. The intermediate system of circulation is connected with water flow inside and below perennial permafrost (intrapermafrost and subpermafrost). In this zone, the chemical composition of groundwater is mainly controlled by dissolution of carbonates, ion exchange processes involving Ca2+ substitution by Na+, and oxidation of sulphides under oxygen-depleted conditions. The subpermafrost zone (deep groundwater circulation) occurs in deep-tectonic fractures, which are likely conduits for the descent of shallow groundwater to deeper depths. In this zone, the groundwater shows lower mineralization comparing to intrapermafrost zone and has a multi-ion nature Cl–HCO3–Na-Ca–Mg.

The article discusses the variability of total runoff and groundwater run-off affected by global and local climate changes using the example of 17 selected river basins located in south-west Poland. Based on the data collected from 1966 to 2005, the average annual values of the total and groundwater run-off, aswell as the seven-day annual minimum flows, were estimated, which provided useful information about droughts. The calculated parameters were compared with precipitation, air temperature, aridity index (the ratio of the precipitation and potential evapotranspiration), and the NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation) and AMO (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation) indices. There were no significant changes in the total run-off in the research area; however, there was a reduction in the groundwater run-off, which indicates change in groundwater recharge. The strongest relationship of total run-off, groundwater run-off and seven-day annual flow minimum was obtained from the NAO index,which confirms that the run-off from the study area is dependent on global factors. This is important for the estimation of changes in the runoff from the study area in response to the climate scenarios for the years 2011-2030, which indicate a fairly significant increase in air temperature and slight differences in precipitation. Based on extensive investigations, a reduction in the groundwater run-off in favour of increased surface run-off should be expected in the research area.

This paper presents the construction of a numerical three-dimensional model of the area of the Żelazny Most Mining Waste Storage Facility (MWSF). In the study area, the difficult geological conditions associated with glaciotectonics are accompanied by a complex hydrotechnical system of sediment deposition and sedimentary water drainage. In order to effectively reflect the water flow paths, a detailed schematization was carried out, using 700,000 boreholes and more than 300 hydrogeological cross-sections. In addition, numerous drainage sections, streams, and ditches were included to reliably assess the amount of saline water entering the underlying aquifers. This research was supported by magnetic resonance sounding (MRS) studies of the reservoir’s sediments. The MWSF is currently being expanded, so the work primarily focuses on illustrating changes in the hydrodynamic field resulting from the inclusion of the new southern section. Models of similar facilities have been implemented before, but in the current one, the combination of meticulous analysis of the hydro-structural system, the water balance, a significant amount of data, the size of the facility, and the use of an unstructured discretization grid in the calculations is undoubtedly innovative and will be an important contribution to the development of analogous solutions around the world.