Volume 17 (2017): Edition 2 (June 2017)

The paper presents assessment results of the ice dynamics on Lake Raduńskie Górne (Upper Radunia Lake) based on long-term observations of the course of ice phenomena. Interannual changes in lake ice phenology parameters (freeze-onset, ice-on, freeze duration, melt-onset, permanent ice cover duration, ice-off, melt duration) in the years 1961–2010 are discussed. In addition, the ice cover thickness was taken into consideration. The analysed parameters of ice phenology were compared to each other as well as to the mean air and water temperatures of the winter half-year (November–April). The main periods of the ice regime of the lake have been determined and described. The permanent ice cover constitutes on average 79%, freeze-up period 13%, and break-up period 8% of the whole time of ice phenomena. It was shown that the weather parameters crucial for ice formation are the mean air and surface water temperatures. On Lake Raduńskie Górne the ice phenomena can only occur when mean air temperature in the winter half-year, at Borucino wheather station, is lower than 4.9°C, and water temperature (at a depth of 0.4 m) is lower than 5.7°C. In turn permanent ice cover is created when the mean air temperature of the winter half-year is lower than 3.9°C. The maximum and mean ice cover thickness on Lake Raduńskie Górne ranged, respectively, from 0.5 to 50 cm, and from 0.5 to 38.3 cm. These parameters were strongly positively correlated (r = 0.87–0.88, p <0.05) with the duration of the ice cover period.

The paper presents an analysis of the ice phenomena on Lake Wielki Staw in the Valley of Five Polish Lakes based on observations of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management conducted in the years 1971–1979. The dates of commencement and decline of ice phenomena and ice cover and their persistence were determined. For 1978 and 1979, changes in the ice cover were determined, i.e. from development to decline. Due to the close vicinity of Lake Morskie Oko, comparisons were performed in terms of variability of ice phenomena of both of the lakes. The study showed among others that although Lake Wielki Staw is located higher than Lake Morskie Oko by approximately 270 m, ice phenomena on the lake appear on the average 10 days later than in Lake Morskie Oko, and the mean persistence of the ice cover is the same, i.e. it amounts to 167 days.

The first studies of phytoplankton of the River Warta in Poznań (Poland) were carried out in the 20^th century (in 1922–23 and 1950–57). In the growing seasons the dominant groups were diatoms and green algae. Cyanobacteria were noted, but they did not have high abundance. The aim of this work is to present the phytoplankton research conducted on the River Warta in Poznań in the 21^st century (in 2003, 2009, 2010 and 2016). In all years the dominance of diatoms and green algae in terms of biomass was noted. However, in late summer cyanobacteria biomass was high and this group became dominant or co-dominant. Spring blooms were created by unicellular centric diatoms, e.g. Stephanodiscus minutulus and colonial green algae: Coelastrum microporum or Micractinium pusillum. In summer, bloom-forming taxa were unicellular centric diatoms, colonial diatoms: Aulacoseira granulata or Fragilaria crotonensis and cyanobacteria: Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Woronichinia naegeliana. The occurrence of taxa typical of dam reservoirs and lakes suggests the influence of the Jeziorsko Reservoir on the phytoplankton of the River Warta, but it does not exclude the impact of tributaries and oxbow lakes. The research conducted in the 20^th and 21^st century show important changes in the taxonomical structure and abundance of phytoplankton.

Flow cytometry (FCM) is routinely used in medical and veterinary diagnostics although it is also widely applied in environmental studies, including phytoplankton investigations. Cyanobacteria are wide-spread photosynthetic microorganisms that attract attention due to their ecology and potential toxicity. Therefore, novel research tools are being applied in their investigation. This paper characterizes FCM as a technique that enables photopigments (chlorophylls and phycocyanin) expressed by cyanobacteria to be excited and their emission to be subsequently detected. This feature not only allows cells to be counted in a rapid manner but also enables a wide range of potential applications in ecological and biochemical studies. The main advantages of FCM, such as rapid, automatic and precise measurements requiring small sample volumes, are also discussed in this paper along with challenges including analyses of filamentous cyanobacteria and signal overlapping. It is expected that FCM will continue to be used in some fields of cyanobacterial studies.

The global use of pharmaceuticals is on the systematic rise and leads to contamination of surface waters with xenobiotic compounds with a wide range of bioactivity. Waters that receive urban and medical effluents are particularly threatened. The presence of pharmaceuticals in these ecosystems can lead to unpredictable ecological impacts and responses, and may also have an impact on human health. At the same time the identification and quantification of these chemicals, to a large extent remains a subject to scientific investigation than part of a thorough monitoring programme. Their biological effects on aquatic organisms are mainly recognized experimentally and often using concentrations far exceeding environmentally relevant levels. This review paper defines the main sources of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment, discusses the fate of these compounds and summarizes the current state-of-the-art of pharmaceutical monitoring in Polish surface waters.